Yoga - Kripalu Yoga/Yoga and emotions/12 Steps

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Kripalu Yoga/Yoga and emotions/12 Steps

omjaroo

2006-09-23, 9:33 pm

Sirgerry,

> About the 12 steps, is that the AA program or is there another 12 steps
> I may not be aware of?

Yes that would be the 12 steps of AA. However the steps have been
adapted to over-eaters, anger, sex, co-dependance, smoking, you name
it. As you explore yoga you will find that the 12 steps are very much a
part of a number of different yogic paths. However they are not
referred to as the 12 steps :-) The 12 steps are really about a person
"reconnecting" to who they are.

The 12 steps represent decisions to be made and actions to be taken to
begin (and continue) a life of Sadhana or spiritual practice. You can
read and understand Sadhana from a yoga point of view here.
http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/teachings.htm You can find the
original AA 12 steps here. http://recovery.org/aa/misc/12steps.html

The 12 steps are uniquely suited to westerners, which is why they are
so tremendously effective in improving peoples life's, especially those
who are suffering the effects of compulsion.

I know and understand that all of the compulsions of man are a response
to fear. So if I were to adapt the 12 steps they might look like this.

1. We admitted we were powerless over our fear. That we had lost
meaningful connection to who we are.

2. Came to believe that there is a power greater then our fear, which
could restore our awareness of and connection to our Real Self
(sanity).

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of
God, as we understood Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of our fears and our
reactions to our fears.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, our
deepest fears and the exact nature of our trespasses, committed
because of them.

6. We were entirely ready to have God remove each and every fear.

7. We humbly asked God to remove our fears.

8. Made a list of all persons, places and things we had harmed out of
fear and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people, places, or things wherever
possible, except when to do so would injure anyone or anything.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we act in fear,
promptly admit it.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious
contact with God as we understood Him and Our Self, asking only for
knowledge of our purpose and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps we
continue to learn and practice these principles in all of our affairs,
without reserve and carry this message to others who are fearful,
without expectation.

Hope this helps.

Jared
o
^

Sirgerry

2006-09-25, 4:28 pm

My deepest thanks for all your help to newbies like me omjaroo. I will
print those steps and place them where I can see them, they are really
golden nuggets. I'm glad I found this user groups, it's the kindest and
most compassionate I've been to.

Goes to show you, Yoga makes you a kinder, loving person.

Again, to all, Peace!