An Integrated Program of Yoga Development

The programs main focus was on personal development based on the traditions of Tantra and Ashtanga Yoga (the “Eight-Fold Path). The core of the program was set in meditative practice, focusing on the withdrawal of mind, maintaining spiritual awareness while active in worldly life, pranayama breath control, balancing the chakras, and meditation on specific images. In the meditative practice there was a focus on individual variation, the term individuation comes to mind in the present.

Yoga and Tantra are essentially one and the same. While yoga is said to mean unification, Tantra it is said, means liberation from crudeness, the systematic process of transforming consciousness in a manner that purifies awareness. With purification of awareness there can eventually come an experience of unification between the individual self and the Cosmic Self.

‍ ‍Ashtanga Yoga in the context taught, was focused on the eight-limbed path. It is said Ashtantga Yoga is the practical science that has evolved to systematically guide the process of transformation. The eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga include, universal ethics, moral behaviors and practices, yogic postures, breath control practices, withdrawal of the mind from preoccupation with mundane concerns, concentration of mind on spiritual ideation, and absorption of ones mind into the Cosmic Mind.

‍ ‍Tantra encompasses many traditions that emphasize systematic approaches to the transmutation of consciousness, by developing and using the energies of the subtle body - particularly the kundalini energy. The path of Tantra has been compared to walking on a razor’s edge. Some of the qualities of Tantric teachings are, following directions, desire to serve others by sharing what has been learned, control over the mind, tranquility, humbleness, modesty, ethical strength, faith, self confidence, uncompromising determination, equanimity of mind, control over ones actions, integrity, following through on your decisions and commitments, and maintaining a balanced diet.

Other Approaches and Systems

• Jinana Yoga: The “yoga of inquiring into the nature of mind and truth”.

• Karma Yoga: The “yoga of action and selfless service” uses one’s daily life as the vehicle for evolution.

• Bhakti Yoga: The “yoga of devotion”.

• Hatha Yoga: The “seven-limbed yoga”, uses the physical body as the vehicle for liberation. Some practices of pranayama and meditation likely developed from Tantra.

Causes of Suffering and the Human Predicament

• Ignorance, is the misconception of our true reality, believing that the temporary is eternal.

• I-am-ness, is the identification of ourselves with our ego. We create a self-image of ourselves that we believe is us, but it is not us. This self-image can contain both external and internal false projections. We become trapped within the projections we create of our life.

• Attachment, is the attraction for things that bring satisfaction to oneself. Our desire for pleasurable experiences creates mindless actions and blind sighted vision. When we cannot obtain what we desire, we suffer. When we do obtain what we desire, our feelings of pleasure soon fade and we begin our search for pleasure again, becoming trapped in an endless cycle.

• Repulsion, is the opposite of attachment, aversion towards things that produce unpleasant experiences. If we cannot avoid the things we dislike, we suffer. Even thinking about unpleasant experiences produces suffering.

• Will to li‍ve, is the deepest and most universal cause of suffering, remaining with us until our deaths. We know that one day we will indeed die, yet our fear of death is deeply buried in our unconsciousness.

The above are collected works from: Burgin, Timothy. “The Causes of Suffering: The Kleshas.” Yoga Basics. 2003. (via training manual)

Systemic Tantric Practices

Principles of control concerning external behavior and conduct include:

• Proper action, means not causing suffering through thought, word, or deed.

• Truthfulness, denotes action of mind or use of words with the object of helping others.

• Non-stealing, means non-stealth and this should not be confined to the physical actions but to the actions of mind as well. All actions have their origin in the mind and hence the correct sense of non-stealth is to give up the desire of acquiring what is not rightly one’s own.

• Modesty, involves the non-acceptance of such amenities and comforts of life as are superfluous for the preservation of physical existence.

• Spiritual consciousness, is to experience presence and authority in each and every physical and psychic objectivity. This occurs when the individual’s mind resonates with the cosmic.

Principles of the inner world of the individual:

• Purity, means purity both of physical and mental body. Mental purity is attained by benevolent deeds, charity, or other dutiful acts.

• Contentment, means contentment. It implies accepting ungrudgingly and without complaint the out-turn of the services rendered by one’s own physical or mental labor.

• Endurance, means efforts to reach the goal despite undergoing physical discomforts.

• Understanding, means study and learning to assimilate ones spirit.

• Spiritual practice is the idea that each and every one of us is a spark of the supreme fire, regardless of whether we live in momentary happiness, sorrow, prosperity or adversity.

