The Purpose Of Attaining Spiritual Powers Some people out there promote yoga as some kind of health treatment/training exercise. Although it can, in fact, make you healthy, you’re only wasting time and money on these people if that’s the only thing they teach you about yoga. In order for you to fully grasp what this whole spiritual power enterprise is all about, you must first place yourself from the standpoint of the student of yoga. Other than that, you might get confused with some of the terms used in Hindu philosophy, so it’s better that you become acquainted with them first. With that said, kindly take the time to carefully study the articles below: Raja Yoga – This is the system derived from Patanjali’s sutras which allows mind-body integration in preparation for the attainment of the spiritual powers listed at the end of this post. Samyama Meditation - Raja yoga is composed of eight limbs (sets of techniques). The last three limbs (Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi) form Samyama and are practiced simultaneously. The first five limbs (Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, and Pratyahara) serve as preparatory exercises for Samyama. Siddhis may arise while practicing the first five limbs, but Patanjali specifically points to Samyama as the means to gain full control of them. 7 Major Chakras – Each siddhi (spiritual power) requires meditation on one or several subtle energy centers called chakras. Some of the sutras do not exactly give reference to them that’s why I had to find the corresponding chakra for each siddhi. How Spiritual Powers Are Developed How Spiritual Powers Are Developed The siddhis are the result of birth, drugs, mantras, austerities, or Samadhi. Our attention should be on Samadhi, but let me try to explain all of them briefly. Birth – Reincarnation is a major concept in Eastern philosophy. The Hindus believe that although we are born in this world with a tabula rasa (blank slate) we carry in us a set of potentialities called Samskaras (the seeds of our actions in previous lives). These tendencies, they say, remain inactive and only manifest when the right conditions are present. Some people may be born with certain talents, abilities, or even spiritual powers, but unless the conditions are favorable to their development, these gifts cannot be ripened to their fullest expression. Additionally, I.K. Taimni mentioned in his commentary of the sutras that some people – whose moral and intellectual development are not very highly advanced – are sometimes born with certain spurious occult powers. The reason could be that they experimented with Yogic practices in their previous lives.