Till 19th Century wherever the term ‘Yoga’ was used, people visualized a mystic doing some extraordinary things like sleeping on the bed of nails or standing on a leg or telling someone’s fortune or a healer. Though the scriptures like Vedas , Upanishads ,Bhagvadgeeta, Patanjal Yoga darshan etc described yoga. It was not upto the reach of common man. If someone tried practicing pranayama, people use to frighted him by telling the dangers of doing it. In short there was no awareness about the potential which yoga has to impact a common man’s life.
In such scenario Swami Sivanada Saraswati asked Swami Satyananda to spread the message of yoga from ‘door to door & shore to shore’. Unaware of what exactly has to be done, swamiji was confused. He came to Nasik and prayed lord Trayambakeshwara or Shiva for further guidance. And then with grace of lord Shiva started the journey of Satyananda Yoga.
Today there are more than thousand Satyanada yoga centers in around 80 countries including Muslim dominated nations. Thousands of Sanyasins spreading the message of yoga truly from ‘door to door & shore to shore’. There are 5 institues named ‘Bihar School of Yoga’ ‘Sivananda Math’ ‘Paramhamsa Alakh Bara’ ‘International Yoga research foundation’ & ‘ Bihar Yoga Bharti’ developed by Swamiji which also includes world’s first yoga university i.e Bihar Yoga Bharti. Swamiji has also authored more than 80 books on yoga, health management & spirituality.
The methods taught by him are taught in very simple manner. The techniques starts with purification of body through asana & pranayama. Purification of mind through mantra japa & ajapa japa. Purification of karmas through practices of karma yoga or Nishkama karma. Once purified, mind automatically starts settling into dharna & thus resulting into dhyna. All these techniques are taught in there centers & also in the Ashram at Munger & Rikhia.
Although these practices helps us leading a healthy life, still Swamiji has stressed more on selfless service, purifying antakarana & developing unconditional love. Because these qualities takes lifetime to develop. And until these qualities are developed , the pathway to spiritual development is blocked, one may practice meditation for years but will not succeed until the above qualities are developed.
Work done by Swamiji in his lifetime will form the basis for the coming century or may be the next millennium. After the era of maharishis who wrote Vedas & Upanishads, Swamiji was the next rishi who brought the yoga from scriptures to a level where it can be implemented by a common man in everyday life. In last thousand years not such a yogi came to this world. He is really the yogi of the millennium. Today on 5th December 2009 he got into Mahasamadhi. May we all follow the techniques given by him to enrich our life and living to the true purpose of it. May his grace always remain with us.
Hariom Tat Sat..!
Fore more info about Swamiji visit
www.yogavision.net
www.yogamag.org
