Siddha Yoga – History and How to do it?

History of Siddha Yoga

Bhagawan Nityananda who belonged to the southern part of India created an ashram with a few disciples in 1936. As his ashram grew, so did his disciples and one of them was Muktananda who learnt and adhered to the principles of Nityananda and after his death it was Muktananda who took over the reins of the ashram. He worked hard to make it flourish and soon the ashram became a pilgrimage sight and an international retreat.

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Muktananda popularized Muktananda’s preaching about expanding our mystical self through yoga that will help us become one with God. This principle of Siddha yoga was also endeared by his English interpreter Chidvilasananda and she became co-guru with Muktananda while preaching the principles of Siddha yoga in prisons.

How to Practice Siddha Yoga?

Siddha yoga is all about meditation under the guidance of a master or guru. This meditation is aimed to bring you closer to God so that you are able to awaken to your inner self’s true potential. The three basic principles of Siddha yoga are:

Spiritual Practice

This is the time when you start meditating. Do not expect to achieve spiritual richness overnight as that needs weeks, months and years to get there. While you need to practice this, it also depends on your spiritual self. Some people are more spiritual than others and can detach themselves from worldly pleasures with ease.

For those who cannot, you need to seek guidance from your master who will channel you in the right path. But those who do not have a guiding light try with concentration. The path is long and difficult. But you will reach the end of it feeling rich from within.

Shaktipat

Your guru can connect with you with the help of cosmic energy and impart you with certain powers. But you too need to walk that path and that is what Shaktipat is. It is a path that will lead to the awakening of your cosmic energy or Kundalini.

Self Awakening

It is the awakening of your Kundalini or cosmic energy. While your guru can help you in this awakening, your Kundalini can awaken on its own if your reach a spiritual level that can enable to you connect with God. But this is just the beginning. Your true spiritual journey will start once your Kundalini has awakened. That is when you do not need any other master as it is the cosmic energy within you that will guide you forward.