The tradition of meditation dates back to the beginning of human history. Thousands of years ago, Patanjali, an Indian Sage of legend, described the process by which the capacity to meditate is actualised.
Pranayama is an aspect of Yoga that deals with breathing. It is the breathing process or the control of the motion of inhalation, exhalation and the retention of vital energy. Proper breathing is to bring more oxygen to the blood and to the brain, and to control Prana or the vital life energy.
Pranayama' is the fourth stage in Pathanjali's eight stage Yoga discipline. Two Sanskrit words are combined in the word 'Pranayama' - Prana and Ayama. 'Prana' means life or life force. 'Ayama' means development or control. It is a shape of breathing exercise, very important in yoga.
Breath is the life force that sustains life. Nobody can survive more than a few minutes without air. When the breath stops, life ends. The Forefathers of Yoga developed a special system- 'Pranayama' to increase, develop and control this life force. Normal breathing use only a fraction of our potential respiratory capacity. Pranayama helps to control this life force in a superior and extra ordinary way to reap maximum benefits.
There are various types of Pranayama. Some of the popular forms are Ujjayee, Shitali, Viloma, Kapalabhati, Anuloma, Suryabhedana, Bhastrika etc. There are variations in performing different Pranayamas. Some of the Pranayama are difficult and complicated to perform while others are easy.
Pranayama can be mastered only gradually. It may take months or even years before the practitioner mind becomes receptive to the regulated flow of breath and he experiences the full benefits of pranayama. Proper practice of pranayama can control almost any disease but improper practice may give rise to all sorts of respiratory ailments. So one should take care to acquire control over his breath gradually.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa , born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay (February 18, 1836 - August 16, 1886) was one of the most important Hindu religious leaders, and is deeply revered by millions of Hindus and non-Hindus to this date as a messenger of God. Ramakrishna was also an influential figure in the Bengal Renaissance of the 19th century.
Gadadhar was born in the village of Kamarpukur, in what is now the Hooghly district of West Bengal. Gadadhar’s parents, Khudiram and Chandramani, were poor and made ends meet with difficulty. Gadadhar was extremely popular in his village. He was considered handsome and had a natural gift for the fine arts. He, however, disliked going to school, and was not interested in the pursuit of money. He was seen visiting guruwho stopped at his village on their way to Puri. He would serve them and listen with rapt attention to the religious debates they often had.
When arrangements for Gadadhar to be invested with the sacred thread (Upanayana) were nearly complete, he declared that he would have his first alms as a Brahmin from a certain Sudra woman of the village. This was a shock in the days when tradition required that the first alms be from a brahmin, but he was adamant. He said he had given his word to the lady and if he did not keep his word, what sort of Brahmin would he be? No argument, no appeal, no amount of tears are said to have budged him from his position. Finally, Ramkumar, his eldest brother and the head of the family after the passing away of their father, gave in. meanwhile, the family's economic position worsened every day. Ramkumar ran a Sanskrit school in Calcutta and also served as purohit priest in some families. About this time, a rich woman of Calcutta, Rani Rashmoni, founded a temple at Dakshineswar. She approached Ramkumar to serve as priest at the temple of Kali and Ramkumar agreed. After some persuasion, Gadadhar agreed to decorate the deity. When Ramkumar retired, Gadadhar took his place as priest.
When Gadadhar started worshipping the deity Bhavatarini, he began to question if he was worshipping a piece of stone or a living Goddess. If he was worshipping a living Goddess, why should she not respond to his worship? This question nagged him day and night. Then, he began to pray to Kali: "Mother, you've been gracious to many devotees in the past and have revealed yourself to them. Why would you not reveal yourself to me, also? Am I not also your son?"
Gadadhar, however, unsatiated, prayed to Mother Kali for more religious experiences. He especially wanted to know the truths that other religions taught. Strangely, these teachers came to him when necessary and he is said to have reached the ultimate goals of those religions with ease. Soon word spread about this remarkable man and people of all denominations and all stations of life began to come to him.
