What is “Ananda Marga” Yoga?
Ananda Marga means “The path of bliss”. It is primarily a philosophy, a practice and a movement that offers physical, mental and spiritual practices capable to lead sincere seekers toward deeper inner realizations. It is also a service-oriented movement dedicated to the all-round welfare of humanity, animals and plants.
Our Yoga tradition is Tantra Yoga, which was systematized and founded by Sada Shiva approximately 7,000 years ago. According to his teachings, Tantra means liberation from darkness through the expansion of mind. The techniques of Tantra gradually liberate one from physical, psychic and spiritual bondages through the expansion of consciousness. Meditation is the main spiritual practice of this tantric tradition, which assists the practitioner to overcome weaknesses and imperfections.
Tantra yoga’s concepts and practices have been inspiring countless human beings to achieve all round progress perhaps also because it supports no blind belief, religious doctrine, ritual or dogma. It follows a subjective approach yet remaining adaptable enough to allow external adjustments. You can learn Tantra only through your personal experience and, in this sense, Tantra is 99% practical and 1% philosophical.
The main characteristic of Tantra is that it represents a continuous fight with our own weaknesses. This is because without a meaningful effort it is impossible to conquer a crude idea and to replace it with a subtle one.
Yoga ásanas
In the West we have come to equate the term “yoga” with yoga postures, but in fact they form only a small – albeit important – part of the whole system. The term “yoga” in fact implies a whole way of life which includes yoga postures as one of its many facets.
In Sanskrit, yoga postures are called asanas. Asana means “a posture giving physical comfort and mental composure.” The scientific and easy-to-learn exercises provide a practical, natural and holistic way to achieve health and vitality. The yoga classes are suited to people of all levels. The combination of gentle moving, stretching and twisting together with deep breathing, speeds up the detox process. Through the practice of yoga one can find an inner peace and stillness, which reduces the toxic effects of stress and anxiety.
Asanas affect the glands, nerves, muscles and all the organs of the body. There are many physical benefits, but the most important effect is on the mind. The practice of asanas places pressure on the endocrine glands, and this results in the regulation of hormones secreted from those glands. The hormones affect the emotions, and the resultant emotional balance facilitates concentration and meditation. So asanas also help prepare the mind for meditation.
Biopsychology
Yoga postures can help you in controlling, through their subtle effect on the glandular system, the many propensities of the mind. This is because our minds, our thoughts and our emotions have an indisputable relationship with our bodies and actions, and vice versa. This is the subject study of biopsychology, a new and yet ancient science that is an integral part of Yoga practices. Let’s see what is this science all about and why the regular practice of Asanas can help you become a more balanced and happier human being.
Asanas have been developed steadily over thousands of years as an aid to good physical and mental health, well-being and self-realization. Various health problems including hypertension, indigestion, heart disease, arthritis, asthma and cancer can be prevented and often cured through the practice of Asanas.
Yoga postures have a number of unique features which set them apart from other forms of exercise:
- They stretch and relax the nerves, muscles and joints, creating a pleasant feeling of relaxation, increasing flexibility and promoting the free flow of energy through the body.
- They require a minimum expenditure of physical energy and thus do not create mental dullness.
- They nourish and tone specific and often neglected organs and glands by directing the flow of blood, lymph and mental concentration to that area. The hormones secreted by the endocrine glands control our physical, mental and emotional states. By balancing these hormonal secretions, Yoga Asanas promote optimal physical and emotional conditions.
- They enable the practitioner to divert the flow of energy to higher centres in the body, resulting in control over desires and subtlety of awareness.
- Through use of the breath they purify the blood and promote calmness, concentration and depth of perception.
- Through use of balance and motionlessness they promote mental steadiness and calmness.
- Through strengthening and cleaning the organs of elimination they make the body free of toxins and the mind clear.
- Through use of concentration they promote mental stability and perception.
