The geniuses of science have long been convinced that with the help of drug treatment it is impossible to completely get rid of the disease, but only to shift the pathology from one organ to another. And only through deep personal changes does real healing become possible. Changing oneself is more of a philosophical task, which means that special knowledge and techniques will be required here. These include Sufi healing exercises.

Although in essence Sufism is a philosophical direction of traditional Islam, it is so flexible and multifaceted that a whole part of it is reserved for the fair sex. After all, the well-being of the family and the ability to procreate will depend on the state of their health.

Sufism is a mysterious branch of Islam that emphasizes self-restraint and high spirituality.

The main purpose of using Sufism is the purification of the soul and the process of developing the necessary qualities.

Sufism is a rather complicated concept to understand, in this case one cannot do without a spiritual mentor (he is called a murshid in Islam).

Remember, everything that Sharia rejects cannot be taken as Sufism.

Features of Sufi healing practices

Performing meditations, special body movements, as well as breathing exercises - for all this, it is important not just a mechanical repetition, but an awareness of the deep essence of the practice. Therefore, you will definitely need a spiritual mentor. In addition, Sufis are convinced that the implementation of certain practices can take place strictly at certain hours of the day.

Due to the fact that Sufi healing practices act as whole systems, it is unacceptable to perform only one or a couple of exercises - one should act in a complex manner. Sufism can be successfully combined with other types of modern practices and currents. In particular, female Sufi practices of a certain age group are very popular.

This means that the fair sex after 50 years of age should not attend practices intended for young girls. And the point here is not in the age itself, but in the fact that for a certain category its own topic is selected with the most pressing issues.

What are Sufi practices for?

The main goal of the work is the awakening of divine energy, as well as its subsequent independent use. A rather unusual and very interesting way to awaken energy is Sufi whirling, which is suitable for absolutely any age.

Almost every nation has in its arsenal traditional dances and games, as well as round dances. You can start your construction of Sufi practices with ritual whirling.

Women's Sufi practices are designed to make a person change internally, often beyond recognition. At the same time, a woman must clearly realize that she awakens a force in herself that will radically transform her.

The main goal of Sufi practices is to change your inner self in order to establish harmonious contact with the real world. At the same time, the students realize that they are able to influence the events that happen to them and achieve harmony, first of all, with themselves.

Thanks to Sufi dances and exercise, a feeling of unity with the outside world and the center of the universe is created. People begin to adequately relate to the Universe and live in a sense of harmony and happiness. And in this case, the fair sex will calmly relate to the troubles that happen to them, and will also be able to get rid of hatred, anger, feelings of irritation and other negative emotions. Thanks to all this, life takes on a new meaning.

The initial stages of the study of Sufism

If you want to comprehend the basics of this trend and get acquainted with such sacred knowledge, first of all, you need a teacher. Teachers in Sufism are called leaders, pirs, furshids or arifs.

Beginning adherents of Sufism are called murids. At the very beginning, the master offers the murids the performance of various practices, which should develop a high concentration of attention and stop the flow of different thoughts.

It should also be noted that the process of learning Sufism is largely regulated by the individual characteristics of the beginner's personality.

Different brotherhoods vary the number of stages that are required to enter this religion. There are basically four main stages:

1. Sharia, which consists in the literal implementation of all the laws described by the Koran and the Sunnah.
2. Tarikat. Here you need to master special steps called poppies. A person will be required to observe repentance, prudence, restraint, patience, faith in God and humility.
3. Marefat. A person learns further, improving his knowledge and love for God. At this stage, he already understands how important the spiritual world is for him and material wealth is indifferent.
4. Haqiqat. It is the highest level in Sufism. Here a person completely concentrates on the divine, he is no longer worried about earthly problems and needs.

Effective Cleansing Exercises

For the maximum effectiveness of training, it is necessary to realize that the body is the conductor of the soul. This is why cleansing is so important. A person must stop experiencing hatred and anger, which gradually destroy him. To this end, it is necessary to use special Sufi exercises for women.

For example, the dhikr exercise is especially popular. A good mood is very important for this practice. A woman sits down with a straight back, closes her eyes and concentrates as much as possible on her body and her inner sensations. At the same time, the center of attention is transferred to the solar plexus, which must always be open.

After that, the focus is transferred to the area between the eyebrows, and then shifts to the liver. This manipulation is repeated 99 times. With the help of the described method, you will successfully cope with pride and learn a good perception of the world and a feeling of love for everything that is around you.

Dance rituals in Sufism

The practice of whirling and chants is very powerful, transforming human consciousness beyond recognition. To perform it, simply take off your shoes and start spinning clockwise around your axis. At the same time, point your right hand towards the sky in order to receive divine energy in this way, and your left hand goes down - this provides the necessary grounding.

It is very important to perform circling for a long time, at least one hour. It is necessary to achieve that the body in the process of whirling becomes motionless. Keep moving until you fall. In doing so, do not try to soften your fall.

