Nahwe Imbwisk

Classical Yoga

Yoga is an ancient spiritual discipline that purifies and empowers. Classical Yoga consists of Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and Raja Yoga. There are four levels of understanding yoga. The first part is serving and learning from the elders, or Theravada. The second stage is the level of self discovery and understanding the greater whole, the Mahayana. The third level is going beyond duality and attaining the Diamond Body, the Vajrayana. The fourth kind of attainment is the Tantrayana, the art of harnessing Life Force. Yoga consists of practice and philosophy. The power of an individuated yogi is tremendous.

Raja Yoga is the foundation of any further practice. It consists of eight precepts dealing with the self, the world and the Great Spirit. The first aspect is restraint in the form of non-violence, speaking the truth, celibacy and non-covetousness. The observances of purity, contentment, austerity, study of religion and surrender to God follow. These are the moral precepts. The practice of postures, movements and breathing exercises clear and strengthen the body and awaken the spirit. One becomes able to withdraw hir senses in deep meditation, to develop superior concentration and attain union with the essence of any object of contemplation. Raja Yoga, or the Way of Kings, is a powerful set of attitudes and practice, which encompasses and supplement all other yogas.

Hatha Yoga is an offshoot of Raja Yoga and aims at uniting the energies of the sun with the energies of the moon. The sun salutation is a powerful exercise that will increase energy by massaging the organs, aiding digestion and centering the energy field. While Hatha Yoga is demanding in terms of physical exertion, kundalini yoga uses stretches that channel the energies throughout the body. The Kundalini Energy, or Fire/Serpent power is dangerous, but kundalini yoga is effective in stabilizing the energy and channeling it in a productive way. The reason why kundalini is called the serpent power is because it awakening sends the feeling of an electrical shock identical to being bitten by a snake. What we know about kundalini yoga comes primarily through the late Sikh guru Yogi Bhajan. My favorite set is the Kriya for Disease Resistance. Kundalini Yoga hurts but if the yogi knows his limits, he can reach a state of profound relaxation, peace and creativity. These are the three classical yogas and they are practiced as to empower the seeker through moral guidance, methods of attaining a state of tranquility and promoting spiritual power.

To serve the elders, we need to practice karma yoga and bhakti yoga - the yoga of work and the yoga of devotion. In ancient India, the first 25 years are spent learning, the next 25 as a householder and finally if still alive the rest of the life is spent as a recluse. The service and the devotion to tradition and wisdom of the ancestors are vital. Doing one's duty without attachment to reward, yet impeccably is the quintessence of karma yoga. Developing joyous love is the aim of bhankti yoga. These two yogas should be practiced in relation to elders.

The Greater Path is threaded when we realize that the world changes as we change. The development of wisdom, compassion and empathy and overcoming ignorance, greed and anger are central to Mahayana belief. They are symbolized by the three Bodhisattvas Manjushri, Avaliketoshvara and Vajrapani and represent the three noble paths. Calling upon divine beings to intervene and healing the sick through empowerments become possible. The lineage of the gurus becomes important, because during an initiation the spirit or energy of the high lama is transferred and it carries a feeling of peace, insight and detachment.

Once the energy of an enlightened person is obtained, it is time to focus on developing the indestructible body of the Buddha. In silent meditation, the spirit of the lineage of gurus teaches us by providing insights and ideas, the earwhispered teachings. Besides these there are the 6 Yogas of Naropa. The yoga of psychic heat deals with the development of a psychophysical warmth felt as bliss and ecstasy. The yoga of dreams deals with the transformation of the dream content into clear light. The yoga of the illusory body is used to develop a energy body that carries all our memories. The yoga of the clear light aims at transmuting the gross material world by imbuing it with clear light. A ripe understanding of the clear light is seen in the Doctrine of the Afterlife Stage and Phowa or Consiousness Transference. Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines goes into much greater detail and is highly recommended.

The Tantric Yogi is someone who has attained a clear understanding of psychic energy and its role in shaping the world around us. There are four kinds of tantra. White Tantra is the way of purity and detachment, red tantra is sexual and ecstatic, the black tantra deals with the Shadow and hexing and the Tantra of Thatness is the attainment of omniscience and immortality. The tantric master has developed his energy and is capable of controlling the forces in his life through acts of intent. Everybody has the potential to become anything if he or she intends it with the heart and has an approach of knowing, understanding, willing and daring to examine oneself and the world around us.

The Goal of Yoga is to unite the self with the Hidden Creative Force that animates the whole universe. It is both a guiding ethical system and set of exercises that purify and empower body, mind and spirit. Through breath control and focusing the mind and body to be pure, disciplined meditation and exercise the supreme state of Samadhi is achieved. Deep Muscular Relaxation plays a great role in yoga as well and yoga as a process can be put as "moving into stillness". It might sound unbelievable, but yoga opens the doors to an awesome and powerful reality, where our will the will of god. For me, yoga is a way recharging my batteries, coming to new understanding and developing my spirit. Yoga is a powerful way of attaining enlightenment.