The Bihar School of Yoga propagates certain forms of Yoga like Living Yoga propounded by Swami Niranjananda Saraswati. It spells out a certain vision of Sannyasa. Navodita, our Yoga expert tells us more about it, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths.
The Bihar School of Yoga believes in training young minds for not just holistic living but preparing them for a tough world keeping a positive attitude and understanding selfless service. In order to promote such living, they have set up ashrams with a set ashram routine. An ashram is an embodiment of a simple living, a place of inspiration because it does not teach or preach; it exhibits and the yogi imbibes what is applicable. Some of the activities which are encouraged in the ashram are Mahamrityunjay Havan, Bhagavad Gita Paath, Sundarkand Paath, Guru Bhakti Yoga and Akhand Ramayana Paath. They practice an austere lifestyle considering today’s day and age – starting with a rouser at 4 AM, breakfast at 6 AM, lunch at 11:30 AM, and dinner served at 5:30 PM. These are interspersed with sessions of Sewa, Kirtans, private study or Sadhana and observance of Mauna(silence).
Along with ashram living, the Bihar School of Yoga also propagates certain other forms of Yoga like Living Yoga propounded by Swami Niranjananda Saraswati, the spiritual successor of Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Living Yoga spells out a certain vision of Sannyasa – to uplift the human society from their grief, pain, and suffering, whether social, spiritual, mental or physical, in whatever form it may be. Sri Swamiji often said, “I do not want emancipation. My only intention is to serve. My destination is to serve. My aim is to serve.”
He gave a vision of Sannyasa Peeth that it should bring hope, luminosity, happiness, and joy, by living a 
life in which one can be selfless, committed and sincere, endowed with faith and conviction. That is the life of Sannyasa, and those people who live this life become selfless. Sri Swamiji served to prepare the sannyasins to be selfless – those who are dedicated and devoted and who have the strength, courage, and conviction to move away from selfish awareness, selfish needs, and selfish life. Usually, those who want to follow the path of Sannyasa recommit themselves again and again and be re-initiated. They make a commitment to live a certain life of Sannyasa to the fullest. They spread the message of yogis to make people more aware of the ways and lifestyle of yogis. They also impart knowledge and education to the seekers to know more about the art, science, and philosophy that yoga is. They have, from time to time, held conventions to spread what yoga is all about – quality life, Sattvic life and ‘divine’ life.
Since ashram is a place where one can try to become aware of the inner strength that can be cultivated to make life easier and better, we often get entangled with our own minds, with our own likes and dislikes, ambitions and needs and desires, so much so that the focus of the aim is lost. Swamiji asks – where is the sincerity in that? The commitment? The seriousness? The three most important words that allow an 
individual to grow in spiritual life are sincerity, seriousness, and commitment. This school of Yoga believes that just as when we are born, family members welcome the newborn baby, Prakriti or Nature has identified six people who will welcome the newborn baby – Kama or passion, desire and likes; Krodha or anger, the aggressive nature; Lobha or greed, Moha or infatuation and attachment; Mada or arrogance; Matsarya or jealousy and envy, competitiveness. Everything is processed by these six friends – the relationship between husband and wife, the interaction in society and even the relationship between disciple and guru. These first friends have expectations because they are made to give you happiness and pleasure that you expect from them. They begin to expect support and comfort, happiness and contentment from all of your associations because you have been told that by your Vasana, your Kama that you can fulfill your desires through the people you meet.
As life progresses, you begin to realise that the six friends who have lived with you all your life are not your well-wishers. They have motivated you to achieve greater things in life, but in the process, they have removed the feelings of contentment, pleasure, and happiness. There is more strife, conflict, struggle, and suffering. You realise that all the efforts, ideas, mentalities, and perceptions that you have had until now are misguiding you. When this awareness arises, it makes you move towards your spiritual self. It is a guru who teaches you how to connect with the positive emotions and positive thoughts. Therefore, the role of guru in the life of a spiritual aspirant is to teach the person how to overcome the influences of the six friends who have been with us until today and who are now restricting and opposing our advancement in spiritual life.
Thus, they promote the ashram life so that such gurus can be groomed and nurtured from the very start to benefit the society at large. The one feeling that is promoted among all gurus is the joy of service and giving. Next time we will be back with more knowledge about diverse forms of yoga forms and their teachings.
©Navodita Pande
Photos from the Internet.
#Yoga #Asana #BiharSchoolOfYoga #SannyasaPeeth #Sattvic #Guru #YogaTeachings #BhagavadGitaPaath #SundarkandPaath #GuruBhaktiYoga #HolisticHealing #DifferentTruths
By
By
By