Karma is the pattern of one’s individuality and the knowledge that one experiences in life. As well as this it is the action performed by the senses, intellect and thoughts in order to enjoy the material world. So karma translates as action, something that everybody performs. Our senses, brain, mind, and bodily functions all perform actions. Our environment is in a state of action. Our complete lives are a process of action. When the word Karma is combined with the word Yoga it means any action that is performed with meditative awareness. It is therefore known as the yoga of dynamic meditation, harmony in action.

Normally, when we are performing an action we associate some kind of expectation with it. This expectation, when fulfilled, gives rise to another expectation, action and so on. Almost every single action that we perform we are doing to fulfil an expectation. Even when we practice yoga we are expecting something good and nice to happen to us. Most people can not even get their heads around doing an action without any expectation. It is said in yoga that if one can perform an action without expectation and with perfection, that person is a yogi.

Karma yoga is about the awareness of the action. We should be aware of each and every action and related expectation. There should be awareness that the goal may or may not be attained and there should be detachment from the expectation. If the goal is attained, think very nice, if the goal is not attained, again, very nice. Instead of trying to ignore the expectation we instead need to recognize that the expectation is there and then detach from the involvement surrounding that expectation. We have to detach from the influence and attraction of that expectation. By doing this the creativity will manifest and this can be offered as a service to humanity and divinity. To practice action without expectations we have to observe the ego. Swami Niranjanananda says that the elimination of the ego takes place with karma yoga. He says, “One kind of action moves, motivates and inspires the world, another is only for self-indulgence.” Almost everything we do involves the ego and desire. To experience egoless action we have to use our intellect and analyse our experiences and situations, we have to find a point where we are acting without the ego. Both the surface and the subtle reactions need to be observed for this. It is not the actions that are considered important but the frame of mind associated with the action, the attitude. This change in attitude is what creates the change within.

It is said that karma yoga is the fastest way to evolve. It is a very effective way for experiencing the true self. When it is combined with other forms of yoga and the awareness of the actions is evolving, then it causes purification. This state of purification and harmony is very difficult through the other types of yoga and it takes a much longer time to get the same level of purification.

It is said that there are two types of work, what you do for yourself and what you do for others. There should be a balance in life and fifty-fifty is a good figure to aim for, eventually the ideal is that we practice yoga 24 hours a day, using our actions as a means of gaining higher awareness. Every act can be transformed into an act of yoga if it is practiced without selfish intentions, with complete concentration and with awareness. That is true meditation in action.

Kundalini is the buzz word and the latest craze around the world at the moment. All kinds of Kundalini Yoga classes and workshops are popping up all over the place with a variety of different ways to “awaken your hidden potential.” Many, and I think I can say here, most, are for profit.

Kundalini yoga comes from the Tantras. It is said in Tantra that there is mental experience based on objects, through the senses. Experience can be within a framework of object, time and space. However there can also be experience beyond this framework. This type of experience happens when the mind expands beyond its given definitions and borders and it causes energy to be released. It is known by many terms – samadhi, nirvana, self-realisation etc.

It is known in many cultures that there is a potential force within the body and mind, it is called Kundalini. It is a dormant energy, seated at Mooladhara chakra and symbolised as a 3 ½ coiled serpent. When awakened it leads to the expansion of the mind, beyond all that we know. It changes the quality of awareness, experience, intellect and of the mind. It awakens our potential, our hidden qualities and abilities. A little bit hard to comprehend for most people. We know there is a lot more to us than what we see. We know that we only use a very small segment of our brain, less than 10%, only a tiny bit of our potential. Looking at it in this perspective, imagine if we were to use 15%, 30% or even more. Imagine what could be accomplished. So far science has not been able to help us out here.

When we want to follow the path of Kundalini yoga we must follow a strict and gradual process. If not we may cause much harm to ourselves, both physically and mentally. Many people try to rush the process through other means and this can lead to permanent problems. The path is not to be taken lightly, and though, Kundalini awakening may be out of the reach of most, there are many other positive aspects of these practices. This path of yoga uses asanas, pranayama, kriya yoga and meditation with the focus on cleansing and purifying the chakras, which help to evolve our personality.

A chakra is a wheel, circle, or vortex of energy. They are the main energy points of the body and are the switches for distribution to other areas. There are many chakras but six of them are most important. They are Mooladhara, Swadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddhi and Ajna.

