Gowri R Varadhan, our guest writer, has graciously submitted to write a series on Yoga for Siddha Heartbeat. Gowri, a Yoga practitioner, having trained under the famed master Marshall Govindan, himself a student and disciple of Yogi Ramaiah, begins the series with an introduction to this science.
A short write up I came up with, on Yoga and its traditional classification. This is quite short and may not have sufficient information to interest the advanced souls. This was written mainly targeting people totally new to the fold of spirituality and Yoga, to give some basic idea. The ideas shared on Kriya yoga are mostly taken from Babaji's Kriya Yoga website as I didn't want to re-invent the wheel. The rest have been written based on my current understanding.
Introduction:
The term Yoga is quite commonly used these days across the world, and in many cases, used quite loosely. In the West, a common man understands Yoga as a system of physical exercises which involves stretching that originated from the East. Some associate Yoga with Hinduism and consider it a religious practice. But, this cannot be farther from truth. India being a land of multiple belief systems saw many of them incorporate some form of yoga as the means to reach the ultimate. This includes Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Buddhism, Jainism and Shaiva Siddhanta.
In this article, I am attempting to give a simple overview of what is Yoga, what are the different types of yoga and what are its benefits beyond the physical aspect.
The Word:
The word Yoga comes from Sanskrit root ‘yog’ meaning to unite. To cut the long story short, we can consider that the term Yoga may refer to any practice that helps us to unite the mind, body and soul (atman). And it goes without saying that for this union to happen, the body-mind personality (ahamkara also known as ego) must be completely subdued. Here, the word ‘ego’ should not be read with the traditional meaning of a person’s self-worth, self-esteem or self-importance. Rather, the very identification of a person with his/her mind and body. Paramahamsa Yogananda, the author of Autobiography of a Yogi, defines ego as the delusion of identifying oneself with the mind and body.
So, essentially, all the different forms of yoga available must, by definition, help one to come out of such delusion to realize the divinity within. When this mistaken identity with the mind-body personality ends, one will realize that along with that ends all suffering and the person remains in a truly blissful state of joy. This clearly shows that Yoga is much more than mere stretching exercises done in a hot room with tight clothes. Its purpose is to ultimately drive the practitioner towards the ultimate goal of Self-Realization.
Various types of Yoga:
Although, in current times there are 1000s of various forms of Yoga, only the traditional categorization is considered for the purpose of this article. In the past, the paths taken to realize God/Self, (i.e. to shake-off the limited identity of body-mind consciousness and merge with the infinite, all-blissful cosmic consciousness), were divided into four major categories.
1. Karma Yoga
2. Bhakti Yoga
3. Raja Yoga
4. Gnana/Jnana Yoga
All these different types had one single motive: to eliminate ego-consciousness and to allow divine consciousness to descend. However, the means to achieving that varied as explained below. It cannot be emphasized enough that, among these, there is no single ‘Yoga’ better than the other. Depending on the maturity of the seeker, the path most suited for him would vary. In many cases, we would need a combination of two or more of these practices to progress in our search for Truth.
Also, these paths may look completely different to each other, seemingly having nothing in common. But that’s only at the surface level. In reality, they all lead us to the same Truth and meet at the point of Gnana where the seeker loses his ego-self and identifies with the universal Brahman. Nothing summarizes this better than Swami Vivekananda’s words:
“As different streams having different sources all mingle their waters in the sea, so different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to God.”
Karma Yoga – The path of Action:
‘Karma’ here refers simply to action or disciplined action. Karma yoga emphasizes the idea that one must perform his duties with utmost sincerity without being attached to the fruits of their actions. By performing one’s duties in this way, one can gradually develop a sense of detachment and thus eliminate ego-consciousness. This is exactly what Lord Krishna preached Arjuna in Bhagwad Gita.
The word ‘Karma’ can represent selfless service to fellow beings. And in such service, we lose ourselves, our sense of ego and the sense of “I am the doer”.
Swami Vivekananda is a great example of Karma Yoga. Although he could have easily renounced and become a hermit, he chose to carry his Master’s message to every corner of the world. He dedicated his entire life for this purpose. And nothing signifies this better than his statement “I shall take 1000 rebirths to help a single man educated/enlightened.” This clearly shows that his own enlightenment was secondary to him.
