This article was co-authored by Ken Breniman, LCSW, C-IAYT. Ken Breniman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Yoga Therapist and Thanatologist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ken has over 15 years experience of providing clinical support and community workshops utilizing a dynamic combination of traditional psychotherapy and yoga therapy. He specializes in eclectic non-denominational yoga guidance, grief therapy, complex trauma recovery and mindful mortal skills development. He has a MSW from Washington University in St. Louis and an MA Certification in Thanatology from Marian University of Fond du Lac. He became certified with the International Association of Yoga Therapists after completing his 500 training hours at Yoga Tree in San Francisco and Ananda Seva Mission in Santa Rosa, CA.
There are 18 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines that originated in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Major branches of yoga in Hindu philosophy include Raja Yoga (Patanjali, meditation and positive thinking), Karma Yoga (do good), Jnana Yoga (think about yourself), Bhakti Yoga (pray to God, the Guru or to your inner self), and Hatha Yoga (body exercises and meditation).[1]
The Sanskrit word "yoga" has many meanings, and is derived from the Sanskrit root "yuj", meaning "to control" (self discipline), "to yoke" (egolessness) or "to unite" (live in a cosmic consciousness). Someone who practices yoga or follows the yoga philosophy to a high level of attainment is called a yogi or yogini. Yogini is the feminine form. In the following steps, you will learn how to start your journey to becoming a yogi or yogini.
Steps
Practice yoga for health, inner peace, or enlightenment. You are a yogi or a yogini if you practice yoga for health, beauty, strength, relaxation, or healing. You are a yogi or yogini if you practice yoga for inner peace, happiness and enlightenment. You are a yogi or yogini if you are enlightened. Enlightenment means to live in God, in the light, in a cosmic consciousness. [2][3]
Be a theist or an atheist. In modern yoga, your religion can be your preference. Yoga teaches the unity of all religions. You can be a Yogi and a Hindu, a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist or an Atheist. An Atheist can be a yogi, if he or she wants to realize inner peace and happiness.
Practice yoga, meditation, and positive thinking. The three great books of yoga are the Yoga-Sutra from Patanjali,[6] the Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika from Goraksha,[7] and the Bhagawad Gita from Krishna.[8] Therefore the basic yoga techniques are positive thinking (Patanjali), meditation (Patanjali), body work (Goraksha), praying (Krishna), and loving all beings (Krishna).
Get an initiation. It is a good idea to get an initiation[16] from an enlightened master. He or she will open the doors of your enlightenment energy (kundalini-energy).[17] However, realize that you have to practice and realize your enlightenment on your own. And have patience – enlightenment will appear when the time is right for you.- For instance, center your focus on something while you practice. Maybe this is a particular spot in the room or a single word to help motivate you. This single intention or focus can help align your energy.
Purify yourself and become happy. Spiritually, human beings can be compared to onions. Tension and conflict must be dissolved layer by layer. When one layer is peeled away, the next quickly appears at the surface until the inner core is revealed. At this point, a lasting inner joy is found, and the yogi or yogini lives in the light (in spite of the reality that there is still much to be done).Advertisement
Community Q&A
- QuestionHow do I attain enlightenment?
Nils HornCommunity AnswerThere are many ways to attain enlightenment. There is the way of meditation, the way of love, the way of thinking about the sense of life, the way of singing and the way of praying. Swami Sivananda says: "Live in the silent, do consistently your exercises and love all." Find the exercises that bring you personally into peace, happiness and enlightenment. Find an enlightened master and get his blessing. Have self discipline, develop self discipline, and never give up on your goal. Then you will be victorious. - QuestionIs there a certain type of yoga I should practice, depending on my religion?
Community AnswerYoga can be performed irrespective of your religion. Just choose the yoga style which you feel comfortable with. - QuestionI want to find a yoga master to initiate me into Kriya yoga. I am 80 years old and wanted this all my life. I have COPD and had lung cancer. Is it too late?Community AnswerIt is never too late. Yoga has a lot of health benefits, and having a good teacher can have a lot of benefits. Try to find a good teacher who is sympathetic toward your situation.
Video
Tips
- There was once a woman who had two children. Her husband went to work during the day, and she cleaned the house, cooked the food and cared for the children. She had a good life. But it did not fulfill her. She lacked a deeper meaning to her life. Ultimately, she lacked deep happiness in her life. To do something for herself, she took part in a yoga class. She read a yoga book and learned that by yoga we can awaken our inner happiness. By practicing a lot of yoga, we can come into a life of light and lasting happiness. The woman decided to live as a yogini. From then on, she took all the freedom in her housewife life to do spiritual exercises. While cleaning, she thought mantras. When shopping, she did a walking meditation. Playing with her children she practiced karma yoga. Before falling asleep, she meditated. Thus she sparked further tensions during sleep. It's called Sleep Yoga. Every morning, she prayed to her enlightened Master. She made an hour yoga every day. She blocked her talkativeness and kept her spiritual energy. This is Mauni Yoga. She practised every day consistently on her spiritual path. After twelve years she was enlightened.Thanks
Warnings
- Always stay in truth, love, peace, strength and happiness. Don't overtax or under tax your spiritual path. Practice as you feel comfortable.Thanks
- Proponents of yoga may claim it to be compatible with many belief systems and worldviews, but that isn't necessarily so. Be sure you investigate and understand whether or not becoming a yogi accords with what you already believe.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_consciousness
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightenment_(spiritual)
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Fathers
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_the_Great
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_Sutra
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatha_Yoga_Pradipika
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagawad_Gita
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravi_Shankar_(spiritual_leader)
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaggi_Vasudev
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Sivananda
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anandamayi_Ma
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sathya_Sai_Baba
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amritanandamayi
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Meera
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initiation
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kundalini_energy
- http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Yoga
About this article
To become a yogi, you’ll need to master the practice of yoga. This includes not only the physical practice of poses or asanas, but also the spiritual and intellectual aspects of yoga. These include meditation, studying spiritual texts, and praying. Yoga means different things to different people, so your path may vary depending on your religious or spiritual beliefs. Whatever your beliefs, focus on the 5 basic principles at the core of yoga: truth, peace, love, self-discipline, and happiness. Scroll down for more advice, like how to get an initiation from an enlightened yoga master.
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