Diss.--Philosophisch-historische Fakultät--Basel, 1979. / Contient des extraits du Yogavāsistharāmāyana. Bibliogr. p. 507-509.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Ph.D. Community Psychology, to the University of Zululand, 2008. / Man belongs to concentric circles of systems that surround him. As a result of breakage in these circles, the functioning of our social eco-systems is disturbed and our planet is in need of healing and transformation. The inner transformation of each individual is the key to the resolution of global crises. Sahaja Yoga (SY) meditation has brought about profound change in the lives of many individuals and it provides a possible solution for our collective survival and regeneration. SY is a form of Kundalini Yoga realised in a safe communial and spiritual context with focus on integrated community Self-realisation. Self-Realisation is the key to self-knowledge and as an individual becomes more balanced, peaceful and compassionate, society as a whole benefits and improves. Hence, SY meditation fosters and nurtures/ nourishes therapeutic community. The phenomenological approach was used to describe the lived experiences of six Sahaja Yogis in this study. Central themes which expressed the essence of the experiences were determined and discussed through the explicitation process outlined by Hycner (1999). These themes included meditation, collectivity, Kundalini healing, transformation and Self-realisation. This study is valuable because spiritual seeking is a natural urge and profound feelings of connectedness are universal human experiences widely reported across cultures, and, therefore, worthy of rigorous, scientific study. Furthermore, this study is valuable because it has provided empirical, experiential evidence as to the value of SY in building and promoting spiritual community and communal spirituality. The scope of the study emerged from indigenous knowledge that arose from original and phenomenological spiritual exploration of sages over the years.

No description available.

I dagens samhälle är det troligen ingen som har undgått termen yoga. Yoga finns på nästintill vartenda gym och termen dyker även upp i olika hälsotidningar från stund till stund. Benämningar så som Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha Yoga, meditation, asana, andningskontroll och cakra förekommer i alla olika kombinationer. Ibland i sådan mångfald att man som läsare inte uppfattar någon skillnad på vad innebörden av dessa termer är, och det hela framstås som ett enda stort virrvarr. Uppsatsens kommer att lyfta fram två yogaformer, av den mångfald som existerar, nämligen Klassisk Yoga och Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Ett argument varför detta är ett intressant fält att beskåda, är av den anledning som nämndes ovan, nämligen mångfalden som ter sig att bli rörig. Ett andra argument är att olika yogaformer oftast får tendensen i populärvetenskap och tidningar att blandas ihop med varandra, vilket resulterar i att de olika egenskaperna som kännetecknar yogatraditionerna blir otydliga. Det är alltså, i min mening, viktigt att särskilja de olika typer av yoga som finns och belysa vad de olika yogatraditionerna har som utmärkande karaktär utifrån ett historisktperspektiv.

Zugl.: Hamburg, Universiẗat, Diss., 2009.

There are many books on Yoga as it has become a fascinating subject of study for many scholars of Yoga. It is an interesting field of study for many scholars. There are many types of Yoga, however, in this thesis only Hatha-Yoga and Raja-Yoga will be considered in detail, Hatha-Yoga and Raja-Yoga will always remain interested in their attempts to give certain physical and mental characteristics to the physical body by certain types of physical exercises and to the mental structure by different types of mental exercises. These physical and mental exercises will develop the process of concentration of mind, the object of which when properly focused, will lead to the attainment of Self-Realization.

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-60). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-60).

As a distinct category of yoga practice, “modern yoga” evades simple definition. Researchers study modern yoga within a variety of disciplines, adding to the ambiguity of the category. These diffuse approaches can harden the disciplinary boundaries that surround certain expressions of the category. Consider that although yoga originated within South Asian religious traditions, some current expressions of yoga practice, such as those found in fitness or biomedical contexts, can appear to have little to do with Religious Studies. However, I suggest that bracketing off such expressions of modern yoga practice—although necessary for specialized analysis—can hinder the fruitful investigation of “yoga” as a more complex category and limit the potential reach of Religious Studies inquiries. In this dissertation, I draw on methods from intellectual history, phenomenology, and comparative analysis to explore the category of modern yoga by developing a typology built around three organizing principles: legitimacy, embodiment, and American identity. Legitimacy represents the various ways that types of modern yoga practice are considered authentic. Embodiment represents the common theme among the various expressions of modern yoga practice that each is an embodied form of practice. I develop embodiment further to analyze the concept of connectedness, which includes connection with oneself, others, and one's environment. Finally, American identity represents how the varieties of modern yoga practice dynamically respond to their cultural contexts. The typology proposes that modern yoga comprises five sub-categories: religious yoga, spiritual yoga, fitness yoga, wellness yoga, and biomedical yoga. Like the unique colors on a palette, these categories are themselves distinct. Yet, also like colors on a palette, each represents just one shade among a nearly infinite number of real-world expressions. I argue that this classificatory system is useful to Religious Studies, because comparative analysis of the subcategories illustrates how even the most apparently secularized forms of yoga practice are relevant for Religious Studies inquiries. By constructing the categories of this typology, while simultaneously blurring their internal boundaries, I provide an expanded conceptual vocabulary with which to discuss the expansive expressions of modern yoga and to support future interdisciplinary work.

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo describir los niveles de Autogobierno en practicantes de yoga. Para ello se evaluó a 81 practicantes de yoga y a 80 personas que no practicaban yoga, que presentaban características sociodemográficas equivalentes, utilizando el Inventario de Componentes Volitivos (Kazén-Saad, 2004), adaptado en una muestra peruana (Argumedo y Romero, 2011). Los resultados indicaron que la práctica de yoga presentaba diferencias significativas con sólo dos áreas del Autogobierno, presentando una relación inversa con la Autorregulación y el Estrés General. Asimismo, se encontró una correlación inversa entre dichas áreas y la frecuencia semanal y el tiempo de práctica. / This research aims to describe the levels of Volitional Components in yoga practitioners. For this research we took 81 yoga practitioners and 80 non-practitioners, who shared the same socio-demographic characteristics. They were assessed using the Volitional Components Inventory (Kazén-Saad, 2004), adapted for a Peruvian sample (Argumedo and Romero, 2011). The results suggested an inverse relationship between yoga practice and two areas of the Volitional Components: Self-Regulation and General Stress. Furthermore, the results showed inverse correlations between these areas as well as the weekly frequency and the time of practice. / Tesis