Bhakti Yoga – The path of Devotion:
“Bhakti” is the path of devotion. It is much more than performing rituals and visiting temples/churches on auspicious days. In Bhakti, a devotee is emotionally longing for the divine. This is a yearning that is far more superior to any of their daily life needs. This is complete surrender. The devotee surrenders everything including their desires, fears, and life’s needs to the divine and do not want anything for themselves other than the divine. It can be noted that most Bhakts may not even have the desire to get enlightened and all they need is to be one with their object of devotion. Examples are Bhakt Meera, Alwars and Nayanmars of the south, Ram Das etc. In contemporary times, ISKCON is known to promote Bhakti Yoga. Nevertheless, it can be practiced by everyone by slowly cultivating such intense fervor towards one’s favorite deity.
A devotee would have one God/deity and would be deeply in love with that deity. It could be Krishna, Jesus, Rama, Shiva, Ganesha or Shakti or any others. In thought, word and deed, the devotee sees nothing but their God. Their emotional body is overflowing with the love for the divine. When they hear the name of their deity, they could burst into tears. They enjoy Bhajans or singing the praise of God. At the pinnacle, they no longer have a sense of themselves and their mind becomes completely absorbed in the divine, leading them to experience complete bliss and realize that their deity and their ‘Self’ are one and the same.
Raja Yoga – The Royal Path:
Raja yoga is considered as the royal path to realization. It is very systematic and requires continuous and dedicated effort by the sadhak. Raja Yoga, in some traditions simply called as Yoga is well explained by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. The 8 limbs of Ashtanga Yoga namely, Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi could be considered as the sequence of progression for a sadhak following the path of Raja Yoga. Here, the sadhak attempts to eliminate ego-consciousness by directly controlling that entity which gives raise to it – The Mind. The sadhak performs a number of activities such as Pranayama, Asana, meditation etc. and directly studies the nature of the mind, its roots, the 5 senses and their impact on the mind and how to stop their activity consciously.
Patanjali defines Yoga as ‘Yoga chitta vritti nirodaha’. It means ‘Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations arising within the sub-conscious’ (Source: Kriya Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Siddhas by Marshal Govindan). Hence, all the practices of Raja Yoga are aimed at the goal of disciplining the mind, quietening it and completely stopping its activities consciously and to be absorbed completely in the Self. Such a state is called Samadhi which is the goal of Raja Yoga. In Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the sadhak is in a state of complete cognitive absorption where he has totally lost the sense of personal ‘I’ and the body and is completely merged with the super conscious. This is the highest level of Samadhi where the sadhak transcends the time-space dimension and identifies completely with the para-brahman or the universal self or the super consciousness. When they bring such a state of continuous cognitive absorption to their daily lives, then it is known as Sahaja Nirvikalpa Samadhi in which the person is able to perform his day-to-day activities even when his mind is completely absorbed in the Heart.
A special form of Raja Yoga is called Kriya Kundalini Yoga about which we will see in detail in a separate section.
Gnana Yoga – The path of Wisdom:
“Control of mind by the control of breath is Yoga (Raja Yoga or Kriya yoga);
Control of breath by the control of mind is Gnana” – Sri Ramana Maharshi
In Gnana yoga, the term ‘Gnana’ itself signifies the goal. Gnana is the knowledge of Brahman or the universal self or Super Consciousness. According to Mandukya Upanishad, “Brahmavit Brahmaiva bhavati – The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman”
Thus, this appears to be a direct method to realize Para-brahman by diving straight into the nature of the self. The most common practice is self-enquiry, known in Sanskrit as atma-vichara. Here, the practitioner keeps asking the seemingly simple question, ‘Who am I?’ until he discerns and eliminates everything that is not the self, such as “I am not this body, I am not the 5 senses, I am not the mind etc.” It is not merely a mental exercise to keep repeating such statements or to repeat the mahavakyas such as ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ and ‘Tat tvam Asi’, but to consciously plunge deeper and deeper in to the source of awareness from which the very thought of ‘I’ emerges. When the mind is thus focused upon its own source, it gets absorbed and what remains is pure existence, pure awareness. That is when one becomes aware of being aware and the difference between the object known, the act of knowing and the knower ceases to exist. The practitioner remains as Sat-chit-ananda, in a state of pure bliss transcending subject- object relationship. In other words, the practitioner remains as the Universal self or Para-brahman.
The most well-known Gnana yogis are Adi Shankara in olden days and Sri Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj of contemporary times.
This is the most direct method. Sri Ramana Maharshi says, the path a person takes to realize the self may vary according to his maturity and fitness of mind, but one has to come to atma-vichara as the final step. He also re-iterates that although Gnana yoga might seem dry and abstract to a beginner, it is not so. As the soul ripens, the other aspects of yoga such as Bhakti and self-less service will come into the practitioner’s nature automatically.
