October 31, 2018
Hello Yoga_questions,
Hmm, your question is 7 years old, but I'll do my best. My experience with yoga isn't relevant to your questions, but I mention a few things. I am 'advanced'.
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The SRF can't prove any of their claims.
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There is really nothing scientific about self-realization as it is 'known'. The only term that equates with self-realization (which isn't mentioned) is 'unity with God', which is so vague as to be virtually meaningless.
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N/A as 'scientific' does not apply.
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same answer as 1).
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Ditto AND delusion or wishful thinking are key to understanding SRF's claims. Also, their need for money, which seriously limits the power of anyone in the SRF to actually help people, which requires Love, not money. We choose God or mammon; we can't have both. I do nothing for money, which is the way of the ancient sages who had true faith in God and no faith in money, which is always required by false prophets.
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What do you think 'personal unity with God' is? (rhetorical question). To understand Self-realization one must first understand Self or the True Self, which is our individualized spark of God a.k.a. Spiritual Consciousness. SRF doesn't even use the word 'spiritual', and we are (potentially or actually) spiritual beings. Very sad. Looks like they want to process as many fat wallets as possible and explain nothing. Stay away from these people! Christ said 'Beware the false prophets...'.
By the way, meditation is dangerous; it can lead to hallucinations and insanity. This is because meditation is a manifestation of Wisdom, not something the many should be doing as a 'spiritual practice'.
Find another skeptical yoga person and have your own free class in your home; the very best is to be solitary, but for the sociable who crave company, one or two others only perhaps. Refer to a manual; you don't need teachers. Best, make up your own yoga; it's just stretching with breathing, and the personal asanas you create will be safer than the standard ones if you move carefully. We are not meant to be robots, but our own teachers. When you're happy do the pranayama; never when you are depressed. Relax, reflect and visualize in silence. No concentrated meditation, just simple reflection. No music while in reflection and exercising/breathing. Moderation in sex is required for buildup of kundalini that is drawn upwards through the spine. No one can teach another Self-realization or Wisdom, which is a personal state of being:
'Wisdom does not rub off from one to another. Enlightenment is a do-it-yourself project'. (Shantidasa)
Truth and Love, Luxin.