The practise of Yoga and its benefits physically, mentally, socially and spiritually, allows us to create harmony within ourself. When you start to feel this harmony your whole inner being revives like a desert after rain.  Yoga and Meditation exerts a pleasant, harmonising and healing effect upon ones whole body and psyche.  There comes to exist in one’s heart something so peaceful, which no one can ever take away.

“May all beings be healthy
May all beings dwell in peace
May all beings attain oneness
May all beings attain fulfilment
May there be happiness in the whole world”

Yoga means more than doing a headstand or having a good figure.  Though comprehensive as it is, yoga actually includes those things too.  It is said “One in all and all in one.”  The aim of yoga is discovering inner peace, inner harmony, realizing one’s true Self.  For those who practise seriously it is for finding the answer to the question, “Who am I?”  We suffer all kinds of stress because we don’t know who we really are.  Finding out who we really are is the ultimate purpose of yoga.

We humans often feel ourselves weak and helpless. We think peace and happiness are far away and difficult to reach. But this peacefulness is Omnipresent, it exists within each of us as our true nature. So in meditation, always aim to develop uplifting and confident thoughts, because thoughts have great power and can achieve anything.

As we progress in meditation, the ability of spiritual perception develops. Mind and consciousness become the eyes of the Self (our true nature), as our spirit roams throughout the whole Universe (astral travelling). Just like the headlights of a car illuminate the street in front of us, so the spirit perceives all things and transmits this experience and knowledge to our consciousness. However, first we must recognise our Self in each living being, in every atom and in all planets and stars. This means that we must progress to such a degree, that we can identify ourselves with all beings and all things. We should not identify with philosophy, religion, nationality, gender or race, but discover the unity that transcends all external appearances.

Duality is prevalent in today’s world, but a wise person can recognise unity appearing in many different forms. When the wise one looks at two jugs in front of him, he is conscious that the clay from which they are made is the same. In this way the Self-Realised, the God-Realised, does not view the external form, but rather its inherent reality, the Atma, the Self.

It is not enough however to understand this intellectually, one must feel and experience this more deeply within. Once we have heard the call of the Soul, then we no longer desire any Siddhi (power) or miracle. We no longer need anything else in order to be happy. We don’t seek someone to extend a hand to us, rather we hold out a helping hand to others, because we know, "I am the Atma and this Self lives in others also. We are not two, but one. We may dwell in different bodies, but the body is transitory. Our reality exists in the unity that is immortal."

As long as we entertain thoughts of duality, thoughts of separateness, we make a grave mistake. We help ourselves the moment we overcome dualistic thoughts. Then we recognise that this world is simply a manifestation of our mind, that in reality, our mind has created the world as we see it before us. We realise that all of creation is changeable and transitory. Like waves on the ocean. In due time, all waves sink back into the ocean and unite with it. One day too, the world as we know it will vanish and all that we will see everywhere is God the Supreme, our Atma.

Therefore in meditation, practice Atma Chintan - know that you are strong, pure, happy and immortal. You are the Self! In the Self exist no fear, no sadness and no guilt. Worldly life is not to be condemned. After all, we dwell in this world and it provides us wonderful experiences. Therefore we should not make life difficult for ourselves, but rather enjoy life and be free from self-reproach, as we sincerely endeavour to remain on the right path.

Live now in the present. Do not brood about the past. Yesterday is gone and never again comes back. Also, do not dream about a "better" future. The future is still not here and we will never reach it, for the future is only ever the present. Tomorrow remains tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow always remains the day after tomorrow. Always live only in the now. When we are conscious of this we will have overcome time and live in its midst as the observer and witness of all change.

Our Atma is the Divine Self. 
May all recognise this and offer their love.

More lectures by H.H. Vishwaguru Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda can be viewed on swamiji.tv

The foundation of Sanatana Dharma is YOGA. Yoga means UNITY, that is the union of the individual with the universal consciousness, and to practise Yoga means to tread the path to reunification of the individual with its origin – God.

I offer my adoration and humble pranams to Sri Adiguru ShankaracharyaJi, one of the greatest saints, philosophers, mystics and poets who ever lived on earth. He is the embodiment of wisdom and Gyana, the incarnation of the purity and divine power of Lord Shiva. Born in Kalady, Kerala in the 8th century, in his short life span of 32 years he proved to be the most outstanding reformer of Hinduism. His knowledge of the Vedic texts and his dedication in unifying the spiritual beliefs of the nation has made him a legendary figure of India.

One of his invaluable contributions was the reordering and restructuring of the ancient Sannyasa order. The present structure of the Dasnami Sannyas Order is the result of his nation-wide spiritual reforms and influences. He encouraged the sannyasins to spread Advaita philosophy among people, and he himself wrote the most lucent, comprehensive and poetical presentations of Advaita Vedanta, like Viveka-cudamani, Atma Bodha, Vakya Vritti, Upadesa Sahasri and Aparakoshanubhuti. Since his time Sanatana Dharma, the belief of the oneness of all existence and acceptance of the different ways of worship became the dominating religious belief in India again.  We have to be thankful to Shri Adi Shankara that Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion contained in the Vedas has been unifying Hinduism and preserving it as a spirited and all-encompassing religion till our present time.
 
