Yoga has become hugely popular for many very good reasons. It not only helps with physical and mental health, and help us reach a sense of calmness and wellbeing – it can even help us become “Spiritually Enlighted”.
The very essence, and indeed the very definition of Yoga, ‘to unite’, is what makes it so effective in unifying the different parts of ourselves and helping us find bodily ease and peace of mind. This is exactly what Forgiveness does too, its also helps unite the different parts of us, so we find bodily ease and peace of mind. To learn how to forgive, download The Four Steps to Forgiveness.
There are many reasons why a person may want to learn a form of yoga. It is often seen as a way of relaxing and of reducing stress, it is a mind and body practice that can build strength and flexibility. It may also help to manage pain. There are different styles of yoga and these different styles of yoga combine different combinations of; physical postures, breathing techniques, meditation, mudras (hand gestures) and so on.
Many people in the modern world use yoga to help them look better and look younger, which is a bit ironic considering that yoga originally emerged as a way to help us go beyond identifying with the body. The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, meaning or ‘to unite’ or ‘to join’. This can be understood a joining or uniting the different parts of ourselves, such as to bring harmony between mind and body; and/or to join with the God or The Divine.
The Yoga Paths
When yoga is used as a platform for physical, mental, and emotional wellness (without any spiritual references and implications being included) then it is not seen as religious and, therefore, it is potentially accessible to all to who can benefit from it. Even those who are staunchly committed to a religion outside of Hinduism and Buddhism (the two religions most often associated with Yoga) can find Yoga as an acceptable and highly beneficial part of life. This is one of the things which has helped yoga become so popular; yet also one of the things which cause Indian Yogis some concern – as they see it as a weakening of the true purpose of yoga which they see as “spiritual”. Other yoga advocates, see yoga as being specific to the Hindu religion, and tend to promote it as a part of specifically Hindu values and beliefs. This can help strengthen the unity of one section of society at the cost of excluding others who don’t share in those specific values and beliefs. There are those who advocate yoga practices as part of military training, which seems an peculiar use for something which was intended to help people feel more at peace.
Yoga as a Spiritual Path
There are said to be four or five main paths of yoga, particularly when it is approached as a spiritual path; Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion; Jnana Yoga, the path of knowledge; Karma yoga, the path of selfless service; and Raja yoga, the royal path of meditation. Hatha Yoga, is sometimes considered part of the other paths, and is sometimes considered a path in its own right (thereby making five paths). These paths are not mutually exclusive.
Hatha Yoga
The Buddha has commented that in his experience self immolation was not an aid to enlightenment, so no worries there.
“Hatha” is Sanskrit for “force”, as it was developed with the intention to force the energy flow in the body to help with spiritual awakening, as it was believed that this would assist enlightenment. What is known to most modern people as “yoga”, asanas and so on, is part, and only a part of Hatha Yoga, Hatha yoga is sometimes used as a part of other yoga paths. For example: Hatha yoga is the first part of Raja Yoga. Hatha yoga in its extremes, and when practised by ascetics included various forms of self immolation. However, it is doubtful that self immolation will be included as part of the activities at your local Yoga Club. By the way, the Buddha has commented that in his experience self immolation was not an aid to enlightenment, so no worries there. Though, I suspect that is not the only reason that self immolation has gone out of fashion.
Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion spiritual practice is focused on loving devotion towards a deity. The emphasis is on intense emotional attachment and love of a devotee toward a personal god and of the god for the devotee. The person’s activities are orientated, in personal and emotional ways, towards that deity. This may include specific deeply felt devotional acts of worship and also dedicating one’s daily activities to that deity.
Jnana yoga
Jnana yoga, the path of knowledge Jnana is Sanskrit for “knowledge” or “wisdom” – specifically self-knowledge. Jnana is the intellectual path of scriptures and self-study, considered to be one of the most direct and yet challenging means of spiritual development. Although Jnana yoga involves the progressive study of the scriptures, it also includes the practical, experiential knowledge which stems from meditation training on themes like “Who am I?” and “What am I?”.
Karma Yoga
Karma yoga. karma yoga is the path of unselfish action. It teaches the spiritual seeker act according to their duty, or in accordance with a “right way of living”, without any attachment to the outcome of their endeavours, or to seeking any personal benefits. In this way any work done become God’s work.
