We will now explain some pranayams of Maharishi Patanjali.

Patanjali kriya gets rid off all negative emotions and feelings and negative energies. It also strengthens the mind and the five 'prans' in our body (pran, apan, saman, vyan and udan). The five 'kosh' or bodies (annamay kosh, pranamay kosh, manomay kosh, vigyanmay kosh and anandmay kosh) within us are also purified with these pranayam.

Practise of these pranayam leads one to a thoughtless state (where one is without any thoughts) or the state of meditation.

Instructions and benefits for:

-       Bahyavriti Pranayam

-       Abhyantarvriti Pranayam

-       Stambhvriti Pranayama

-       Bahya-abhyantar visyakshapy Pranayama

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

Read more here: » Yoga: Holistic Yoga Practices For Today

Abhyasa, in Hinduism, is spiritual practice, refers to regular and constant practice over a long period of time. It has been prescribed by the great sage Patanjali Maharishi in his Yoga Sutras, and by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita as an essential means to control the mind together with Vairagya. Other related archivesBhagavad Gita, Hinduism, Lord Krishna, Patanjali Maharishi, Yoga Sutras

Read more here: » Abhyasa: Encyclopedia - Abhyasa

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

Jainism is an ancient religion, more ancient than what most of us are given to believe. Although a lot of people associate Jainism with Lord Mahavira as its founder but nothing can be further from truth. Lord Mahavira was not the founder of Jainism but the last of the 24 Tirthankaras . It is very difficult to envisage and visualise how old and ancient this religion is because the period between the coming to earth of each of the Tirthankaras was yugas or eons.

Read more here: » Jainism: A Way To Cleanse

According to the renowned German scholar Max Mueller, the study of mental states is unique to India. He also opined that ekagrata or one-pointedness that India spoke of was unknown, and to a large extent, incomprehensible to the Western world. And this viewpoint holds true even today.

Dhayana or meditation is a state of concentration or mental activity in which the mind can stay focused on an object chosen for concentration without wavering and without getting distracted. When we are engaged in an activity, which will increase our attention span on `our chosen object of concentration' then we are trying to generate a meditative experience by improving our concentration or attention span.

(See also: Meditation and Concentration, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

Ahimsa is a religious concept which advocates non-violence and a respect for all life. Ahimsa (अहिंसा ahiṁsā) is Sanskrit for avoidance of himsa, or injury. It is interpreted most often as meaning peace and reverence toward all sentient beings. Ahimsa is the core of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Its first mention in Indian philosophy is found in the Hindu scriptures called the Upanishads, the oldest dating about 800 BCE. Those who pra ...

Including:

• Ahimsa - Ahimsa in Jainism
• Ahimsa - External links and references in Jainism
• Ahimsa - Ahimsa in Hinduism
• Ahimsa - Yoga
• Ahimsa - Gandhi

Read more here: » Ahimsa: Encyclopedia - Ahimsa

Yogic flying is the purported ability to levitate which is a capability one gains through advanced practice of transcendental meditation (TM). While sitting cross-legged, yogic flyers can move around in a hopping kind of motion. The TM oganization claims this the earliest part of levitation, the "perfection of leaping like a frog". Proponents of yogic flying claim world peace can be brought about by thousands of simultaneous yogic flyers spread world-wide. Yogic flying - History of Yogic Flying. Yogic flyin ...

Including:

• Yogic flying - History of Yogic Flying
• Yogic flying - Facilities and Practioners
• Yogic flying - Criticism of Yogic Flying

Read more here: » Yogic flying: Encyclopedia - Yogic flying

Raja Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga is one of the four major Yogic paths of Hinduism, the others being Karma yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga. Raja Yoga involves psycho-physical meditational techniques to attain experiences of the truth and finally achieve liberation, described in Hindu thought as moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirth). Raja yoga is also known as Ashtanga Yoga. The term Ashtanga means eight limbs, thus Ashtanga Yoga refers to the eight limbs of yoga. It is the classical Indian system of Hindu ...