Moral systems of the world’s major religious and spiritual traditions: and their universality within yogic principles

Ananda Marga Morality:

• Non-injury by intent

• Speech motivated by welfare

• Non-stealing or depriving

• Non-accumulation beyond one’s needs

Ashtanga Yoga Morality:

• Non-violence

• Truthfulness

• Non-stealing

• Non-possessiveness or non-greediness

Jain Morality: is rooted in its metaphysics and its utility towards the objective of liberation, it’s ethics evolved out of the rules of the ascetics.

• Non-violence

• Non-possession

• Non-stealing

• Truth

Buddhist Morality:

• Understanding the true nature of all things.

• Right speech, to abstain from false speech, slanderous or malicious speech, harsh words that hurt others. Practice speech that is benevolent in nature.

• Right action, to abstain from intentionally harming, taking what is not given, deceit, dishonesty, and sexual misconduct.

• Right mindfulness, faculty of cognition, the ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness.

• Right livelihood, earning one’s living in a righteous and peaceful way.

• The importance of simple living.

Judaic and Christian Morality:

• Thou shalt not murder.

• Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor, specifically interpreted to include not lying.

• Thou shalt not steal.

• Thou shalt not commit adultery.

• Thou shalt not covet.

Islamic Morality:

• Anyone who murders any person unjustly, it shall be as if he murdered all people, emphasizing the sanctity of a human life.

• Do not withhold any testimony by concealing what you had witnessed.

• They shall not steal.

• Do not covet what we bestowed upon any other people.

Other Religions:

• Hinduism: is implicitly supportive of morality.

• Baha’i Faith: emphasizes the spiritual unity of humanity and essential harmony of all major religions.

• Zoroastrianism: principles include moral dualism, urging humans to uphold “good thoughts, good words, and good deeds” to combat evil.

• Taoism: focuses on living in harmony with The Way: The natural, flowing, unseen force behind all existence. The ultimate, ineffable force that connects and guides the universe. The belief in living simply, flowing with life rather than forcing outcomes. The pursuit of spiritual longevity and taking care of the body and mind. Acting in alignment with the natural flow of the universe rather than acting against it. Avoiding violence and forced action.

Modern Schools of Yoga:

• Ananda Yoga: Ananda means “bliss” or “divine happiness.” Swami Kriyananda, an American disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, developled the techniques of Ananda Yoga. The techniques involve use of silent affirmations interwoven with Asanas and pranayama to control the subtle energies within oneself. Control of these energies helps to harmonize the body, mind, and emotions, awakening the greater power within.

• Anusara Yoga:‍ ‍Anusara means “following the heart” or “to step into the current of divine will.” It was developed by John Friend and is described as heart-oriented, spiritually inspiring, and yet grounded in principles of precise body alignment. The three A’s of Anusara Yoga are attitude, alignment, and action, attitude refers to a pure spiritual expression of the heart when performing asanas. Alignment requires each asana to be performed with an integrated awareness of all the body parts. Action requires muscular and organic energy to hold the asana with stability. By following the three A’s, the mind, body, and spirity are equally honored.

• Bikram Yoga:‍ ‍Bikram yoga, developed by Bikram Choudhury, involves the practice of a series of twenty-six asanas in a well-heated room. The warm temperature, ranging between 80 and 100 degrees F, is designed to warm and stretch the muscles, ligaments, and tendons to facilitate a deeper stretching of the muscles. The increased sweat detoxifies the body and the increase in the heart rate yields a better cardiovascular workout. Bikram Chaudhury studied with Bishnu Ghosh, the brother of Paramahansa Yogananda.

• Integral Yoga:‍ ‍A philosophy and practice highly focused on the concept of Involution, the development of self-consciousness, or spiritual evolution, was Developed by Sri Aurobindo and Mirra Alfassa.

• Integral Yoga (Satchidananda):‍ ‍Swami Satchidananda, who founded his own brand of Integral Yoga, was a student of Swami Sivananda, and studied for a short time with Sri Aurobindo. He used the mantra “om” at the original Woodstock festival to raise the consciousness of thousands. Integral Yoga places importance on using pranayama and meditation alongside asana practice. Dr Dean Ornish uses Integral yoga to reverse the effects of heart disease.

• Iyengar Yoga:‍ ‍Iyengar yoga, named after B.K.S. Iyengar, emphasizes precise alignment, stability, firmness, and comfort when holding asanas. Props such as belts and blocks are used to assist this strive for perfection in the posture. By achieving exact alignment of the posture, maximum benefit is derived and energy is allowed to flow through the body. Iyengar teachers are required to complete two to five years of rigorous training for certification.