Babaji’s Kriya Yoga
Babaji’s Kriya Yoga, as mentioned before, is a special form of Raja Yoga. It also includes aspects of other forms of yoga such as devotion as in bhakti, discipline of action as in Karma Yoga and focus on being with the Self/pure awareness as in Gnana. It is a scientific art of perfect God -Truth union and self-realization. It is an ancient form of practice preached to Arjuna by Lord Krishna and was lost over time. In the late 19th century, Mahavatar Babaji revived it as a synthesis of Patanjali`s yoga sutras and the practice of Kundalini yoga by the yoga Siddhars. Thus, he cleverly combined both the aspects of consciousness (Shiva) as in Patanjali`s Sutras and that of energy (Shakti) as in the practice of siddhas.
The word `Kriya` comes from the root word ‘kri’ meaning action. In this context, ‘Kriya’ refers to action with awareness. It is emphasized that all the practices in Babaji’s Kriya Yoga are performed with utmost awareness. The sadhana of BKY is a collection of 144 exercises and spiritual practices for Self realization and transformation in all of our five bodies: physical, vital, mental, intellectual and spiritual. Kriya Yoga is a 5 phased integral approach to attain God-realization. Each of them addresses one or more of the koshas. Koshas are the 5 sheaths or bodies of our existence. It is best explained in Vivekachoodamani written by Adi Shankara.
The 5 bodies are as follows:
· Annamaya kosha - physical body
· Pranamaya Kosha - Vital/energy body (emotions)
· Manomaya Kosha - mental body (mind and thoughts)
· Vigyanamaya Kosha - intellectual body (abstract intellect)
· Anandamaya Kosha - spiritual body
The 5 phases of Kriya Yoga are as follows:
1. Kriya Hatha Yoga
2. Kriya Kundalini Pranayama
3. Kriya Dhyana Yoga
4. Kriya Mantra Yoga
5. Kriya Bhakti Yoga
Kriya Hatha Yoga: includes asanas, bandahs, and mudras, psycho-physical gestures, all of which bring about greater health, peace and the awakening the nadis or the energy channels, the chakras. Babaji has selected a particularly effective series of 18 postures, which are taught in stages and in pairs. The first objective of Kriya Hatha Yoga is deep physical and mental relaxation. The variety of asana grants flexibility, lightness and buoyancy in the body relieving us of many disorders. The practice of the 18 asana series awakens the energy centers along the spine and kundalini, our potential power and consciousness.
Kriya Kundalini Pranayama: is a powerful breathing technique to awaken one’s potential power and consciousness and to circulate it through the seven principal chakras between the base of the spine and the crown of the head. It deals more directly with the subtler vital parts of the nervous system. Ultimately these pranayama will awaken the sushumna and direct kundalini upward through it.
Kriya Dhyana Yoga: is a progressive series of meditation techniques to learn the scientific art of mastering the mind - to cleanse the subconscious, to develop concentration, mental clarity and vision, to awaken the intellectual, intuitive and creative faculties, and to bring about the breathless state of communion with God, "Samadhi" and Self-Realization. It aims to bring the truth realized in our inner consciousness into our waking consciousness and become effective there. The level of our consciousness determines the nature and quality of the life we live. So, rather than trying to stop thoughts and drop into a void, our meditations focus on dynamic methods of strengthening the power of the mind, the power of visualization and stimulate a ready flow of intuition and inspiration, which can be used in our life.
Kriya Mantra Yoga: The word Mantra comes from ‘man’ + ‘tra’, meaning to protect the mind. The silent mental repetition of subtle sounds becomes a substitute for the "I" - centered mental chatter and facilitates the accumulation of great amounts of energy. The mantra also cleanses habitual subconscious tendencies. These are powerful seed syllables to awaken the intuition, the intellect and the chakras. They mantras also serve as a direct means of establishing communication with higher beings such as Babaji and the 18 Siddhas.
Kriya Bhakti Yoga: the cultivation of the soul’s aspiration for the Divine. It includes devotional activities and service to awaken unconditional love and spiritual bliss; it includes chanting and singing, ceremonies, pilgrimages, and worship. Gradually, all of one's activities become soaked with sweetness, as the "Beloved" is perceived in all.
Babaji's Kriya Yoga is a spiritual tradition, wherein one “wakes up” from “dreaming with one’s eyes open.”. Babaji's Kriya Yoga is a path of Self-realization which is comprehensive, as it integrates all of the dimensions of our life. It is a path of self discipline which enables one to live in the world with open-hearted compassion.