Definition

Sādhana is defined as anything that is effective or efficient; the conjuring up of a spirit; the performance accomplishment of mantra; an act of propitiation, worship, adoration; the act of mastering, overpowering, subduing (for example, using yoga practices, meditations and mantras to subdue a disease); any means of effecting or accomplishing; any agent or instrument or implement or utensil or device; the establishment of truth.

Meaning

Sādhana means to consciously take part in one’s own spiritual growth and maturity by exerting self-effort. For example, we can use any yogic or meditative practice for our self-transformation.

Sādhana requires that we engage in some form of self-study (swadhyāya), that we use some form of yogic or meditative technology, the yoga vidyā, and that we have a goal that elevates our energy and consciousness.

The yoga texts state that first condition for sādhana is faith in the vidyā, in the science and knowledge of self-transformation. The second is the will and determination to achieve the goal, sankalpa shakti (willpower), mental power and determination. The third is continuous practice and one-pointed awareness on the goal. The fourth condition is perseverance; keep going and do not stop until the goal is attained, however long it takes.

Application

The key to self-transformation is to engage in sādhana. To be successful, first you have to determine your true needs. Then you need to evaluate your inner strengths, abilities and vulnerabilities and your life circumstances, at this time in your life. Once you know this, create a goal and make a resolve to follow through to attain your goal. Then apply sincere effort and unbroken practice. It is often a good idea to have a trusted teacher or mentor to guide you in this process.

Resource

The Mantra Yoga Samhita (The Text That Deals with Mantra Yoga) V.4 states, “Sādhana is the practice by which the desired end may be achieved. By sādhana the sādhaka, one who practices, achieves the state of fearlessness. Sādhana bestows the supreme and imperishable knowledge. In following this praiseworthy yoga there is absolutely no despair. Worshiped by both gods and men, the sādhaka knowing Brahman (the absolute consciousness) becomes the Brahman.”

To learn how to make a resolve, sankalpa, and to engage sankalpa shakti, see Illuminating Your Heart’s Desire MP3/CD or Mastering the Art of Change eCourse.

Definition

Spiritual transmission is the transfer of spiritual information from one point (a guru) to another point (a shishya), or to many points (many shishyas) simultaneously.

Meaning

In telecommunications data and information is sent digitally from a point to another point. For example, from one phone to another phone. A message can also be sent from one phone to many phones.

Transmission occurs in normal life, although not always in a form that we can easily recognize. Every time we meet someone we exchange energy, information and feelings in one form or another. For example, when we are sad we transmit this information to other beings around us.

There are many stories of people who are closely linked to each other, such as dear friends and family, who live at a distance from each other and yet know when a loved one is facing a great difficulty, is ill or dying. This is a form of transmission.

It is said that in spiritual life, when we meet a guru or a great master, they hold spiritual knowledge and their consciousness and energy is vibrating at an extremely powerful level. If we are open to this relationship and energy we can allow ourselves to resonate with the spiritual master.

When this occurs that master can transfer their knowledge and intention to us via the third eye, the ajna chakra. This is why it is said that the link between a guru and disciple is extremely close and unique.

The disciple meditates on the relationship with the guru and aims to awaken the inner guru, the higher awareness lying dormant in us all. At the same time the outer guru is transmitting energy and knowledge that is guiding and unfolding the disciple.

At this point, the outer guru and the inner guru become one. Over time this meditation can bring the disciple to the state of self-realization if the disciple continues to engage in self-effort and spiritual practice according to the instructions of the guru.

Application

Develop meditation so that you can become more aware of the subtle forces, the transmissions and interchange of energy, feelings and information that occur between all beings.

As your witness consciousness unfolds you will be able to discriminate which energy is coming from you and which is coming from the other.

Meditations that ground and stabilize you empower you to feel other beings with great clarity. They enable you to tune into the happiness and sorrow of other beings with empathy and compassion while maintaining your own center.

Using your own yogic skill develop the intention to be of benefit to all beings and see if there is anything that you can give to that situation that benefits all.

In this way you prepare yourself for the time when you meet a great spiritual master. You will be open and receptive to their energy, knowledge and transmission.

Many people block themselves from having connection to spiritual teachers and higher beings because they have a fixed image in their mind of what such a being would look like. It is said that transmissions from spiritual adepts occur constantly and is available to all if we can tune into it.

Personal Experience

When I was in India I had the privilege of writing books and magazine articles for Swami Satyananda, my guru. At that time, while I was writing the books, I had profound experiences in which I was writing about yoga and meditation at a level far beyond my experience. This was an amazing and strong experience. It was as though my pen was guiding my hand. I realized that it was an experience of direct mind-to-mind (and heart-to-heart) communication. That experience lives with me to this day.

