-
Step 1
Develop mental, emotional, physical and spiritual strength by following the five yoga principles, guidelines which used in all yoga styles but heavily stressed by Swami Sivananda. The princples are proper exercise, or performing the yoga postures which are unchanged from other forms of yoga, proper breathing, taught in yoga as pranayama, relaxation, practiced in yoga through savasana, proper diet, expressed by Sivananda as a vegetarian diet, and positive thinking developed through meditation.
-
Step 2
Practice the four paths of yoga, the first being karma, or yoga of action. Purify the heart, act selflessly, and write and recite mantras to help focus your energy in a positive fashion to benefit yourself and the world around you.
-
Step 3
Follow the path of devotion, or bhakti yoga, by channeling and transforming your emotion into unconditional love. Chant, sing, pray and worship as part of your practice of Sivananda style yoga.
-
Step 4
Learn to control mental energy, the path of raja yoga or the "royal road," which helps you to use thoughts, bodily energy and emotion in a more positive form. Raja yoga is practiced through meditation and relaxation techniques in an attempt to free Prana, or the life force of the body.
-
Step 5
Seek knowledge, the path of jnana yoga, the key to Sivananda yoga. Through devotion to the five principles and practice of the three other paths, yogis will embark on a search for self-realization. When the mind and body are strong, the separation between "God" and the individual will dissolve and the yogi will find true wisdom.