Meditation
Meditation has been described as a kind of concentrated thinking, but this does not mean just any kind of concentrated thinking. Concentrating on a pet rock or an ice cream is not meditation. Meditation is the process of concentrating the mind on the source of consciousness within us. Gradually this leads us to discover that our own consciousness is infinite. This is why the goal of meditation is sometimes described as “self-realization.”
The mind:
- Is a non-biological structure;
- Always takes the form of its object of thought;
- Is cyclical in nature and functions in cycles (24 hour, seven day, lunar cycle, etc)
The yogis figured this out many, many thousands of years ago and developed powerful techniques to unfold this intuitive faculty of mind. The internal application of this intuitive faculty allows the practitioner to experience the essence of their being and a profound sense of oneness with all forms of life.
When the mind is made calm and focused internally, it experiences the depth of its own nature more clearly. This state of being brings peace, clarity and harmony to the individual and the society, removing the waves of agitation that separate us from each other and the universe.
Thus meditation also helps us experience unity and harmony with the world we live in. The source of power from which all our abilities come is a steady, clear and positive mind.
Body, mind and spirit
The yogic perspective is that the body, mind and spirit are inseparably connected. However our contemporary lifestyle places enormous demands on us, often leading to alienation, loss of clarity and motivation, creating disharmony both in individual life and in our society.
Tantra Yoga is not a sexual yoga
Tantra has been little known and misunderstood in many parts of the West. The main reasons for this are:
1. Historically, Tantra, of Indian origin, was overshadowed by the Vedic culture, of Aryan origin. The Aryans conquered India thousands of years ago and, as always happens, history is written by the victors. This did not prevent Tantra from continuing to be alive and active among the inhabitants of India, but in a less obvious way and, in some cases, in a hidden form. So much so that most people in the West believe that the original culture of India is Vedic, when in fact it is Tantric.
2. The spread of Tantra in the West is mainly due to European scholars and academics. Many of them failed to understand the true spiritual essence of Tantra and, therefore, did not know how to properly disseminate its principles.
3. Tantric practices are internal, scientific and very powerful. External rituals are secondary and, in many cases, non-existent. This power of Tantra has led to its negative use by practitioners who do not have adequate control over their most primitive tendencies and their egoistic feelings.
4. True Tantric masters kept the most profound teachings of Tantra secret for a long time, precisely to prevent their misuse by people without adequate preparation. When these occult teachings began to come to light, they gave rise to much confusion and misinterpretation.
5. Some practices related to sex and the material aspects of life immediately attracted the attention of researchers. The lack of understanding of these practices led to their misleading propagation, which in turn became a good business for many, due to the interest that this distorted information aroused in the West. For all these reasons, it is extremely important for the yoga practitioner to clearly understand what true Tantra is, since it is the basis and foundation of most of the inner spiritual practices that exist today. Almost all negative or dark practices, such as black magic, witchcraft and many primitive animist religions, are also related to Tantra.
Yoga is not a religion
Yoga is a spiritual practice and path. It is a ancient science to reach the human goal: the union of our individual consciousness with divine consciousness or Supreme Consciousness.
It has often been said that the key difference between religion and spirituality is that religion is about what you believe, whereas spirituality is what you do. A follower of the path of Ananda Marga may belong to any religion, or none. But they practice meditation and yoga regularly, engage in social service, and endeavor to follow the ethical precepts of yoga, yama and niyama.
Another key distinction between religion and spirituality, or ‘Dharma’ is that religions are many, but Dharma is one.
Dharma means our true spiritual nature. Someone once asked Anandamurti, “is it not true that there are many spiritual paths, all leading to the same goal?”
He replied, “no. There is only one path. The path of the kundalinii (the latent spiritual potential of every human being), which travels from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. (when the spiritual force of kundalinii reaches the crown of the head, the person attains enlightenment.)
And what about Ananda Marga?
Although it is recognized as a religion in many countries simply because that is the only category it fits in, it is misleading to think of Ananda Marga as a religion. It is better described as a socio-spiritual movement.
See more about Ananda Marga in About us/Ananda Marga