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MANUAL 4 YOGA PHILOSOPHY by RAM VAKKALANKA Akshara Yoga

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MANUAL 4 YOGA PHILOSOPHY by RAM VAKKALANKA Akshara Yoga 200 Hour Teacher Training November 2016 MANUAL 4 YOGA PHILOSOPHY BY RAM VAKKALANKA Akshara Yoga 1 CONTENTS 1 | HISTORY OF YOGA 7 1.1 | ANCIENT TIMES 8 1.2 | MEDIEVAL TIMES (1,000 – 1900 AD) 9 1.3 | SOME INFLUENTIAL YOGIS 9 1.4 | CHAPTER REVIEW 10 2 | SANSKRIT 11 2.1 | WHY SANSKRIT? 12 2.2 | SOME THINGS TO NOTE ABOUT SANSKRIT 12 2.3 | LET US SPEAK SANSKRIT! 13 2.4 | SANSKRIT CHANTS AND MANTRAS 13 2.5 | SANSKRIT ALPHABET VOWELS - Svaraaha 14 2.6 | SANSKRIT ALPHABET 14 2.7 | SANSKRIT ALPHABET - Vowels Signs 15 2.8 | COMPOUND CONSONANTS 15 2.9 | YOGA POSTURES - ASANAS 16 2.10 | CHAPTER REVIEW 18 3 | BAHAGVADGITA 19 3.1 | BAHAGVAD GITA 20 MEDITATION ON GITA 20 GRADTITUDE TO VYASA 20 GRATITUDE TO KRISHNA 20 CONCEPTUAL SOURCE(S) OF GITA 20 HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT GITA 20 BASIC CONCEPTS UNDERLYING GITA 20 CHAPTER 3 | Karma Yoga - Yoga of selfless action 21 CHAPTER 4 | Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga - Renunciation with Knowledge 21 CHAPTER 6 | Dhyana Yoga – Yoga of meditation 21 CHAPTER 7 | Jnana Vijnana Yoga – Yoga of Self-knowledge and Enlightenment 21 CHAPTER 9 | Rajavidya Rajaguhya Yoga – Yoga of Supreme Esoteric Knowledge 22 CHAPTER 11 | Vishwaroopa Darshana Yoga – Vision of the Cosmic form 22 CHAPTER 12 | Bhakti Yoga – Devotion 22 Vs 3.1 Vs | VIKASA YOGA - Foundation Teacher Training Manual - Philosophy with Acharya Ram Vakkalanka 2 CHAPTER 13 | Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga – Creation and Creator 22 CHAPTER 14 | Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga – Modes of material nature 22 CHAPTER 15 | Purushottama Yoga – The Supreme Being 22 CHAPTER 16 | Daivasurasampad Vibhaga Yoga – Divine and demonic qualities 23 CHAPTER 17 | Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga – Threefold faith 23 CHAPTER 18 | Moksha Sannyasa Yoga – Liberation through renunciation 23 CONCLUSION 23 3.2 | CHAPTER REVIEW 24 4 | YOGA SUTRAS – APHORISMS OF YOGA 25 4.1 | PHILOSOPHY VS. RELIGION VS. SCIENCE 26 4.2 | SHADDARSHANAS – Six ancient Philosophies 26 4.3 | ORIGINS/SOURCES OF YOGA PHILOSOPHY 26 4.4 | KARMA AND PUNARJANMA (reincarnation/life-continuum) 26 4.5 | BASIC FACTS ABOUT SUTRAS 27 4.6 | GRATITUDE TO PATANJALI 27 4.7 | WHAT IS A SUTRA? 27 4.8 | SOME OF THE POPULAR WORKS RELATED TO YOGA SUTRAS 27 4.9 | WHAT IS YOGA? 28 4.10 | MESSAGE OF YOGA SUTRAS 28 4.11 | HOW TO ATTAIN YOGA? 28 4.12 | OBSTACLES TO YOGA 28 4.13 | AFFLICTIONS (Kleshas) 29 4.14 | 8 LIMBS OF YOGA 29 YAMAS (RESTRAINTS) 29 NIYAMAS (OBSERVANCES) 29 ASANA (POSTURE): 29 PRANAYAMA (Regulation of breath) 29 PRATYAHARA (Abstraction/withdrawal) 29 DHARANA (Concentration) 29 DHYANA (Meditation) 29 SAMADHI (Absorption) 29 4.15 | KINDS OF SAMADHI (Diagram) 30 4.16 | STATE OF SAMADHI 30 4.17 | PHYSIOLOGY OF SAMADHI 30 4.18 | LIFE AFTER SAMADHI 31 4.19 | EFFECT OF SAMADHI ON KARMA 31 4.20 | CHAPTER REVIEW 32 | VIKASA YOGA - Foundation Teacher Training Manual - Philosophy with Acharya Ram Vakkalanka 3 5 | PRANAYAMA - THEORY 33 5.1 | LIFE AND PLANES/LAYERS OF EXISTENCE 34 5.2 | PRANA – What it Means 34 5.3 | PRANAYAMA – Mind Control 34 5.4 | RELATION BETWEEN PRANA AND LIFE/EXISTENCE 35 5.5 | RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRANA AND LONGEVITY 35 5.6 | WHAT CAUSES LOSS OF PRANA? 