Is yoga Hindu?

[Bitter Melon]

Thanks, but this is known to many of the serious practitioner.

Yoga is not theory, it is to be practised. There is no point in teaching the theory of Yoga, I posted it so that people can understand what it really means. Just to counter misinformation.

Ashtang yoga is not the only form of Yoga, its the most popular form of Yoga. The Philosophy behind Ashtang Yoga is known as Sankya. The real education is in Sankya and the practice is Ashtang Yoga.

The other methods of Yoga are -

2. Hatha yoga,

This means "Forced Yoga". In this the practitioner attempts to short cut the principles of Yama and Niyama of Ashtang yoga by forcing the mind to extremes. It does that by the practice of PranaYama.

It is a system designed for serious practitioners who can dedicate their entire live to this. So that means removing one from society and taking sanyas.

In absence of that, it become another form of physical exercise since the mind is not given sufficient time to develop.


Another form of this yoga is LAYA Yoga.

This is a powerful form of Yoga that focuses on awakening your Kundalini chakra and then forcing evolution to make you reach a higher state of consciousness. Again PranaYama is used to force evolutionary reaction in the body. Once the stage of Dyana is reached, then the Yogi focuses on one of his chakras using "Mandala Drishti" which is a tantric practice of representing your Chakras in geometric shapes.

He then proceeds to raise his consciousness by forcing the 'Naadis' to open. Naadi's are the energy path also used in Acupuncture / Acupressure. Its forced evolution. There is a practice called 'Nadi shodhana' which is a form of PranaYama that helps open the naadis/channels.

This is why its also known as Kundalini Yoga.

Laya Yoga has the same origin as Hatha yoga and is founded by the same ancient guru Matsyendranath.


3. Mantra yoga

This is a Tantric Yoga practice and is what people see in temples. Here the mind is forced to wake up by use of Mantras designed to invoke an external energy/power.

When I had suggested 'Japa' in my earlier post, it was to denote this type of Yoga. It is suitable for the simple minded and weak minded. Children or very old people. You will find a lot of this in Buddhist monasteries.

For e.g. chanting Maha Mrityunjaya mantra.

The Entire Temple practice and Agama practices are rooted in this yoga.


4. Shasta yoga or Shiva Yoga

This is a pure Tantrik Yoga practice and is also known as siddhaSana . In this the guru can help you unlock your Kundalini chakra (called shakti / power) and through a gradual step by stop process will help your reach Samadhi. In this the Guru uses his own shakti to help the student reach the samadhi faster.

The various steps in this practice are,
i. ) Kundalini Chakra Dhyana Kriya
ii.) Shiva Pranashakti Kriya
iii.) Sourabha Samadhi Kriya
iv. ) Shiva Jyoti Kriya
v. ) Om Samadhi Kriya



Just saw that, its pretty cool for kids. He calls the Kundalini chakra as the earth chakra. In many ways its an accurate description. It is the core of our existence on this earth. Pure instincts and base desires.

So Swami Nityananda's practice of third eye awakening is genuine. He claimed to practice Shastanga Yoga and has been helping out his devotees with their Kundalini unlocking.

 

[Maira La]

Yes, yoga is Hindu. More appropriately, it is Indic, for the idea was also developed, over centuries, by Buddhists, Jains, and a whole bunch of people who lived in the subcontinent of India.

The people of this land were called Hindu by ancient Persians, and Indians by ancient Greeks, as they lived in the land across the river Sindhu known as Hind in Persia and India in Greece.

For Asians, the land across the Bosphorus strait was Greece. So for an Asian invader who doesn't know much about the rest of Europe, entire Europe is Greece or Greek Subcontinent! (borrowing the land-across-river logic!)

@Kaptaan you're living in Akhand Greece!

 

[wiseone2]

Yoga has everything to do with Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma), the word itself means union with God, it is one of the six orthodox schools of Sanatan Dharma to attain liberation (Moksh or oneness with the Supreme Consciousness)

i am not denying there is a religious context to yoga
you could go to a yoga class in the West and have no reference to Hinduism or Sanskrit words

 

[Mentee]

the kids reciting Quran sway back and worth like a flame on a candle.

