8 limbs of life/yoga

Yama, Following the universal "code of conduct"; non-violence, truth, non-stealing, self-restraint, non-hoarding
Niyama, Following individual "code of conduct"; purity of mind and body, contentment, austerity or self-discipline, study of the self and religious scriptures, and dedication to the lord
Asana, Practicing Hatha Yoga or the yoga poses, as with anything else, the more you practice, the better you get!
Pranayama, breathing exercises is the bridge from the asanas to the meditative practices of yoga. The variety of breathing practices are both energizing and inward looking. Need to work with a teacher.
Pratyhara, teaches us about our reactive mind. We learn to discipline the mind to not react to every little thing. Reactions such as judgment, envy and anger lose their power. Withdrawal of the senses.
Dharana, is concentration. It is concentrating on something to learn how to calm the mind. Watching repetitive simple thoughts, sounds or the breath may be used.
Dhyana, is meditation. Pure awareness of the SELF. This is an effortless state concerned with self-understanding, peace of mind and happiness.
Samadhi, is the ultimate goal in yoga. Reaching the stillness in the mind, so that you can reach the divine state of the SELF.

What are different forms of Yoga?

There are many different forms of Yoga: Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga are all well known forms of Yoga, but there are many more.

Hatha yoga is the physical yoga, 'ha' means sun, representing our soul 'tha' means moon, representing the cosmic consciousness, various different asanas will affect different astral bodies.

According to Wikipedia, “Karma yoga, or the "discipline of action" is one of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga focuses on the adherence to duty (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward. It states that one can attain Moksha (salvation) by doing his duties in an unselfish manner.” Whenever you do any kind of community work, or volunteer work, that is considered Karma yoga.

Raja Yoga is different and involves psycho-physical meditation techniques to attain experiences of the truth and finally achieve liberation.

Bhakti yoga is the Hindu term for the spiritual practice of fostering of loving devotion to God, called bhakti. Bhakti yoga is generally considered the easiest of the four general paths to liberation, or moksha.

Jnana in Sanskrit means "knowledge", and is often interpreted to mean "knowledge of the true self". To say, "I am Brahman, the pure, all-pervading Consciousness, the non-enjoyer, non-doer and silent witness," is jnana. To behold the one Self everywhere is jnana.

As you can see, we all need to practice different forms of yoga in order to reach liberation, these are just different roads to reach the SELF, staying in any one form of yoga will not get you there!

Sahasrara (7th energy center), Crown chakra

The seventh center (Sahasrara) is the chakra which integrates all the chakras with their respective qualities. It is the last milestone of the evolution of human awareness. It is located at the crown of the head. Nowadays, we are at a level which corresponds to this chakra, and our consciousness is able to easily enter into this new realm of perception, which is beyond our limited mind and concepts, and which becomes absolute at the level of the Sahasrara. It is the direct, absolute perception of Reality on our central nervous system.

At the point of the Sahasrara we go beyond the relative to the Absolute, and into the Absolute realization of Heaven on Earth. This is a country far beyond our wildest imaginings, so much more than our words can even seek to imply. This is our ultimate destination, stretching out forever. Our progress towards this goal is a living process. When the seed matures it naturally sprouts. When the Kundalini reaches the Sahasrara, the lotus petals open and enlightenment takes place. You may feel a pulsation in the crown of the head, followed by a melting sensation and a flow of cool vibrations from the fontanel areas. This is the baptism by which you know that you are truly born again.

Ajna (6th chakra), Third eye, between the eyebrows

Ajna (Agya), is the 6th chakra located between the eyebrows, referred to as the third eye. It represents the higher consciousness, and or the higher SELF. Ajna or the command center has two petals. The symbol in the middle is OM (AUM), which represents beginning and end of all things. This chakra is associated with violet color.

It functions as the central point where different flows of Prana meet and are distributed. This chakra has control over seeing, not only in the physical sense but in the mystical sense of seeing into the higher planes; intuitive seeing, clairvoyance and the other paranormal forms of knowing. And when active, the seat of Divine Intelligence. The Ajna center controls all higher mental activities. This includes intuitive thought, rational thought and memory.