In addition, you can try different meditation practices. To do this, you need to lie down and try to eliminate all unnecessary thoughts from your head. In such a meditative state, a person should lie for about 15 minutes, while it is very important to observe complete silence, completely detaching from real life.

Secrets of female magnetism

The second chakra gives the fair sex attractiveness and attraction, because it is responsible for pleasure and sexual desire. With the help of Sufi practice, you can clear and activate this energy center.

The practice is done in a sitting position. It is very important that the back is straight and the eyes are closed. The hand is placed in the chest area. Breathe deeply, fully.

At the same time, constantly think about how much you love the Universe. Create an energy flow in your body, and when exhaling, direct the energy to the 2nd chakra area. After that, the energy goes to the feet. Finally, inhale love into yourself again and carry this energy throughout your body.

During this process, it is important to achieve a feeling of pleasure throughout your body. As a result, such a representative of the fair sex will become very attractive to men, will attract them to her like a magnet.

Now you know what Sufi practices are for and how to use them correctly. Use this knowledge to your advantage, and finally, be sure to watch an interesting thematic video:

Fortune telling today with the help of the Tarot "Card of the Day" layout!

For correct divination: focus on the subconscious and do not think about anything for at least 1-2 minutes.

When you're ready, draw a card:

There are different directions of spiritual development and Sufism is one of them. It is used to cope with problems, unlock potential and better understand yourself. There are different practices that help to transform not only internally, but also externally.

What is Sufism?

The mystical direction in Islam, which preaches asceticism and increased spirituality, is called Sufism. It is used to cleanse the soul of negativity and acquire the right spiritual qualities. Sufism is a direction that is difficult to understand, therefore, one cannot do without the help of a spiritual mentor (murshid) at the first stages. Anything that is contrary to Sharia cannot be considered Sufism.

Philosophy of Sufism

The name of this direction in Persian means that there are no differences between a person and the outside world. Modern Sufism is based on a philosophy laid down from the very beginning of creation.

1. To live in the present, you do not need to remember the past and look into the future, the main thing is to appreciate the moments and not worry about what will happen in an hour or a day.
2. Sufis exist everywhere and the closer a person is to God, the more he dissolves in him and becomes Everything.
3. Sufism is transmitted from heart to heart, like something magical.
4. God is not a person, and he exists everywhere.

Psychology of Sufism

At the first stages of the formation of this trend, one of the main ideas was the purification of the soul through the practice of poverty and repentance, so the Sufis wanted to get closer to the Almighty. The principles of Sufism are based on the creation of a perfect man who is free from his Ego and merging with Divine truth. The main directions of this practice help to improve, get rid of material dependence and serve God. Necessarily the principles of this trend rely on the teachings of the Koran and follow the ideas of the Prophet Muhammad.

Esoteric Sufism

People who have decided to embark on the path of knowing God should not lead a detached and ascetic lifestyle, since Sufis believe that worldly life gives the best chance to know and change oneself. At the heart of the presented flow is divine love, which is considered as the only energy and force that can lead to God. The mysticism of Sufism includes several stages for its knowledge.

1. First, the development of emotional and heartfelt love is carried out, for everything bright on earth.
2. The next stage involves sacrificial service to people, that is, you need to do charity, helping people without demanding anything in return.
3. There is an understanding that God is in everything, and not only in good, but also in bad things. At this stage, a person should stop dividing the world into black and white.
4. Esoteric Sufism, at its completion, means directing all existing love towards God.

Sufism - for and against

For more than a dozen years, a lot of controversy has been associated with such a concept as “Sufism”. Many believe that this direction is a sect and people who join it are in danger. Opinion against it also arose due to the fact that many atheists and charlatans who distort information have entered this religious trend. The truth about Sufism is a topic that interests many scholars and has led to many theories and books. For example, there is a well-known book called The Truth About Sufism, where you can find answers to important questions and learn about existing myths.

How to start studying Sufism?

To understand the basics of this trend and get the first knowledge, you need to find a teacher who will be the link. He may be called a leader, a pir, a murshid, or an arif. Sufism calls beginners (followers) murid. One of the important stages is the disappearance into the master, which implies the perfection of devotion. As a result, the student discovers that in everything around him he sees only his mentor.

At the initial stages, the teacher offers the murids different practices for developing concentration, stopping thoughts, and so on. When figuring out where to start Sufism, it should be noted that training directly depends on the individual characteristics of each beginner. In different brotherhoods, the number of stages for entering a religion is different, but four main ones can be distinguished among them:

1. Sharia. It implies the literal implementation of the laws described in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
2. Tarikat. The stage is based on the development of a number of steps, which are called makam. The main ones include: repentance, prudence, temperance, poverty, patience, hope in God and humility. Tariqat applies the method of thinking about death and intensive intellectual work. In conclusion, the murid experiences an inexplicable and strong desire to achieve unity with God.
3. Marefat. There is further training and improvement of knowledge and love for God. Having reached this stage, the Sufi already understands the multidimensionality of space, the insignificance of material values ​​and has the experience of communicating with the Almighty.
4. Haqiqat. The highest stage of spiritual ascent, when a person worships God as if he is in front of him. There is a concentration on the gaze and observation of the Creator.

