SHAKTIPAT KUNDALINI YOGA
SHAKTIPAT KUNDALINI YOGA
Master guru Kripalu’s Shaktipat Kundalini Yoga is based on traditional astanga yoga also known as Patanjali Yoga. The protocol of eight limbed yoga is in its entirety a God realization path in the form of spiritual science.
Bapuji comprehensively narrated down his teachings (cooked up-ready to eat!) through his books on asana & mudra and the science of meditation so profoundly that there is no need to re-write it. All we can do is to practice and disseminate it, through transmitting our experiences, through teaching services to be worthy of his disciples.
The first to fifth steps of Astanga Yoga falls under Hatha Yoga and the sixth to eighth steps falls under Raja Yoga. The integrated practices of Hatha and Raja Yoga merge into a spiritual path. The spiritual awakening can be experienced either through God’s grace or through guru’s grace. The first level of spiritual awakening is called pranic (pranottham) awakening which leads to awakening the second level known as kundalini awakening. Both levels of experiences are distinctly different.
The process of Shaktipat Kundalini Yoga facilitates to help & leads to awaken prana (the life force) setting up pranakriya. God (soul) is within, seeker seeks to find him. The truth is known. A seeker must find a teacher outside/guru outside and/or to help connect within. A yoga teacher follows this path. This is the reason some people are inspired to take up yoga classes, and are able to connect with this energy. We know our destiny is set by God and we know we have a spark of him in us in the form of our soul.
We have named his teachings as Kripalu Yoga & Meditation in his honor. It is a physio-psycho-spiritual path. It is established to facilitate the true three-fold human development- physiological-psychological-spiritual combined.
There are two levels of disciplined yoga practitioners: A) Renunciate, B) Householders. As the name suggests, householders’ practices have limits established and are considered secondary to renunciates’ practices due to commitments to prescribed disciplines involved.
The fifth step of pratyahara/withdrawal of the mind from the sense objects is a significantly important determining step to measure the spiritual growth of both practitioners, renunciates and householders.
Shaktipat Kundalini Yoga is generally known the as the dangerous path. The best human achievement should not be construed as an easy one, as such must be the most difficult one. But if this path is followed as guided/led and laid out, it is verifiable that dangers exist through practically following/traveling on this path of spiritual journey.
Pranotthan is the first spiritual evolutionary stage, kundalini awakening is the second spiritual evolutionary stage through the various stages of meditation, and becoming ‘Urdhvareta’ yogi is the last stage before one can begin to fulfill the desire of God realization, through experiencing the various stages of ‘samadhi’ and finally attaining the divine body.
Bapuji has clarified the illusion of conjugal sadhana and explained the dangers lay on shaktipat kundalini yoga. He asserted the principle of celibacy and proved possible by becoming urdhvareta yogi and attaining ‘nirbija’ samadhi. Nirbija samadhi is the higher state of samadhi in which the mind dissolves and becomes non-mind; samadhi without the seed of desire; samadhi without subject-object distinction.
As puberty sets the stage of ‘bhoga’, ‘urdhvareta’ sets the stage of ‘yoga’.
Let me quote from Bapuji’s booklet on ‘Yoga and Celibacy’.
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In theory, even the Indian Tantras accept the possibility of divine body, and even the Buddhist Tantras give importance to the principle of divine body. There are three great principles of Buddhism, which occur in stages: sila (chastity), samadhi, and prajna (knowledge). The first two stages mean the purification of the body as well as the mind. As a result of the first two stages, Prajna is attained. The chronological order of these stages is: intellect arises from chastity and samadhi. Until the body is perfectly purified the ability to retain the intellect or absolute knowledge is not attained. Pure knowledge can manifest only in a pure body. Physical purification occurs through chastity and the purification of citta (mind-stuff) occurs through samadhi. Only when rajas and tamas (restlessness and inertia) are attenuated through kriya yoga and sattvaguna (purity) is greatly strenghtened is citta purified. In the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, rtambharaprajna (omniscience) is described as sattvika buddhi (pure or sublime intellect). Looking at it from this angle, the terms nadi suddhi and citta suddhi are synonymous.
Sri Krsna advises his beloved disciple thus: “ the yogi is deemed superior to the ascetic and the philosopher; he is also greater than the ritualist.
Therefore be a yogi, O Arjuna!”.
To be a yogi is to be Urdhvareta.
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Love & truth are the two sides of the same coin.
Let us love each other and to realize the truth of life. We still have the opportunity of the remainder of our life span.
Where there is a will, there is way! Help yourself resolve your procrastination. Let us explore our journey together. You are invited to join us.
With Love,
Thakor Patel
Jay Bhagwan !
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Shaktipot Kundalini