The yogic style of devotional music known as kirtan is a form of bhakti yoga. The ancient words of the songs, the call-and-response process of the singing, and the vibrations of the voices and instruments truly bring one closer to one’s Higher Power. Any form of devotional and inspirational music, such as gospel, classical, or instrumental, among others, can be seen as a yoga utilizing all our passions and directing them in a healthy and reverent manner. The various prayers recited at meetings and the choral readings of the Twelve Steps can be interpreted as a form of bhakti yoga; we are listening to our highest desires for ourselves, and through this repetition we align ourselves with our Higher Power and right thinking.
Jnana Yoga
Trying to discern the real from the unreal through the use of mental faculties is the practice of jnana (jan-ya) yoga. Using insight, knowledge, and wisdom, we search for the true self; jnana yoga leads us to our true self by removing all that is not our true self, or our false beliefs. This form of yoga relies primarily on the intellect.
Referring to the work of Tav Sparks, the study of jnana yoga and working the steps go hand in hand. Jnana yoga involves using our will “aligned with the Divine Will” and the skills of “discrimination, renunciation, the cultivation of our spiritual impulse” as well as “tranquility, self-restraint, abstention, endurance, concentration and faith.”3 The use of these tools underscores the fact that we must practice our program with a sponsor or another mentor in addition to practicing yoga, and thereby incorporate these yogic skills in the process of working the steps. The Twelve Steps take us through a process that is very similar to jnana yoga.
Once we have surrendered our addictive behavior and have established or developed a spiritual path, we begin looking at our deluded thinking. We evaluate our past behavior and try to see the themes and trends in our thinking and past values. From that point we work with our sponsor to get outside wisdom on what we are beginning to discern as modes of unwise, unuseful thinking. We use this process to “disrobe reality to find the divinity within.” Throughout recovery we return again and again to this process of thorough review as we become more and more perceptive about our behavior and motivations, both past and present. For ongoing issues we practice Step Ten, taking a daily inventory of both the good and the bad, the useful and the unhelpful, gaining insight and knowledge from that process. By practicing these principles we move toward integration with our authentic self.
Control of the senses and desires through the discipline of self-study can help achieve this union with the atman, or self.
Karma Yoga
Karma yoga is the yoga of action and consequence. Action can be positive or negative. Good (positive) action can come from a clear space in the heart and be performed with no desire for recognition. This type of pure action can be thought of as action performed in dedication to the divine or Higher Power; the action itself is a channeling of the divine and the result is dedicated to the divine. There is no thought or condition of a personal benefit or reflection of that action. The Bhagavad Gita, the ancient Sanskrit text in which karma yoga is defined and discussed, states that “without concern for results, perform the necessary action: surrendering all attachments, accomplish life’s highest good.” This is the perfect definition of service: doing what is required and letting go of the results. This is a yogic way and it is the twelve-step way. In the programs of recovery, we perform service to the group by participating in meetings, doing hospital and institution (H & I) work, chairing, acting as secretary, or taking other vital positions, and we perform service to one another by speaking, sharing, sponsoring, and being sponsored. These activities keep us aligned with right action. Many of these do have the outcome of keeping us sober as well as keeping the organization thriving and vibrant. These are not the results for which we do these things; they are the outcomes.
Good action can also come from a well-meaning heart but may have some residual essence of self-seeking or reward. While the action is good, the motives are not as clear or “clean” as those of selfless service. Good or positive consequences may occur, but they are possibly not as beneficial as those of the purest actions. If we do a service for other than a pure motive, it does not bring us closer to our divine self or Higher Power. If I chair a meeting so that I can be known as “Ms. Recovery,” and I wish to get acknowledgment or praise for my participation, my good service may indeed benefit others; however, I do not receive as much of a spiritual benefit, as the action is taken to feed my ego. If it was not an offering to my Higher Power or the internal eternal divine, but to me instead, it lacks purity. If I chair a meeting exclusively to be a channel of recovery in action, to be the voice of the Twelve Steps, then I have performed an activity in pure karma action.
Raja Yoga
Raja yoga is also known as the royal yoga, or yoga of kings. Raja yoga was designed to bring the body, spirit, and mind into balance so that one can exist in peace and experience well-being. The path of raja yoga works with the body, mind, and spirit so that one would find ease in the practice of meditation. It was this integral form of yoga that drew me into its practice, that invited me onto the path of deeper self-discovery, and it is the path I have been following for many years. It is the practice of raja yoga in combination with the Twelve Steps that has brought me to a more profound level of recovery. It deepened my inner journey of self-acceptance, of right living, and of recovery of body, mind, and spirit. These benefits and my belief in the relapse-prevention value of raja yoga brought me to write this book and is its major focus.
Raja yoga was codified in writing for the first time by an ancient Indian sage, Patanjali, in the form of verses known as sutras. These verses documented the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual steps that would lead to enlightenment: knowledge of our true selves. This is that part of us that is free from the disturbances of the ego and the confusion of self-centered thinking, speech, and action. Enlightenment comes as we know the innermost self, the divine center, our atman. There are eight limbs on this path that progressively lead to greater and greater degrees of integration. While these steps are sequential, they are not exclusive; one builds upon the other and each is repeated many times, just like those in a twelve-step program.
Sanskrit Terms
The original language of yoga is Sanskrit. The words used to identify the “eight limbs of raja yoga” are most commonly referred to by their Sanskrit names. While these terms are strange sounding, they are pronounced fairly phonetically. They are part of the parlance in many yoga magazines, texts, and some classes. Their use is not to alienate the “uninitiated” but to preserve and honor parts of this ancient tradition. To become familiar with these terms, I offer them to you here. The eight limbs are the yamas (restraints), the niyamas (observances), hatha (the physical yoga practice), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses to the internal landscape), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (super-conscious state, union with the universe).
The restraints (yamas) are five activities we refrain from performing. The observances (niyamas) are five activities we attempt to incorporate into our daily lives. In summary, the eight limbs are:
| English Equivalent | Sanskrit Term |
| The Don’ts—Restraints | The Yamas |
| The Dos—Observances | The Niyamas |
| Body Control | Hatha/Asana |
| Breath Control | Pranayama |
| Detachment | Pratyahara |
|
|