Image

This image of God Creating Man by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel can be seen as a representation of the awakening of our human quality through conscious connection to the divine. In fact, if you look closely, god is sitting in a structure that is actually a symbolic representation of the brain. From a yogic and psycho-spiritual point of view, god represents the higher usually unconscious forces dormant in us, in our brain. We only really become human and rise above our animal nature when these forces are awakened. It is the duty of the guru to awaken these forces by initiation and transmission. Transmission occurs from the ajna chakra within the brain and is transmitted to every cell in the body, every corner of the mind via the psychic centers (chakras) and channels. Once awakened and developed through self-effort and ongoing relationship with the spiritual master spiritual transmission can be received anytime.

Definition

Dīkshā means initiation, preparation or consecration for a spiritual ceremony. It is the undertaking of spiritual or religious observances, dedication, or any devotion to a person or god.

The English word initiation derives from the Latin, initium: “entrance” or “beginning,” literally “a going in.” The related English verb, initiate, means to begin or start a particular action, event, circumstance, or happening.

Meaning

The meaning of initiation depends on the context in which the initiation takes place. For example, an initiation can be part of a rite of passage, can commence a sacred ceremony, or it can just be the beginning of learning something new that could be of great importance in your life.

Initiation can be part of a ceremony marking the entrance or acceptance into a group or society, such as a religious order, fraternal organization or secret society such occurs in aboriginal societies and the Freemasons. Christian baptism, or confirmation, is a form of initiation or consecration.

There are yogic and tantric initiations, such as mantra dīkshā, deity yoga, and powerful spiritual initiations such as sannyasa dīkshā, initiation into renunciate orders where people dedicate their lives to a higher purpose.

Psycho-spiritual growth and development

In an extended sense, initiation can be any event in which we experience some form of personal transformation, or a sense of having been ‘reborn’ into a new role. Initiations are a vital part of our psychological and spiritual growth and development. They can define who we are and how we feel about ourselves. Initiation is a way of developing conscious connection. In this context, loss of understanding of the power of initiation in our personal and social life is a symptom of our inability to connect. This can lead to loss of meaning and mental distress.

Application

Initiations are important parts of life that feed our deeper sense of who we are, linking us to a greater part of us. We need to remain conscious of the importance and power of initiation in our personal, social and spiritual life. Without initiation we will feel as though something is missing, that we are unable to spark and propel ourselves into the different phases of our life. Without some form of initiation that sparks the change or transformation to a new phase of life we may remain trapped in a younger phase, as occurs in mid-life crises.

It is a great and a rare opportunity to learn from a guru or from a wise teacher. However, it can be difficult to find a guru and we do not need to take initiation every day. In fact, we need to be discriminating in terms of which initiations we take. Only take an initiation if you are clear about what you are doing.

In every day life we can think of initiation, dīkshā, as learning or starting something new, a new beginning. Each time you have the opportunity to learn something new, or when you take on a new yoga practice, you can imagine that you are being given a rare opportunity. The first time you engage the practice imagine that you are being initiated into a new phase of your yogic, spiritual or inner life. This will help to make the process special and meaningful, and will help you to consciously engage in what you are doing.

Definition

The word shishya means student or disciple. Another word for disciple is chela.

Meaning

In the context of yoga and the spiritual path a shishya is someone who approaches a guru or a teacher with and open mind and heart, ready and wiling to learn.

The word disciple often has a negative connotation, implying submission, coercion or punishment. In reality, a true disciple is someone who is prepared to study a prescribed discipline in order to gain the knowledge and skills to master that discipline.

A shishya engages in a chosen discipline for the joy that comes from undertaking a path of learning that brings knowledge, wisdom, and the means to live a healthier and more meaningful life.

Application

If you are a serious student of anything you understand that to master your art you first need to follow a prescribed discipline. Whether you study music, sport, law, medicine, or meditation, you have to consider how much you are willing to invest into that discipline and what you can give up to become accomplished.

If you wish to become a student then it is a good idea to consider developing some of the following attributes: a relaxed, open-minded attitude; patience and self-responsibility; the capacity to listen; sincerity and industriousness.

In the beginning it is important to test the teacher and the teachings so that you are confident that they hold authentic knowledge.

Once you engage the teachings then it is essential to have faith in the teacher and the teachings, and also in yourself. You need to develop commitment and a resolve (sankalpa) to stay the course.

A teacher may wish to transfer their knowledge but they can only do this if the student is receptive, keen and enduring. Then the teacher can pass on their gifts and have a truly significant impact upon the student’s life.

