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Ramakrishna Ananda

The Spiritual Path and Its Stages

Where are you on the spiritual path?

How do most yoga devotees begin their Paths? What unfoldments do they share in common with one another — and with seekers on other Paths throughout the world?

Yoga as a Spiritual Path, Transformation, Harmony

The Crisis or Inspiration

A few yoga devotees trace the beginning of their spiritual quest to inspiration. Often these souls meet an inspired yogi and the main goal in life becomes very clear. Haunted by new possibilities which they sense within themselves, they eagerly and faithfully move through the experiences which lead to enlightenment and well being.

Most yogis, however, find their way onto the spiritual path because of a personal crisis. A painful, disappointing, or grief-causing shock forces a reevaluation and a redirection of life. These devotees realize they have been relying on the wrong people or unfulfilling goals. Such seekers find they have no choice but to turn the thrust of their lives and their hopes in another direction.

The Restlessness — The Call

Whether inspired or recoiling from a personal crisis, the devotee becomes restless for God — restless to know the truth, to find meaning. Night and day mind and heart reach toward the unknown and into the deepest recesses of the soul.

The Path Is Chosen

Out of the yearning and restlessness, the seeker searches the world for a way to proceed, a way to satisfy the heart’s deepest hope. A way of spiritual practice and development is found. Sometimes it seems that the Path chooses the devotee because of its availability and wonderful satisfaction.

At the point when the Path is chosen, effort and dedication truly begin. The propelled devotee realizes which form of yoga is most appropriate and helpful. He dedicates himself to it — usually practicing an hour a day. He, or she, chooses that combination of yoga techniques and meditations which most rapidly enable contact with the Lord of one’s true self.

Those who are dominantly emotional choose bhakti yoga; those who are dominantly intellectual choose jnana yoga; those who seek to attune their will with the higher self, with their Creator, choose raja and karma yoga, for example.

Intrinsic Values

At first the devotees practice the different yogas in order to gain specific benefits they hope for. Then, as they develop in yoga, they begin to give more and more of themselves toward their ideals. They begin to do yoga not just because of what it will give them, but out of love. They begin to practice, whatever their Path, self-giving. This self-giving is transformational. No longer living with selfish motive or self-obsession, they are ready to dedicate themselves to their values. Most commonly, they begin to live lives dedicated to Truth and/or Beauty and/or Goodness.

Equilibrium

The devotee who gives himself or herself to Truth, Beauty, or Goodness finds great peace and wholeness. Body, mind, and spirit enter a deep, abiding state of harmony and well being. This state of equilibrium not only enables a sense of integrity and freedom but also opens the floodgates for a spiritual experience.

Bhavas and Samadhis

The dominantly emotional seekers enter into deep spiritual moods and become conscious of the presence and the glory of their divine Beloved, the Lord of their hearts and minds. They rejoice in an unfolding series of relationships with God. Awe unfolds into loving service. Loving service unfolds into deep friendship. Friendship moves forward into greater intimacy. The devotee one day recognizes himself or herself to be a son or daughter of the Lord, who is the spiritual source of everything. These moods of love — bhavas — go on and on and are infinitely satisfying and intriguing.

The devotees who have dominantly intellectual and will-centered natures experience amazing and transforming samadhis, spiritually exalted states in which they realize their true nature and behold the presence and spirit of God. As distinct from the devotional devotees in bhavas, these seekers are mainly inclined to live in ecstasy and wisdom rather than a mood of love and spiritual relatedness to God. These seekers experience the expansion of their soul, discover profound union with spirit, and realize freedom from all their past habits and tendencies.

Sahaj

As a result of many bhavas and samadhis, devotees who persist and grow into a moment-by-moment, continuous superconscious state live as enlightened beings. Rather than visit the higher consciousness regularly, they come home and live their lives while abiding in higher consciousness. This state is called sahaj yoga, sahaj samadhi, or simply sahaj.

Higher States

There is no limit! All devotees who live in higher consciousness move forward into never-ending, ever-new, wondrously satisfying spiritual lives. Almost all of them engage themselves in loving service of God and humanity. A once-forlorn seeker returns to mankind and shares what he has been given.

We have considered a number of ways that the yoga aspirant takes the help of meditation and other techniques to come home to his true nature and reside in higher consciousness. In meditation you learn, through practice, to overcome the tendency to be self-deluded, or to live a self-destructive life. Freeing your body of tension and your mind and emotions of turbulence, you discover your true self and dwell in it. You make contact with the Lord of your heart and enter an ecstatic, eternal relationship. You find more from life than you ever dared dream. These are the possibilities of your life through yoga.

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#2 THE MYSTIC GAZE
A Classic Technique

This classic technique is one of the mystic’s greatest treasures.

It is designed to stimulate your mystical faculties and begin the process of spiritual awakening.