Sufi practices for women and female power

The techniques used in Sufism, original and original, give a chance to purify and open the heart, to feel the joy of communicating with the world, God and oneself. In addition, a person gains peace, confidence and harmony. The Sufi practices of female power are ancient, and it is recommended to practice them under the guidance of an experienced mentor, since you need to know and understand their essence. In addition, certain actions must be performed at certain times.

Meditation, different body movements, all this helps to improve your health, get rid of excess weight and negativity. Sufi practices represent entire systems, so doing a couple of exercises will not be enough. It is equally important to consider age restrictions. Ancient Sufi practices not only awaken divine energy, but also teach you how to use it yourself.

Sufi Practices of Dasha

The winner of the 17th season of the famous show "The Battle of Psychics" Swami Dashi practices Sufism. He conducts various seminars and seminars, where he helps people get rid of negativity and. He bases his practices on sound, breath and movement. The Sufi exercises proposed by him help to remove emotional, mental and physical blocks. Known some of the practices used by Dasha:

1. Dynamic Meditations. Active and intense monotonous movements help to achieve relaxation and unity of the soul, body and spirit.
2. Sufi whirling and zikr are used to enter a trance.
3. Carefree walking with meditation and running in place helps to go beyond the possible.

Sufi practice of dhikr

Repeated repetition of the sacred text, deep meditation is called zikra. This practice has its own characteristics and different movements are used for it: prayer postures, whirling, swaying, vibration, and so on. The basis of dhikr is the Qur'an. Sufi energy practice helps to cope with the negative and get a positive charge. Used, singing and silence. Variants and modifications of dhikr are different depending on the brotherhood or order where they are held. In groups, dhikr is performed as follows:

1. Participants stand or sit in a circle.
2. The leader gives a meditative attunement.
3. According to his instructions, everyone performs certain exercises, which are replaced one after another. They are rhythmic movements performed at an accelerating pace.
4. During this, the participants say prayer formulas.

Sufi dances

One of the most famous practices of Sufism is skirt dancing, which helps to get closer to God. They are performed by dervishes to the accompaniment of drums and flute. Skirts worn one on top of the other work on the principle of a mandala and during unwinding they increase the impact of energy on people dancing and watching. It is worth saying that in order to perform the dance, a monk must lead a strict lifestyle and stay in a monastery for three years. Such Sufi practices can be carried out on your own, but then you need to spin with your eyes open. There are features of such practices.

1. Before the start of whirling, the dervishes make a clap and stamp their foot, which is necessary to scare away the shaitan.
2. Bowing is of great importance, as well as placing the hand at the chest, which is a greeting.
3. Among all the dancers there is a chief dervishes, symbolizing the Sun.
4. During the dance, one hand must certainly be raised, and the other lowered. Thanks to this, a connection with the Cosmos and the earth occurs.
5. Whirling takes place for a long time, due to which the dervishes enter a trance, thereby uniting with God.
6. During the dance, the dervishes show their attitude to life.

Sufi practices for weight loss

Adherents of the presented religious movement argue that all the problems of people, like illness or excess weight, are associated with a lack of understanding of their purpose in life. Sufi practices for women, including various exercises, teach you how to manage vital energy. In addition, this current teaches how to properly eat, think and act. Cope with excess weight as a result of cleansing your soul and becoming on the right path. All meditations, Sufi breathing practices, dances and other options will be appropriate for weight loss.

Sufism and Christianity

Many are interested in the question of how the church relates to such religious movements. There is no such thing as Christian Sufism, but there is much in common between these concepts, for example, the idea of ​​purifying the soul through the practice of repentance and the primacy of the spiritual component. The church claims that Christianity does not accept mysticism, like pagan rituals or religious movements, therefore, in their opinion, Sufi practices are from the devil and cannot be used.

The ancient tradition of spiritual perfection - Sufism - is now widespread. With its help, people get rid of problems, try to penetrate deeper into the essence of their earthly path. Sufi practices for women are exercises that affect the soul and body of beauties, allowing them to transform, to completely change themselves. However, it is recommended to engage in them only when they understand the methodology and philosophy of the tradition. How and what to do, what to think about? Let's figure it out.

Determine the purpose of work

Sufi practices for women are part of a psychoenergetic training that touches the foundations of the soul. Under the guidance of an experienced mentor, the girls perform tasks that correspond to their degree of understanding of the world, as well as their goal. The student needs to realize that a space is opening before her in which she is able to transform. In principle, we all improve in one way or another, gaining experience, experiencing events, trying to realize our role in them.

Sufi practices for women are focused work on changing their inner self towards a more complete and sincere contact with the world. At the same time, the student receives knowledge about how to influence events, build them in accordance with her understanding of harmony. Simply put, Sufi dances and exercises allow you to feel like the center of your universe. First of all comes the correct perception of the Universe, secondly - the ability to live in harmony with it. And this allows you to be more calm about factors that previously caused irritation or rejection, which significantly affects the quality of life. The goal of the practice is to develop a sense of the correctness of the world order, finding one's place in the Universe as a source of joy and happiness for others.

