Stages in the Practice of Yoga

As meditation becomes more mainstream these days, people are finally beginning to experience not just the mental benefits of this ancient practice, but also the beneficial effects on their physical health. With so many different styles geared toward specific goals and outcomes, it’s not always easy to pinpoint where to start. To…
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For some people, serenity acquired by meditation is a goal in itself and there is no doubt that this type of serenity brings important advantages, manifesting as a more calm, more productive, and more balanced approach to life. There is also a third phase of meditation, the one which carries the meditator into the heart of the meditative…
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When you can maintain concentration for even only a few minutes, spontaneously calmness will appear like a miracle. The mind and body will get into a state of rest, of silent peace. Breathing, the pulse, and metabolism itself will decrease. The rhythm of the whole being will slow down and become smoother, gentler, more subtle. This is…
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Psychologists define concentration as special, disciplined attention. It implies a reduction in awareness, because it lessens the intervention of irrelevant stimuli which distract us in ordinary conditions. Our whole consciousness becomes directed towards one single aspect, it actually becomes focused. The benefits of concentration in…
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Relaxation is extremely important in yoga. It is only through this stage that one can harmonize and balance the energies that were awakened and amplified during the yoga practice (asanas, pranayama, etc.). Therefore one must not neglect this aspect. The more one learns to relax profoundly, the easier the resonance with the beneficial…
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One needs to understand the internal aspect, that is the specific resonance of each asana, prior to practice. This allows one to comprehend the effect of each asana, by knowing where to place the focus and identification. At least 1 minute concentration on the effects appearing after each asana is a necessary stage. Regardless of how…
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These positions (asana) are part of the yoga system called Hatha-Yoga. This a system seemingly most accessible to Westerners, who unlike oriental people are less inclined to contemplation. In every yoga system, the ultimate goal is to balance the energies of the whole being; to…
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There are four main methods for transcending our small ephemeral personality and for attaining Communion with God: In the first method, also called the negative non-dualistic method, the seeker denies the existence of everything that is manifested around him, as nothing represents the Absolute Reality. For instance, he says: “I am…
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The mind is similar to a monkey: the more one wants to calm his mind down using force, the more it will refuse to comply, and will skip with even more agitation from one thought to another.Mental concentration can be described as “do not act”. Zen adepts say it is “to simply stay” (Zazen).A perfect state of mental…
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Famous quotations that reveal the experience of the Samadhi state The one who has this understanding (that the Universe is identical to his Inner Self) and sees the entire manifestation as a God’s game with Himself, is, doubtless, a living liberated person. (Spanda Karika, V, 5) Like the salt becomes one with the water it is dissolved…
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