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Yoga
The word yoga literally
means "to unite" and the aim of the discipline is to help the practitioner unite
his or her individual consciousness with the divine. This is achieved by raising
awareness of one's self through spiritual, mental and physical discipline. Hatha
yoga is based on physical postures called asanas , and although the most
popular form in the West, it is traditionally just the first step leading to
more subtle stages of meditation which commence when the energies of the body
have been awakened and sensitized by stretching and relaxing. Other forms of
yoga include raja yoga, which includes moral discipline and bhakti
yoga, the yoga of devotion, which entails a commitment to one's guru or teacher.
Jnana yoga (the yoga of knowledge) is centred around the deep
philosophies that underlie Hindu spiritual thinking; the greatest body of Hindu
philosophic treatises are known as the Upanishads (c.1000 BC) which came to be
embodied in the philosophical discipline of Vedanta. Rishikesh and
Varanasi , both in Uttar Pradesh, are the two traditional centres for yoga,
but numerous institutions throughout the country have good teachers and advanced
practitioners. In many of the travellers' haunts such as Pushkar, Dharamsala,
Goa, and Kovalam, posters in cafés advertise local teachers, although many offer
dubious qualifications and may well be seasonal. Ask other tourists for a
teacher of quality and repute, or ask the teacher if you can do a trial session.
Meditation
Meditation is often
practised after a session of yoga, when the energy of the body has been
awakened, and is an essential part of both Hindu and Buddhist practice. In both
religions, meditation is considered the most powerful tool for understanding the
true nature of mind and self, an essential step on the path to enlightenment. In
Vedanta , meditation's aim is to realize the true self as non-dual
Brahman or godhead - the foundation of all consciousness and life. Moksha
(or liberation - the Nirvana of the Buddhists), achieved through disciplines of
yoga and meditation, eventually helps believers release the soul from endless
cycles of birth and rebirth.
Vipassana meditation is
a technique originally taught by the Buddha, whereby practitioners learn to
become more aware of physical sensations and mental processes. Courses last for
a minimum of ten days and are austere - involving 4am kick-offs, around ten
hours of meditation a day, no solid food after noon, segregation of the sexes,
and no talking for the duration (except with the leaders of the course). Courses
are free for all first-time students, to allow everyone an opportunity to learn
and benefit from the technique. Vipassana is taught in more than 25 centres
throughout India including in Bodhgaya, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and
Jaipur.
Tibetan Buddhist meditation
is attracting more and more followers around the world. With its four distinct
schools, Tibetan Buddhism incorporates a huge variety of meditation practices,
including Vipassana, known as shine in Tibetan, and various visualization
techniques involving the numerous deities that make up the complex and colourful
Tibetan pantheon. India, with its large Tibetan diaspora, has become a major
centre for those wanting to study Tibetan Buddhism and medicine. Dharamsala in
Himachal Pradesh, home to the Dalai Lama and Tibetan government-in-exile, is the
main centre for Tibetan studies, offering numerous opportunities for one-on-one
study with the Tibetan monks and nuns who live there. Other major Tibetan
diaspora centres in India include Darjeeling in West Bengal and Bylakuppe near
Mysore in Karnataka. For further details of courses available locally, see the
relevant sections of the guide.
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