All life is a struggle!

The Sufi sage and teacher al-Ghazaln said that every person has two enemies. They are anger and lust. Taming them, the personality rushes to heaven, yielding to influence, goes straight to hell. Both of these enemies operate through the human body. They constantly give rise to desires that do not correspond to the true intentions of the individual.

Look at how advertising affects people. It is built in such a way that the listeners or viewers strive to take possession of something, to try the pleasure that is mentioned in the video (in the picture). And there is no time left for reflection. Advertising excites base instincts, which instantly take possession of the body, overshadowing the brain. Succumbing to the influence of the “voice” of the body, a person ceases to reflect on his true intentions, to feel a connection with the Higher Mind. That is why diseases develop, negative feelings are born, the body takes a leading position, breaking the spirit.

A person must constantly control his reactions so as not to be at the mercy of base instincts. We need reflections on the essence of desires, their constant analysis, as well as an understanding of where they come from, what caused them.

Sufi Practices for Women: Cleansing Exercises

For training to be successful, it should be understood that the body is a conductor of the spirit. Any improvement begins with its purification. And first of all, you should learn to get rid of anger that affects the liver on a physical level.

For this, Sufi healing exercises (dhikrs) have been created. They are performed in a sitting position with a straight back. Pay close attention to your mood. It is permissible to do dhikr only when the soul is calm, its state can be described by the word “good”. Close your eyes and turn your inner gaze into the depths of your body. Feel the light in the solar plexus area. This source must be constantly kept open and working. The ball of light must be raised to the area located between the eyebrows, then lowered through to the liver. Repeat ninety-nine times.

The essence of the exercise is to focus on increasing the glow of the energy ball. The described exercise allows you to get rid of pride, to perceive others with kindness and understanding.

character education

Sufi practices for women are not just exercises performed only occasionally, at will. In fact, in order to achieve a result, it is necessary to cultivate the ability to constantly control. And first of all, you need to pay attention to the ability to subdue negative impulses. The work is not easy, but very powerful.

The exercise is to monitor reactions to other people's behavior throughout the day and deal with difficulties patiently. The focus should be on maintaining a sense of harmony. It is impossible to allow circumstances to influence. That is, it is necessary to look at the world through your sense of balance, trying to keep it intact. Whatever happens during the day, stay in a good mood. As soon as balance is lost, restore it and analyze the cause of anger or irritation.

You will have to work on this area separately, performing other techniques.

Sufi dances

Dervish whirling is one of the most powerful exercises that can completely transform consciousness from the first execution. Most Sufi dances include this element. We will describe it in detail. Take off your shoes and spin around your axis clockwise. Raise your right hand to the sky to receive energy from the Universe, lower your left hand down, through it the flow will ground. You need to rotate for at least an hour, freely and easily. Strive for the feeling of stillness of the body, which is the center of a huge whirlwind. Movements continue until the moment of natural fall, which is not recommended to be softened. The second stage of the exercise is meditation. Lie down on your stomach and free your thoughts. Stay in this position for up to fifteen minutes. Then remain silent for as long as possible.

How to increase female magnetism?

The attractiveness of a girl to a large extent depends on the work of the second chakra, which is responsible for pleasure. The Sufi practice of magnetism for women aims to purify and activate it. The exercise is performed in a sitting position. Straighten your back, close your eyes. Put your hand on your chest, inhale slowly, giving rise to a feeling of love in your head. You need to create an image of the passage of pure energy from the Universe into your body. As you exhale, direct the flow to the area of ​​the second chakra (next to the uterus). Continue his movement to the stop. Again we inhale love and direct its flow to the top of the head. In the process of work, it is necessary to achieve a feeling of pleasure in the body. The exercise activates the second chakra and increases the level of female magnetism. It is good to practice after Sufi whirling.

In Sufism, psychoenergetic training is built in such a way that each student, depending on his individual characteristics, the measure of awareness, receives special tasks and exercises from the mentor. At the same time, the mentor also conducts group psychoenergetic training.

At the initial stages of psychoenergetic practice, the mentor offers the murids a wide variety of exercises to develop the ability to concentrate, to stop the continuous flow of thoughts and achieve a “mental pause”, work is also carried out with figurative representations. Then the use of various psychophysical exercises begins: rhythmic movements to music, Sufi whirling, etc.

The use of all this arsenal of means gives an excellent cleansing effect, develops the energy structures of the body.

Some of these exercises cause "fine tuning" of the body, mind and consciousness, leading practitioners to an ecstatic state called hal by the Sufis. There are different types of halal. Most often, the ascetic acquires such types of this state as: kurb - a feeling of closeness to God, mahabba - a feeling of ardent love for God, hauf - deep repentance, shauk - a passionate impulse to God, etc.

Let us explain what some of these practices are.