Including:

• Raja Yoga - Origin
• Raja Yoga - Concept
• Raja Yoga - Practice
• Raja Yoga - Eight limbs of Raja Yoga
• Raja Yoga - Yama
• Raja Yoga - Niyama
• Raja Yoga - Asana
• Raja Yoga - Pranayama
• Raja Yoga - Pratyahara
• Raja Yoga - Dharana
• Raja Yoga - Dhyana
• Raja Yoga - Samadhi
• Raja Yoga - Results

Read more here: » Raja Yoga: Encyclopedia - Raja Yoga

Saiva Siddhanta is the oldest, most vigorous and extensively practiced Shaivaite Hindu school active today, encompassing millions of devotees, thousands of active temples and dozens of living monastic/ascetic traditions. Despite its popularity, Siddhanta’s past as an all-India denomination is relatively unknown and it is primarily identified with its South Indian, Tamil form. The term Saiva Siddhanta means “the final or established conclusions of Saivism.” It is the formalized theology of the divine revelations contained in the ...

Including:

• Saiva Siddhanta - Gurus
• Saiva Siddhanta - Saints and Ascetics
• Saiva Siddhanta - Siddhas
• Saiva Siddhanta - Saiva Siddhanta Teachings
• Saiva Siddhanta - The Spread of Saiva Siddhanta
• Saiva Siddhanta - A New Siddhanta
• Saiva Siddhanta - A Dualistic Development
• Saiva Siddhanta - Saiva Siddhanta Today

Read more here: » Saiva Siddhanta: Encyclopedia - Saiva Siddhanta

Meditation like yoga originated in Vedic Hinduism many centuries ago, it was much later adopted into a wide variety of practices of religious and non-religious formats which emphasize mental activity or quiesscence. The English word comes from the Latin meditatio, which originally indicated every type of physical or intellectual exercise, but which later could perhaps be better translated as "contemplation." This usage is found in Christian spirituality, for example, when one "meditates" on the sufferings of Christ; as w ...

Including:

• Meditation - Overview
• Meditation - Types of meditation
• Meditation - Meditation in context
• Meditation - Physical postures
• Meditation - Frequency and duration
• Meditation - Purposes and effects of meditation
• Meditation - Metta meditation: the practice of loving-kindness
• Meditation - Health applications and clinical studies of meditation
• Meditation - Meditation and the brain
• Meditation - Meditation and EEG's
• Meditation - Adverse effects
• Meditation - Meditation and drugs

Read more here: » Meditation: Encyclopedia - Meditation

Raja-Yoga:

Raja-Yoga: a system of Yoga generally taken to  be the one propounded by Patanjali Maharishi, i.e., Ashtanga Yoga.

(See also: Raja-Yoga, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

RAJA-YOGA: A system of Yoga generally taken to be the one propounded by Patanjali Maharishi, i.e., Ashtanga Yoga. Yoga/Ashtanga Yoga.

(See also: RAJA-YOGA, Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Vyaghrapada: (Sanskrit) "Tiger feet." Famous Nandinatha Sampradaya siddha (ca 200 bce), trained under Maharishi Nandinatha, was a brother disciple of rishis Tirumular and Patanjali. He pilgrimaged south from Kashmir, settling at Tamil Nadu's Chidambaram Siva Temple to practice yoga.

See: Kailasa Parampara.

(See also: Vyaghrapada, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Vyaghrapada: (Sanskrit) "Tiger feet." Famous

Nandinatha Sampradaya siddha (ca 200 bce), trained under

Maharishi Nandinatha, was a brother disciple of rishis

Tirumular and Patanjali. He pilgrimaged south from

Kashmir, settling at Tamil Nadu's Chidambaram Siva

Temple to practice yoga.

See: Kailasa Parampara.

(See also: Vyaghrapada, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Natha Sampradaya: (Sanskrit) "Transmitted doctrine (or theology) of the masters."