The fundament of Sanatana Dharma is YOGA. Yoga means UNITY, that is the union of the individual with the universal consciousness, and to practise Yoga means to tread the path to reunification of the individual with its origin – God.

That can neither be left nor taken, 
that is no object of mind or speech; 
immeasurable, without beginning and end, 
the absolute Eternal, of infinite glory, one's very Self.

Sri Adiguru Shankaracharya, Vivekacudamani, v. 240

Divine consciousness that is eternal, omniscient and omnipresent and resides in each and every particle of the universe, can be realised through the ancient, immortal science of Yoga. Yoga stands above all religious dogmas and fanaticism. Yoga itself is love and bliss, pure and divine. It is the principle of balance and harmony in the entire universe, the principle through which Creation took place – the first movement of the divine consciousness as nada, sound. That is the power of Yoga. 

Yoga takes effect not only in the material world, but also in the astral worlds. It teaches us to master ourselves and our lives in every situation and every sphere. In fact, it is the perfect way to God. But Yoga is not a religion, not a cult, nor any theory or set of dogmas. Yoga is Reality. It is the ultimate truth. Yoga is older than our planet. It has been guiding the process of life since the very beginning of the universe.

Yoga is the power, which brings together and balances the five elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether or akasha. These five elements should be balanced in the human organism. When they are unbalanced, one feels much discomfort and becomes weak and ill. When we fall out of truth and oneness into duality, then we lose the balance and harmony of our existence. So balance means health and health means to maintain our original and perfectly balanced condition. 

Like every raindrop proceeds towards the ocean from which it has emerged, so also everyone of us will sooner or later return to our origin, the Cosmic Self. Yoga is the way to make our aim clear, accelerate our development and progress toward it. Yoga provides us a very natural and practical approach to a healthy and successful life in harmony with the nature and the environment. It offers techniques for harmonizing  the body and mind, purifying our consciousness, and achieve atma gyana, Self-Realisation.  

Yoga consists of four branches that correspond to seekers' various dispositions. Bhakti Yoga is the path of love and devotion for those who seek the Divine through worship and prayer as illustrated in Narada's Bhakti Sutras. Karma Yoga is the path of selfless action and service as summarized by Bhagwan Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. Gyana Yoga is the path of knowledge and wisdom through philosophy and discrimination between Reality and unreality as described in Shankaracharya's Vivekacudamani. And Raja Yoga is the path of self-discipline and self-mastery through practice and meditation as exlpained in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and in Sri Shankaracharya's Aparokshanubhuti.

The Atman that is absolute existence and knowledge 
cannot be realised without constant practice. 
So one seeking after knowledge 
should frequently meditate upon Brahman
for the attainment of the desired goal.

Shri Adiguru Shankaracharya, Aparokshanubhuti, v. 101

Practising Yoga requires a great deal of self-discipline and confidence. Yoga makes one independent and free. Those who think that the life of a Yogi means withdrawal from the world, neglect or renounce all material goods misunderstand the very idea of Yoga. Yoga is a thoroughly practical way. It means to gain and preserve health in its whole meaning: physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. It also means to get and preserve independence and self-reliance in life, physically,  mentally, emotionally as well as materially.
 
In order to attain genuine insight, the aspirant needs to practice. He should learn to control his body and his mind in order to gain Self-Realisation. Self-Realisation means the reunion of the individual Self, atma, and the cosmic Self, paramatma. In this way, we attain freedom and inner peace. Unless you practise, you will never realise what Yoga means.
 
To maintain that spiritual way of living and to get Self-Realisation it is advisable for all of us to follow the way of Yoga. Yoga should not be lived separately from our daily lives. And this is the very idea of the System "Yoga in Daily Life": to live twenty-four hours a day  according to the principles, rules and regulations that were handed down to us by the Vedas, the ancient Rishis and Shri Adi Shankarcharya. These universal and divine principles are: ahimsa (non-violence), tolerance and love for all living beings, to understand, forgive, love, serve, believe, worship, meditate and realise. Yoga in Daily Life will surely lead you to achieve the ultimate goal of Self-Realisation. That is, to become one with God.

With the blessing of Gurudeva
Vishwaguru Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda

The author of this article His Holiness Swamiji reguarlly visits Australial. You may also view his spiritual lectures and live webcasts on line for free at http://swamiji.tv/

"Through Sadhana (spiritual practise) Supreme Bliss and Supreme Happiness will be established in you. As long as that is not realised, you will not be free from suffering. Without practise there is no perfection.'" Hindu Dharmsamrat Paramhans Swami Madhavananda