Yoga Teacher Training Forum

I did search for the head jerking sites. There is not much, but another person who has the same demon story as Head Pressure. Again, not a reputable site with medical or scientific references, but a site that might make you look under your bed at night. Suffice to say if you are confused and guilty about your spiritual self, you could believe you see demons. People in the 50s often claimed they spoke to people from Venus and Mars. You can still see the old black and white films about UFO reports in the 50s. Now, things get more sophisticated and aliens come from further away. :-)

The demon is probably some built in psychological phenomenon of moral conscience. This could happen to anyone who believes he or she has done wrong by meditation, yoga or being happy. Puritans believed happiness was evil. You could be accused of being a witch just for being happy. Meditating for happiness and laughter yoga could make you feel guilty if you have a hang up. Maybe that's where the head jerking demons come into it. Personally, I am afraid of big spiders.

"Christian Meditation involves thinking of verses of scripture from the Bible and letting the Holy Spirit give you revelation of its meaning."

Is this really different from many forms of Bhakti Yoga meditation? Many people pray, chant or sing hymns for divine guidance. It is when some one has so much guilt, angst, and intolerance for other religions that they become plagued by self-created demons. My suggestion is let your self enjoy life or seek out professional counseling because we all have demons. Mine is chocolate covered pretzels. They haunt me, but I have to deal with them. Some times I can't get them out of my head and nothing can come close to the temptation they create within my mind.

You may still be asking, "What Is Bhakti Yoga Meditation?"

Bhakti Yoga meditation is the meditation of Divine Love. There are many different forms of Bhakti Yoga meditation. These various forms generally fall into two different categories of meditative techniques. One category is the process of falling into the silence generated by the repetition of a sacred mantra. The other meditative technique that is used quite frequently in Bhakti meditation practices is the visualization and merging into the form of one' beloved deity or Guru. Both of these meditative techniques reap generous spiritual rewards.

During the process of Shaktipat initiation, a realized being or Guru initiates a disciple through the awakening of the dormant Kundalini Shakti energy. This process of initiation and bestowal of grace occurs through the sankalpa or intention of the master, a glance, touch or bestowal of a sacred mantra. The Kundalini Shakti can be awakened solely through the intention of the Guru and even at a distance through a dream.

If the Kundalini Shakti is awakened by the bestowal of a sacred mantra, the ongoing practice of prayer, japa or mantra repetition will nourish the awakened Kundalini energy. When a devotee sits for meditation and repeats this enlivened mantra, the vibration of the mantra's syllables will bring his or her mind to rest. With cessation of the vrittis or thought waves of the mind, meditation will come easily to the devotee. This form of Bhakti Yoga meditation is ultimately based on the bond of love between the Guru and disciple.

The visualization and merging into one's beloved Guru or deity is another popular form of Bhakti Yoga meditation. This practice is common in Buddhism, Hinduism and Christian mysticism. Many Christians pray to God, Jesus, Mary, other saints and angels. The devotion and longing to merge into the heart of the divine is unquenchable by anything except oneness with God. This oneness can be obtained by a steadfast and continual focus on one's chosen deity. There are prayers and ceremonies that are offered in honor of the chosen Guru or deity that bring one closer into the essence and state of that particular chosen being.

These two Bhakti Yoga meditation techniques are very powerful in their ability to align and saturate a devotee with the energy of divinity. The practice of mantra initiation and repetition helps to purify, uplift and align a devotee's heart and mind with the heart of God. The process of focusing on God with ardent, one-pointed devotion will ultimately bestow the grace of that master or deity on the disciple, eventually merging the disciple's heart into the divine essence of God's heart.