योग विद्या

प्राचीन काल से लेकर आज तक स्वास्थ्य रक्षा के लिए जितने भी तरीक़े है उनमें योग विद्या सर्वोपरि है!

योग के माध्यम से शारीरिक, मानसिक एवम् आध्यात्मिक स्वास्थ्य कि प्राप्ति होती है! पूरे विश्व मे आध्यात्मिक गुरु, दार्शनिक और खेल प्रशिक्षक एवम् स्वास्थ्य कार्यकर्ता योग का शिक्षण एवम् प्रशिक्षण दे रहें है!     योग का अर्थ एवं प्रकार योग का वास्तविक अर्थ जोड़ना या सम्बन्ध स्थापित करना होता है, अपनी आत्म चेतना को ईश्वर से जोड़ने कि विद्या का नाम योग है! इसलिए श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता मे निर्दिश कर्मयोग- कर्म करने कि कला या जीवन जीने कि कला। भक्तियोग- ईश्वर उपासना कि विद्या। ज्ञानयोग- दार्शनिक,आध्यात्मिक और धार्मिक चिंतन के द्वारा ईश्वर एवं जगत को समझने इत्यादि सम्मिलित है। लेकिन स्वास्थ्य कि द्रष्टी से हठयोग और राजयोग अर्थात अष्टांग योग अधिक महत्वपूर्ण है।   हठयोग एवं राजयोग हठयोग के अन्तर्गत शारीरिक श्रमसाध्य योग विशेष रुप से है, इसमें शारीरिक व्यायाम- आसन। श्वास तंत्र के व्यायाम- प्राणायाम । विशिष्ट शारीरिक एवम् मानसिक स्थितियां- मुद्राएं। शक्ति संरक्षण एवम् निरोध के विभिन्न तरीक़े- बंध ! एवम् शरीर शुद्धि और आध्यात्मिक विकास कि विशिष्ट क्रियाएँ- षट्कर्म आदि सम्मिलित है। षट्कर्म के अन्तरगत धोती, वस्ती, नेती, मोली, कपालभाती, और त्राटक सम्मिलित है। हठयोग एवम् राजयोग कि कुण्डलिनी विद्या एवम् कुण्डलिनी जागरण कि विद्या अति लोकप्रिय है, कुण्डलिनी जागरण के द्वारा विभिन्न शारीरिक, मानसिक एवं आध्यात्मिक शक्तियां एव सिद्धियां प्राप्त कि जाती है। कुण्डलिनी जागरण में आध्यात्मिक साधना, मंत्रों,संध्या,ध्यान आदि का भी प्रयोग किया जाता है।   राजयोग या अष्टांग योग राजयोग को ही योग दर्शन कहा जाता है। इस विधि में योग के आठ अंग निर्धारित किए गए है। इसका मुख्य उद्देश्य ध्यान साधना के द्वारा मोक्ष प्राप्त करना है। अष्टांग योग एक व्यवस्थित विज्ञान है, जिसकी समझ योग के प्रत्येक साधक के लिए अनिवार्य मानी जाती है।।   योग चिकित्सा एवम् प्राकृतिक चिकित्सा योग कि क्रियाएँ एवम् प्रक्रियाएं त्री-ताप, त्री-दोष एवम् शारीरिक,आध्यात्मिक,मानसिक विक्रतीयों एवम् रोगों दूर करने में सहायक है, इसलिए योग चिकित्सा नाम कि पद्धति का अलग से विकास हुआ। आयुर्वेद में पंचकर्म चिकित्सा का प्रयोग किया जाता है। इसके अतिरिक्त प्राकृतिक चिकित्सा में भी योग का अनिवार्य उपयोग किया जाता है।

