This FAQ gives an overview of those kundalini yoga practices which require conscious effort. Part I of III.

In Part II: 1) What are the techniques to unite prana and apana?, 2) What are the techniques to unite rajas and retas?, 3) Are those really the only techniques to awaken kundalini?, 4) Are these forceful methods of awakening kundalini dangerous? What about Gopi Krishna's books?

Read more here: » Kundalini Yoga: Kundalini Yoga FAQ (part II of III) -

Pregnancy is a total experience. It is a time in a woman's life when it is of prime importance that the various dimensions of her being are in harmony. The regular practice of certain yoga exercises, meditation and breathing techniques ensures optimum health of her body and mind, and the unification of her physical, emotional and spiritual growth with that of the developing child.

Read more here: » Yoga: Yoga And Pregnancy

Kundalini Maha Yoga

Kundalini Maha Yoga is an ancient universal science, perfected over thousands of years. It is not a religion, but a spiritual practice that brings the experience of lasting inner peace and happiness to individuals of any belief or religious affiliation.

Kundalini Maha Yoga is based on a very simple principle: in every human being there is a source of divine energy. The Sanskrit word for this source of energy is Kundalini. Kundalini is in two states: the dormant state, and the active, aroused, or awakened state.

Read more here: » Kundalini Maha Yoga: What is Kundalini Maha Yoga?

This FAQ gives an overview of those kundalini yoga practices which require conscious effort. Part I of III.

In Part I: 1) What is kundalini?, 2) What does kundalini have to do with spiritual enlightenment?, 3) So how do I awaken kundalini?, 4) How is kundalini awakened through mantra yoga? 5) How is kundalini awakened through hatha yoga, laya yoga and kriya yoga?

Read more here: » Kundalini Yoga FAQ: Kundalini Yogas FAQ (part I of III) -

Karma Yoga - The Yoga of Action

Karma yoga joins both the physical and mental aspects of Hindu philosophy to produce a single concept. It believes that the present relies on the past and that in turn, with your actions, you can alter the future. Selflessness is a primary requirement for karma practice. Steering your actions towards the good Ð saying good, thinking good, doing good will all facilitate selflessness. Acting this way eliminates egoistic and negative behaviour and enables you to influence your destiny.

Read more here: » Yoga Branches: Karma Yoga

Tantra: Why sexuality?

In the act of lovemaking the couple embodies the dyadic wholeness of the Supreme. TANTRIC sexual union resonates with the very foundational energies of the Universe: it captures, magnifies and re-directs the essential Cosmic Power of Life. It is therefore not by chance that sexual intercourse brings the most intense emotional experience that the human being can have while in the flesh. Therefore TANTRA uses it predominantly to create that overwhelming unifying energy. The erotic impulse stirs up the KUNDALINI energy so that it can rise, through the subtle duct of power along the spine, to the highest center of power above the head. This process renders the adept immortal:

Read more here: » Tantra Yoga: Why sexuality?

Baddha-jiva - the conditioned soul who is bound by matter. With regard to the origin of the baddha-jiva this passage states that Bhagavan’s eternal associates in the spiritual world do not have any contact with and are completely unaffected by the material energy. Only some of the jivas that emanate from Maha-Visnu come into the material world. The original Bengali is as follows:

goloka-vrndavanastha evam paravyoma-stha baladeva o sankarsanaprakatita nitya-parsada jiva-sakala ananta; tanhara upasya-sevaya rasika; sarvada svarupartha-visista; upasya-sukhanvesi upasyera prati sarvada unmukha jiva saktite cit-saktite bala labha kariya tanhara sarvada balavan; mayara sahita tahandera kona sambandha nai; mayasakti baliya kona sakti achena, tahao tanhara avagata nana; ye hetu tanhara cit-mansala-madhyavarti evam maya tanhadera nikata haite aneka dure; tanhara sarvadai upasya-seva-sukhe magna; dukha, jasa-sukha o nija-sukha ity adi kakhani janena na. tanhara nitya-mukta premai tanhadera jivana; soka, marana au bhaya ye ki vastu, taha tanhara janena na.

karanabdha-sayi-maha-visnura mayara prati iksana-rupa kiranagata anu-caitanya-gana o ananta; tanhara maya-parsva-sthita baliya mayara vicitrata tanhadera darsana-patharusa-purve ye jivasadharanera laksana baliyachi, se samasta laksana tanhadera ache, tathapi atyanta anu-svabhava-prayukta sarvada tatastha-bhave citjagatera dike evam maya-jagatera dike drstipata karite thakena. e avasthaya jiva atyanta durbala, kenana, - justa va sevye-vastura krpalabha karatah cid-bala labha karena nai. inhadera madhye ye saba jiva maya-bhoga vasana karena, tanhara mayika-visaye abhinivista haiya mayate nitya-baddha. yanhara sevya-vastur cidanusilana karena, tanhara sevya-tattvena krpara sahita cid-bala labha karatah cid-dhame nita hana; baba! amara durbhaga, krsnera nityadasya bhuliya mayabhinivesa dvara mayabadha achi; ataeva svarupartha-hina haiyai amadera e durdasa.

