Yog means union. Union with a supreme power which is the source of creation, perfection and destruction. Union with the supreme intellect and the guiding force behind the perfect mechanism of the universe. Yoga is merging oneself with this force that guides the human being to a state of total bliss. A human being is a small universe in itself. When the consciousness of this small universe unites with the energy prevailing in the vast canopy of the universe the union is complete and the light of wisdom starts flowing in the human body. The light contains everything a human needs to evolve. A human is a part of nature and constantly striving for perfection. This is the natural course of evolution because god is the personification of ultimate perfection.

Read more here: » Yoga Philosophy: Yoga - Beyond The Body And Mind

The Sanskrit word 'yoga' is derived from the root verb yuj, which means union. The supreme union of individual mind and cosmic mind is yoga. In his Yogasutras , Patanjali advocated the eight-fold path of astanga yoga . Its eight limbs are: yama (self-restraint), niyama (life-regulating moral rules and observances), asana (postures of bodily restfulness), pranayama (breath control), pratyahar (withdrawal of senses), dharana (fixing the mind on the Supreme), dhyana (absorption of self), and samadhi (liberation of the soul).

Read more here: » Patanjali Yoga Sutras: Supreme Union of Body, Mind, Soul with the Patanjali Yoga Sutras

Self-control : You must have perfect self-control or self-mastery. Self-control implies both control of the body and control of the mind. Self-control does not mean self-torture. You must lead a well-regulated and disciplined life. You must keep all the senses under your perfect control. The senses are like turbulent and wild horses.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Self-control: Self-control - Control of the body and control of the mind

Our existence can be broadly divided into three categories - thinking, feeling and being conscious. The common link between all three is our attention. When we respond to something, physical or mental, consciously or unconsciously, we take our attention to the related part of the body. When we think, our attention is in the brain and when we carry out habitual activities, it is probably in the spinal cord.

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

Yog means union. Union with a supreme power which is the source of creation, perfection and destruction. Union with the supreme intellect and the guiding force behind the perfect mechanism of the universe. Yoga is merging oneself with this force that guides the human being to a state of total bliss. A human being is a small universe in itself. When the consciousness of this small universe unites with the energy prevailing in the vast canopy of the universe the union is complete and the light of wisdom starts flowing in the human body.

Read more here: » Yoga - Beyond The Body And Mind

A soul infuses - life in the human body for a certain period of time. When the soul inhabits the body, it is still one with God.

The soul, however, is overpowered by powerful forces, such as the mind, the body, and the outer world, which cause it, over time, to forget itself. The soul slowly begins to identify itself with the body, mind and world outside. It is attuned to only one channel Ñ the channel of the world.

Read more here: » Inner Stillness: The Sublime Results of Inner Stillness

The mind is bigger than the brain. When people say "my mind," they are most likely referring to their intellect. The intellect is a process of the brain and, much of the time, along with our emotions, acts as part of our ego's defense system. The intended function of the intellect was to assess our immediate environment and communicate the information to the body so it could respond in whatever manner was appropriate to protect our physical being.

Read more here: » The Mind: Mind vs. Intellect

Compiled by the Sage Patanjali Maharishi in the Yoga Sutras, the Eight Limbs are a progressive series of steps or disciplines which purify the body and mind, ultimately leading the yogi to enlightenment.

This article details the eight limbs of the Raja Yoga system, one of the four main paths of Yoga.

Read more here: » Raja Yoga: The Eight Limbs of Raja Yoga

 While the ultimate result of any truly spiritual path is the negation of the individual ego-self, one cannot begin on one's own personal path of spiritual realization unless one establishes his/her individuality. That means freeing oneself from the demands of organized religions, creeds, socially accepted beliefs, the dictates of any prophet. All of these characteristics of religious participation establish only the group-identity, the body of like-minded believers. People can spend an entire lifetime following the teachings and beliefs of others, without ever finding the path that is right for them personally.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: The Individual Path

If the manual of life is encoded in our DNA, where do we look to find the blueprint of consciousness? This was a subject that fascinated Francis Crick, who, along with James Watson, discovered the double-helix structure of DNA 50 years ago.

Engrossed in the mysterious relationship between mind and body, Crick later felt impelled to turn his attention from matter to mind and from biology to philosophy Ñ but he persisted in believing that one day, consciousness could be explained in biological terms, using the tools of neuroscience.

Read more here: » Consciousness: Mapping the Physical and Mental Universes

The vision of the self and awareness of it as the abidance in the heart - where the unbroken awareness of ones existence can be felt spontaneously as the - I-I - has been described by Ramana Maharshi.

