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What is Integral Yoga?

 

"The goal of Integral Yoga, and the birthright of every individual, is to realize the spiritual unity behind all the diversities in the entire creation and to live harmoniously as members of one universal family. This goal is achieved by maintaining our natural condition of a body of optimum health and strength, senses under total control, a mind well-disciplined, clear and calm, an intellect as sharp as a razor, a will as strong and pliable as steel, a heart full of unconditional love and compassion, an ego as pure as a crystal, and a life filled with Supreme Peace and Joy."
- HH Sri Swami Satchidananda

Integral Yoga^® is a synthesis of the various branches of Yoga. It is a scientific system for the harmonious development of every aspect of the individual. In the subsequent pages, Swami Satchidananda addresses each of the following branches in more detail:

Hatha Yoga
Focuses on the physical aspects through asanas (postures), pranayama (breath control), mudras, kriyas, yogic diet, and deep relaxation.

Raja Yoga
Balance and control of the mind through ethical practices, concentration and meditation.

Bhakti Yoga
The path of devotion, by constant love, thought, and service of the Divine. Bhakti Yoga can be practiced by everyone. All that is needed is faith and constant remembrance of God.

Karma Yoga
The path of action and selfless service. Serving without attachment to the fruits (or results) of the action.

Jnana Yoga
The intellectual approach. Through the knowledge of what really exists, that is, what is not changeable, one who engages in the Path of Wisdom realizes Oneness with the entire Universe.

Japa Yoga
Japa means repetition of a mantram - a sound structure of one or more syllables which represents a particular aspect of the Divine Vibration.{mospagebreak title=Hatha Yoga}Hatha Yoga
Caring for the Human Temple
by Sri Swami Satchidananda

The human body is a temple. Keep it strong and supple. Treat it gently. Never ignore the body, because it's the most important instrument. Whatever you do, you need a body. That's why the ancient Yoga teachings always emphasized taking good care of the body.

Babies' bodies are so supple and pretty, so relaxed. Slowly their bodies get tense and rigid, and we say simply that the child is growing. The child need not grow in stiffness. He or she can grow with the same suppleness.

Think of the windows and doors of your house for a moment. If you leave them unused, either open or closed, for a long time, the hinges get rusted; they get stiff. The stiffness is caused by the rust that is formed on the hinges. In the same way, the hinges of the body are also very loose in the beginning. Gradually certain toxins get into the body and make the joints stiff. Where do they come from? Mainly our food.

The food we eat, the liquids we drink, the air we breathe, they all bring toxins into our system. So, the very beginning of Yoga is to take care of the intakes. If you want to be a good yogi, at least physically, you should eat the right clean food, drink clean liquid, breathe clean air. Remember that clean food, clean liquid, and clean air are all very cheap, or even free. You can buy an apple for very little; you have to pay more for an apple pie.

Everything that comes from nature, without any artificial change, should be clean. Yoga asks that you lead a natural life and stay away from all the poisons, all the toxins, so that your body can be more supple and free.

Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi.

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The Benefits of Hatha Yoga {mospagebreak title=Raja Yoga}The Greatness of Raja Yoga
by Sri Swami Satchidananda

The teachings of Raja Yoga are a golden key to unlock all health, happiness, peace, and joy. Everyone, everything, in the creation wants to be happy. If you put a plant in the shade, its leaves will turn toward the sun, because the plant wants to be happy. Place a worm in the sun, it will crawl into the shade for the same reason. Ask a thief, "Why are you robbing the bank?" and he will no doubt reply, "Because if I have more money, I'll be happy.” And if you ask the policeman why he is pursuing the thief, he will tell you, "My duty is to catch the thief, and when I do my duty, I'm happy.” So, everyone is seeking happiness. The problem is that not everyone knows where or how to find it.