THIS THING CALLED MIND (MEDITATION) PART-4

THIS THING CALLED MIND

meditation sant

Sitting down and experiencing peace is one thing; actually using it
to transform my life is quite another. A great deal goes on between
the intention and the action, and sometimes I catch myself saying,
'I didn't want to do that, but...' or 'Sorry, I didn't mean to say that'.
To be in full control of my life I need not only to know, but also to
understand the process through which an intention becomes an
action.
For instance, a variety of raw materials goes into a car manufacturing plant: sheet metal, nuts and bolts, electrical wiring, paint and
so on. These raw materials can be compared to my experiences
and intentions. As the raw materials pass through the plant, they
are processed and eventually emerge as cars. However, imagine
that there is a consistent fault in the production process. I could set
about repairing each car as it comes off the production line, but
this would be time-consuming and hard work. It would also be very
frustrating, as I would consider that the factory had been built to
produce faulty cars.
Similarly, changing my actions superficially will not bring about
profound changes in my life. This can work to a limited extent but
I will be continually faced by 'faulty' actions from the 'production
line', and it will seem like very hard labour with not much reward.
Instead, I need to check the raw materials of my experience and
also become familiar with the 'production process' of my desires
and actions. It is not enough for the engineer only to know approximately what happens on the factory floor. To repair a fault he 
needs a detailed working knowledge of everything that is going on.
The better he understands the machinery, the better he is at identifying and repairing the fault. So, the more I understand about how
I work, the easier it is for me to eliminate the actions which I don't
want. Through meditation I am checking the raw materials, ensuring that only the best quality is used and making sure that nothing
is in short supply.
So, what is the process of manufacture? The first and most obvious
thing that comes between an intention and an action is a thought.
Thoughts occur in the mind. In Raja Yoga the mind is not seen as a
physical thing but as a faculty of the soul, and therefore, non-physical. Through the mind I imagine, think and form ideas. This
thought process is the basis of all my emotions, desires and sensations. It is through this faculty that, in an instant, I can re-live a past
experience, produce happiness or sadness, or take myself to the
other side of the world.
When there is the thought, 'I want a cup of tea', the relevant
actions seem to follow automatically. However, is thought the only
link between intention and action? What about the expression,
'Think before you speak'? Undoubtedly there must be thought
before I open my mouth, or nothing would emerge; so, what is
meant here? There seem to be two aspects to thought The first is
the thought itself; the second is the awareness and understanding
of that thought. It is the intellect which is used to understand the
thoughts. Through this second faculty of the soul, I assess the value
of what emerges in the mind. In the expression, 'Think before you
speak', I am being asked to use my intellect and consider whether
my thoughts are worth uttering. Some other function of the intellect are reasoning, realisation, discrimination, judgement and the
exercise of will power.
The intellect is the most crucial faculty; through the intellect I exercise control over my mind and thus over myself. The purpose Of Meditation is to fill the intellect with power, so making me clearheaded and perceptive, as well as developing firm resolve. The
intellect is recognised by the effect that it has. For instance, some-
one explains something and I fail to understand it. So he tries
explaining it in three or four different ways, but still I don't under-
stand. Finally the fifth time, I 'see the light' or 'the penny drops',
that is, I realise what he means. This realisation is the working of
the intellect.
Another example might be the process through which I sort out a
plan of action to take, when faced with a choice of two or three
possibilities. I weigh up the advantages and disadvantages until my
power of judgement tells me which plan is the most suitable. Like
the mind, the intellect is a subtle non-physical entity and belongs
to the soul, not the body.
There is a third faculty of the soul which comprises the impressions left on the soul by actions we have performed. These impressions can be referred to by the Sanskrit word 'sanskaras', for which
there is no simple translation. Habits, emotional tendencies, temperament, personality traits are all built up by Sanskaras imprinted
on the soul through each action it has performed. Sanskaras create
the personality in the same way that individual frames on a feature
film make up a story. Every action is recorded, whether it is a physical movement, a word or even a thought. As I live my life, I am
making an imprint on the celluloid, the soul. All the thoughts that
occur in the mind are due to the sanskaras. Personality, the most
fundamental feature of each individual, unique soul, is determined
by these sanskaras.
The mind, intellect and sanskaras function together in a cyclic pat-
tern which determines how I behave, what thoughts I have and
even what mood I am in. Firstly, the mind produces thoughts, evidence, which the intellect judges. On the basis of that judgement
an action is performed or not performed. The action, or non-action creates a sanskara which. in turn, becomes part of the evidence
in the mind.
A good illustration of this is the formation of a habit such as smoking. The first time I am offered a cigarette, many thoughts, both
For and against, arise in the mind: 'It's bad for my health', 'I
wonder what it tastes like', 'It is very easy to get addicted',
'Everyone else does it' and so on. On the basis of these thoughts,
the intellect makes a decision. Let's suppose that it makes the
decision to try a cigarette. A sanskara is created by that action and
the next time I am offered a cigarette that previous action
becomes part of the evidence in the mind, as a memory: 'I
smoked one before'. If I decide to smoke one again, the repetition
deepens that sanskara, just like planning a groove in a piece of
wood, until eventually the evidence in the mind, urging me to
smoke, has become so overwhelming that no evidence for not
smoking remains. The intellect has now become very weak, even
defunct. There is no longer a choice or judgement to make. There
is just the strong thought rising in the mind: 'Have a cigarette!'
and I perform the action automatically. I am no longer in control;
my past actions In the form of sanskaras are ruling my present.
However, I can also use this mechanism to create peaceful,
positive sanskaras. As I sit in meditation, I experience myself as a
peaceful soul. This experience forms a sanskara. The next time I
am about to get angry, through force of habit, the mind will
present contrary evidence: 'I am a peaceful soul'. This forces the
intellect to make a decision. As the intellect gains strength of will
through meditation, it becomes easier to act on peaceful
sanskaras, as opposed to negative sanskaras. Thus the intellect
begins to control both the mind and actions. I, the soul, become
the master of the present. I am no longer the slave of my past.
Gradually I reach a position where I choose to put into action only
those thoughts which will lead me to experience permanent
happiness and contentment.
MEDITATION PRACTICE
Take one aspect of yourself which you want to change. A few
times a day create just one or two very powerful positive
thoughts which will help change that negative habit or character
trait. Do this with all the energy and enthusiasm you can muster
This will create a very powerful sanskara. When that positive
thought for change comes into your mind again, it will bring
With it the experience of enthusiasm. This will help you to put
that intention into action at the appropriate time. For example,
if you want to give up the habit of criticising people, throughout
the day keep creating the positive thought: 'I see all as peaceful
souls, Instead of criticising their weaknesses, I will only see their
Virtues or 'I must first change my own weaknesses before criticising the weaknesses of others.'