Raja Yoga / Ashtanga Yoga
Raja Yoga / Ashtanga Yoga. The focus is on control of the body, the breath, the mind, and desires by using meditation. The intention is to remove the ego and reach the state of enlightenment. Raja Yoga is organised in eight parts, so it is also known as Ashtanga Yoga (Eight Steps of Yoga).
A Key Teaching on Yoga: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
One of the key works often referred to as the basis of the spiritual aspects of yoga is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This work is very highly regarded not only from a historical perspective, but also by modern yoga teachers. Modern esoteric movements such as the theosophical society recommend it. The very popular writer, in the self help movement, Wayne Dyer (now deceased) was very heavily influenced by the teachings in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and was helping to popularize it.
The word “sutra” is an ancient Sanskrit word for “thread” or “discourse”. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is a collection of 196 verses that offer guidance to those seeking spiritual progress or enlightenment through the yogic arts. Yoga, as often practiced today, is commonly associated with postures, breathing techniques, mudras and so on. However, the The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are primarily philosophical in nature and are said to be the foundational principles from which the ancient art of yoga emerged many centuries ago.
Example from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
An example from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali should help to make things clearer. One sutra (ie teaching) has the heading:
The central act of ignorance is false identification.
This sutra simply lays it on the line, in that everything which causes us to go astray on the spiritual path – and which often stresses us – has to do with identifying with things, roles, ideas, etc. which are not in-line with our true self. If we identify too strongly with our job, our age, our gender, our role in our family, or with anything in the material world, we can tend to get lost in that and eventually need to find ourselves again outside of those false identities.
How we answer the question, “Who do you think you are?” is fundamental to how we live this life. Another way of putting it is, “What do you think you are?”. If our answer is “A beloved child of the Divine.”; then we will tend to live very differently than if our answer is, “An office worker.” Or “A shop worker.” Or “A business person.” Another possible answer, is based on being Divinely Ordinary. Then, we could answer something like, “I am a beloved child of the Divine working in an office for a while.”
Forgiveness in the The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali include few sutras which obliquely refer to forgiveness, such as: Sutra 1:33, “Indifference for the non-virtuous,” which is a roundabout way of saying “don’t let non-virtuous people or behaviour bother you.” Yet, this is easier said than done and lack of a highly specific Forgiveness practise is missing from most yoga schools and even most religions. See The Four Steps to Forgiveness for a yoga-compatible approach to Forgiveness.
Yoga and Forgiveness
Even on its own Forgiveness can help calm the mind and help us become peaceful and relaxed, bringing it into our yoga practise makes both even more powerful and effective. Download Free Ebook on How to Forgive.
One of the biggest challenges many of us face in learning yoga (whether we see ourselves as on a spiritual path or simply want to learn yoga for better health, peace of mind and stress reduction) is where Forgiveness fits in. Some report that asanas such as; the Sun Salutations, Warrior II, Chair, Triangle, Mountain are very helpful for forgiveness or dynamic pranayama techniques like Bhastrika and Kapalbhati.
Forgiveness helps us ‘to unite’ the different parts of ourselves, which is the very essence and indeed the very definition of yoga. Anything which helps us unify the different parts of ourselves is a form of yoga and can become a very useful and welcome part of yoga practise. Forgiveness, therefore, is also a form of yoga as it helps us unify and harmonise different aspects of ourselves. Even on its own Forgiveness can help calm the mind and help us become peaceful and relaxed, bringing it into our yoga practise makes both even more powerful and effective. Forgiveness can also help us let go of the pain of the past. Learning how to forgive is particularly helpful and letting go of thoughts and feelings which are disturbing our yoga practise!
From a spiritual perspective Forgiveness is very important it is a practise which helps us let go of the ego and our personal conditioning. It can enable us to let go of resentment, anger, guilt and shame. Forgiveness helps us let go of the past and be fully conscious in the present moment. Click a link to The Four Steps to Forgiveness on this page (no need to enter an email address) and experience for yourself how it can greatly enhance your life. You can download it here,
Written by: William Fergus Martin
Author: Forgiveness is Power
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Four Steps to Forgiveness
A powerful way to freedom, happiness and success.
William Fergus Martin
ISBN: 978-1-63443-344-0