Some people want to be happy quickly, so they take short cuts and get temporary happiness. But borrowed joy comes and goes. The happiness that we seem to be getting by our daily efforts is fleeting and mixed with a lot of troubles, worries, and unhappiness. Happiness cannot come without unhappiness before and after. We keep trying to find that happiness and missing it. When we finally tire of searching for happiness outside, we sit quietly and wonder, "What is this? Why am I unhappy? Why do I lose the happiness that I have?" If we're sincere and analyze well, we find, ultimately, that happiness never comes from outside.

You never get happiness by doing something or achieving something. Even God cannot give you happiness. If He gives, He might take away. Anything that comes, will go. Happiness is not to be sought outside. It can never come from outside—or from inside. It can't come, because it simply is. It is always. Where? Everywhere.

You are Happiness personified. You are that Supreme Bliss. You are that Joy. You are the image of happiness. If you want to use the word God, who is God? What are His qualifications? Always being happy. So, as the image of God, how can you be unhappy?

You may wonder, "If that is so, why don't I always experience that happiness?” The reason is that you have forgotten it. That's why you are running after happiness. The basic ignorance is to forget your true nature and to look for happiness in external ways.

To understand your true nature, the mind must be quiet; otherwise it seems to distort the truth. This is easy to understand through an analogy. You are the Seer who wants to see itself. Just like in the case of your physical face, to see your Self, you need a mirror. The mind is the mirror. The Self is reflected on the mirror of the mind. If the mirror gets distorted or disturbed, you see a disturbed image. You identify with the image and feel that you are disturbed. So, even though the true you, the Self, is always the same, you appear to be distorted or mixed up with the mind. The aim of Raja Yoga is to make the mind clean and calm. When that is achieved, you feel that you have gone back, or you appear to have gone back, to your original state. You see a steady image and experience the Peace and Joy that is your true nature.

Raja Yoga is a practical guide for gaining control over the mind. The second sutra states, "Yogas chitta vritti nirodhah," or, "The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is Yoga." Every thought, feeling, perception, or memory you may have causes a modification, or ripple, in the mind. It distorts and colors the mental mirror. If you can restrain the mind from forming into modifications, there will be no distortion, and you will experience your true Self.

It requires great insight, patience, and skill to attain this goal. The mind is the most powerful force in all creation, and you are trying to understand and gain mastery over it. To accomplish this great task, Raja Yoga offers a very broad approach that takes into consideration all aspects of the individual—physical, emotional, mental, intellectual, and spiritual. In so doing, it presents the essence of all the other branches of Yoga (Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana Yoga). In this light, our own Integral Yoga, which is a synthesis of the various branches of Yoga aimed at perfecting all aspects of the individual and gaining mastery over the mind, is Raja Yoga.

The Yoga Sutras date somewhere between 5000 BC and 300 AD. The compiler of the sutras and Father of Yoga, Sri Patanjali Maharishi, presented the ancient teachings of Yoga in a systematic way that could be well utilized by his students. As he spoke, his students took notes, which later came to be called the sutras. Sutra means "thread," and the sutras are just combinations of words threaded together—sometimes not even complete sentences. Through the centuries, many great sages and scholars have added their commentaries to the sutras, and these can be studied today to deepen and enrich our understanding of them.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the first and foremost scripture of Yoga. Within two hundred sutras, it gives the complete science of Yoga, including its aim, the practices, obstacles along the way, how to overcome them, and the results one could achieve. In just a handful of words, it presents the complete philosophy and psychology of Yoga in a very practical and systematic way. It's a recipe book, and to get the benefit, you have to follow the directions, cook well, and eat. Only then will your hunger be satisfied.

May the blessings of Sri Patanjali and all the great sages and saints guide you in your study and practice, so that you may realize the great benefits and share them with one and all.

Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi. {mospagebreak title=Bhakti Yoga}Bhakti Yoga
The Path of Love and Devotion
by Sri Swami Satchidananda

The word "bhakti" means devotion. Devotion cannot be compared with any other approach. It is something super. When you develop devotion you rise above all doubts. You feel the Presence always with you, and you feel that you are totally protected. You can develop that kind of devotion by constant remembrance of the Divine.

