bhakti yoga: n (Sanskrit) "Union through devotion." Bhakti yoga is the practice of devotional disciplines, worship, prayer, chanting and singing with the aim of awakening love in the heart and opening oneself to God's grace. Bhakti may be directed toward God, Gods or one's spiritual preceptor.

Bhakti yoga seeks communion and ever closer rapport with the Divine, developing qualities that make communion possible, such as love, selflessness and purity. Saint Sambandar described bhakti as religion's essence and the surest means to divine union and liberation. He advised heartfelt worship, unstinting devotion and complete surrender to God in humble, committed service. From the beginning practice of bhakti to advanced devotion, called prapatti, self-effacement is an intricate part of Hindu, even all Indian, culture.

Bhakti yoga is embodied in Patanjali's Yoga Darshana in the second limb, niyamas (observances), as devotion (Ishvarapranidhana). Bhakti yoga is practiced in many Hindu schools, and highly developed in Vaishnavism as a spiritual path in itself, leading to perfection and liberation. In Saiva Siddhanta, its cultivation is the primary focus during the kriya pada (stage of worship).

See: bhakti yoga, prapatti, sacrifice, surrender, yajna.

(See also: Bhakti yoga , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Bhakti Yoga Dictionary

Siddha master:

One who has attained the state of enlightenment and who has the capacity to awaken the dormant spiritual energy of a disciple and guide him or her to the state of the Truth.

(See also: Siddha master , Yoga, Yoga Dictionary, Siddha Yoga, Siddha Yoga Dictionary)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

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yoga-nidra

the mystic slumber of Lord Vishnu.

(See also: yoga-nidra , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

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Bhakti yoga is the yogic pathway to self-realisation by catalysing and channeling your emotions into devotion or love with an attitude of total self-surrender.

Bhakti yoga is based on pure and selfless love, a strong sense of total surrender to the Supreme Intelligence guiding this universe and it comes straight from the heart.

But this attitude of surrender and love does not call for any complacence in action. Rather, your emotional fervor and enthusiasm is productively channeled into a feeling of love for another person, a favorite place, a rewarding type of work and so on and one may also develop a feeling of love for all humanity.

(See also: Yoga Systems , Yoga, Yoga and Health, Yoga Systems, Yoga Positions)

Read more here: » Yoga Systems: Bhakti Yoga - - Path of Devotion

When the saint-poet Kabir said " Dhai akshar prem ka padhe jo pandit hoye " - "One who knows how to love is the only wise one among all educated", he was referring to the love for God.

Mortal love being inconsistent and transient, it is shortlived. However, love for the Divine can be everlasting for God alone accepts us unconditionally, with all our weaknesses and sins. We call this love bhakti.

(See also: Bhakti Yoga , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Bhakti Yoga: Seekers' Ultimate Union Of Love  

Bhakti Yoga

The skillful practice of devotion and worship, e.g. Hare Krishna

(See also: Bhakti Yoga , Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Bhakti Yoga Dictionary

The Bhagavad Gita has been universally hailed by the learned as truly reflecting the essence of all the Vedas. Its depth, richness and rationality of philosophy have universal appeal.

It teaches man that the true goal of life is union with God or the Supreme Impersonal-Personal Brahman, and the principal means to attain it are the four paths of karma or work, jnana or knowledge, yoga or psychic control and bhakti or loving devotion.

(See also: Bhakti Yoga , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Bhakti Yoga: Krishna's Choice - Bhakti Yoga  

 Karma-yoga:

unselfish actions

(See also:  Karma-yoga , Body Mind and Soul)

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This power of devotion symbolises God's response to a devotee's deep love. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, Krishna says: "Many are the means described for the attainment of the highest goal... but of all, love is the highest; love and devotion that make one forget everything else; love that unites the devotee with me... as all earthly pleasures fade into nothingness."

(See also: Devotion , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Devotion: Taste of Heaven - Devotional Love  

Kevala kumbhaka:

spontaneous cessation of breath without any conscious effort.

(See also: Kevala kumbhaka ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

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Kundalini Awakening

Kundalini awakening or pranic awakening and its cross-tradition similars-the spontaneous spinal rockings known in Judaism as davening and in Sufisim as zikr; the "taken-over" gyrations of gospel "holy ghost" shaking and dancing and charismatic/pentacostal "mani-festations"; the Dionysian "revel"; QuakerismÕs and Shakerism's autonomic quaking and shaking; Tai Chi guided by chi itself; the shamanic trance-dance; BuddhismÕs and Raja-YogaÕs effortless "straight back" (uju-kaya) meditation; the yogically derived ecstatic belly-dance and Flamenco; and even the full-bodied, spontaneous Reichian "reflex"-literally embody the spiritual path.

