The word 'Siddha' means perfect. So, Siddha yoga means perfecting the art of yoga. It is also called the 'maha' or the great yoga because it is the fusion of many different kinds of yoga. The different kinds of yoga that are blended together in this form of yoga are Hatha Yoga, Laya Yoga, Raja Yoga and the Mantra Yoga. The Siddha yoga is considered as the path from the darkness to the light. For this spiritual awakening, the students need to follow a master, a guru. This master is called the Siddha Guru, meaning the perfect master.
This practice is believed to free the individual from all physical and mental constraints. Many great men in the history have derived benefits from this practice. Siddha yoga has its roots in the Vedanta and the Kashmir Shaivism. Meditation is the main activity of this yoga. The guru does the job of arousing the disciples' Kundalini which is the way to achieve total awareness. The achieved awakening is called Shaktipat. This form of yoga was started by Bhagwan Nityananda and is continued today by the Gurumayi Chidvilasananda.
This form of yoga believes in the concept of work hard and be free. The four principles of this yoga are meditation, omnipresence of god, reaching out to the heart and a realization that everything that exists is Shiva. The activities that comprise Siddha yoga are:
* Meditation by chanting "Om Namah Shivaya"
* Sacred songs in praise of the gods; typically sung in Sanskrit language. There are other texts that are sung too.
* Then there is 'seva' which means to serve all.
* 'Dakshina' is the manifest content of the thankfulness that the disciples feel for the guru. This gratitude can be expressed in any form; monetary or by simply expressing it.
* The 'satsang', which is a gathering of all the yogis for prayer, meditation or songs.
* Studying the literature of Siddha yoga.
* Retreat.
* The last is another form of yoga called the Hatha Yoga.
To get clarity on what 'Shaktipat' is let's elaborate further. When one reaches the intensive stage of this yogic practice, Gurumayi bestows the Shaktipat-diksha- the arousing of the Kundalini- a path of divine energy within us. Kundalini once awakened, reinforces ones spiritual practices. Each time you practice Siddha Yoga, you move towards awakening and self realization.
The secret of the practices of this yoga is that they are made lively by the dynamic energy of the Siddha yoga guru. And when one practices them, they appear larger than life. One can derive true benefit of the Siddha yoga only by staying in the company of the other students in various meditation centers, ashrams etc. Staying in the right company under the grace of the gurus is a massive step towards ones spiritual awakening.
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