Practice

The Practice of Prayer Yoga

Today in the world, there is a divorce between power and peace. In the West, there is power but it is blind. In the East, there is peace but it is lame. Prayer-yoga helps to remove this disparity and regain the peaceful power or powerful peace. H.H. Shri Kumarswamiji has described how to practice Prayer-yoga.

All life is verily a yoga. Yoga is yoking of the mind to the soul and the yoking of the soul to the Supreme. Yoga is not life-extinction; it is life-expansion. Yoga is not self-annihilation, it is self-fulfillment. Yoga is not a personality cult but it is a great force of cosmic harmony. Yoga is not the monopoly of anybody but it is the birthright of everybody. Every individual has a right to know the Divine Spirit and to live in its dynamic bliss.

In Prayer-yoga, the harmony between God's grace and man's force is effected through prayer. To be more precise, wild psychic force is turned into mild mystic grace.

Prayer & Yoga

I is our soul

God is our goal

To God yoke the soul

That is yoga for all.

Yoga is harmony. We live by the harmony of several elements and principles. The lungs breathe in harmony with the air; the lungs are therefore said to be in yoga with the air. The heart beats in harmony with the blood; the heart is therefore said to be in yoga with the blood. The soul lives in harmony with the Divine Spirit; the soul is therefore said to be in yoga with God.

All life is verily a yoga. Yoga is yoking of the mind to the soul and the yoking of the soul to the Supreme. Yoga is not life-extinction; it is life-expansion. Yoga is not self-annihilation, it is self-fulfillment. Yoga is not a personality cult but a great force of cosmic harmony. Yoga is not the monopoly of anybody but the birthright of everybody.

There is a steady and upward climb of life from the inorganic to the organic, from the organic to the sentient, from the sentient to the rational, and from the rational to the spiritual. The spiritual fellowship of mankind is the last word of evolution.

Yoga quickens the pace of evolution. Prayer-yoga not only quickens the pace of evolution but helps to evolve the faculties that are essential to bring about the spiritual fellowship.

Sisters and brothers, I am much beholden to all of you who have come from far and near to participate in the deliberations of the International Prayer-yoga Conference. This Prayer-yoga is the first of its kind, not because prayer is a new thing but because Prayer-yoga has a novel technique which is simple and scientific yet effective in its results.

This Prayer-yoga can be conducted collectively as well as individually. One is required to practice this Prayer-yoga once a day individually and once a week collectively at a chosen place for collective prayer. The time chosen for Prayer-yoga is morning.

One is enjoined to sit in a comfortable pose with the right palm upturned and placed on the left palm, the ends of the two thumbs touching each other. This is known as Mudra. According to Yoga Shastra, the thumb contains the fire element; when two thumbs touch each other and are kept near the navel, magnetism is generated and the electric current in the body begins to circulate. This circulation indirectly helps to awaken the dormant kundalini.

Burn the scented stick that yields mild fragrance and place sugar or sugar candy for 'Prasad'. In Prayer-yoga, Mudra and Mantra play an important role.

From left to right – Saptapur in Dharwad, a land of Navakalyan Math where Gurudeva lived in this little room and received the holy mantra “He Prabho Praseed Aum” from the Divine in 1957. Gurudeva performed deep penances (anushthan) here, sitting in neck-deep water in the tanks built in the garden of this ashram specifically for sadhana.

Webmaster's note – Sadly, Navakalyan Math has given this land for commercial purpose and today a gas station stands in the area, barring this little room which is currently used for commercial purpose.

The Four Stages of Prayer-yoga

There are four stages in this Prayer-yoga. The practice combines external purification, internal meditation, invocation of Divine Grace and the offering of gratitude. These stages are intended to bring harmony to the individual and to the collective prayer gathering.

First Stage: External Purification

In the first stage, all members assembled are required to repeat the mantra “HE PRABHO PRASEED AUM” in a chorus for 108 times. This is needed to purify the external atmosphere which is called Bhuta-shuddhi or Bahirang-shuddhi.

The collective repetition of the mantra forms the opening part of the prayer practice. The participants join together in a shared invocation, preparing the atmosphere for the meditation that follows.

Second Stage: Internal Meditation

In the second stage, internal meditation is enjoined with eyes closed and attention fixed on the heart center. One has to meditate on the inner light, saying mentally:

O Lord Thou art Omnipresent

O Lord Thou art Omnipotent

O Lord Thou art Omniscient

O Lord Thou art of the nature of Divine Light

O Lord Thou art seated in my heart.

This should be repeated for ten minutes. This is necessary for internal purification or Antarang-shuddhi .

Third Stage: Invocation of Divine Grace

In the third stage, the mantra “HE PRABHO PRASEED AUM” should be repeated again vocally in a chorus for 108 times. This is needed to invoke the Divine Grace. The Divine descends only when there is internal as well as external purification.

The collective chanting follows the inner meditation and gives expression to the shared prayer of the participants. The practice brings together vocal invocation and inward attention.

Fourth Stage: Gratitude and Prasad

In the fourth stage, all the members present are required to offer gratitude to the grace that has descended and magnetized sugar or sugar candy placed there. This assumes the form of prayer.

For prayer, two songs have been selected and they should be sung in a chorus with an exuberance of emotion. Finally, Prasad should be distributed to all present and, if possible, one of the members may give an exposition on spiritual subjects for a few minutes.

The four stages bring the gathering from external purification to internal meditation, from invocation to gratitude. Prayer-yoga can thus be practised individually as well as collectively.

International Prayer Yoga Circle

Today in the world, there is a divorce between power and peace. In the West, there is power but it is blind. In the East, there is peace but it is lame. Prayer-yoga helps to remove this disparity and regain the peaceful power or powerful peace.

This is a movement which entirely depends upon the constructive support and co-operation of the public for its success. This movement is not merely regional or national but also international.

Aims of the International Prayer Yoga Circle

The aims of the International Prayer-yoga Circle are:

1. To strive for the establishment of world peace by launching a worldwide cultural and moral regeneration campaign.

2. To disseminate simple, unsophisticated and spiritual knowledge with a view to establish universal brotherhood based on the unity of life as a whole.

3. To train a band of volunteers whose lives are entirely dedicated to the service of humanity with the ideals of righteous conduct and selfless service.

4. To give practical lessons for psychological discipline and to foster a synthetic as well as sympathetic attitude towards all religions, all forms of yoga and all systems of thought. Synthesis and service are the two watchwords of the circle.

5. To develop a keen sense in humanity for the higher values of life and to bring about a worldwide revival of spirituality and yoga through books, pamphlets, magazines, lectures, radio talks and other means.