“Windows To Spirituality”
Music Genre A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from musical form and musical style, although in practice these terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Music can be divided into genres in varying ways, such as popular music and art music, or religious...
Genre Genre is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other forms of art or entertainment, whether written or spoken, audio or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria, yet genres...
Spirituals Spirituals (Negro spirituals, Spiritual music, or African-American spirituals) is a genre of music that is “purely and solely the creation” of generations of African Americans, which merged African cultural heritage with the experiences of being held in bondage in slavery, at first during the transatlantic slave trade—the largest and one of the most inhumane forced...
Alertness Alertness is the state of active attention by high sensory awareness such as being watchful and prompt to meet danger or emergency, or being quick to perceive and act. It is related to psychology as well as to physiology. A lack of alertness is a symptom of a number of conditions, including narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder, chronic fatigue...
Coptic Orthodox Church The Coptic Orthodox Church or the Egyptian Orthodox Church, also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt, servicing Africa and the Middle East. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the Pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark, who also carries the title of Father...
What Is Self-criticism? Self-criticism involves how an individual evaluates oneself. Self-criticism in psychology is typically studied and discussed as a negative personality trait in which a person has a disrupted self-identity. The opposite of self-criticism would be someone who has a coherent, comprehensive, and generally positive self-identity. Self-criticism is often associated with major depressive disorder. Some theorists...
Sahaja Yoga Sahaja Yoga is a religion founded in 1970 by Nirmala Srivastava (1923–2011). Nirmala Srivastava is known as Her Holiness Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi or as “Mother” by her followers, who are called Sahaja yogis. During meditation, seekers of truth experience a state of self-realization produced by kundalini awakening, and this is accompanied by the experience...
Self-awareness Quotes We have collected and put the best self-awareness quotes. Enjoy reading these insights and feel free to share this page on your social media to inspire others. Self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to reconcile oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other...
Self-reflection Quotes We have collected and put the best self-reflection quotes. Enjoy reading these insights and feel free to share this page on your social media to inspire others. Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old self-reflection quotes, self-reflection sayings, and self-reflection proverbs, collected over...
Kwanzaa Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture that is held from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually held on the 6th day. It was created by Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of Africa, including West...
Observation Quotes We have collected and put the best observation quotes. Enjoy reading these insights and feel free to share this page on your social media to inspire others. Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can...
Attention Attention is the behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on a discrete aspect of information, whether considered subjective or objective, while ignoring other perceivable information. William James (1890) wrote that “Attention is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalization,...
Yogi A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions. The feminine form, sometimes used in English, is yogini. Yogi has since the 12th century CE also denoted members of the Nath siddha tradition of Hinduism, and in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, a practitioner of tantra. In Hindu mythology, the god Shiva and the goddess Parvati are depicted as an emblematic yogi–yogini pair. Etymology In Classical...
Siddhi In Hinduism, Siddhis (सिद्धि siddhi; fulfillment, accomplishment) are material, paranormal, supernatural, or otherwise magical powers, abilities, and attainments that are the products of yogic advancement through sādhanās such as meditation and yoga. The term ṛddhi (iddhi, “psychic powers”) is often used interchangeably in Buddhism. Etymology Siddhi is a Sanskrit noun which can be translated as “accomplishment”, “attainment”, or “success”. Method The Visuddhimagga is one...
Meditative Postures Meditative postures or meditation seats are the body positions or asanas, usually sitting but also sometimes standing or reclining, used to facilitate meditation. Best known in the Buddhist and Hindu traditions are the lotus and kneeling positions; other options include sitting on a chair, with the spine upright. Meditation is sometimes practiced while...
Dharana Dharana (धारणा) is translated as “collection or concentration of the mind (joined with the retention of breath)”, or “the act of holding, bearing, wearing, supporting, maintaining, retaining, keeping back (in remembrance), a good memory”, or “firmness, steadfastness, certainty”. This term is related to the verbal Sanskrit roots dha and ana, to hold, carry,...
Pratyahara Pratyahara (प्रत्याहार, Pratyāhāra) or the ‘withdrawal of the senses’ is the fifth element among the Eight stages of Patanjali‘s Ashtanga Yoga, as mentioned in his classical work, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali composed in the 2nd century BCE. It is also the first stage of the six-branch yoga (ṣaḍaṅgayoga) of the Buddhist Kālacakra tantra, where it refers...
Pranayama Pranayama is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In Sanskrit, prana means “vital life force”, and yama means to gain control. In yoga, breath is associated with the prana, thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the prana shakti, or life energies. Pranayama is described in Hindu texts like the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Later in Hatha yoga texts,...
Niyama The Niyamas (नियम, Niyama) are positive duties or observances. In Indian traditions, particularly Yoga, niyamas and their complement, Yamas, are recommended activities and habits for healthy living, spiritual enlightenment, and a liberated state of existence. It has multiple meanings depending on context in Hinduism. In Buddhism, the term extends to the determinations of nature, as in...
Yamas The Yamas (यम, Yama), and their complement, the Niyamas, represent a series of “right living” or ethical rules within Yoga philosophy. It means “reining in” or “control”. These are restraints for proper conduct as given in the Vedas and the Yoga Sutras. They are a form of moral imperatives, commandments, rules or goals. The Yamas are the...