35 5.7 | WHAT STRENGTHENS PRANA? 36 5.8 | TRANSFER OF PRANA 36 5.9 | PRANA AS SUSTAINER OF LIFE 36 5.10 | PRANA 36 5.11 | APANA 37 5.12 | SAMANA 37 5.13 | UDANA 37 5.14 | VYANA 37 5.15 | UPA-VAYUS 37 5.16 | SWARA YOGA 38 5.17 | PRANA – AFTER DEATH 38 5.18 | CHAPTER REVIEW 40 6 | CHAKRAS - THE INNER JOURNEY 41 6.1 | AGENDA 42 6.2 | ORIGIN OF THE SCIENCE OF KUNDALINI AND CHAKRAS 42 6.3 | MAN’S OUTER WORLD 42 6.4 | THE INNER WORLD OF MAN 42 6.5 | FIVE DIMENSIONS OF LIFE - Koshas 43 6.6 | NADIS 45 6.7 | KUNDALINI 46 6.1 | CHAKRAS OVERVIEW 47 6.1 | MULADHARA CHAKRA 48 6.2 | SWADHISTHANA CHAKRA 48 6.3 | MANIPURAKA CHAKRA 49 6.4 | ANAHATA CHAKRA 49 6.5 | VISHUDDA (THROAT) CHAKRA 50 6.6 | AJNA (THIRD EYE) CHAKRA 50 6.7 | SAHASRARA (CROWN) CHAKRA 51 6.8 | CHAKRA BALANCING 51 6.9 | CHAPTER REVIEW 52 | VIKASA YOGA - Foundation Teacher Training Manual - Philosophy with Acharya Ram Vakkalanka 4 7 | NADA YOGA 53 7.1 | SETTING THE SACRED INTENTION 54 7.2 | GRATITUDE 54 7.3 | CAUSES OF DISEASES 54 7.4 | YOGA AND MUSIC 54 7.5 | BENEFITS OF NADA CHIKITSA 55 7.6 | ORIGIN OF MUSIC 55 7.7 | IMPACT OF RAJA ON MIND AND BODY 55 7.8 | BRIEF HISTORY OF MUSIC THERAPY IN THE WEST 55 7.9 | PASSIVE THERAPY 56 7.10 | RAJA KALYAN 56 7.11 | FIVE ELEMENTS AND SWARAS 56 7.12 | RAJA: MALKAUNS 56 7.13 | ENERGY CENTRES IN THE BODY 57 7.14 | RAJA: NEETIMATI 57 7.13 | ENERGY CENTRES IN THE BODY 57 7.14 | RAJA: NEETIMATI 57 7.15 | SWARAS AT A GLANCE 58 7.16 | IMPORTANT NOTE 58 8 | MUDRAS 59 8.1 | WHAT AND WHY? 60 8.2 | GENERAL TIPS 60 8.3 | 5 ELEMENTS, 5 LIFE FORCES 61 8.4 | ELEMENT - Earth - Prithvi - Anchor 61 8.5 | ELEMENT - Water - Aapas - Renewal 62 8.5 | ELEMENT - Fire - Agni - Transformation 62 8.6 | ELEMENT - Air - Vayu - Inclusion 63 8.7 | ELEMENT - Space - Akasha - Allowing 63 8.8 | MIND - Transcend - Brahma 64 8.9 | MIND - Shanmukhi - Transcend 64 8.10 | PRANA - Inward 65 8.11 | APANA - Downward 65 8.12 | VYANA - Pervasive 66 8.13 | UDANA - Ascending 66 8.14 | SAMANA - Balancing 67 8.15 | MEDITATION 67 8.16 | DAILY PRACTISE 68 8.17 | ENERGY MOVEMENT - Mrugi 68 8.18 | SOME OTHER MUDRAS 68 | VIKASA YOGA - Foundation Teacher Training Manual - Philosophy with Acharya Ram Vakkalanka 5 9 | MANTRA YOGA 69 9.1 | WHAT IS A MANTRA? 70 9.2 | ORIGINS OF MANTRA 70 9.3 | DEFINITION OF MANTRA 70 9.4 | APPLICATION OF MANTRA 71 9.5 | GANESHA 71 9.6 | BRAHMA 72 9.7 | VISHNU 72 9.8 | SHIVA 73 9.9 | GAYATRI 73 9.10 | SARASWATI 74 9.11 | LAKSHMI/LAXMI 74 9.12 | DURGA - The Goddess in Everyone 75 9.13 | DATTATREYA 75 9.14 | RAMA 76 9.15 | HANUMAN 76 9.16 | KRISHNA – The Indweller 77 9.17 | KIRTAN 77 9.18 | GRATITUDE 78 9.19 | GURU - The Pathfinder 78 9.16 | ONE LAST MANTRA! 78 10 | BUDDHISM 79 10.1 | IS BUDDHISM PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION OR SCIENCE? 