Mooladhara is the first chakra, where man goes from animal consciousness and begins the human world. It is the last chakra of the animal evolution, the beginning of human spiritual evolution. It governs the basic emotions of fear, security, courage and survival instincts, as well as the sexual and excretory functions.

Swadishstana is the second chakra and relates to the reproductive organs, joy, happiness, pleasure and sexual desire.

Manipura is the third chakra and relates to power, action, willpower, self-esteem, vitality and ego. It governs the digestive system.

Anahata is the fourth chakra and relates to compassion and indiscriminate love. It governs the heart, lungs, circulation and respiration.

Vishuddhi is the fifth chakra and is the communication centre as well as purification. It governs the throat, vocal chords, thyroid and neck region.

Ajna is the sixth and most important chakra. It is said that Ajna has control over all the functions of a person’s life. It is the command centre of the mind, the opening or access point. It relates to the intellect, intuition, wisdom, psychic abilities and the central nervous system.

Many techniques are used to help awaken and purify these chakras. Only when the chakras are ready will it be possible for the Kundalini to arise. We will not go into detail about yogic techniques used in the chakras and Kundalini yoga as it is a very big topic and the practice of these techniques should be done in a very systematic and balanced way. Though it should be mentioned that what is used most are asanas, mantras and various types of meditation, as well as pranayama and kriya yoga techniques.

Kundalini Yoga is a very much sought after, but much misunderstood practice. The aim is to awaken the kundalini shakti, the dormant energy, but in the process it helps to balance the mind, body and spirit. So even if we are not trying to achieve that final aim we can still reap the many benefits of this practice.

The word mouna, or silence, is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘mun’ which means to measure. It is said that silence is god, power, the living force, the only reality, the soul, peace, strength, goal, aim and purpose of our existence.

The system of mouna is not only to stop talking but to have better control over the expressions of the senses. The purpose of mouna is to measure and observe the input and output of the senses as a way to obtain inner silence. There are different types of silence. Some maintain silence but speak when needed. At this time the speech is controlled. Some don’t speak but use paper to write and also use gestures to communicate. Some don’t write or even have eye contact, they completely avoid communication between others. Through the practice of mouna, in whatever form, we ideally want to achieve mouna of the mind. Prana is the vital energy force which sustains life. It is used with thinking, speaking and acting. In yoga we try to control the prana, reduce the wastage of prana and try to channelize it for more spiritual purposes. It is said that if you waste your prana and use if unnecessarily you will finish your life more quickly. Therefore the prana needs to be preserved. By gaining control over the speech we can control the output of prana and achieve balance and inner silence.

Speaking is one of the major expressions of the human personality and it is part of human nature. If we cut off this sensory experience then the mind has to find other ways to express its energy. When you are interacting with people it is difficult to study yourself as you are being extrovert and focusing on them. If you are alone for an hour or more, even half an hour for the very busy person, you can gradually begin to observe and understand the functioning and patterns of the mind, which leads to self analysis and contemplation. You become more introverted and aware of your thoughts, desires, emotions, and so on. It is said that through the practice of silence on can develop the attitude of a seer, or one who observes everything.

Through silence we can get more physical and mental work done. The brain and nerves are soothed and meditation becomes easier. Silence develops will power, strengthens resolves, gives peace of mind, makes it easier to speak the truth and gives control over the speech. It helps to control anger, irritability and the emotions. It is also useful for physical and mental healing. It brings serenity, calmness and leads to inner spiritual strength.

It is recommended that we should spend one week a year in complete solitude, staying in one place, not interacting with anybody and living a simple life. Many people who live in monasteries lead this kind of life, though the common person can also try and practice this yearly.

But practicing silence doesn’t mean we should do it only once a year. It should be part of our daily life – silence, and restrain on the speech. You will notice that even just with restraining the speech there are many benefits. Silence is best practiced at certain times of the day, an hour or more is ideal. If practiced at a certain time it will prevent others, such as family members and friends, interacting with you at those times. It will give regularity and increase your willpower and inner strength. When maintaining silence it is best to either do your work or ideally, asana, pranayam, meditation, mantras, reading of spiritual books etc. The best times to practice mouna are in the early hours of the morning and at night time, and these are also the best times for yogic practices.

To start there will be difficulty, don’t be hard on yourself, don’t keep thinking to yourself, “I won’t talk,” as it will cause inner distress. Many things will come up to try and break the silence, but slowly the desire will go and your energies will become focused. Slowly increase the time spent in mouna. If you force yourself not to speak, especially for a long time, it can lead to outbursts in other ways, which wastes more energy than when you were talking. It will lead to restlessness and distress. Mouna should come naturally and never be forced.

