Mediyoga

Baktha of asanas

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 10:24:00 +0000

Being a baktha in the asana does not make us a baktha of God. It is God's prerogative to call one a devotee and not the other way around.

Body is only an instrument

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 08:33:00 +0000

We need to be very clear- the body is an instrument to reach God, but God cannot be reached by perfecting the body through asanas. As Hatha yogis we neglect the inner transformation and we often proudly declare how perfect we are in asana practise and how we can retain our consciousness in one asana but thats of little avail in the spiritual world where we need quality transformation of our very being.

Divine unsullied love is the supreme yoga

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 09:04:00 +0000

In this world, there is no power greater than Prema, pure selfless love. All the yogas (paths) mentioned in the Bhagawat Gita such as Jnana (knowledge), Karma (action), etc., are contained in Bhakthi Yoga (path of pure love towards God). There is nothing beyond this. Each and every yoga contains an element of selfishness. But that of Prema, is free from selfishness and all other impurities. It is only because of the absence of such selfless love that chaos, conflicts and confusion are prevalent in the world today. One who is interested in the welfare of humanity should practise this principle of true love. Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Divine Discourse, May 6, 1995.

The path needed is not hatha yoga

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 08:23:00 +0000

With a little reasoning you can know for yourself the path you need to take, thereafter, it can be trodden step by step until the goal is reached. Whatever be the path, retain this knowledge that attachment causes pain and detachment results in joy. But you cannot easily detach yourself from activity; the mind clings to something or other. Make it cling to God, let it do all things for God and leave the success or failure, the loss and the profit, the elation or the dejection, to God. Then you have the secret of peace and contentment. To get this attitude of surrender and dedication, you must have Faith in God. God, whose play this world is. This world is not an empty dream; it has a purpose and use. It is the means by which one can discover God. See Him in the beauty, the grandeur, the order and the majesty of Nature. Sathya Sai Speaks, Mar 28 1965.

Devotion

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 14:16:00 +0000

The person devoted to God knows no failure. The name of the Lord, if taken sincerely overcomes all obstacles.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

We need to be more devoted to God than hatha yoga.

Dr Krishna Raman

The mind

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:22:00 +0000

Today, your mind flies about anywhere and squats on all sundry objects in the Universe. Like the fly that sits on fair and foul, your mind too flees from one thought to another. The fly will be destroyed if it sits on fire. So too, your mind will be destroyed when it dwells on God. Know that your mind is but a pattern of desires, woven with the warp and woof of the same material. When Rama (God) enters your mind, kama (desire) flees away. This state is called the death of the mind (Mano-naashana) or the merging of your mind (Mano-laya). Each one of you must make your own heart an abode of peace (Prashanthi Nilayam). Analyse your words, deeds and thoughts. Get rid, slowly but surely, of the evil ones that harm you and others. Cultivate fortitude, firm peace and speak only the truth. Let this transformation begin, this very moment in you.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Sense control is the need of the hour

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 03:19:00 +0000

Asana control and breath control are needed, but sense control is the key- for this we don't need asana or pranayama practice. We need to look within. All of do have, and use this capacity in varying degrees in daily life. We need to consciously harness this force.

Steadiness of mind

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 04:01:00 +0000

There is no scar on the sky, though clouds, stars, the sun and the moon all appear to streak across it. So too let a thousand ideas streak across the mind, ensure that your mind remains unaffected and serene. Get firm in mind; then, your reason also will not deviate. Without that equanimity or shanthi, you can get no soukhyam (happiness). Saint Kabir had no food for three days – but he thanked God for giving him the coveted chance of observing a ritual fast. The great devotee of Rama, Saint Ramadas was confined in prison – and he thanked God that he got a place where he could meditate on Him without disturbances. Such is the attitude of the saintly, those who are the beloved of the Lord.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

- Divine Discourse, May 23, 1965.

Karma

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:14:00 +0000

The Law of Karma is not an irreversible iron law. Dedication to the divine and purification of thoughts, words and deeds invite divine benediction. The effects of karma can be modified and its rigour, mitigated through grace. When vices hold sway over your heart, it becomes foul and sooty. The flames of desire, anger and miserliness (kaama, krodha and lobha) leave char within your heart. Do not despair or lose heart if vices trouble you. There is no place where God is not present. There is no being to whom He denies blessings. Grace manifests itself by quenching the flames within your heart and confers bliss which desire, anger and miserliness can never confer. God is immanent and eternal. Follow the path and obey the ideals laid down by the Lord with relentless discipline. Your mind will be purified and divine grace will be ref lected therein. Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Divine Discourse, Apr 10, 1965.