Her renunciation is believed by devotees to be a striking quality that she shared with her husband in a measure equal to, if not beyond, his. The true nature of their relationship and kinship was believed to be beyond the grasp of ordinary minds. Ramakrishna concluded, after close and constant association with her, that her relationship and attitude toward him were firmly based on a divine spiritual plane. Devotees believe that as they shared their lives, day and night, no other thought, other than that of the divine presence, arose in their minds. An account of such continued divine relationship between two souls of opposite gender is unique in religious records, not known in any of the past hagiographies. After the passing away of Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi became a religious teacher in her own rights.
He soon came to be known as Ramakrishna Paramahansa, and like a magnet, is said to have begun to attract genuine seekers of God. He taught ceaselessly for fifteen years or so through parables, metaphors, songs and above all by his own life, the basic truths of religion. He had developed throat cancer and attained Mahasamadhi at a Garden House in Cossipore on 16 August, 1886, leaving behind a devoted band of 16 young disciples headed by the well-known saint-philosopher and orator, Swami Vivekananda and host of householder disciples. Among his contemporaries, Keshab Chandra Sen and Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, who were known to be against Hindu idol-worship, were his admirers.
Vijayas'. Sri Shankara was born of Shivaguru and Aryamba at Kaladi in Kerala. He received Gayatri start in his fifth year. He stayed with his Guru for a while. Under his command, he went to Kashi and Badri where he composed his unrivalled and unequalled Bhashyas (commentaries) on the Prasthantraya.
He went to meet Kumarila Bhatta, the champion of Karma Mimamsa. It was too late to hold any discussion with him, as he had commenced the penance of slow death as a means of expiation. As directed by Kumarila Bhatta, Shankaracharya went to meet his foremost disciple Viswarupa, also known as Mandana Mishra. The debate with Mishra, his eventual conversion to the views of Sri Shankara and his taking up Sanyasa, as Sureshwaracharya, are all well known.
Shankara then started on a tour of religious stimulation all over India. He condemned un-Sastric practices, and re-established Vedic observances. He rid the society of many evils and restored the Vedic religion in its philosophical and practical aspects to its pristine purity and glory. To protect the maintenance of this purity in the future, he established four Mutts in four directions. He entrusted them to the charge of his four foremost disciples. He ascended the Sarvajna Peetham in Kashmir. Before his 32nd year, he had completed this colossal work. It is beyond one's comprehension how he found time and energy for such accomplishment.
Everyone interested in the spirituality and mediation looks for a Guru or a teacher who can guide him in the right direction. The land of India is full of Gurus, spiritual as well as religious. These are the people who have encourage spirituality, meditation, love, peace, brotherhood, serving others and other such humanitarian values to people in India and the rest of the world.
Following are spiritual and religious leaders in India…
Adi Shankaracharya | Andal | Bharat Thakur | Bikram Choudhary | BKS Iyengar | Sri Aurobindo | Avvaiyyar | Chinmayananda | Dayanand Saraswati | Guru Nanak Dev | Gyaneshwar | Sant Kabir | Maharishi Mahesh Yogi | Anandamayi Ma | Mira Alfassa | Mother Teresa | Namadeva | Nammalwar | Osho Rajneesh | Paramahansa Yogananda | Pandurang Shastri Athavale | Patanjali | Ramakrishna Paramahansa | Ramdev Baba | Sathya Sai Baba | Shirdi Sai Baba | Shri Yogendra | Swami Sivananda | Sri Sri Ravi Shankar | Surdas | Swami Vivekananda | Swami Satyananda Saraswati | Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev | Sri K. Pattabhi Jois | Swami Yogeshwaranand Saraswati | Tukaram | Valmiki | Vishwamitra
modern meditation practices Meditation is almost necessary in toady's world of strife and competition. Different meditation types are used in Yoga. It is necessary to put it into a regular schedule. Success and bliss in spiritual field comes through practice and patience.
Type of Concentration Type concentration is another one among different meditation types. It helps you make more concentrated about the things that are helpful in meditation. People feel very difficult to concentrate on one particular thing, and this is where this technique is very beneficial.
Simple Meditation One of the best meditation types that one can start with if one is not familiar to sitting for long time period focusing on some particular object. You can choose a clean and peaceful place where you can spend 10-50 minutes in silence. Gradually, as you gain more control on your mind and senses, keep on increase this time-duration.