With the Mystic Gaze enjoy the developing sense of clarity, coordination and attunement with life in all you do.

  1. Sit calmly and relax your eyes
  2. Gaze slightly upwards 20-30 degrees
  3. Look into space 20 feet or more
  4. Gaze, don’t stare or strain your eyes
  5. Simply observe and appreciate your awareness of space
  6. Enjoy the dawning wholeness for several minutes
  7. Gear down and go about your day

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#7 EXPANSION THROUGH ATTITUDE AND GOOD WILL
Change Your Heart

Your practice of good will cultivates the heart’s truest, deepest feeling:  love.

These good will practices are a boon to mystical study.

The goal of good will practice is the change of the heart.

When your heart naturally and spontaneously radiates forth a palpable good will, then you are a changed person.

  1. Consciously direct your thoughts and feelings toward an attitude of good will
  2. Bring a person to mind
  3. Or place your awareness on a person closest to you
  4. Direct good will toward this person
  5. Feel free to add specific well-wishes like health, love, courage, etc.
  6. Allow your heart to expand, to change

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#6 EXPANSION LEVEL ONE
Quality of Life

Mystics break out of body bondage through numerous expansions of the heart — of the sense of self.

Your feeling of self-awareness imprisons or frees you.

Happily, you can do something powerfully liberating about the state of your heart and the quality of your life.

  1. Sit comfortably for 15 minutes
  2. Choose a person you know
  3. Imagine you’re walking in his/her shoes
  4. Feel you’re inside this person
  5. Say “If I were (name), I’d feel and think…”
  6. Have fun with it and let your heart expand

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#5 THE HEART AND ITS LIBERATION
Your Sense of Self

Mystics break out of mind and body bondage through expansions, expansions of consciousness.

Your “Heart” is your sense of self, your feeling about who you are.

Who are you as a distinct person from everyone else? This is your core individuality, your mystical heart.

  1. Focus on your mystic heart
  2. It is located in the right-central chest or inside the spine behind the heart
  3. Practice The Radiance or The Mist:
  4. Feel that your mystic heart…
  5. Radiates love, light and energy, or
  6. Generates a white mist flowing outward

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#4 THE MYSTIC BREATH
Your Window

Your breath is the key to the mystery of your life. The Mystic Breath is conscious use of this key.

Our individual natures will require different windows — different energy centers — from which to view the life force.

Allow the mystic breath to reveal your personal window.

  1. Stretch and then sit comfortably
  2. Take 5 to 7 deep breaths
  3. Focus on the center of your upper lip
  4. Witness the breath come and go
  5. Let your mind move to a natural center
  6. Watch your breath and the life force from this “window”

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#3 THE ASCENT
The Essence of Your Life

We begin meditation on the Infinite by focusing our awareness on Spirit, the life essence within us.

How can we do something so seemingly abstract? It’s easy. Spirit empowers your breath night and day.

Let the life force reveal itself to you. Sense the higher power which flows through you.

You’ll feel more alive.

  1. Stretch and relax your body
  2. Sit comfortably
  3. Take 5 to 7 deep breaths
  4. Focus on your nostril rims
  5. Witness the breath come and go
  6. Enjoy for 10 to 12 minutes
  7. Inhale deeply and stretch

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#0 THE MYSTIC SELF
Our True Nature

In the view of mystics, the major problem in life for most of us is ignorance of our true natures.

The Mysteries reveal many ways that you can actually contact your mystic self — and the Infinite Consciousness.

Do you, can you, contact your Mystic Self? Yes, indeed!

  1. Practice this anytime you like
  2. Probably your mind wanders quite often
  3. At times during the day, look at your mind and notice when it’s wandering
  4. Then, turn your attention to that part of your consciousness which observes that your mind is wandering
  5. That special overseeing awareness is part of your marvelous mystic self

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#1 MYSTIC AWAKENING
Benefits

Stimulate your mystical awakening.

When you wake up from a dream you realize you were only dreaming.

Consider too that this normal state of awareness in which you live may be a kind of sleep also.

As you do this technique you’ll find the world becomes more beautiful and enjoyable.

  1. Try this many times a day
  2. Whisper to yourself, “Wake up!”
  3. Mentally say, “Wake up!”
  4. Increase your attention, appreciation and feeling of love
  5. Just cheerfully exhort yourself
  6. Wake up!

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How to Succeed

As you may know, we do not charge for our courses. All Yoga World content is free and available to you with our blessings. However, we do have a simple, but important request that’s key to the transformations necessary to succeed on the path.

We ask you to commit two hours a week to selfless service. This service can be anything you choose ranging from helping a family member or neighbor to volunteering at a nonprofit organization.

I Commit to Serve

This commitment is solely between you and your inner self.

Why the Commitment?

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