The one that is free and aware of Divinity

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:05:00 +0000

When Arjuna prayed that Krishna must tell him the true characteristics of a Sthithaprajna, the Lord explained that a Stithaprajna is free from all desire and is stable in the knowledge and awareness of the Divine (Atma) alone. This state can be attained by two processes: first negative and then positive. The former is to give up all the promptings of desire in the mind and the latter is to implant therein ever-present joy. In the negative process, remove all the seedlings of wrong and evil from the mind; and in the positive process, grow and reap the crop of attachment to God. The pleasures the senses draw from the objective world are weeds; the crop is attachment to God. The mind is a bundle of wishes, and unless these wishes are removed by destroying their roots, there is no hope of vanquishing the mind. When the mind vanishes, the Stithaprajna is made.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Spiritual practice

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 00:16:00 +0000

The cycle of birth and death cannot be got rid of by scholarship. Hence start with this first lesson. Cleanse your mind and journey to that realm where you see God in everyone, everywhere, at all times, through uninterrupted remembrance of your chosen Lord. This is the most effective spiritual practice.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba -
Divine Discourse, Mar 16, 1966

We must not be carried away by our skill in yoga practise. However much we can do the asanas with understanding, it does not matter. This affects only the body. Our very outlook must change. Dr Krishna Raman

Virus

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Sun, 27 May 2012 01:53:00 +0000

Each one gets the result that their spiritual practice (sadhana) deserves, that their acts in this and previous births grant them. In the epic Ramayana, the demon king Ravana had scholarship, strength, wealth, power, authority and even the grace of God - but the virus of lust and pride which lodged in his mind brought about his destruction, despite all attainments. He could not dwell in peace and joy for a moment after the infection started to work. Life is a constant campaign against many foes, it is a battle with obstacles, temptations, hardships and hesitations. These enemies are present within every being and so the battle is incessant and perpetual. Each one differs from another, in this struggle against the inner attackers. Like the virus that thrives on the bloodstream, the vices of lust, greed, hate, malice, pride and envy sap the energy a nd faith of human beings and reduce them to untimely fall. Hence, always remember this - Virtue is strength, vice is weakness.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Sun, 13 May 2012 13:35:00 +0000

How should we pray? Lord Krishna proclaimed it in the Bhagavad Gita. anan yas cintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate tesam nit yabhi yuktanam yoga-ksemam vahamy aham Synonyms ananyah—having no other object; cintayantah—concentrating; mam—on Me; ye—those who; janah—persons; paryupasate—properly worship; tesam—of them; nitya—always; abhiyuktanam—fixed in devotion; yoga—requirements; ksemam—protection; vahami—carry; aham—I.
Translation Whoever prays to me with no other thought whoever thinks of me incessantly, I will take care of their welfare.

This is what we should be focusing on , as students of hatha yoga, not only on asanas.
Krishna Raman

Grace of God

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:38:00 +0000

The grace of God is like insurance. It will help you in your time of need without any limit.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba

We must try to earn His grace more than anything else.
Dr Krishna Raman

The name of the Lord

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Sat, 05 May 2012 00:48:00 +0000

The heart contains the precious treasure of bliss (Ananda) but people do not know the key to open the lock! The key to open the door to bliss is Namasmarana - repetition of the Name of the Lord with a pure heart. Purify the heart with the instruments of Truth, Right Conduct, Peace and Love (Sathya, Dharma, Shanth, Prema). Always endeavour to do good to others, to think well and speak well of them. This practice will wear away your egoism, and attachment to things that cater to your pleasures. Do not behave like birds and beasts, ever engaged in earning a living or rearing a family. Struggle for higher and nobler goals using the talents with which you are endowed!
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
The heart can be purified only by such approaches and not by the practise of asana.
Dr Krishna Raman

Focus on the creator, not the creation

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 02:59:00 +0000

Everyone is anxious to avoid old age and death; it is human nature to be anxious. But of what avail is mere anxiety? Your conduct and behaviour should be in accordance with your objective. If you have sincere yearning and place your full trust and faithfully surrender to the Lord, He will melt the fog of grief by the rays of His Grace. If you place your trust on the objects of this world, the consequent grief will never end, nor can they be ended by anyone other than the Lord. Serve the Master of maya (illusion), the Designer of all this dreamland, rather than the dream itself.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Keeping our body fit by hatha yoga we should focus on the divine. If we focus only on the body by spending more time in perfecting the asanas, we will lose sight of the divine.
Krishna Raman