Subhaan Allah , truly, iam mesmerized, feeling a great sense of relief, don't know what is it ------

For Asians, the land across the Bosphorus strait was Greece. So for an Asian invader who doesn't know much about the rest of Europe, entire Europe is Greece or Greek Subcontinent! (borrowing the land-across-river logic!)

@Kaptaan you're living in Akhand Greece!

 

[waz]

Yes it's Hindu, do not practice it or you will end up looking like this;

 

[VivasvatManu]

So Swami Nityananda's practice of third eye awakening is genuine. He claimed to practice Shastanga Yoga and has been helping out his devotees with their Kundalini unlocking.

That's right. Swami Nityananda teaches Shiva yoga.

I had made an enquiry about his school for my daughter. He is charging Rs. 5 Lakh for a 21 day course for both children and adults. So it is definitely not for everybody.

SadGuru jaggi Vasudev teaches Laya yoga and Iyengar yoga is Hatha yoga.

Shankaracharya teaches Mantra Yoga among others.

 

[Indiran Chandiran]

Yes it's Hindu, do not practice it or you will end up looking like this;

That's what comes after practising bhog not yoga.

 

[VivasvatManu]

That's what comes after practising bhog not yoga.

I thought it was the practice of dhong

 

[waz]

That's what comes after practising bhog not yoga.

Not it's not, his special weapon is Yoga Flame, so you need to do Yoga.

 

[Indiran Chandiran]

Not it's not, his special weapon is Yoga Flame, so you need to do Yoga.

Haha.You didn't get the pun.
@VivasvatManu did.

 

[waz]

Haha.You didn't get the pun.
@VivasvatManu did.

Lol sorry I didn't. Do explain it to me.

 

[Indiran Chandiran]

Lol sorry I didn't. Do explain it to me.

Bhog is what you have , after offering food to your Ishtadev / Kuldev during / after a pooja , aarti or yagya ( it pertains to the idea of a personal God, but not necessarily so)

Something like what you do in Eid AL Adha.after performing the ritual sacrifice , you distribute the meat among your relations, friends & the needy after dedicating it to the almighty & sit down for a lavish dastarkhwan.The meal is sanctified.

 

[waz]

Bhog is what you have , after offering food to your Ishtadev / Kuldev during / after a pooja , aarti or yagya ( it pertains to the idea of a personal God, but not necessarily so)

Something like what you do in Eid AL Adha.after performing the ritual sacrifice , you distribute the meat - sit down for a lavish dastarkhwan.The meal is sanctified.

Oh right , nice I understand now.

 

[Bitter Melon]

That's right. Swami Nityananda teaches Shiva yoga.

I had made an enquiry about his school for my daughter. He is charging Rs. 5 Lakh for a 21 day course for both children and adults. So it is definitely not for everybody.

SadGuru jaggi Vasudev teaches Laya yoga and Iyengar yoga is Hatha yoga.

Shankaracharya teaches Mantra Yoga among others.

I was interested in joining the ashram until I heard the fees last month. They accept volunteers too I think.

That's right. Swami Nityananda teaches Shiva yoga.

I had made an enquiry about his school for my daughter. He is charging Rs. 5 Lakh for a 21 day course for both children and adults. So it is definitely not for everybody.

SadGuru jaggi Vasudev teaches Laya yoga and Iyengar yoga is Hatha yoga.

Shankaracharya teaches Mantra Yoga among others.

I have seen people claiming experiences of flying and behaving as if they have lost control of their bodies. It is explained away as awakening of the kundalini energy which the physical body is unable to contain in both Nityananda's ashram and Sadhguru's ashram as well as in Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram.

Then I have watched videos of South Korean Protestant Christians who display a somewhat similar but more disruptive behavior. Are these two phenomenons same and coming from the same energy source?

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Only yoga I do is the yoga that is done behind closed doors

It's called