Dervish dances, for example, require the participants to completely liberate the body and achieve a complete "mental pause". Against the background of this emancipation and meditative attunement of consciousness to the perception of the Creator, harmonious “spontaneous” movements arise. They are not planned, they are not set from the mind, but come as if spontaneously. As a rule, dervish dances are performed using meditative music or meditative tunes. This gives an appropriate mood to all the dancers and brings the prepared participants to the state of hal.

Another interesting technique Sufi whirl. It allows you to withdraw consciousness from the head chakras, which contributes to entering the state of hal. There are various modifications of this technique. Whirling can be carried out with or without music, with the use of mantras, without a certain concentration or with a concentration in certain energy structures of the body. In the latter case, circling can contribute to their development and improvement.

The general rules for performing the exercise are as follows:

• 1) you can start no earlier than 2-3 hours after eating;
• 2) circling is carried out in any convenient direction against the background of complete relaxation of the body;
• 3) open eyes are fixed on one of the raised hands, or defocused altogether;
• 4) circling is carried out in an individual rhythm, with the smoothest entry and exit from the exercise;
• 5) in case of a possible fall while circling, it is necessary to roll over on the stomach and relax;
• 6) after the exercise, relaxation is necessary;
• 7) it also requires complete "trust in technique", complete "openness" during the exercise. Its duration is determined individually and can vary from several minutes to several hours.

At the "mature" levels, intensive work is carried out to develop and improve the energy structures of the body. If we use Hindu terminology, we are talking, in particular, about the chakras and nadis (meridians). At the same time, special emphasis is placed on the development of the anahata chakra, which is responsible for the production of emotional "heart" love.

One such technique is laughter meditation. Its participants lie on their backs and completely relax. After meditative attunement, they place one of their hands on the anahata area, the other on the muladhara area, activating these chakras. Then those present begin to conduct waves of soft, light light-laughter through the body from muladhara to the head chakras. Laughter meditation has a cleansing effect and contributes to the development and improvement of the chakras, the middle meridian, if, of course, it is carried out at the proper level of subtlety.

Also in Sufism, dhikr is very common. Variants, modifications of dhikr are very diverse - in accordance with the traditions of a particular brotherhood or school, the skill of a mentor.

Dhikr is performed as follows:

Everyone present stands or sits in a circle. The mentor gives a meditative setting and then, at his direction, those present begin to perform a series of exercises replacing each other. These exercises are rhythmic movements performed at an ever-accelerating pace (for example, tilts, turns, swings of the body).

In some schools, during psychoenergetic training, music and singing are of the utmost importance. It is believed that music is the food of the soul (giza-i-ruh) - one of the most powerful means of promoting spiritual progress. Music is widely used, which encourages the body to "spontaneous" movements (tarab), promotes entry into deep meditative states (saut), etc. A number of schools introduced daily listening to music, collective classes with vocal performance of mystical verses (sama), ecstatic dances to music, etc.

The effectiveness of these techniques is achieved, among other things, due to the fact that meditative work is carried out not only using motionless body positions, but also against the background of movements.

Thanks to the complex use of various methods, several “centers” of the human body are involved at once: emotional, motor, intellectual.

The well-coordinated, harmonized work of the "centers" opens up opportunities for a rapid change in the psychoenergetic state.

In addition to the usual methods in Sufism, there are "high-speed" techniques of spiritual development. Through these secret techniques, the murid can make very rapid progress. They apply only to those who already have a sufficiently high psychoenergetic readiness.

The Sufi meditative tradition is very rich and varied. It has accumulated a tremendous experience of working with the body, mind, consciousness. In this ancient tradition, both the ways of cognition of Vajad (in Hindu terminology - Samadhi), and techniques for achieving the correct "crystallization" of consciousness in higher spatial dimensions, and techniques for mastering Fana-fi-Allah (Nirvana in the Creator) have been developed.

Sufism has a lot of originality and originality. But, despite this, its striking similarity with the spiritual traditions of other best world schools and trends is traced - the similarity of goals, ways of their implementation and even methods. This can only indicate one thing. The fact that Sufism and hesychasm, Taoism and Buddhist mysticism, classical Hindu yoga and the path of the Mexican school of Juan Matus, as well as some other areas, are based on the same laws of spiritual development. They are only realized in different ways in certain cultural and historical conditions.

Tatyana Kashirina

Ufism (in Arabic pronunciation - at-Tasavvuf) is an ancient mystical tradition of spiritual perfection that originated in the Middle East and is now widespread throughout. The ideas of Sufism, its followers, its orders and brotherhoods exist in Asia and Africa, in Europe and America, in China and India, which are so rich in their religious traditions, and also in our country.

Historians attribute the emergence of Sufism to the 8th century. It is believed that it originated in the bosom of Islam. However, some Sufi teachers-sheikhs (pirs, murshids) say that Sufism cannot be limited to a particular religion, or a particular historical period, or a particular society, or a particular language. They call Sufism "the spirit of Islam", "the pure essence of all religions" and believe that Sufism has always existed, only its external appearance has changed in accordance with one or another cultural and historical environment (1) .