A bhakta is a devotee, and his goal is to attach himself completely to God as his most Beloved. Our entire nature is based on such love. We are attached to so many things. From early childhood, we learn to cling to someone or something - parents, sisters or brothers, and later to position, money, or education.

To take advantage of that habit of getting attached to things, we make use of the same technique to achieve God. We learn to love God more than anything else. But since the mind is finite and limited, it is almost impossible to understand the infinite One through it. That is where the nameless, formless, infinite One becomes finite, named, and formed. We bring it down to suit our capacity. We take just a sample, a part, and treat it as the whole. And when we understand God in that part or symbol, we have understood the entire God.

We limit the relationship, we select the relationship, according to our taste and temperament. One person wants to call God father. Another might think of God as mother. Some people relate to their friends a little better; they can think of God as their friend. God can be your master. God can be your child. God is ready to come in any form that will help you to realize the Spirit.

There are hundreds of saints and sages who expounded on different relationships with God, and they all attained to the same goal. So you bring God to a level you can understand, and then have a relationship as you would in the world.

Stick to one type of relationship. Choose a particular form of God that you are devoted to, and then that becomes your ishta devata, the beloved form of God for you. Start giving everything, doing everything, for the sake of your Beloved. When you have a sweetheart, if you get a nice sweet mango, what do you do immediately? You think, "Ah, she will love it. I'll keep it for her." You keep all the best things for your beloved. Do that with God also. Offer everything to Him. That's dedication - offering to God, constantly living in His memory.

Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi.

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Total Surrender {mospagebreak title=Karma Yoga}Karma Yoga
by Sri Swami Satchidananda

There is no greater yoga than Karma Yoga. From morning to evening you are doing some action, so everything can be Karma Yoga. Everything should be yogic, from the minute you start brushing your teeth to the minute you go to bed. For Karma Yoga there is no time limit, every time is the right time. You can do it anywhere: inside the church, outside the church, in the street, at home, on the train, on the plane, wherever you are. You become a constant practitioner. You are a yogi throughout the day, throughout your life.

Subramuniya Bharati, a great and saintly poet who lived in India earlier in this century wrote, "The essence of scriptures is Karma Yoga. That alone can save us. Service, service, service, that is enough for us." Mere service alone is enough for your yogic or spiritual practice. Even if you don't have time to meditate or do asanas, it doesn't matter. If you have an opportunity to do Karma Yoga, do that first. Through Karma Yoga your heart, mind and body will soon be cleaned. It even takes care of your health. When you serve well, you get real hunger; you eat well, you digest well, and you sleep well. There's peace in the mind and ease in the body.

You can practice all the other yogas with ease, but the most difficult one is Karma Yoga, because the ego will pop up at every moment. But the secret is to forget yourself, to place yourself last and put others first. Then Karma Yoga will be easy. You will be the happiest person.

Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi.

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The World Will Take Care of You {mospagebreak title=Jnana Yoga}Jnana Yoga
by Sri Swami Satchidananda

Jnana Yoga is the path of wisdom. It is suitable for people of an intellectual nature. A Jnani Yogi acts with the feeling, "I am not the doer; Nature is doing everything. The body and mind are moving among the objects. I am the silent witness of all that is happening. The work does not bind me, I am free." All of creation is seen as the play of Maya, or illusion. The Jnana Yogi constantly discriminates between the unreal and the Real, the not-Self and the Self. This path requires a sharp and subtle intellect.

Deep in the middle of the ocean of the mind there is no pollution. It is absolutely pure. That part is always contented. It never likes or dislikes. It accepts everything; it is not proud. And this is the real nature of your true Self. Only knowledge of this true nature will free you from the turmoil of this world. It will free you from the petty-mindedness which divides humanity into thousands of names: "I am this; he is that. He is different from me." People kill each other because they group and divide themselves. They fail to see and know that they are above all these differences.