80 10.2 | SHADDARSHANAS - Six Most Ancient Philosophies 80 10.3 | MEET THE LATEST BUDDHA - Gautama Buddha 80 10.4 | TEACHINGS OF GAUTAMA BUDDHA 80 10.5 | TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA - Avyaktani 81 10.6 | TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA - The Four Noble Truths 81 10.7 | TWELVE-LINKED CHAIN OF CAUSATION 81 10.8 | SUFFERING CAN BE STOPPED 82 10.9 | MEANS TO STOP THE SUFFERING - The Noble Eightfold Path 82 10.10 | TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA - Meditation 82 10.11 | RECOMMENDED READING 83 | VIKASA YOGA - Foundation Teacher Training Manual - Philosophy with Acharya Ram Vakkalanka 6 Vikasa Yoga - Foundation Teacher Training - 200 hours Yoga Philosophy Contents provided by Acharya Ram Vakkalanka Akshara Yoga Contents created by Acharya Ram Vakkalanka, www.AksharaYoga.com Please respect the efforts of the creator of this content. Namaste | VIKASA YOGA - Foundation Teacher Training Manual - Philosophy with Acharya Ram Vakkalanka 7 1 | HISTORY OF YOGA ANCIENT TIMES MEDIEVAL TIMES MODERN TIMES | VIKASA YOGA - Foundation Teacher Training Manual - Philosophy with Acharya Ram Vakkalanka 8 1.1 | ANCIENT TIMES • Concept of Yoga is first found in Vedic literature • Further expanded through ‘story-form’ teachings in Puranas • Vedas are said to exist from time immemorial, revealed to ancient Seers in states of deep meditation • Vedas are divided into Mantra, Brahmana, Aranyaka and towards the end Upanishads, also called Vedanta • Upanishads visualize not only individuals but also the entire Universe pulsating with Consciousness and visualize it as having a Universal Consciousness • Upanishads contain direct references to Yoga and propose the idea of union/oneness of individual Self and Universal Self • At one time there were 1180 Upanishads, currently only 110 or so are available • Yoga Upanishads 20 currently • Samkhya Philosophy is one of the earliest systems of Yoga philosophy • Prominence of Jnana Yoga (Vedanta) • Prominence of Karma Yoga (Vedic Rituals) • Bhagavad Gita... reconciliation of Karma and Jnana, proposing Nishkama Karma Yoga, 4 forms of Yoga • Rise and fall of Buddhism • Yoga Sutras by Patanjali • Adi Shankara | VIKASA YOGA - Foundation Teacher Training Manual - Philosophy with Acharya Ram Vakkalanka 9 1.2 | MEDIEVAL TIMES (1,000 – 1900 AD) • Bhakti Yoga became more popular than other forms of Yoga • Onset of Islam in India • Strengthening of Bhakti Yoga • Beginning of Kirtan traditions • Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Swami Swatmarama (15th Century) • Gheranda Samhita by Gheranda (17th Century) • British Rule - Yoga and Hinduism mixed up 1.3 | SOME INFLUENTIAL YOGIS • Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886) • Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) • Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) • Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) • Swami Sivananda Saraswati (1887-1963) | VIKASA YOGA - Foundation Teacher Training Manual - Philosophy with Acharya Ram Vakkalanka 10 1.4 | CHAPTER REVIEW 1: What are the ancient texts where Yoga originates from? ________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2: How many Upanishads were there in total and how many Yoga Upanishads are available today? _________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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