Walking Meditation Walking Meditation is one of the meditation types, which involves your focusing the mind while walking. It is not easy to practice this type of meditation, but with practice it can demonstrate to be really beneficial. As clear from the name itself, this type of meditation involves focusing on your own feet. When your mind wanders away from your steps, you need to refocus it again.
Transcendental Meditation This meditation type helps in increasing intelligence and creativity. In this technique, you need not to master difficult breathing techniques or some special postures. You just need to concentrate by sitting in a relaxed posture or even on a chair.
Mindfulness Meditation The meditation type involves practicing to be aware about the things that you do and the things that happen around you at the very moment. Few Point below:
• You have to abstain from the five moral precepts: killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct, and use of toxicants. • Anapana Meditation is practiced for three and a half days wherein you practice focusing on your breath. • For six and half days, purifying the mind is done, which involves self observation. Journey Meditation This meditation type involves visualization for one to achieve a meditative state. Those who are able to visualize thing early, prefer to choose it among other meditation types. It involves noting the things that cause anxiety, tension, and fatigue
Vibrational Meditation This meditation type involves repetition of a particular word or a sound that becomes the focal point of the meditation. The vibrations that are produced from the word or sound pass through your body. You have to do concentrate on nothing else, but to chant that word or produce the sound again and again. It is one of the most different among various meditation types.
Movement Meditation Breathing and gentle graceful movements are combined to realize the meditative state in this meditation type. Playing music or dancing is also allowed in this technique.
Let's see how Kundalini Gnanam makes this eternal life possible.
First the aspirant is initiated by the Graceful touch of the Gurudev. The aspirant feels the sensation of the biomagnetic force in his body. He meditates by concentrating at this sensation. By further practices and by the grace of the Gurudev his magnetic force is increased. He gets the capability of producing biomagnetic force by himself. The biomagnetic force is merged with the universal magnetic force by the grace of the Gurudev. Now the aspirant gets self realization. He dwells in eternal bliss.
For this process to occur there is the need of a highly characterised spiritual magnetic force which is capable of making the transformation. Such a person of self realization with highly divine magnetic force is the Guru.
Our Solar system has sun and nine planets revolving around it. They are of varied sizes. They move in their own orbit at their own speed. They never collide with each other. In the universe, countless stars, innumerable number of galaxies exists in such a precise manner. The various attractive and repulsive forces are responsible for these precise motions.
The universe consists of varied forces, energies like attractive and repulsive forces between stars, gravitational forces of planets, magnetic forces, atmospheric pressure forces, immeasurable natural forces, electromagnetic field forces by which all communications like radio, televisions, cell phones, satellite links work ,moving sound pressure forces, light energies and various atomic energies.
The universe consists of varied forces, energies like attractive and repulsive forces between stars, gravitational forces of planets, magnetic forces, atmospheric pressure forces, immeasurable natural forces, electromagnetic field forces by which all communications like radio, televisions, cell phones, satellite links work ,moving sound pressure forces, light energies and various atomic energies.
"All the planets create whirling wave and spreading wave. The whole universe is whirling wave and spreading wave"
Magnetic force or energy exists all through the universe pervading everywhere. This universal magnetic force is called as Almighty or Paramathma or God by the Scriptures. This magnetic force exists all through the universe. In human beings also this magnetic force or energy exists. This bio magnetic force is called as Jeevathma or soul or athma.
The merging of this biomagnetic force with the universal magnetic force is termed as Samadhi or Perfection. The jeevathma or soul merges with Paramathma or God as one. This commune is said as Samadhi by the Scriptures. The Gnani at this stage experiences ecstasy, bliss beyond words to explain.
"Not limited here and there, the Gnani experiences, oneness with the omnipresent phenomenon God beyond duality."
At this stage the soul is in its eternal life. The fraction, soul has reached its destination, the Totality, for which it has journeyed for lives in search of this Perfection. This is the eternal life, all the religions insist on as
"If anything desired, freedom from births should be desired"
Increasing Flexibility – Yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body.
Massaging of ALL Organs of the Body – Yoga is possibly the only form of doings which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner. Yoga acts in a healthy way on the various body parts. This encouragement and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a feeling at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.
