Most disciples are aware of the material benefits of practicing Guru Siyag's Yoga: Freedom from diseases, addiction and stress. When disciples experience these benefits they know they are progressing. But what are the many spiritual experiences that act as milestone of progress? Given below are a few (these are NOT the only markers of progress):
1. GSSY is based on the Ashtānga (eight-fold / eight-limbed) philosophy of Yoga as codified by Sage Patānjali in the Yoga Sutra. The practice of GSSY leads to an easy and effortless realization of these eight limbs.
2. After sustained practice, mantra chanting (mental repetition) becomes involuntary. This experience is known as Ajapā Jāpa. In this state, the practitioner finds that the mantra is being chanted endlessly within him / her of its own accord, without any effort on the part of the practitioner.
3. When the seeker chants the mantra relentlessly (or experiences Ajapā Jāpa), it transforms itself into a divine sound. This is known as Anhad Nāda. Physical sound is created when one object strikes another. The Anhad Nāda has no such physical origin; it is an unstruck, ceaseless sound that pervades the entire universe. The Nād is heard by the seeker in one of his ears, and is an indication of the seeker crossing a major threshold of spiritual development.
4. Through the practice of GSSY, the practitioner attains many divine powers. One of these divine powers is known as Prātibh Gyāna (Intuitive Knowledge). When this knowledge is attained, the practitioner is able to foresee and hear events of the unlimited future and past.
5. During meditation seekers may experience Khechri Mudrā, a yogic posture where the tongue is pulled backwards and prods a point in the roof of the mouth which secrets Amrit a divine nectar, which is the elixir of life. Amrit fortifies the body’s immunity and frees a practitioner from incurable illnesses.
6. The practice of GSSY brings about a change in the practitioner’s Vrittis (inner tendencies) from Tāmasic (dark, dull, inert) to Rājasic (passionate, energetic) to Sāttavic (positive, pure, enlightened). A transformation in Vrittis essentially means an overall change in the practitioner’s personality.
7. The practitioner ultimately attains Moksha (liberation from cycle of life and death) and divine transformation.a
1. GSSY is based on the Ashtānga (eight-fold / eight-limbed) philosophy of Yoga as codified by Sage Patānjali in the Yoga Sutra. The practice of GSSY leads to an easy and effortless realization of these eight limbs.
2. After sustained practice, mantra chanting (mental repetition) becomes involuntary. This experience is known as Ajapā Jāpa. In this state, the practitioner finds that the mantra is being chanted endlessly within him / her of its own accord, without any effort on the part of the practitioner.
3. When the seeker chants the mantra relentlessly (or experiences Ajapā Jāpa), it transforms itself into a divine sound. This is known as Anhad Nāda. Physical sound is created when one object strikes another. The Anhad Nāda has no such physical origin; it is an unstruck, ceaseless sound that pervades the entire universe. The Nād is heard by the seeker in one of his ears, and is an indication of the seeker crossing a major threshold of spiritual development.
4. Through the practice of GSSY, the practitioner attains many divine powers. One of these divine powers is known as Prātibh Gyāna (Intuitive Knowledge). When this knowledge is attained, the practitioner is able to foresee and hear events of the unlimited future and past.
5. During meditation seekers may experience Khechri Mudrā, a yogic posture where the tongue is pulled backwards and prods a point in the roof of the mouth which secrets Amrit a divine nectar, which is the elixir of life. Amrit fortifies the body’s immunity and frees a practitioner from incurable illnesses.
6. The practice of GSSY brings about a change in the practitioner’s Vrittis (inner tendencies) from Tāmasic (dark, dull, inert) to Rājasic (passionate, energetic) to Sāttavic (positive, pure, enlightened). A transformation in Vrittis essentially means an overall change in the practitioner’s personality.
7. The practitioner ultimately attains Moksha (liberation from cycle of life and death) and divine transformation.a