Definition

The word āchārya is the title of someone who knows or teaches the rules (the āchāra), who is a spiritual guide or teacher, and who instructs yogic, religious and spiritual mysteries.

Meaning

An āchārya is usually someone who has lived and studied within a tradition and who has mastered that tradition.

As recognition of their achievement they are given the title of āchārya, in the same way that the title doctor in front of a name signifies certain qualifications.

The āchārya then becomes a senior member of that community, teaching as an authority, and also supporting the development of that tradition as a living, and evolving tradition.

Within the yoga and tantra traditions āchāryas provide the necessary physical, mental and spiritual preparation for higher spiritual teachings.

Application

There is a difference between a Guru and an āchārya and it is important to know this distinction. Too many people today are setting themselves up as gurus without understanding the harm they are doing.

An authentic spiritual guru is someone who has achieved an exalted degree of self-realization and who can initiate the disciple. Initiation creates an internal link with the guru and empowers the disciple, giving a clear direction for their life. The guru then functions at a psychic and spiritual level within the life of the disciple rather than at a material or temporal level.

In the spiritual traditions an āchārya does not initiate or give spiritual experience, that is the role of the guru. The āchārya teaches, gives information and technical and spiritual guidance. He or she may teach a vidyā, such as yoga, Ayurveda or jyotish. The āchārya is a spiritual guide or teacher in the more practical aspects of spirituality rather than in the higher and transcendent aspects which are the governance of the guru.

The guru may or may not teach the disciple, depending on their need. That is, the guru can also be an āchārya.

Definition

The word guru is derived from two syllables: Gu, which signifies “light” (jyoti, sattwa), and Ru, which signifies “darkness” (tamas).

The word therefore is translated as “the light that removes the darkness and ignorance.”

A guru is someone or something that enlightens us, that leads us from a state of darkness and ignorance (avidyā) into a state of the light and knowledge (vidyā).

The guru is also the power of consciousness that guides, protects and enlightens.

Meaning

In general use, a guru is a teacher, anyone who conveys knowledge to us that enlightens us regarding any subject. For example, we can have a mathematics guru, a music guru, and so on.

The word guru is generally used as a title for someone who guides or teaches, or any respectable person, such a father, mother, any relative or older person. It is said that the mother is our first guru.

A spiritual guru is called a sat guru (also written as sadguru). The word sat in Sanskrit means the eternal unchanging truth or the eternal unchanging consciousness.

There are two forms of the spiritual guru:

• The first is called a shiksha guru; a teacher who imparts information and knowledge.
• The second type of guru is called diksha guru; one who gives initiation (diksha), such as an initiatory mantra.

Initiation is one of the most important roles of the spiritual guru.

The guru tattwa

Guru is that part of your consciousness that wants you to grow towards a more enlightened and empowered state of existence.

This is called the inner guru, the inner guiding light of consciousness, or the inner teacher, the intuition.

This principle is called the guru tattwa, the essence of guru.

Application

A sat guru is someone who embodies the guru tattwa and can teach or convey truth as a living experience to a student.

In order to access knowledge we need a teacher, guide or mentor who knows the science and who has embodied the knowledge.

This is extremely important in terms of the yoga vidyā, as we journey through the extremely powerful, unconscious terrain of our deepest inner being.

To enter into this study ill prepared or with disrespect and greed in our heart is a grave error. To be prepared, respectful and open-hearted is be a good student who can truly receive the knowledge.

Definition

Meditation is a general term used for a multitude of mental processes and techniques including relaxation, directed attention, visualization, devotional contemplation, thinking and planning, mindfulness, insight and intuition training, and so on.

Meaning

Meditation is part of the rāja yoga vidyā, the yoga of meditation that takes one from ignorance (avidyā) to knowledge (vidyā). It has three components:

• a meditator, who is the subject at the center of the meditation
• the object of meditation, any object or concept that the meditator meditates on
• a technique, a process of meditation that the meditator uses to unite him or herself with the object of meditation.

The resulting blissful meditative state is a high state of yoga. The meditative state is one of conscious of union of an individual with life or self. This increases our awareness of who we are, our knowledge and our life skills.

In Sanskrit the word for meditation is dhyana, which means ‘an unbroken flow of awareness’, a truly joyful and life affirming experience. It is the opposite of the unaware state.

Application

Meditation is an exalted, joyful, powerful and highly aware state of being. This meditative state arises from any process or technique that empowers us to unite with an object of meditation. The result of this process of union (yoga) is knowledge of that object or concept.