What obstructs ones awareness of the fullness of existence is the ego - the minds wrong identification with a particular body, mistaking it to be the - I or the subject. Hence the destruction of ego, or its merging with the source, the only way to experience the joyous and uninterrupted throb of - I-I.

Read more here: » The Ego: Tracking the Ego to Its Source

Sound leads to understanding unity and divinity. Hence the importance given to the recitation of the sacred syllable - Om. Whatever the music, if it is spiritually moving, it elevates the spirit and affects positively both mind and body. While good music is highly beneficial, todays cacophony of loud noises in the environment aggravates stress and will eventually destroy us. Remember, sound is a powerful force Ñ it can heal; it can also destroy.

Read more here: » Healing Music: Music For The Soul

Tai Chi movements have a ballet-like quality; yet there is an underlying strength. Tai Chi is the most highly evolved art, science and philosophy of mind and body development, which gives you the - strength of a bull; the serenity of a Buddha.

The Tai Chi movements were originated and refined by those who were highly knowledgeable about the principles of movement, action, physiology and health. It is usual for people unacquainted with Tai Chi to remark: - It looks just like balletÓ.

Read more here: » Tai Chi movements: The Beauty of Tai Chi Movements

Our bodies create the illusion that we are separate. This illusion is further reinforced by modern science and technology, which is based on the Cartesian-Newton paradigm, which posited a division between mind and matter and led to a view of the universe as a mechanical system consisting of separate objects.

This view fostered life in society as a competitive struggle for existence and the belief in unlimited material progress to be achieved through economic and technological growth. Modern physics and quantum mechanics are now discovering what the mystics of the East have long known Ñ the basic oneness of the universe.

Read more here: » Subconscious: Infinite Power of The Subconscious

If energy has to expand beyond the limitations of the physical body, first the mind has to free itself. Otherwise, the mind can be a limiting factor Ñ it can either limit or expand your energy. Like the body, the mind, too is encased Ñ but it is trickier because it is not physical. The mind limits you all the time. So the first thing to do is to stop identifying yourself with it. If you donÕt identify yourself with the body and the mind, you will be able to say: ÒThey are instruments I use in my life but I am not that.Ó

Read more here: » Likes and Dislikes: Likes And Dislikes Only Restrict You

Today, most of our problems are caused by volatile emotions. They agitate our minds and make them slushy. We have to learn to exercise control over emotions through meditation; you have to watch yourself, your thoughts and your soul as distinct from the body. We have to wait patiently for the agitated mind to settle down in order to attain bliss.

Read more here: » The Mind: Preserve the Pure Stream of the Mind

The term - yoga, for many, means physical postures, and that too twisted, impossible ones. But that is not what we are referring to as yoga.

Yoga means to be in perfect tune. Your body, mind, spirit and existence are in absolute harmony. When you fine-tune yourself to such a point where everything functions beautifully within you, the best of your abilities will just flow out of you.

Read more here: » Spiritual Energy: Unlock Your Energy With True Yoga

Changing your lifestyle to live metaphysically is easy, but before you start this process, you need to know what your Mind, Body and Spirit are thinking about the new you. You need to know what each of your energy systems will or will not do to help you reinvent yourself to live more metaphysically.

Read more here: » Metaphysics: Living A Metaphysical Lifestyle Is Fun Easy To Do!

Hatha Yoga Positions: Tadasana - The Mountain

Tadasana is one of the most basic of all yoga postures. It is a grounding posture to bring the body and mind in balance and alignment.

Read more here: » Hatha Yoga Positions: Tadasana - The Mountain Position

 The word "yoga" often brings to mind a classroom of students attired in exercise clothing attempting to stretch their bodies into different postures. A more traditional yoga class will even include instruction in breathing techniques, concentration, meditation, and positive thinking. In the media today, yoga is often associated with health benefits such as stress reduction, lower blood pressure, and an overall decrease in illness and hospitalization rates. This is the Western idea of yoga. If we look to the Eastern approach, where yoga is a part of the great Hindu and Buddhist traditions, we find that yoga is all of these things but much, much more as well.

Read more here: » Yoga: Serve, Love, Meditate, Realize - The Inner Teachings of Yoga

The number of similarities between the function of a two-way radio and the human body are quite surprising. The body/mind constantly emits all aspects of our internal state to the environment, and receives input from the world in the same manner.

In any discussion of group mind phenomena, it is impossible not to enter into the subject of psychic effect, as well as the principles of natural law such as resonance or vibration (feeling/frequency) that make it possible. Similarly, it is not possible to fully understand psychic effects without a minimum coverage of the energy or chi upon which it is based.

Read more here: » Group Mind: The Group Mind Principle II