When we are born, we have to trust this world, represented by our mother and father, our relatives, the society in which we grow, and the country where we live. Growing up, we become strong and independent, renouncing everything that, in our opinion, restricts our freedom and everyone whose opinion is in contrary to ours. Choosing the path of confidence, we choose the path of bhakti yoga.

If we join our will expression, our knowledge and our action — ichha, dzhnana and kriya, — by triple approach we will overcome ignorance!

By ignorance, yoga means our incorrect impression of ourselves. Each of us has a Higher Self, which is free, almighty and all-knowing. However, we become accustomed to believing that we are the body, the thoughts, and the emotions, by which we communicate with the world. Our manifestations are restricted and we lose the feeling of freedom and power. This ignorance can be overcome by Bhakti yoga.

How to upgrade your personal yoga practice? The answer to this question was given by the sage Patanjali in the 2nd century BCE in his treatise “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali”. He picked out eight main limbs that a person should go through to achieve the state of yoga – the restraint of fluctuations of consciousness. All these limbs intersect and complement each other.

The first two limbs — Yama and Niyama — make the basis of yoga. They include the main principles of our interactions with the inner and outer Universe. We should follow them to hit the aim of spiritual perfection. When we practice yoga, we should implement in our lives the statements of Yama and Niyama to remove obstacles from the way and to make the practice more effective. Let us consider how Yama and Niyama work in practice.

The first limb — Yama — includes five recommendations about interactions with the outer Universe.

1. Ahimsa nonviolence, non-harming other living beings. We should do our best to cause no harm to any living being unless it is absolutely necessary. If it is impossible, we should follow our duty. With regard to yoga practice, this principle encourages us to be kind not only to all living beings but also to our own bodies. We should learn to understand them, to switch our attention to the inner feelings and bear no discomfort. We should not push ourselves into any pose if our body is against it. If we ignore inner discomfort regularly and try to bend ourselves by force, we can cause harm to our body and overheat our inner structures.

2. Satya — truthfulness, sincerity. We should be honest with ourselves. When it is difficult to perform a pose, we should not force ourselves. Yoga is a rather long process, which is formed from regular exercises. We should admit honestly that, if it is impossible to practice at such a pace for years, we should reduce the exercise and make it acceptable.

Every day we have a lot of different thoughts. By day we think about the essential things, like earning  money, our next meal, buying a gift to a friend. By night we are addicted to the Internet, TV and sorting the household matters. In addition, we always need to maintain relationships in society: to communicate with colleagues, pay attention to relatives, resolve conflicts and misunderstandings with loved ones. It takes a tremendous amount of our time and effort. We do not maintain resources  to understand ourselves and to put our lives in order. How can we  listen to ourselves when our attention is constantly focused on the things around us? Retreat would solve this problem.

Retreat concept

Retreat means a quiet or secluded place in which one can rest and relax. In yoga, this term is used to refer to spiritual practice with complete immersion. A retreat can be either solitary or with a group of like-minded people. Practitioners get together in uninhabited places, outdoors or indoors, and immerse themselves in a practice.

The time frame for such practices is very extensive. There are 4-hour or 6-hour retreats. Also, there are retreats for several days or even months, which makes it possible to experience a different mode of life. If we decide to visit the declared retreat, then the organizers would set its date, length and location. If we go to a solitary  retreat, then we decide on these parameters for ourselves.

Yoga teaching is not just the knowledge of doing physical exercises, but also the whole layer of moral and ethical rules and laws of the Universe. When we attend hatha or kriya yoga classes we might want  to learn how yoga works, and some of us may want to pass this teaching on to others. The learning process is the implementation of the acquired knowledge and its application in practice. Learning requires not only the efforts of  a teacher, but also of a student .

People start practicing yoga for different reasons. Some want to improve their health or adjust their weight and body shape. Any reason that led us to yoga is fair enough. It is a good sign that we are ready for a change. In the meantime our life goals and objectives adjust as well.  The key is our own wish to use yoga knowledge for bringing the positive changes to our lives.

What is the best way to commit to learning if we’re serious about getting spiritual? We should let the First Principle of yoga sink in.  This is the principle of Kindness or Ahimsa, the principle of no harm. The teaching of ancient knowledge begins with this principle. Without kindness there is no yoga.

Открытый Йога Журнал

“The Veda of hymns” Hymn of Munificence (book 10)

People have always been attracted by road and journey. Going on a road opens so many things up. “Following the paths” – is the ancient practice of self-exploration, which was a part of tradition all over the world over many generations. Travelling pilgrims, wanderers, wayfarers, travellers and hikers – we can read about them in all ancient scriptures, including the Vedas. The purpose of these journeys could be various: to make the body stronger or to purify the mind, to overcome oneself, to widen personal borders, to get to know other countries and people, visiting sacred sites; or just travelling without any particular purpose, for the sake of the road and walking along it. The practice “Following the paths” fits into the concept of austerity, as it involves some difficulties on the way.

Why is this practice so effective and what is the use of it? Is it possible to pilgrim in the modern world or is it something old-fashioned? Let’s try to figure it out.

It all starts with the first step

As we know, there are as many types of yoga as there are manifestations of a human being. In other words, we can unleash our potential in the most effective and harmonious way. We are able to move through space — walking, sometimes over long distances. Therefore, we can talk about such kind of yoga as yoga of walking. It is hard to find the right term for this practice, so in yoga the name “Following the paths” is used.