In daily life bring discipline to your speech. Avoid long talks and unnecessary talk. If you talk a lot and then practice silence thinking that you will balance it the benefits will not be there. There should be continual discipline of the speech, every word and the use of your words should be observed carefully. It must become part of the daily life.

Jnana Yoga, the yoga of knowledge. It is intuitive, enlightening knowledge which is gained from enquiry and insight. It is a process of slowly discovering the nature of our personality with intellectual guidance. There have been many famous Jnana yogis who have defied logic. They gained knowledge through intuition and by seeing something that was not defined by the existing, accepted knowledge of the time.

For those who want to devote their lives to Jnana yoga they need to have a strong desire for knowledge and answers. They need to question everything and be completely absorbed and involved with finding the answers. For many they naturally have a personality like this and are best suited to this path of yoga. Preconceived ideas must be thrown away, anything that you don’t know to be true from past experience. Clean the mind, get rid of the conditionings of the mind and start afresh. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t believe anything, some things, if experienced by thousands of people should be accepted. If someone tells you that the cobra is deadly and that you shouldn’t touch it, accept it, it makes life easier. But if someone says to you that you have a soul, question it. With most topics you will have to accept as there is no point in testing everything, but when it comes to the subject of reality, here you should clean your mind and question everything. It is easy to believe in something, it is hard to believe in nothing. Personal experience is necessary to be able to change, evolve and understand.

After rejecting we must enquire. Who am I is the most famous question. Remove any definitions you may have on your existence. A Jnana yogi must become obsessed with realising his true nature. Reflection will lead to flashes of intuition which will lead to answers. Reject what others have said, continually enquire.

It is a difficult path, and not for all. But it doesn’t mean that we can’t all practice some Jnana yoga in our lives. There is a simple technique, suitable for all, a technique of enquiry and reflection. When you are preparing to go to sleep think of one thing, what you did that day. Start from the beginning of the day, when you woke up. Take a step back and observe yourself, relive every moment of that day, like it is a film. What were your thoughts, actions, feelings, interactions with others, various interactions that occurred throughout the day, behaviour, attitude etc. How did you react to the different situations that you were faced in? Don’t judge or become upset by the way you were, just accept and move to the next situation. After this make a resolve to be more balanced the next day, to react in a more pleasant, controlled and balanced way. Practice this every night before sleeping and you will find that your interactions with people and the environment will become more and more balanced, as well as giving you a greater and deeper understanding of yourself. It will make you more accepting as well as helping you to deal with difficult situations with an open, accepting and positive mind.

Swara yoga is an ancient, closely guarded and esoteric science with its origins in the Tantras. There is not much information on Swara yoga and the main text is known as Shivaswarodaya which is the dialogue between Shiva and Parvati. Previously it was taught only from Guru to disciple.

Swara means continuous sound. It is the science of breath, prana, its rhythms, movements and patterns. It talks of the relationship between prana and cosmic prana and is known to give psychic abilities in a short amount of time. Pranayama, the control of prana, is one aspect of swara yoga. It explains how the movement of prana can be manipulated by the breath. Swara yoga can be used not just in basic life for daily requirements, but, as with all yoga, its aim are for union and it will help you to realize your true inner self.

The swara is known as the essence of the breath. It is something we are born with and die with. We all have breath and we all have the subtle prana. This is the essence of the breath and the basis of swara yoga. Normal breathing is a mechanical function performed by the physical body but in swara yoga this process is controlled and manipulated. Breathing is not just a physical action but with each breath there is a significant coded message.

The thoughts and prana travel through the breath. Emotions affect the breath. All are interlinked. For example when we make some food with love or with anger the breath mixes with the food we are cooking and this makes the food positive or negative. A simple dish, when cooked with love or if special mantras are used when cooking can make a meal amazing. Whereas another meal which may normally taste great, when cooked in an angry mood, even though all the ingredients and techniques are the same, may turn out horrible. That’s why in many ashrams only those who have positive thoughts are allowed in the kitchen.

The power of thoughts travelling through the subtle breath can also be seen in the experiments by Dr Emoto. Here water crystals were studied after treated in certain ways. For example when water was held and the person was thinking I love you or I hate you. This produced different effects to the crystals. The I love you crystals were more pure whilst the I hate you crystals were not properly formed, though the same water was used. Look also at the connections between a mother and baby or long married couples. They understand what the other needs without any words.