If we meditate on ourselves we gain self-awareness and self-knowledge. Self-awareness is one of the most precious things we can have as it leads to self-empowerment, self-confidence and self-actualization. Ultimately it leads to Self-realization, which is the realization of who we truly are, and knowledge of our purpose.

Meditation is both a method that supports us living a more conscious life and is also a high state of being in which we experience the life affirming experience of unbroken awareness. It results in a more present-centered and heart-centered life.

Definition

Avidyā means ignorance, a lack of knowledge, learning and scholarship. In its spiritual sense it means the lack of self-knowledge that leads to material, egoic consciousness, which is the cause of all suffering.

Meaning

There are two levels of avidyā. The first relates to general ignorance, a lack of knowledge regarding the world we live in.

The second form of avidyā is the lack of knowledge of who we are. This is the divine illusion, in which we as infinite, unlimited and indestructible beings of consciousness imagine ourselves to be limited and mortal.

Patanjali states that the higher level of avidyā is one of five kleshas, the causes of of all of our suffering. Avidyā is the first and main cause of all suffering. From avidyā springs our ego, likes and dislikes and the fear of death, which in its lesser form is the fear of loss and change.

Application

Avidyā is the primal driving force for all human existence. Ignorance is like a darkness in our mind that causes us to seek knowledge.

The desire for knowledge and experience is essential for the survival of both the individual and the species and is programmed into a very deep part of us. To not know is to feel impotent and at the mercy of forces beyond our control.

All meditation helps us to know more about ourselves and life. By focusing our awareness, attention and senses onto an object of meditation we gain knowledge that is enlightening and empowering.

There are two forms of yoga meditation that enable us to tune into our inner being and into the objects of the world to gain knowledge, which are:

• relaxation and introversion, called pratyāhāra, in which relaxed awareness enables us to open ourselves to whatever already exists in us or in the world. This is a great way to develop intuition.
• concentration based meditation, called dhāraṇā, in which we focus our attention onto an object to gain knowledge of that object.

Relaxed introversion and concentration are both required to gain knowledge about the world and about ourselves and our true nature.

The most important ingredient to gain knowledge is the teacher or guru, the guide and mentor who can shine a light onto the path to knowledge so that we can enter into a more enlightened state.

Definition

Yoga is the science of connection to the highest consciousness and to life. The yoga vidyā is the knowledge we need in order to achieve connection.

There are many branches on the tree of the yoga vidyā, many paths to the same goal. Each branch contains within it a system for practicing yoga and attaining its benefits.

For example, hatha yoga is the science of connection to the body and vitality in order to attain health and mastery of the body; mantra yoga is the science of connection to powerful cosmic forces that vibrate and create the universe.

The benefits of the yoga vidyā include health, vitality, peace of mind, balanced emotions, connection to deeper parts of us, awakening our intra-psychic reality and self-realization.

Meaning

The yoga vidyā is an extremely powerful science. It is more than merely exercise. Rather it is a science and psychology, a path of self-healing, a science of the expansion and deepening of consciousness, and a path to self-perfection.

The yoga vidyā takes us from the state of avidyā, ignorance and suffering, to the state of vidyā, a state of knowledge, wisdom and empowerment based in truth, sat.

Yogis seek knowledge as a living experience based in practice, rather than as intellectual knowledge gained from books. This is why yoga is an experiential vidyā, one that gives us techniques we can apply in our life to make practical changes rather than a theoretical vidyā.

Application

The vidyā is seen as a living entity, a shakti, a force of consciousness that existed prior to us. It is said that when a person wants to study a vidyā that they seek to enter into the vidyā as part of a sacred act. In this ritual the yogi seeks to form a benevolent relationship with the vidyā in the hope that the vidyā itself will teach, protect and shower blessings on the seeker.

To enter into the yoga vidyā the yogi will go into meditation in an attempt to open his or her mind to the vidyā, to become a worthy vessel to hold the knowledge. This requires that we consciously aim to become a student worthy of being taught, one who is sought after by teachers.

A good student cultivates humility, sincerity, discipline and sacrifice – over time. All of these virtues are required if we are to change, transform and evolve ourselves by entering into a relationship with a system of sacred knowledge, a vidyā.

Definition

The word vidyā means “the science of”. It also means knowledge, science, learning, scholarship and philosophy.

Meaning

The vidyās describe the laws of nature and the universe, the laws of society, the systems of art and all culture, and the techniques and process for enlightenment and liberation from the mundane.

At its highest level the vidyās includes yoga vidyā and the ātma vidyās‚ the spiritual sciences that contain knowledge of consciousness, soul, spirit, and the highest Self.

