Easy Steps To Yoga
by Swami Sivananda
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Book Code: ES40
Paperback: 168 + xv pages
ISBN: NA
Book Dimensions: 7.0 x 4.75 x 0.35 inches
Shipping Weight: 130 grams
Table of Contents
| Publishers’ Preface | v |
| Prayer to the Almighty | vi |
| Universal Prayers | vii |
| Introduction | ix |
|
CHAPTER 1 |
|
| 1. Yoga for Health | 3 |
| 2. Essence of Sadhana | 5 |
| 3. Gist of Karma Yoga | 8 |
| 4. Bhakti Yoga Sadhana | 10 |
| 5. Pearl-drops of Prema | 14 |
| 6. How to Spend Your Holidays | 16 |
| 7. Message to Retired People | 18 |
| 8. A Dynamic Yoga | 19 |
| 9. Way to Bliss | 22 |
|
CHAPTER II |
|
| 1. What Is Brahmacharya? | 24 |
| 2. Glory of Brahmacharya | 26 |
| 3. Power of Lust | 29 |
| 4. How to Keep Up Brahmacharya | 32 |
| 5. Mental Discipline (Bhava) | 37 |
| 6. Sadhana for Success in Brahmacharya | 41 |
| 7. Garland of Brahmacharya | 43 |
|
CHAPTER III |
|
| 1. Sadachara | 45 |
| 2. Ethical Discipline | 49 |
| 3. Ethics is a Means to Yoga | 52 |
| 4. Glory of Sadachara | 54 |
|
CHAPTER IV |
|
| 1. Facts About Mind | 59 |
| 2. Thought-culture | 64 |
| 3. Control of Thought | 66 |
| 4. Purification of Mind | 72 |
| 5. How to Steady the Mind | 75 |
| 6. Control of the Senses | 80 |
| 7. Conquest of Mind | 81 |
|
CHAPTER V |
|
| 1. Gist of Vedanta | 84 |
| 2. Practical Vedanta | 86 |
| 3. Who Am I? | 91 |
| 4. Silence | 107 |
|
CHAPTER VI |
|
| 1. Auxiliaries | 111 |
| 2. Benefits of Meditation | 114 |
| 3. Kinds of Meditation | 116 |
| 4. Obstacles in Meditation | 120 |
| 5. Hints on Meditation | 124 |
|
CHAPTER VII |
|
| SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS | 128 |
|
CHAPTER VIII |
|
| 1. Yogic Alphabet | 139 |
| 2. Padmasana | 141 |
| 3. Siddhasana | 142 |
| 4. Sirshasana | 142 |
| 5. Oordhva-Padmasana | 143 |
| 6. Sarvangasana | 143 |
| 7. Halasana | 143 |
| 8. Matsyasana | 144 |
| 9. Paschimottanasana | 144 |
|
APPENDIX |
|
| 1. The Universal Prayer | 150 |
| 2. Serve, Love, Give | 150 |
| 3. Purify | 152 |
| 4. Meditate | 163 |
| 5. Realise | 164 |
| 6. Peace Chant | 165 |
| 7.Twenty Important Spiritual Instructions | 166 |
Publishers’ Preface
Yoga is right living. This definition may appear to be simple, but really it is very significant, for the meaning of right living is very wide. Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj explains in an easy and homely style the basic principles that a beginner in Yoga has to understand and follow. These Easy Steps to Yoga are laid out with a special view to enable the novice to ascend without much difficulty the heights of spiritual attainment. Ethical and moral discipline forms the foundation of Yoga. Sri Swamiji has beautifully brought together all the fundamentals: good conduct, non-attachment, dispassion, unselfish work, sense-control, meditation and knowledge to form a connected piece of complete information on the practice of Yoga, beginning with bodily health and training, and ending in Self-knowledge. We bring out the sixth edition of this precious volume for the edification of students, both in the East and the West, who have no acquaintance with the technicalities involved in the subject, but are eager to have an adequate grasp of the main guiding principles in living a life of wisdom arising out of divine discontent.
THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
Prayer to the Almighty
१. दृश्यसे सर्वभूतेषु ब्राह्मणेषु गवेषु च।
दिक्शु सर्वासु गगने पर्वतेषु नदीषु च॥
Thou art seen (by the pious and the earnest Sadhakas) in all creatures, in cows and Brahmins in all quarters of the globe, in the sky, as well as in all rivers and mountains.
२. सहस्रचरणः श्रीमान् शतशीर्षः सहस्रदृक्।
त्वं धारयसि भूतानि पृथिवीं सर्वपर्वतान्॥
Thou art thousand-footed, the glorious, thousand-headed and thousand-eyed Being. Thou supportest all the worlds, this earth and the mountains.
३. ये त्वां देवं ध्रुवं भक्त्या भजन्ते पुरुषोत्तमम्।
प्राप्नुवन्ति सदा कामानिह लोके परत्र च॥
Those devotees who zealously worship Thee, the Highest Lord, eternally glorious Being, will always be duly rewarded, and have their desires fulfilled in this as well as the other world.
The Ramayana
Universal Prayer
Thou art, O Lord, the Creator of this Universe. Thou art the Protector of this world. Thou art in the grass and the rose. Thou art in the sun and the stars. Salutations unto Thee, O Destroyer of the cycle of births and deaths! Salutations unto Thee, O Bestower of Bliss and Immortality!
O Sweet Lord! May I be free from the bonds of death. May I never forget my immortal nature! May I be able to look upon all beings with equal vision! May I attain the Supreme seat of Brahman! May I be free from impurity and sin! May I know my essential nature!