By knowing your true identity you can also know others. We come together in that knowledge. This goal is expounded by all great philosophies and by all teachings in Yoga. Contemplating and analyzing these points is another form of meditation, called Jnana Yoga or the Yoga of Wisdom that comes of self-analysis. It is well-suited to the temperament of analytical people. In this practice you simply sit and analyze everything that has happened and everything that is happening. That way you detach yourself and rise above your limitations. "Who am I? How do I know all these things? I know that I am disturbed. Yet my knowing doesn't seem to get disturbed. If I am disturbed, who is it that knows something is disturbed in me?"

This knowing is called awareness or consciousness. The true person, the true you is constantly the same because there is no change in that knowing. You knew you were a child. Now you know that you are an adult, and you know you are going to be an old man or an old woman. The knowledge of childhood, adulthood, and old age is the same. You are not really isolated or separated You are only temporarily identifying yourself as the body. If I ask you what you are doing, you can say, "I am sitting down," but you are not sitting. Your body is seated. When you say "I fell down," who is this "I"? Certainly not the real I. The differences of the body make your mind feel different, and you identify yourself as the body.

This self-analysis can solve all your problems. You are not your body. You are not your mind because you are the one who is observing them. Whatever it is that is bothering you - anything at all - sit back and ask yourself, "What did I do? What mistakes have I made? Where was I selfish?" When you analyze in this way you will see that your happiness does not come from outside you. Your mind and body continue to go through some changes, but knowing doesn't change. The peaceful nature is never affected. Only when you forget and identify yourself with the body or the mind do the clouds come and block your view of the sun - the true Self. The sun is always shining whether the clouds are there or not. The mind may pass through some of these cloudy periods, but as the Knower, you can enjoy the show. Enjoy the mind and its play. After all, it's the mind. There's nothing wrong with it going through changes. Sometimes it's happy, sometimes unhappy. You know that. No need to worry about that. Just let it go and enjoy the show. It's always a beautiful play to be seen.

So watch your mind. Watch your breath. Become an observer, which is the key to this form of meditation. Don't worry about particular techniques, Just sit back observing the breath, mind, and thoughts. Just see what is happening within you. Become a witness, which is a wonderful form of meditation. Be still and watch what is happening in your mind and in your body. Maybe you have been repeating a mantra or focusing on one object for a time. You may then relax and sit calmly and watch the mind; observe the peaceful vibrations that come. Listen to the silence completely. Observe your own brain. See how peaceful you are. The mind seems to be totally at rest. You might think the mind is almost asleep, yet you are still conscious of the whole thing. The body is resting. The breath has very much slowed. The mind is almost sleeping but you are aware of everything.

Who is aware of them? What is this awareness? Who knows all these things? That is You. You are totally different from your body, from your mind. You are the witness - what you call the Self; the Pure Self - the witness of the body and mind. If you could maintain this witnessing constantly, still knowing you are that witness all the time, you would have reached self-awareness or self-realization. Keep up this' awareness, even in your day-to-day activities. When you are eating, you can still witness: "Here I am taking the food, chewing the food, tasting the food." You will constantly enjoy supreme peace. Through this you become the master or your own body and mind. You'll walk like an undisturbed sage.

Find out who you are. Once you know who you are, you will be the best instrument to bring peace and harmony to all. Ultimately you will find you are not somebody who is going up and down, but that you are a permanent entity, an image of God.

All things are just part of nature, which can do anything and everything. The mind and body are also part of nature. Nature changes, so they too must constantly change. Allow them to play their part. Be a witness - the Eternal Witness.

That doesn't mean you'll be useless to people. You'll see that you will be doing things perfectly because you have become a beautiful instrument and everything will want to come to you, to be used by you and to make use of you. You never take sides. You become the total, neutral person. Neutrality is the center or God, the center of nature. From there, according to the need, you can go this way or that way without losing your center.'

Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi. {mospagebreak title=Japa Yoga}Japa Yoga
by Sri Swami Satchidananda

The goal of all spiritual paths is the same – to realize the Universal Spirit. This Spirit, which is referred to by various names, is all-pervading. Essentially, we are that Spirit. Yet, we do not experience it because of the limitations of our body, mind, and ego.

One way of transcending these limitations is by means of a vehicle called a mantra. A mantra is a sound structure of one or more syllables representing a particular aspect of the Divine. Through concentrated mental repetition of the mantra – called Japa – the vibrations of the mantra are produced within the individual’s entire system. This brings certain healthy effects in the body and calms the senses and mind, making them fit to handle any problems. Moreover, it awakens the dormant capabilities in the individual and brings spiritual awareness too. Japa can even influence an atmosphere or a place.

Many teachers give a mantra to their students as a means of meditation because it is such an easy and effective method of concentration. A mantra is not just a word. It’s a sound vibration, mystic in nature, which more or less aligns the whole system and harmonizes it. The entire universe is nothing but sound vibrations. God’s body is a sound body, a body of vibration, a mantra body. Most every scripture says something similar – that God is sound or the Word.

Sages in deep meditation heard these sounds, or mantras, representing particular aspects of the divine vibration, Om. Through generations of spiritual masters they have handed down these mantras as guides to aspirants. Mantras are sounds which may or may not have meaning. By constantly repeating them you are able to produce certain vibrations within you and through all of your physical, emotional, and intellectual self. Prayers and chanting may be soothing to the mind, and for a time bring you into a peaceful state. But mantras have a special value. They are not words coined by people who created languages. They are different vibrations of the same energy functioning in different ways. The one cosmic sound, represented as Om, has different aspects. These different facets of Om are called mantras.

By constant repetition of the mantra you develop that vibration because all the vibrations are within you. Each individual by himself is another microcosm. What you see in the macrocosm you see in the microcosm; you are a universe by your self. Not only you, but each and every one of your cells is a universe. How many solar systems do you have in you, how many atoms? Countless.

Therefore, when you are given a mantra, and constantly repeat it, you develop that aspect of the vibration that is already in you but hidden. You bring it to the surface, make use of it, and get its benefit. As you repeat it, you get the vibration. It kindles the dormant and subtle vibrations in you. It’s not even physically felt. Sound vibrations are more powerful than any physical instrument.

Mantra means anything that makes the mind steady. Whatever vibration makes the mind one-pointed and creates a sort of receptivity is a mantra. Repeat your mantra feeling its purpose. It should harmonize you, and tune you in to receive similar cosmic vibrations. It more or less aligns your whole system. It’s a master key to open all the locks and eliminate all obstacles to enlightenment.

There are many different kinds of mantras. For some to have effect you must know their meaning, or the aspect of God that is being received. But in Yoga the mantras don’t have any particular personal meaning. They are good for anyone and won’t disturb anyone’s personal faith. They are useful even without knowing their meaning. They have a seed letter in them. Just by repeating it, you get the tuning. With a prayer you have to know its meaning and believe in that before you get the effect. But with certain mantras you get the vibration whether you know the seed letter or not. If you want to get your heart and feelings involved, you must know the meaning of the words. But the purpose of the mantra is to steady the mind – all you have to do is repeat it faithfully.

By repeating your mantra you keep it well charged and spread it through your system until its vibration pervades your body and mind. Your entire personality vibrates on that beautiful wavelength and automatically attracts similar vibrations. You become in tune with those who have similar waves, and ultimately in tune with the cosmic wave.

This is the scientific explanation of Mantra yoga. Until such time as you receive an initiation from a qualified person, there’s nothing wrong with repeating a mantra. There are some general mantras that all can use. Some simple and very efficacious ones are Hari Om or just Om or Om Shanthi. Don’t try long mantras. The smaller the stuff, the greater the power.