Training

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:20:00 +0000

The spiritual path is the path of detachment, of sense control and rigorous mind training.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Let us note that it it not one of body training only.
Dr Krishna Raman

Sadhana

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:15:00 +0000

What is the meaning of Sadhana? In the word Sadhana, Dhana means wealth- not worldly wealth but divine wealth, the greatest treasure on earth. A Sadhaka ( a person who is devout and earnest in his sadhana) is the wealthiest person on earth. Truly, genuine sadhana is the divine truth, pure and unsullied. It is God itself, for truth is God! How do you do sadhana? By making your outlook pure. Sadhana is purity.It is "taking out" from within you what is bad and evil, your negative traits. It is also recognizing and bettering what is good and Godly in you, your positive traits!

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Merely practising hatha yoga even with sincerity will not lead us to divinity.

Dr Krishna Raman

Peace

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:25:00 +0000

Those who do not have perfect peace will not get established in Samadhi even if they sit in Padmasana with their hands in special positions. Only self knowledge which is a fire for the straws of desires, is superb samadhi. Remaining still is not samadhi.

From Jnana Vasishtam

Self knowledge cannot be obtained from asana practice. Asanas can give a little knowledge about the body but this is highly limited. Even doctors dont understand the working of body with sophisticated lab tools.

Self knowledge can be secured only by deep introspection and rejecting what is false and the truth alone remains.

Dr Krishna Raman

Teaching yoga to calm down

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:32:00 +0000

Yoga classes should not pump the adrenaline up- this is not the aim of hatha yoga. Today's classes have teachers yelling instructions at the students. There are other methods of teaching that calm the practitioner. If we want the adrenaline drive, hatha yoga is not the way.
Dr Krishna Raman

Purification

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 03:22:00 +0000

Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness. Paddy grains have to be de-husked in order to become edible as rice. Cotton has to be converted as yarn to become wearable cloth. Gold nuggets have to be heated in the crucible to remove the impurities. Man too, must purify his impulses, emotions and desires and cultivate good thoughts, words and deeds so that he can progress spiritually.
Sathya Sai Baba

We need to realize this truth and we should not stop at purifying the body as hatha yogis. Asnas cannot purify impulses, desires or emotions.

Dr Krishna Raman

Divinity

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 03:20:00 +0000

You can get the feeling of yearning for the Divine only if you get a taste of the Prema (Love) of the Divine. That is why I have come among you - to give you a taste of that Love so that the yearning for God will be planted in your hearts. Mastery over mountains of information has been attained by man now, but wisdom has lagged behind. Hence, man's capacity to probe and progress into the realm of the universal and the Absolute has to be developed. He must realize the truth that man's distance from Divinity is the same as his distance from himself.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Bliss and thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 03:03:00 +0000

The bliss brought about by divine thoughts, peaceful thoughts, pure feeling, ever keeping the mind on the divine can never be equalled by the "good feeling" post asana or pranayama practice. That is because asana practice does not transform the mind, it only makes us calm. Calmness does not mean transformation of our inner workings of the mind. Even a criminal is calm in order to achieve the intended work.

Transformation of our behaviour can be brought about only and only by focusing on the divine.

Withdraw the mind

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:01:00 +0000

Withdraw your mind from worldly thoughts and fix it on the Name of the Lord, Hari, who charms all hearts. Listen to the wisdom of the Divine, the Bhagavatha Thathwa with all your heart. There is no activity holier than that. There can be no greater spiritual exercise, or discipline or vow. The human body is a worthy boat. The story of Lord Hari is the rudder in this world of constant change. Lord Hari is the boatman who will safely ferry you across Samsara, the sea of birth and death.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

These are the points we must ponder on as students of Hatha Yoga. Lets do the asana properly with the proper technique in

mind, but not lose focus of the Lord. Thinking of the asana day in and day out is meaningless.

Withdraw the mind

noreply@blogger.com (Krishna) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:57:00 +0000

Sri Sathya Sai -Baba

These are the points we must ponder on as students of Hatha Yoga. Lets do the asana properly with the proper technique in

mind, but not lose focus of the Lord. Thinking of the asana day in and day out is meaningless.