The penetration of the Sufi tradition into the West and the East has been carried out over the centuries. It is happening now, in different, sometimes very peculiar ways. For example, for sheikhs, spiritual work according to classical methods is quite acceptable within the framework of the traditional religiosity of a particular region. This is due to the fact that the Sufis have a positive attitude towards all religions and beliefs, believing that they are fundamentally one. Sufi methods can be changed as needed, and they can be formed as independent, local teachings. Such teachings are usually intended to transmit only some part of the main tradition, according to time, place and circumstance. These "temporary phases" of the actively developing Sufi tradition, producing a certain spiritual impact on one or another part of humanity, stimulate it to a spiritual search. They also lay the foundation for subsequent, more specific training. Apparently, one of these teachings is the concept of G.I. Gurdjieff, which became widespread in the first half of our century.

Sufis, who often call themselves "akhlalkhakika" - "people of true being", from century to century bring to the world, along with their teachings, their art, which reflects their perception of beauty. Sufi symbols, images and motifs permeate a significant part of Eastern folklore, literature, especially poetry.

So, almost all Iranian-Persian classical poetry, which has received a worldwide calling, is a textbook on Sufism (to the same extent as works of artistic creativity). The names of Sufi poets became textbooks: Sanai, Rumi, Hafiz, Jami, Nizami. The same, but to a lesser extent, can be said about Arabic, Turkic literature, poetry, folklore.

What is Sufism?

The term "Sufism" comes from the Arabic "Sufi", which literally means "wearing woolen clothes" and refers to Muslim mystics who followed a certain spiritual tradition and wore a special type of woolen robes, sackcloths. (In the Islamic world, hair shirt is considered an attribute of spiritual asceticism).

The root "Sufi" has another meaning - "pure". It also corresponds to the essence of the Sufi teaching and the spiritual image of its best followers. Genuine masters of Sufism, genuine Sufis (2), are truly pure from dogmatism and fanaticism, free from caste, religious, national prejudices. The strong desire for ethical purity and impeccability inherent in the Sufis contributed to securing another name for them in the Arab world - "Knights of Purity" (Sahaba-i-Safa).

Due to its great flexibility and openness to external influences, Sufism is now a very heterogeneous entity. Its various currents, directions, schools, groups are distinguished by the accentuation of certain aspects of the methodology, the preference for certain practical methods. Among them, usually, there are a number of orders known for their ancient traditions, as well as 12 main (“mother”) brotherhoods, such as al-Qadiriya, Nakshbandiyya, Maulawiyya, etc. In addition, there are many other structural formations of Sufism: smaller brotherhoods, communities, centers, monasteries, circles. Sufi teaching also operates through a significant number of worldly brothers and sisters (Sufis living in the world at the direction of their spiritual mentors).

Briefly touch on the basics of the doctrine:
- Sufism proceeds from the notion that the universe consists of 7 "areas of existence", includes several "types of being", differing in the "amplitude of the vibrations included in them". In other words, he recognizes the multidimensionality of space.
- The finest spatial dimension, which the Sufis call Zat, is the Abode of God in the aspect of the Creator. The Creator and all the diversity of His Creation (in Sufi terminology - Sifat) form the Absolute. The Creator pervades all Creation with His Love.
- Sufis believe that the multidimensional human organism, being similar in its structure to the multidimensional structure of the universe, can reveal in itself more subtle "kinds of being". This is done through a process of self-knowledge and self-improvement.

Thus, only through the comprehension of one's true essence can a person achieve a direct perception of God and gain unity with Him. This is very succinctly expressed by one of the hadiths of the Sunnah (3), which says: "Whoever knows himself, he knows God" (4). At the final stages of such comprehension, the individual human consciousness merges with the Divine Consciousness. This ultimate goal is described in the Sufi tradition as the highest state of consciousness "Baki-bi-Allah" (Eternity in God). In Hindu and Buddhist yoga, this term corresponds to - Kaivalya, Mahanirvana, Sahaja Samadhi, Moksha.

Sufism is based on Love (mahabba, hubb). (Sufis even sometimes speak of their teaching as a "hymn of divine love" and call it tassa-vuri - love-vision. This refers to a certain approach to reality with love. It implies falling in love with the Creator.) Love is seen in Sufism as an ever-increasing feeling inclusion in God, culminating in the understanding that there is nothing in the world but God, who is both Loving and Beloved. Therefore, one of the basic principles of Sufism is: "Ishk Allah, Mabut Allah" (God is Love, Loving and Beloved). This is very consonant with both classical Hindu yoga, the main principle of which is the principle of love, and Christ's understanding that "God is Love" (1 John, 4:8), and classical Buddhism, where the most striking aspect of love stands out - compassion. Juan Matus also speaks about love from the pages of Carlos Castaneda's books.

Sufis believe that love was introduced into Sufism by a woman mystic, Rabia al-Adawiya. She said that her "love ardor for God burns the heart." Farid-ad-Din Attar tells about her in The Life of the Sufi Saints that love for God so possessed her whole being that it left no room for any other attachments. In general, this is very characteristic of Sufism, because a genuine, truly loving Sufi gradually sinks, sinks and dissolves in God, in his Beloved, as Sufis often call God.

