Day 3 Workshop 2

Day 3 Wokshop 2 (27th Nov 07):

The discourse was on Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion or faith. This Swamiji said was the path for the emotional among us. Those who need an idol, an object of worship, a prayer, a faith, a chant, a mantra, a cause, whatever be it as their crutch. He went on to explain the reason we need this crutch with another beautiful analogy. Look at an elephant that is idly standing. It swings its trunk aimlessly hither and thither. When you give an iron rod or a log, it holds on to that and stills itself. Prayer/chanting/mantra/devotion songs etc in every faith have the same effect, it helps the mind focus on one thing. Bringing about a meditational state.

Even in chanting, yoga techniques are being used as we hold our breath for long and breathe in a more measured pace. This was followed by a workshop on some excellent breathing techniques, useful for cooling our system aiding our digestion and promoting health. (Seetkari, seetali, vayusar, agnisar and uddiyan bandh). I personally find all of them extremely beneficial!