• Hatha Yoga:‍ ‍Ha means “sun” and tha means “moon.” Hatha refers to the balance between the positive (sun) and the negative (moon) energies. It is one of the eight limbs of Patanjali’s yoga and is probably the most widely practiced branch of yoga. Hatha yoga purifies the body to achieve perfect health and disciplines the mind in preparation for Raja yoga. It unlocks the individual’s latent energies to enable self-development. Most contemporary styles of physical yoga emanate from Hatha yoga.

• Kali Ray Triyoga:‍ ‍Kali Ray Triyoga, founded by Kali Ray, combines posture, breath, and focus to create dynamic and intuitive flows. These flows involve synchronizing dynamic and sustained asana with the breath and mudra hand gestures. The triyoga flows are graded and adjusted according to ability.

• Kripalu Yoga:‍ ‍Kripalu means “compassion” or “mercy.” Kripalu yoga is called “the yoga of consciousness,” and was founded by an Indian master named Kripalvananda. He was the spiritual teacher of yogi Amrit Desai, who took Kripalu yoga to America. Kripalu yoga places emphasis on body alignment and coordinating breath with movement. There are three stages to kripalu yoga. First, yoga practice begins by exploring and aligning the body in posture. Second, the student becomes attuned to the presence and flow of prana. In the third stage, there are spontaneous movements from one position to another, described as “meditation in motion.”

• Kriya yoga:‍ ‍Kriya means “action” or “rite".” Kriya yoga is the ancient path of becoming self-realized by using techniques of energization, concentration, and meditation to gain awareness of the life process rather than the body. The breath, life energy, and consciousness are united to become one. Paramahansa Yoganada taught the scientific techniques of Kriya yoga to reach the highest states of divine consciousness and create a spiritual union with god - this is the underlying essence of all religions. The Self-Realization Fellowship, based in California and founded by Paramahansa Yogananda, teaches Kriya yoga techniques.

• Kundalini Yoga:‍ ‍Kundalini means “serpent power.” In the physical body, kundalini resides at the base of the spine and, when awakened through yogic techniques, it rises up through the chakras until it reaches the crown of the head, giving way to intuitive enlightenment. The breath of fire, a breathing technique where there is no separation between the inhalations and exhalations, kriyas (actions), and mantras are used to achieve kundalini awakening. The science of Kundalini yoga was kept secret for thousands of years until it was brought to the West by Yogi Bhajan in 1969. Once awakened, the latent Kundalini energy is activated and a major change in consciousness is experienced.

• Sahaja Yoga:*‍ ‍Sahaja means “spontaneous.” In 1970, Sri Mataji Nirmala Devi introduced a simple and powerful method of meditation or inner awakening to bring spiritual ascent. The experience of the divinity is felt as a cool breeze over the crown of the head. As a result, physical, mental, and emotional balance is achieved and one becomes peaceful and joyous in life. *Note: Sahaja Yoga is a more general approach to meditation. The approach described here is particularly to the system given by Nirmala Devi and should not be confused with other approaches of Sahaja Yoga. The term ‘Sahaja Yoga’ is said goes back at least to the 15th Century Indian mystic Kabir, and is also said to have been used to refer to Surat Shabd Yoga.

• Siddha Yoga: Brought to the United States by Swami Muktananda who was a disciple of Bhagawan Nityananda, siddha yoga emphasizes the awakening of Kundalini shakti through shaktipat by the touch of the guru. The lineage is now continued by Gurumayi Chidvilasananda.

• Sivananda Yoga: The Sivananda system of yoga was developed by Swami Vishnu Devananda, who was sent to the West by his teacher, Sivananda, to draw people onto the yogic path. It is one of the largest schools of yoga. Sivananda yoga advocates practice five principles: classic asana practice, pranayama, meditation, relaxation, and proper diet. Swami Devananda has established an international network of Sivananda yoga centers.

• Svaroopa Yoga: Svaroopa yoga was developed by Swami Nirmalanda Saraswati (Gurudevi). She promotes a different emphasis during asana practice. At first the focal point is the base of the spine, progressing upward through each spinal area. The aim is to develop the transcendent inner experience and thereby raise consciousness.

• Tantric Yoga:‍ ‍Tantra means “where opposites unite” and is symbolized in uniting the female and masculine forces, shakti and shiva. It is often misinterpreted as involving sexual union. The teachings of Tantric yoga are well guarded and should be learned only from a master.

• Viniyoga: Viniyoga was first taught by Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who emphasized fluidity in movement from one asana to another and the use of the breath to coordinate the movement. In Viniyoga practice, postures are selected to suit the individual’s abilities.

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