The perception of God as the Beloved comes from direct, immediate experience. Sufis describe it as follows. When a person travels a certain distance along the Path of Love, God begins to help the seeker, drawing him to His Abode. When this happens, a person begins to feel the response vibrations of Divine Love.

The well-known Persian Sufi poet Jalal-ad-Din Rumi writes about this in his Mesnevi:

If the light of love lit up in this heart,
know that Love burns in Tom.
When Love for God grows in your heart,
no doubt God loves you.
Clap will not sound from one palm if
the second is not included.

Let us follow how such true, perfect Love, leading to God, develops, based on the ideas of Jalal-ad-Din Rumi.

It happens:
1) through the development of emotional, heartfelt love for everything that is most beautiful and harmonious in the world,
2) through active, active, sacrificial, altruistic love-service to people,
3) then, through the expansion of the circle of this love to all manifestations of the world without differences.
Sufis say about this: "If you make a distinction between things that come from God, you are not a person of the spiritual path. If you think that a diamond will exalt you, and a simple stone will humiliate you, then God is not with you."
4) This developed love for all the elements of Creation is redirected to God, and then a person begins to see, according to J. Rumi, that "the Beloved is in Everything.

Obviously, this concept of Love is identical to those presented in the Bhagavad Gita and the New Testament. The same milestones, the same accents. True Love in Sufism, as well as in the best spiritual schools of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, is considered as the only force that can lead to God, as a constant shaping factor of a person on the Path to God. Only through love, according to these spiritual traditions, the ascetic can find the fulfillment of his aspirations.

However, speaking of love, the sheikhs warn against the danger of recklessly following this path, "for a fire that can warm can also burn." Most Sufis believe that the ordinary person cannot himself use the formative qualities of love. Therefore, he must follow the man who knows where these shaping factors can be found, how and to what extent they are to be used. Proceeding from this, the role of the teacher, mentor is very significant in Sufism. Teaching activity is rightly considered the core of Sufism (5).

Sufi sheikhs often live in the world, doing the most ordinary mundane activities. They can run a shop, a workshop, a smithy, write music, books, etc. This happens because the Sufis are convinced that there is no need for complete solitude, hermitage in order to go to God. Renunciation of worldly things is useless. They argue that there is nothing in worldly activities that separates from God, if you do not become attached to its fruits and do not forget about Him. Therefore, at all levels of spiritual ascent, a person can remain included in social life. Moreover, it is she who, in their opinion, provides great opportunities for improvement. If we consider every life situation as a learning situation, then you can communicate and even live side by side with the most "terrible" and depraved people, be subjected to the most rude influences and not suffer from it, on the contrary, maintain constant cheerfulness and serenity, improving through the social contacts offered by God (6).

As for the murid disciples (literally, "those who handed over their will"), the Sufi sheikhs emphasize that not everyone who would like to become a Sufi can become one, not everyone is ready to accept the Sufi teaching. Sufis say that nothing can be taught to anyone: you can only show the Way, but everyone must go through it himself. Therefore, if a student candidate does not have the ability to use the teaching for his spiritual development, there is no point in teaching, the teaching spills like water into sand.

The readiness of a person to perceive the teachings is determined by the sheikh. Moreover, provocative methods are often used for this. Those who aspire to become disciples are placed in various situations, sometimes harmless conversations are imposed on them in order to determine their level of development. If a student candidate shows promise, the sheikh, observing him for a while, determines his individual characteristics and the extent to which the teaching can be perceived by a novice adept. In accordance with this, certain tasks are set for the murid for the entire period of study and the sections of the teaching necessary for him are given.

Having determined the specifics of the student's spiritual development, the sheikh can send him to other orders, brotherhoods, and training centers. The neophyte begins to move from sheikh to sheikh and thus gradually comprehends and assimilates the program. After a long and versatile training, the murid again appears before his first sheikh. The sheikh gives him the final "internal cutting", "internal polishing" and then the so-called ijaza (permission) to continue the tradition of the sheikh and preach the teachings.

The sphere of Sufi teaching includes both the esoteric side and the exoteric side, i.e. murids improve not only ethically, intellectually, psychoenergetically, but also master techniques, comprehend the secrets of that worldly craft, art, which the sheikh owns. This subsequently helps them in life.

A wide variety of teaching aids are used to transmit the teachings: some rituals, prayers, various psychophysical exercises, breathing techniques, meditative practices, working with texts, musical works, studying movement, dance, etc. Extensive material is also widely used in the form of fairy tales, instructive stories, parables, fables, which describe in detail and carefully everything that can interfere with the spiritual development of a murid (7).

The Sufi learning process is quite specific. Often the sheikh does not teach in the conventional sense, i. giving some direct explanations, but creates situations in which the student learns himself. This is very reminiscent of the educational system of the Tibetan lamas, who use the same visual methods that quickly develop in students the ability to think independently (8).

There are several stages in Sufi education: usually 3-4, in some brotherhoods up to 7 or more. They correspond to the main stages of the spiritual advancement of the murid.