Hari Om is a beautiful mantra which can evoke the sound vibration within you. Ha is pronounced as in “hot”; ri as in “repeat.” The ha comes from the solar plexus area. When you say ri, the sound comes up. O vibrates your entire skull. The minute you say mmmm, the vibration goes up further. As the sound goes higher and higher you rise above body and mind.

Understand that this is not connected with any particular religion. You are just working with some sounds. Of course, not everybody will be satisfied with mantras as a focus for concentration. Everyone has a different capacity and different taste. There’s no one thing especially suited to everybody except the process of concentration itself.

Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi {mospagebreak title=About The Yantra}The Meaning of the Yantra
by Sri Swami Satchidananda

Integral Yoga^® is a complete Yoga, and the Integral Yoga yantra is also complete. It is a representation of the entire cosmos.

Sometimes external images are used in meditation or worship to symbolize or express certain divine ideas and qualities. When mantras (sound formulas used in meditation) or divine ideas are meditated upon, certain images are brought out. It is something like liquid crystallizing into solid form. These geometric figures are actually crystallized mantra forms. A yantra is a physical expression of a mantra - a mantra being a Divine aspect in the form of sound vibration - yantra in the form of a geometrical figure.

In simple language, as I said before, our Integral Yoga yantra represents the entire creation. Each part of the yantra corresponds to a different aspect of the cosmos. According to yogic thinking, God or the Cosmic Consciousness, is originally unmanifest - just by Himself or Herself or Itself. As God begins to manifest, the first expression is as the sound vibration. The Bible explains it by saying, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Here "word" means sound.

In Sanskrit they say something similar but take it a step further. "Nada, bindhu, kalaa" - the sound, then the dot, then the art or rays. If God manifests as sound, you can't see anything. What is the smallest expression which you could see? The bindhu or dot. It should be the smallest possible particle. But, of course, if it is that small we can't see it, so in the yantra it is shown as a large dot in the very center. The bindhu represents the first physical expression, the very core of the cosmos. It is that dot which then expresses as kalaa. Kalaa means the different aspects or literally the different rays or different arts.

The next expressions are the three rings of different hues surrounding the bindhu. They represent the three gunas or basic qualities of nature: sattva (balance, rajas (activity) and tamas (inertia). In the yogic thinking, everything in this universe manifests uniquely because it results from a unique combination of these three. All differences in the phenomenal world are due to the variations of these three basic qualities.

Then you see the hexagon around the three rings. This can be very well explained with an example from science. If you take a photograph of a crystal, you will see that its normal shape is six-sided. That's why the yantra has the six triangles around the center. It means that the first speck of matter expresses itself as more complex matter like a crystal.

The six triangles are actually a combination of two larger triangles, one pointed down, the other up. As one triangle passes through the other, we get this six-sided figure. The triangle with apex upward represents the positive, or masculine aspect; the inverted triangle is the negative, or feminine, aspect. In Sanskrit this concept is called Siva-Shakti. It is a combination of the male and female, equally represented. There is no inferiority or superiority for either aspect; they blend perfectly together. Whichever way you turn the yantra, they remain the same. So it makes a complete whole, and this itself represents the entire nirguna (unmanifest) as well as saguna (manifest) aspects of the Supreme.

Once the triangles come together, the hexagon could then represent something else also: the six basic Tattvas or principles - the five senses and the mind as the sixth. The six-sided crystal then manifests outward in further expansions of the primordial energy and matter. Why and how does this happen? Out of love. So all the beautiful lotus petals represent the loving manifestation.

Another way of explaining the petals is that the eight inner petals represent the subtle elements, while the sixteen outer ones indicate their grosser manifestations.

Then you see the three large circles surrounding the lotuses. They indicate how these elements further express as the three worlds: causal, astral and physical. But even that is not the end. The Divine expression is unlimited. That is why the circles are framed by a square with gaps pointing outward, representing the infinity of creation.

Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi

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