Read more here: » Kundalini Awakening: Kundalini and Sahaja Yoga (Spontaneous Yoga)

Anubhava - one of the five essential ingredients of rasa. The actions which display or reveal the spiritual emotions situated within the heart are called anubhavas.

The anubhavas are thirteen in number:

1)   nrtya (dancing) ,

2)   vilunthita (rolling on the ground) ,

3)   gita (singing) ,

4)   krosana (loud crying) ,

5)   tanu-motana (writhing of the body) ,

6)   hunkara (roaring) ,

7)   jrmbhana (yawning) ,

8)   svasa-bhua (breathing heavily) ,

9)   loka-anapeksita (giving up concern for public image) ,

10)    lalasrava (salivating) ,

11)    atta-hasa (loud laughter) ,

12)    ghurna (staggering about) , and

13)    hikka (a fit of hiccups).

(See also: Anubhava , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

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Sant Dnyaneshwar realised that the Gita's teachings could be read and understood only by a small Sanskrit-knowing elite. Dnyaneshwar, under the advice of his guru, Nivrathinath, rendered a Marathi version of the Gita known as Dnyaneshwari. It contains more than 9,000 verses called ovies. So Sant Dnyaneshwar brought the teachings of the Gita within reach of the common man. Dnyaneshwari was composed around the twelfth century, when Dnyaneshwar was only 16 years old. He took samadhi at the age of 22 and left this mortal world.

(See also: Dnyaneshwar , Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Dnyaneshwar: Dnyaneshwar's Gita Has Popular Appeal  

Puraka:

Puraka ("filling in"): inhalation, an aspect of breath control (pranayama)

(See also: Puraka ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

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Bhakti Yoga: Four Ways of Showing Devotion to God

The Bhagavad Gita recommends Bhakti Yoga towards attaining moksha . Krishna tells Arjuna that a person who thinks of Him at least at the time of his death is liberated of all his sins. Krishna explains the four types of devotional service rendered to Him: One who thinks of Him at the time of distress is the aartha. One who is worried by the struggle for prosperity, power, self and property is the Artha-arthi .

A third who yearns for the realisation of the atman is the jijnaasu . The fourth is the jnani . He is immersed in the Brahmathathwam and looks for the Lord in all possible places; he yearns for nothing.

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To attain jitendriyata is to achieve full control over ones senses. This leads to what is called God-realisation. In this controlled state all pain and suffering cease permanently.

There are different paths to achieve this height: Gyan yoga, karma yoga, bhakti yoga, raja yoga, hatha yoga, swara yoga, nada yoga, astanga yoga; all of these lead to the same goal of achieving communion with God. The shortest and most suitable path ordained in this Kali Yuga is bhakti yoga.

Read more here: » Bhakti Yoga: Lasting Happiness Through Bhakti Yoga

For those more emotional than intellectual, bhakti yoga is recommended. Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion, the method of attaining God through love and the loving recollection of God. Most religions emphasize this spiritual path because it is the most natural. As with other yogas, the goal of the bhakta, the devotee of God, is to attain God-realization-oneness with the Divine. The bhakta attains this through the force of love, that most powerful and irresistible of emotions.

Read more here: » Bhakti Yoga: The Pathof Love: Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti is founded in a spirit of universal fellowship and poetry is one more expression of this same fellowship. The verses of Mirabai, Tulsidas, Kabir, Ravidas and Tukaram are quoted frequently by people from all strata of life. Their poetry expresses concern about life: its difficulties, the loneliness, hypocrisy and pain. The bhakti poets seek God's help to sustain them on this difficult journey. So even today, through their poetry, the bhakti saints continue to influence our daily lives.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Love and Happiness: Universal Fellowship Through Bhakti Marga

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Manduka Yoga (Sanskrit) [from manduka frog]

A "particular kind of abstract meditation in which an ascetic sits motionless like a frog" (Monier-Williams). However, all true yoga practice involves complete mental abstraction from exterior concerns and the outer environment, so that all yogis, while practicing yoga sit motionless "like a frog." It is not a particularly high kind of yoga, in any case, for true spiritual yoga is the yoga of the inner man, implying intense intellectual and spiritual concentration on affairs and subjects of spiritual character, and need not necessarily involve any sitting in yoga whatsoever.

The true disciple may be doing his master's business and going about in pursuit of his duties from day to day, and yet be practicing this spiritual yoga without a moment's intermission. All forms of yoga practice which involve postures, sittings or similar things in which the physical body is active or inactive, technically belong to one of the various kinds of hatha yoga and are to be discouraged.

(See also: Manduka Yoga , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Bhakti Yoga Dictionary