(See also: Baddha-jiva , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Kundalini Yoga Dictionary

The main principle is that when awakened, Kundalini Sakti, either Herself or Her eject, ceases to be a static Power which sustains the world-consciousness, the content of which is held only so long as She sleeps; and when once set in movement is drawn to that other static centre in the Thousand-petalled Lotus (Sahasrara) which is Herself in union with the Siva-consciousness or the consciousness of ecstasy beyond the world of form. When Kundalini sleeps, man is awake to this world. When She wakes, he sleeps—that is, loses all consciousness of the world and enters his causal body. In Yoga, he passes beyond to formless Consciousness.

Excerpt from the book Kundalini Yoga by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Kundalini Yoga: Essence Of Kundalini Yoga

In this Pranayama, the Bhavana is more important than the ratio between Puraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka.

Read more here: » Pranayama: Kundalini Pranayama

Sahaja Yoga: The Living Tradition of Sahaj Marg

The Raja Yoga system known as "Sahaj Marg" is still relatively obscure in the West, even among Yoga aficionados. This is largely due to the fact that Sahaj Marg has been a low-key, word-of-mouth practice. Works by the lineage of Sahaj Marg Masters, published under the auspices of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM), are difficult to locate, and beyond the abhyasis or practitioners of Sahaj Marg, few are aware that SRCM centers have been established worldwide since the Mission was founded in India fifty years ago.

Read more here: » Sahaja Yoga: The Living Tradition of Sahaj Marg

Mudras and Bandhas are certain postures of the body by which Kundalini is successfully awakened. In Gheranda Samhita, the description of 25 Mudras and Bandhas, is given. The following 12 are the most important:-,, 1. Mula Bandha, 2. Jalandhara Bandha, 3. Uddiyana Bandha, 4. Maha Mudra, 5. Maha Bandha, 6. Maha Vedha, 7. Yoga Mudra, 8. Viparitakarani Mudra, 9. Khechari Mudra, 10. Vajroli Mudra, 11. Shakti Chalana Mudra, 12. Yoni Mudra.

From "Kundalini Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Mudras and Bandhas: Kundalini Yoga - Mudras and Bandhas

There is a general misapprehension that a large quantity of food is necessary for health and strength. Much depends upon the power of assimilation and absorption. Generally, in the vast majority of cases, most of the food passes away undigested along with faeces. Take half stomachful of wholesome food. Fill a quarter with pure water. Leave the rest free. This is Mitahara

Read more here: » Yoga Diet: Mitahara

''Kundalini'' literally means coiling, like a snake. More meaningfully kundalini can be described as a great reservoir of creative energy at the base of the spine. Think of kundalini energy as the very foundation of our consciousness so when kundalini moves through the sushumna and through our cakras our consciousness necessarily changes with it.

This FAQ gives an overview of Siddha Mahayoga. Part I of III.

In Part I: 1) What is kundalini? 2) What does kundalini have to do with spiritual enlightenment? 3) What is the goal of kundalini yoga? 4) So how do I awaken kundalini?

Read more here: » Siddha Mahayoga FAQ: What is Kundalini? (part I of III)

Definition of the Locust yoga position (Shalabhasana): Lying face down with lifted legs.

Read more here: » Yoga Positions: The Locust - Yoga Position

In the language of yoga, the purpose or the effect of continuous nada sadhana on the human mind is ananda - extreme bliss.

Nada, or sound, is divided into two parts - aahada and anhada, heard and unheard. Heard means that which is possible for you to hear 'through the physical ears', and unheard means 'felt', which is the condition of nada before it is musically shaped and regularised. Then come the shrutis, then swaras, notes, which from time to time have been explained by the masters.

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

Read more here: » Peace of Mind: Shunya to Nada Yoga - Journey of Peace

Hatha Yoga also builds up its philosophy around this Kundalini and the methods adopted in it are different from Tantrik Sadhana. Hatha Yoga seeks to awaken this Kundalini through the discipline of the physical body, purification of Nadis and controlling the Prana.

Read more here: » Kundalini: Hatha Yoga and Kundalini

Today we tell you the yogic way to healthy eyes

Yogic way of washing eyes.

-       First fill the mouth with water.

-       Then wash eyes with fresh water five to six times.

-       Now spit out the water from the mouth.

Whenever you are cleaning your eyes there should be water in your mouth.

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

Read more here: » Yoga and Health: Yoga for the eyes

The psychology and philosophy of yoga can assist the mother to understand the experiences she is going through and to live them more fully. The development of awareness and of being a witness to all experiences in life is a central teaching of yoga. The ability to stand aside and witness what one is passing through removes a lot of fear and anxiety. Awareness builds one's inner resources of self- esteem and confidence and also enables the birth to be more consciously experienced. Yogic psychology also helps us understand the causes and effects of our circumstances in life and this deepens our insight and wisdom.

Read more here: » Yoga: Yoga And Motherhood

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 » Kundalini Yoga Dictionary

Surya: the sun, also the Vedic Sun God or god of the enlightened mind.

(See also: Surya ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Kundalini Yoga Dictionary

HIRANYAGARBHA: Cosmic intelligence; the supreme lord of the universe; cosmic

(See also: HIRANYAGARBHA ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Kundalini Yoga Dictionary

Detachment is a great wealth. Devotion is the real asset in life. Why does man not work for such a wealth? This is due to the fact that the mind has not been purified. Impure mind craves impure things.

Mantras help us to purify the mind and uplift the quality of life. Mantra yoga is all about working on purifying the mind. The object of yoga is to lift a person off the psychological mess he rests upon.

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

Read more here: » Peace of Mind: Mantra Yoga - A Tool For Great Inner Order