When the sixth chakra is active, consciousness and unconsciousness merge and whatever gulf there was beforehand is permanently abolished. Integration becomes complete and a person sees himself as the union of selves, the I AM. A person in this condition remembers and experiences himself at every stage of his life from the cradle upwards, and he remembers all those individual energy fields that combined to create his particular energy field, including those two most important fields "mother and father". Because his remembrance is complete, he can go beyond the point of terror, beyond the moment he first experienced separation from the universal field to a time when there was only union and unconditional love.

Ajna Meditation

In the Ajna meditation, you will get in touch with the quality which harmonizes everything within you. To begin the Ajna meditation, find a comfortable position with your back straight. Close your eyes and begin breathing deeply through your nose without separation between inhalation and exhalation, and feel yourself relaxing. Take your time and become conscious of your body by following your breath for about five minutes. After five minutes, bring your attention to your sixth chakra, between your eyebrows. Then bring your breath to your sixth chakra. On each inhalation feel the energy centered in your third eye grow stronger. You will feel it as a heat and intensity which will grow stronger on each inhalation.

As it grows more powerful, visualize the energy there as a ball of indigo light. Experience and visualize it growing stronger and brighter for about two or three minutes. Then feel your consciousness move upward until it reaches a point between your eyebrows and feel your consciousness centered in the ball of energy. Then become the ball of energy and feel yourself radiating from that center through your body and into the outer environment.

Feel yourself as the union of selves. Feel your mind radiate in all directions simultaneously and feel yourself fill the room with your consciousness. Pay attention to how you feel physically, emotionally and mentally. The more you are centered in the third eye, the more complete will be the union between consciousness and unconsciousness. In this condition you will feel what seems like an electrical current running through your physical body, and your entire head will begin to glow with the center of this fire being the third eye.

Vishudha chakra (5th energy center), Throat chakra

The fifth center of force is Vishuddha chakra and its location is at the base of the throat. It symbolizes the pure consciousness, and creativity. it represents the importance of speaking the truth. On a psychic level, it governs expression, inspiration in speech, eloquence, and perception of the archetypal models. This chakra is associated with Ether element and color blue.

On a physical level, it controls the activity of the vocal cords, of the hearing, of the pharynx and esophagus. Vishuddha chakra is the symbol of sound, dreams and purity.

Ether breath: Breath in and out through the mouth and the nose, imagine vastness of the space.
Breath slowly and relaxed. The activation of this energy center favors the understanding of non-verbal messages. The effects of meditating on Vishuddha chakra are: calmness, serenity, pleasant voice, awakening of the artistic inspiration, capacity of interpreting correctly the sacred scriptures, and of understanding the secret language and message of dreams.The person whose Vishuddha chakra is active and in harmony will seek the true knowledge that is beyond time, cultural and hereditary limitations. Resonating with this type of energy equals the freedom from the tempests of the world and the problems raised by the ego. The idea of cosmic consciousness, expansiveness, infinity.

Anahata (4th Chakra), Heart chakra, Air element

The 4th chakra, Anahata, is located at the heart center. It is the center for emotions, compassion, concern, sympathy, empathy, softness, forgiveness, sentiment, deep acceptance, sensitivity. It is associated with color green and the air element.

Air Breath: Breath in through the mouth and out through the mouth, very soft, and gentle breaths, visualize clouds moving across the sky, grass blown in waves by breeze, blossom petals drifting down, kite, birds floating. Meditating on this chakra can create compassion and empathy.

When we are in tune with the natural rhythm of our heart and experience the warm, nurturing glow that it generates, we know we are connected to the Source of all healing and spiritual power. We are able to surrender to, unconditionally accept and delightfully enjoy life as it presents itself moment to moment. We are in love with life and that is more than enough to make us happy and at peace with ourselves, each other and the world.