Adorations to the Supreme Being, who dwells in the hearts of all beings, who is in the fire and water, who is in the plants, herbs and trees, who is in the stone, brick and iron bars, and who is pervading the whole universe.
I bow to Thee, O Secret of secrets! I bow to Thee, O Indweller of our hearts! I bow to Thee, O Silent Witness of all activities of all minds! I bow to Thee, O Inner Ruler of all beings, who pervades and permeates and interpenetrates all things of this universe.
Salutations to Thee, the Supreme Lord! Thou art without beginning and end. Thou art the flower. Thou art the bee. Thou art woman. Thou art man. Thou art the sea. Thou art the waves. Thou art the old man tottering with a stick. Thou art the saint. Thou art the rogue.
Thou art Light Divine. Thou art Light of knowledge. Thou art the dispeller of darkness. Thou art the Supreme Guru. Thou art beyond the reach of mind and speech. Thou art beyond any kind of limitation. Thou art the Self of this universe.
Thou art Self-luminous. Thou art without parts, without actions, without limbs, without any taint or fault, without birth and death. Thou art our Father, Mother, Brother, Friend, Relative, Guru and Sole Refuge! Thou art the embodiment of Peace, Bliss, Power, Knowledge, Strength and Beauty.
O All-merciful Lord! Through Thy Grace May I realise the Truth. May I always entertain sublime thoughts. May I realise myself as the Light Divine. May I serve humanity with Atma Bhava. May I be free from greed, lust, egoism, jealousy and hatred. May I behold the one sweet Immortal Self in all beings. May I realise Brahman with pure understanding.
May that Light of lights ever guide me! May He cleanse my mind of all impurities! May He inspire me! May He bestow on me Power, Courage and Strength! May He remove the veil in the mind! May He remove all obstacles on the spiritual path! May He make my life happy and fruitful. I bow to Thee, O Lord of lords, O God of gods, O Deva of Devas, the Brahman of the Upanishads, the Support for Maya and Isvara, the Supreme Bridge to Immortality!
Om Santih! Santih! Santih!
Introduction
There is restlessness everywhere. Selfishness, greed, wrath, lust are havocing. Fights, skirmishes, petty quarrels are polluting the atmosphere and creating discord, disharmony and unrest. Bugle is blown and soldiers are marching in the battlefield to kill their enemies. One nation is waging war against another nation for acquiring more dominions and more powers. Side by side peace-movement is working silently for bringing concord, harmony and peace, for eradicating the dire ignorance, the root cause for human sufferings and disseminating Divine Knowledge or knowledge of the Self and infusing devotion into the hearts of people. Mysterious is the universe, still more mysterious is the silent workings of the unseen God, who prompts Rajasic people on one side to wage war and the Sattvic people on the other side to start Peace Centres for the dissemination of spiritual knowledge and for bringing peace to the suffering humanity at large.
The Goal of life is the attainment of Self-realisation or God-consciousness. There is one supreme undying intelligent principle or Essence or Atman or Brahman or the Supreme Self who dwells in the chambers of your heart. He exists in the past, present and future. He is existence absolute, knowledge absolute and bliss absolute. Ignorant man vainly searches for his happiness and peace in perishable external objects, that are conditioned in time, space and causation. He has no peace of mind. His desires are not gratified. He amasses wealth, begets children, gets titles, honours, name, fame and yet his mind is restless. He has no abiding joy and lasting happiness. He is still in want of something. He has no feeling of fullness. This feeling of fullness and eternal satisfaction can be obtained by realising one’s own Self through spiritual Sadhana, self-restraint, purity and meditation, and by attaining the highest rung in the Yogic ladder.
Peace and happiness can be found only within. You cannot certainly find it in external objects. Wealth, women, children, property, palatial buildings cannot give you the everlasting Peace. Look within. Realise your oneness with that One Supreme Self, who lives in the chambers of your heart. When you are established in That, which is an ocean of Peace and Happiness, you will not be shaken even by heavy sorrow, loss or failures, inharmonious and disagreeable vibrations. You will tide over all difficulties or crises of life very easily and will come back with triumph in all experiences. Mysterious is this Peace! Marvellous is this Peace! Realise this Peace that passeth all understanding through Yoga Sadhana and be free. Float in this ocean of Peace and rejoice in the Peace of your own Self.
Why do you, O friend, cling to this material life of disappointments, failures, diseases, afflictions, sorrows and uncertainties? Penetrate into the hidden depths of the vast ocean of eternal life within. The real Kailas and Manasasarovar are within you. The fountain of Joy, the spring of the sacred water of immortality, the vast lake of ambrosial nectar, the celestial jewel that bestows on you whatever you want, are within you. What is this ephemeral existence with all sorts of mundane troubles, this evanescent life like a mushroom or a bubble when compared to the sweet eternal life in the soul within? Will you not start now on a spiritual expedition with determination and an iron resolve to explore the infinite realms of peace and bliss within?
In the present book Easy Steps to Yoga I am giving you useful lessons on the practice of Yoga. According to the temperament and capacity of the Sadhaka, the student can select any course of Sadhana given in this book and safely proceed higher and higher in the spiritual path and surely attain the goal of life quickly. Special instructions given in Chapter VII will be of great help to all aspirants. The Chapter VIII containing simple lessons on the practice of Asanas with illustrations will be found highly useful to all. May Peace and Happiness abide in you all!
Sivananda