Yoga
The four paths of yoga are used in different ethnic backgrounds. In my understanding of yoga which in today’s society many believe the same. I believed that yoga was a form of exercise which you contort your body in different angles. I was sadly mistaken by what I believed was right was not right at all. As a matter of fact Yoga is actually a form of religion. In Yoga religion they have different paths. One path is the Jnana or better known as “Way of Knowledge”. In this path which from what I have learned is that those who practice it uses the rational mind rather than trying to transcend it by concentration practices. In my own words this means that the person believes that instead of focusing straight ahead that you should focus on all that is around you and to keep an open mind. It states in the Jnana path that the seeker must also develop the spiritual virtues (calmness, restraint, renunciation, resignation, concentration, and faith) and have an intense longing for liberation.
Another form of yoga is the Bhakti yoga “Way of Devotion or Love”. Bhakti means, “to share,” To share a relationship with the Supreme. This relationship is that of intense love. Bhakti Nam Dev described this deep love in sweet metaphors:
Thy Name is beautiful, Thy form is beautiful, and very beautiful is Thy love, Oh my Omnipresent Lord.
As rain is dear to the earth, as the fragrance of flowers is dear to the black bee, and as the mango is dear to the cockoo, is the Lord to my soul.
As the sun is dear to the sheldrake, and the lake of Man Sarowar to the swan, and as the husband is dear to the wife, so is God to my soul.
As milk is dear to the baby and as the torrent of rain to the mouth of the sparrow hawk who drinks not...
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...ind’s ability to concentrate. They learn how to regulate their breathing to calm nerves and increase their body’s supply of invisible life energy. Like I have seen in television these practices include forms of exercise and breathing techniques which enable the person to focus on their energy throughout their body.
As I have stated before I would choose the path closely relating to my personal being as a whole but I would still keep my mind open to other aspects of religion. I believe that most other religions believe in the same God, as we all know. These other religions just have a different way of expressing their undying devotion to their God.
Works Cited
Fisher, Mary Pat. “Living Religions” third edition. Upper Saddle River: NJ. 1991
Swami Sivananda. Sivananda Yoga "Om" Page. 1 July 1999
*http://www.sivananda.org/4paths.htm
Starting with yoga, Yoga is the physical, mental, and spiritual practices, which originatead in ancient India with a view to attain a state of permanent peace of mind in order to experience one's true self (Bryant 2009, p. 10, p.457). The word “yoga” means "union.” Many people think of yoga only as physical exercises — the asanas or postures that have gained widespread popularity in recent decades — these are actually only the most superficial aspect of this profound science of unfolding the infinite potentials of the human mind and soul (What Is Yoga, Really, Self-Realization Fellowship).
Yoga, as a way to achieve higher self-awareness, was around as early as 200 B.C. in India and has been gradually growing in popularity in the western world over the past four decades. Traditional styles of yoga, including Hatha yoga, which consists of thousands of poses, have long been studied as an effective form of complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM).
Yoga is a discipline both involving physical and mental control that originated in India. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word, "yug", meaning union and it means the joining of the individual spirit with the universal spirit. The type of yoga known as Hatha Yoga, ("Ha"- sun, "tha"-moon) is what is most commonly practiced and this yoga involves the path of the mind and body and is the most physical. There are eight limbs or steps of Hatha Yoga, the first step being the five Yamas. There are five yamas and these concern your behavior to the world.
Bhakti Yoga is the way to god through love. However, there can be no ulterior motive behind your love. The Bhakti Yoga requires you to love god purely for the sake of loving god. As your love for god strengthens the world’s grip on you will loosen. A distinct feature of this yoga Japam, which is the practice of incessantly repeating god’s name throughout the day.
boundless as the sea, my love as deep. I asked him to send me word
In the Western world, the most common aspects of yoga practiced are the physical postures and breathing practices of Hatha yoga and meditation.
Bhakti yoga is the pure spiritual devotion. The yoga of worship of, or love for, an aspect of the Divine. It's the most common of the yogas and it's considered as the most direct approach to unite with the divine. It can contain numerous ways of displaying your devotion, most commonly chants, offering of food, fire, flowers and incense to images, as well as, every hymn, reading poems, devotionals.
However, the practice of yoga is much more than a system of physical exercise for health. Yoga is an ancient path to spiritual growth, and originates out of India where Induism is practiced. The practice and goal of yoga dates back to the Upanishads, written between 1000-5000 BCThe history of yoga is based in the Indus Valley civilization. The techniques are practiced by the Indus to initiate spiritual growth. The yogis encourage union with the finite jiva (transitory self) and with the infinite Brahman (eternal self). Brahman is a term used by the Hindus to mean "God." So, what are we supposed to unite with? Yogis usually think of God as an impersonal, spiritual substance, coexisting with all of reality. This doctrine is called pantheism which is the view that everything is God. In the Bible, God reveals Himself as the personal Creator of the universe.
Yoga Asanas are an ancient form of exercise and healing that originated in India more
This qualitative case study is an approach to research how yoga can affect the human mind in a positive way and lead to a healthy lifestyle using 2 sources one being a book called The Science Of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards by William J. Broad 2012. And the other being a private interview with a 22 year old male Yogi. This ensures that the issue is not getting explored through one side, but rather a variety of sides which allows for different inputs to be reveled and understood. There are two key approaches that help determine if yoga helps affect the human mind in a positive way. One flourished by William J. Broad (2012) which explores different factors on how yoga contributes to a healthy lifestyle and interviews fellow yogis who give there insight on the matter. And the second being a personal webcam interview conducted by the researcher ...
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his love . This twenty line poem is also made memorable by the way the
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