SOUL - CONSCIOUSNESS (MEDITATION) PART-3

SOUL - CONSCIOUSNESS

Why should the thought, 'I am a peaceful soul', be any more beneficial to me than the thought, 'I am a body'? In the previous lesson
it was mentioned that this thought allows me to become detached
from the role that I play. It is important to understand what is
meant by this word 'detached'. It does not mean distant or inward-
looking to the point of isolation, where there is a breakdown in
communication. Neither does it mean that I become an uncaring
observer of what is going on. It simply means to have the consciousness of being an actor. I play my part with great enthusiasm
and love, but I do not let the expectations, burdens and worries of
outside situations or other people affect my own understanding of
who I am; a peaceful being. In fact, the word most often used in
conjunction with 'detached' is 'loving'. By being aware of myself as
a soul, I experience my natural qualities so that the feelings I associate with detachment are not of distaste or lack of concern, but of
peace, love and happiness.

How can soul-consciousness help me improve my attitude towards
myself and others? We often have the habit of comparing ourselves
to others, seeing ourselves in the light of what we consider to be
their merits or demerits. This can sometimes lead to a feeling of
hopelessness, self-criticism and other equally negative states of
mind. Through the experience of soul-consciousness, I come to
realize my own worth and stop comparing myself with others. Self-criticism is overcome as I experience my true positive qualities and
nature. This leads not to a feeling of superiority, but to a feeling of stability and self confidence. Doubts are replaced by a deeper faith in myself.