Application

In India, as in other parts of the world, the various systems of knowledge are given such reverence that many people will devote their entire lives to the worship, protection and cultivation of a vidyā, a system of science or knowledge that has proven benefits for us all.

It is a good idea to meditate on your relationship with knowledge, teachings, teachers and the ways in which you gain knowledge and higher learning.

There are a number of meditations that open our awareness to the vidyās. These techniques open subtle internal channels that allow us to absorb this knowledge, the vidyā, into our body-mind, an experiential and intuitive process of learning.

Definition

A yogi is a male yoga practitioner who is an adept; someone who has completed the path of yoga and is fully self-realized.

A yogi is also someone who follows the path of yoga, practicing yoga techniques with the aim of attaining various states of union and connection.

A female practitioner or adept is called a yoginī, the feminine form of the word.

Meaning

Strictly speaking a yogi is someone who has attained complete union, or at least a degree of union.

It can also be someone who practices yoga techniques on a committed basis, however, these people are usually called aspirants, or a sadhaka, someone who aspires to yoga.

From one perspective we can say that a yogi is someone who practices the forms of yoga that originate from India.

From another perspective it is anyone who is attempting to become more self-aware and aiming at achieving connection between the individual and universal Self through any means, system or path.

Some yogis are renunciates who practice yoga away from the world, in retreat or seclusion. Others live a family and working life and practice yoga as a way of bringing more light into the mundane realms of existence.

Application

If we practice attaining greater self-awareness and aim to be more connected with everything we do, and with all beings, then we are practicing yoga.

Image

Classical depiction of the subtle body of a yogi with fully awakened chakras in deep meditation.

Definition

The word ayoga means disconnection, separation, disjunction, unfit, unsuitable, impossibility, inefficacy of a remedy, exertion, an inauspicious conjunction of the planets.

Meaning

We are constantly connecting and disconnecting with things in life, with friends, things and with events.

However there is one thing that we should never disconnect from and that is our self. To be disconnected from oneself and ignorant of our true nature is the greatest of all pains.

Ayoga occurs when we are either caught up in the things and demands of the world, or within the internal world of the mind, thoughts, desires and emotions.

In this state we lose touch with our deeper inner self, the part of us that holds meaning and our sense of who we are, along with our sense of purpose.

Application

It is easy to lose touch with ourselves when we are busy, tired, caught up in the demands of life and the demands of others.

At it’s most basic, the state of ayoga is a semi-animal state of existence in which most of our time is taken up with survival, routine and mundane repetition that does not require higher mental or emotional functions.

The state of ayoga is represented by the state of consciousness in muladhara chakra, the first chakra in the human body. The painful state of ayoga, and the mooladhara chakra, is the starting point for our search for meaning, purpose and connection using yogic techniques.

Resources

Read the Bhagavad-Gita – Chapter 1, which is called “The Yoga of the Dejection and Despondency of Arjuna”. In this chapter, the great warrior Arjuna, who is in a state of ayoga, has a nervous breakdown on the battlefield. The rest of the book details the forms of yoga he uses to escape from his state of disconnection to find true connection.

Definition

Yoga means ‘union’ or ‘connection’.

Meaning

In Sanskrit, the word ‘yoga’ is used to signify any form of connection. A yoga can form from the union of any two objects.

In its highest philosophical sense, yoga means conscious connection of the individual self with the highest Self, where you feel connected to the rhythms and cycles of the cosmos.

Yoga is a science, a body of techniques and processes that enables you to create conscious connection. There is no dogma or belief system attached to yoga. Yoga simply tells you to do a certain practice and then to feel the effects of that practice.

For example, if you breathe slowly and in a relaxed manner you will slow your heart rate; if you calm and focus your mind you will develop mental peace and clarity and gain deep insight.

Once you experience connection you are in the state of yoga, a balanced, blissful and life affirming state of being.

Application

Above all, the aim of yoga is to feel connected to something that is nurturing, uplifting, liberating and enlightening. Any way you can do this is a form of yoga.

There are many forms and types of yoga, from the more physical styles of hatha yoga, to the devotional styles of bhakti yoga and the meditative styles of jnana or raja yoga.

Simply choose the form or style that suits you and takes you back to the essential essence and truth of who you are and reveals the luminous intelligence and the beauty that lies within us all.

It is essential to remember that everything we do can become yoga if it is done with awareness. Awareness is the key to discovering all the mysteries of who we truly are.

Remain self-aware while you are working, playing, cooking and interacting with others and you will create a form of yoga (connection) with your work, play, food and loved ones.