Sampradaya means a living stream of tradition or theology. Natha Sampradaya is a philosophical and yogic tradition of Saivism whose origins are unknown. This oldest of Saivite sampradayas existing today consists of two major streams: the Nandinatha and the Adinatha. The Nandinatha Sampradaya has had as exemplars Maharishi Nandinatha and his disciples: Patanjali (author of the Yoga Sutras) and Tirumular (author of Tirumantiram). Among its representatives today are the successive siddhars of the Kailasa Parampara. The Adinatha lineage's known exemplars are Maharishi Adinatha, Matsyendranatha and Gorakshanatha, who founded a well-known order of yogis.

See: Kailasa Parampara, Natha, Saivism, sampradaya.

(See also: Natha Sampradaya, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Ahimsa - Yoga. Yoga is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy, and as codified by Maharishi Patanjali in the seminal work Yoga Sutra, the foundation of ashtanga and Raja Yoga, ahimsa is the first of the five yamas, or eternal vows or restraints of yoga. Ahimsa - Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi was a follower of Sanatana Dharma, i.e. Hinduism, and drew many of his concepts of truth, nobility and ethics from the Bhagavad Gita and his personal love of Lord Rama, a Hindu G ...

See also:

Ahimsa, Ahimsa - Ahimsa in Jainism, Ahimsa - External links and references in Jainism, Ahimsa - Ahimsa in Hinduism, Ahimsa - Yoga, Ahimsa - Gandhi

Read more here: » Ahimsa: Encyclopedia II - Ahimsa - Ahimsa in Hinduism

In Jainism, the ahimsa-vrata, or vow of ahimsa, is the first of the five mahavratas, or great vows. All animal life, and most plant life, is considered sentient. Any action endangering such life, including agriculture, violence, animal sacrifice, drinking liquor, eating honey, potatoes or certain fruits, and eating at night, is forbidden. Some Jains wear a cloth over their mouths to avoid inhaling airborne life forms. The ethical code of Jainism is taken very seriously. Summarized in the Five Vows, they are followed by b ...

See also:

Ahimsa, Ahimsa - Ahimsa in Jainism, Ahimsa - External links and references in Jainism, Ahimsa - Ahimsa in Hinduism, Ahimsa - Yoga, Ahimsa - Gandhi

Read more here: » Ahimsa: Encyclopedia II - Ahimsa - Ahimsa in Jainism

The first known guru of the Suddha, or “pure,” Saiva Siddhanta tradition was Maharishi Nandinatha of Kashmir (ca 250 BCE), recorded in Panini’s book of grammar as the teacher of Rishis Patanjali, Vyaghrapada and Vasishtha. The only surviving written work of Maharishi Nandinatha is the twenty-six Sanskrit verses, called the Nandikesvara Kasika, in which he carried forward the ancient teachings. Due to his monistic approach, Nandinatha is often considered by schol ...

See also:

Saiva Siddhanta, Saiva Siddhanta - Gurus, Saiva Siddhanta - Saints and Ascetics, Saiva Siddhanta - Siddhas, Saiva Siddhanta - Saiva Siddhanta Teachings, Saiva Siddhanta - The Spread of Saiva Siddhanta, Saiva Siddhanta - A New Siddhanta, Saiva Siddhanta - A Dualistic Development, Saiva Siddhanta - Saiva Siddhanta Today

Read more here: » Saiva Siddhanta: Encyclopedia II - Saiva Siddhanta - Gurus

Vasishtha: (Sanskrit) Disciple of Maharishi Nandikeshvara (Nandinatha) (ca 250 bce) along with Patanjali and Vyaghrapada (as recorded in Panini's book of grammar). Also the name of several other famous sages, including the rishi attributed with composing the hymns of the Rig Veda's seventh mandala, another who plays a central role in the epics and certain Puranas and Upanishads, and a third who expounds the ancient yogic wisdom to Lord Rama in the 29,000-verse Yoga Vasishtha.

(See also: Vasishtha, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)