The breath flows in eleven main ways but the focus is generally on the left or right nostril. If you observe the breath at first it will seem that the air is flowing out of both nostrils simultaneously, but after some time you will begin to notice that one nostril dominates the flow of breath and also that this nostril changes. It may be left dominant, right dominant or both nostrils. The flow of breath through one nostril has a different physiological and psychological effect to the flow of breath through the other nostril. Every 1 ½ hours approximately the flow will change from one to the other, though it changes from person to person and the environment that they are in. Both nostrils are used during the in between period. This change in the swara keeps the balance of the body and mind. If this swara becomes irregular then it is a clear indication that something in the body is not functioning correctly.

Each nostril has different effects on the body and mind.

Bhakti yoga is a non-physical practice and therefore more difficult to define than the physical practices of hatha, kundalini or kriya yoga. However it deals more deeply with the awakening of the human personality. It is one of the higher sadhanas for those who want to evolve spiritually. Bhakti yoga is the channelling of positive feelings to experience harmony inside. It is the recognition of all feelings generated in life, what we class as both good and bad, and the harmony and balance of these. It is where we direct our emotions inward and find a state of balance between the attractions and repulsions of life.

It is the balancing of manifesting emotions. By following bhakti yoga we go deeper into our being, observe the emotions, and, once we find the balance, experience peace and tranquillity which brings us closer to our own inner strength. Bhakti is the deep, internal feeling of having found the missing link of life, the support or basis of our existence. Bhakti provides that missing aspect, when our lives stop being mechanical, and develops a sense of inner identity and union.

Bhakti is a sadhana, a process, not only a practice. It is something that you practice all the time, is part of everything you do, not just that two hours of yoga practice in the morning. It is meant to improve the quality of your life. It is not the yoga of devotion, though it is often put into that class. This is because the idea of worship and communion with God has overlapped with the concept of Bhakti Yoga. Rituals and rules were something that was added later when organised religions developed because people felt more secure and happy to have them but they are not necessary. In yoga there is no concept of God but only of the concept of Ishwara, which means the unchanging reality, the higher nature.

Bhakti yoga is where we try to change the conditionings of the mind. It is a process of inner transformation and inner purification, changing the complete personality, thinking patterns, lifestyle, intellect, emotions, feelings and social performance. To perfect Bhakti all these aspects have to come together. It’s a process of moving away from a tamasic state of existence to a higher, purer state.

In Sanskrit “Ashta + anga” is Ashtanga. “Ashta” means Eight and “Anga” is limbs so it means Eight Limb path, ashtanga yoga is based on Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali. The asanas, Pranayamas or the dharana which we have studied earlier or the yam and niyam are based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Hence, we will acquaint ourselves with the fundamentals as stated by Patanjali first.

History of Ashtanga Yoga
Yoga has its roots about 5000 years BC as described in Vedic Philosophy and Tantras. Patanjali , great sage composed this path into a Darshan(Philosophy) in his Book Patanjal Yoga Sutra. In which he has formulated Yoga as a Eight Limbs or Eight Fold path. Eight

Limbs of Ashtanga Yoga

1. Yama (Principles or moral code)  Ahimsa – A principle of non-violence Satya – A principle of Truthfulness Asteya – A principle of non stealing Brahmacharya – Continence / Celibacy Aparigah – A principle of non-hoarding or non possessiveness

2. Niyama (Personal Disciplines)  Shoucha – Purity Santosh – Contentment Tapa – Endurance Swadhyaya – Self study Eshwar Pranidhan – Dedication

3. Asana – (Yoga Postures / positions)  A stable and comfortable posture which helps attain mental equilibrium.

4. Pranayama – (Yoga Breathing)  Extension and control of breath.

5. Pratyahara – (Withdrawal of Senses)  A mental preparation to increase the power of mind.

6. Dharana – (Concentration on Object)  Concentration of mind on one object and its field.

7. Dhyan – (Meditation)  With drawing mind from all external objects and Focusing it on one point and meditating on it.

8. Samadhi – (Salvation)  State of Super bliss, joy and merging individual consciousness in to universal consciousness. Union between Jivatman and Paramatman. Union of Shiva and Shakti in Sahasrar Chakra (the top of the head). Realizing the Bramhan (pure consciousness) or Realization of God is the ultimate achievement of Human Birth.