If I understand that I am a peaceful soul, I understand that others
must also be that. Through this awareness, I will be able to relate
to them on purely equal terms, that is, with what can be called the
vision of brotherhood. Sometimes actions are totally opposed to
this. Someone may get angry with me and I feel threatened, replying sharply in return. Thus a heated argument can develop. This is
a reflection of body-consciousness. Instead of primarily seeing the
other as a peaceful soul, playing a part, I am seeing the part and
thinking it is the other's true nature.

If, instead, I have the determined thought to see others as souls, I
will respond very differently to their anger. I will see their anger as
being something temporary and not intrinsic to their true nature.
Instead of reacting angrily or being defensive, I will actually
become detached or even giving. I can put myself, quite naturally,
into the position of being able to help them. I will recognize that
their anger is only to do with their own confusion. This positive
attitude acts as protection for me; I then don t feel under attack. In
addition, my stable, calm reaction will help to defuse the situation.

There are other ways in which soul-consciousness can help me to
help others. One cannot give what one doesn't have oneself. When friends come to us in distress, often the most we can do is give sympathy. Although this is reassuring, it is not necessarily very helpful.
When in trouble, what people need most is power and clarity. The situation has caused weakness and confusion in their minds, making it difficult for them to see things clearly. If my reaction and suggestions to them are not only sympathetic, but also filled with
peace, power and practicality, they can take away with them not only comfort, but something which will be of positive value in
helping them to solve their problems. A strong and uncluttered mind is needed for this.

Soul-consciousness also allows me to be natural in the company of
others. This easiness on my part helps them to relax, as they don't feel that I have expectations of them. With soul-consciousness I aim only to see the good in others, to see not just apparent virtues, but hidden ones as well. This, in turn, helps others to realize their own
positive virtues and specialties. A deepening love and respect for other souls naturally develops as I recognize my spiritual kinship
with them. There is the realization that we are all part of one global family, sharing one world, one home.

MEDITATION PRACTICE
Meditation is being in the awareness of my natural qualities. It is not a difficult thing. Neither is it something that I impose on
myself. I can't force myself to meditate. In fact the more hard effort I put in, the less likely I am to experience anything. Too much hard
concentration will create a headache and, instead of refreshment and relaxation, there will be tension.

The first step is simply to relax. Many people would consider being
able to relax at will as quite an achievement in itself. In meditation,
once I become relaxed, the worries and stress of everyday life dissolve away and the mind is free to explore gentle themes. My world is a creation of my own mind. This is why I fill my thoughts with Soul-consciousness; thinking about peace helps me to experience peace.

The more relaxed I am, the deeper that pleasant, restful feeling
becomes, until I have reached a powerful state of meditation,
enjoying the quietness which is emerging from within. As I
progress, meditation becomes much more than a relaxation technique.
the object is not just relaxation; it is to become a peaceful
person, to fill myself completely with peace. The experience of
peace, gained through simple relaxation, is a mere drop compared
to the ocean of peace, in which I can lose myself through meditation.

I keep my thoughts or themes very simple in meditation; just two
or three carefully chosen ones are enough. I repeat them gently,
giving myself plenty of time to explore the feelings behind them,
for example, "Peace is just like sinking into a feather mattress...',
'Lightness is like floating on a cloud...' , 'Love is a warm, golden
glow inside my mind...'.

As I become more and more engrossed in such thoughts and experiences, I feel myself gradually letting go of all worldly thoughts and
tensions, until I become light and free.

Now I have become soul-conscious, aware of my true nature. It is
this lightness of consciousness which I want to bring into my
everyday life, so that, whatever problems and obstacles come in
front of me, I deal with them easily and effectively.

THOUGHTS FOR MEDITATION
For the next few days just take up two or three simple themes or
phrases, such as, 'I am a Peaceful soul', 'I am a being of light and
love, spreading these feelings to others and the world' and 'I am
a subtle point of consciousness, so different from the physical body'. Repeat these thoughts gently to yourself, allowing them to sink in more and more deeply until your thoughts and your feelings match each other When this happens, the tension between what you think you should be doing and what you actually are
doing disappears, and the soul feels content and full. In addition, practice seeing others as souls, seeing beyond the Part to the actor who is playing the part.

Next- THIS THING CALLED MIND (MEDITATION) PART-4