The initial stage of spiritual practice - sharia(lit. - law) - is associated with strict observance of all religious prescriptions. Preliminary passage of Sharia is a prerequisite for entering the path of spiritual perfection.

Actually esoteric training begins at the next stage - tariqah(lit. - way, road). The passage of the tarikat is associated with the development of a number of steps-maqams. The traditions of various Sufi brotherhoods allocate from 7 to 100 poppies.

The mastery of the steps of the tariqah presupposes intensive work of the ethical, intellectual, psychoenergetic plans. Let us briefly dwell on the first two areas of work in order to then move on to a more detailed consideration of Sufi psychoenergetic practices.

In ethical terms, the maqams of the tariqa suggest a fundamental reassessment of values. They are associated with the awareness of one's own vices, repentance (tauba), abstinence from the forbidden (zuhd), the strictest discretion in distinguishing between what is permitted and what is not permitted (wara), with the rejection of non-spiritual attachments and desires (faqr). Murid also learns patience (sabr) - "swallowing bitterness without expressing displeasure", as the famous Sufi sheikh Junayd said, commenting on this step. The student tries to live and work spiritually only in the current day, not remembering the past, not looking into the future (tawakkul).

From here comes the expression widespread in Sufi circles: "A Sufi is the son of his time," which means that a true Sufi lives in the current moment of being.

The development of the tawakkul stage is facilitated by such a form of work as reflections on death, which is widely used in Hindu yoga, and in Tibetan Buddhism, and in the Mexican school of Juan Matus. The constant memory of death, the awareness of its inevitability leads the murid to a number of rethinking. Including - to the appearance in him of a careful attitude to the time remaining on Earth, to the formation of an attitude: to work spiritually according to the principle of "here and now." Thinking about death is a powerful tool in dealing with unwanted habits and attachments. Even remembering her can be very effective, says Al-Ghazali: "When you like something in the worldly and attachment is born in you, remember death."

At the stage of the tarikat, intensive intellectual work is also carried out. Sheikhs constantly offer students new topics for reflection, talking with them about the basics of the teachings. Murids get acquainted with a variety of literary sources, rich parable material, educational stories, etc.
As the murid passes through all the stages of this stage, he acquires an infinite desire to achieve unity with God (9) and enters the state of rida, defined by the Sufis as "calmness in relation to predestination", i.e. in a state of serenity, complete calm about what is happening.

The considered stage of practice, in general, can be correlated with raja yoga.

Those who have successfully passed the maqams of the tarikat are given the opportunity to go further along the path. marefata(lit. - meditative comprehension of God). At this stage, further ethical "polishing" of the ascetic takes place, there is a constant improvement of his love (in various aspects), wisdom, strength. The Sufi who has passed this stage really comprehends the multidimensionality of space, the "illusory nature" of the values ​​of material existence, and receives a living experience of communication with God. As an arif (knower), he may be ordained as a sheikh.

Some arifs manage to reach the fourth stage - haqiqat(khakk - letters, "truth"), on which, as the Sufis say, "real, genuine Being" is finally mastered. Haqiqat leads the arif to complete merging of his individual consciousness with the Object of his aspiration, with God.

The spiritual work carried out within the framework of marefat and haqiqat corresponds to that which is carried out at the levels of buddhi yoga (10).

An integral part of spiritual work at all stages of the spiritual ascent of the murids is psychoenergetic practice, which significantly accelerates the processes of ethical and intellectual improvement. Let us dwell in more detail on the psychoenergetic methods of the tariqa (11).

In some brotherhoods, the first step towards starting such work is the act of establishing a spiritual connection between the sheikh and the murid (rabita). This is achieved by concentrating the murid on the image of the sheikh, and then passionately identifying oneself with him. Such identification helps the student much easier and faster to perceive and assimilate the information necessary for his spiritual development. Similar methods of working with yidam are common in Tibetan Buddhism and Christianity (12).

In Sufism, psychoenergetic training is built in such a way that each student, depending on his individual characteristics, the measure of awareness, receives special tasks and exercises from the sheikh. At the same time, the sheikh also conducts group psychoenergetic training.

At the initial stages of psychoenergetic practice, the sheikh offers the murids a wide variety of exercises to develop the ability to concentrate, to stop the continuous flow of thoughts and achieve a "mental pause", work is also carried out with figurative representations.

The first skills of concentration are given, for example, by exercises in the arbitrary movement of concentration into one or another part of the body, in the transfer of concentration to various objects of animate and inanimate nature. Then more complex exercises are applied, including a series of successive body movements in combination with certain movements of concentration from one part of the body to another, a specific form of breathing in a special way, etc. G.I. Gurdjieff, who was trained by Sufi masters, witnessed how novice adepts performed such exercises all day long.

To develop concentration, stability in concentration, as well as to establish a "mental pause", such techniques as many days of concentrating on one thought, one idea, spending several months writing a sura of the Qur'an are also used. The sheikh can also be given such a task as a long repetition of one or another sura of the Koran or a prayer formula in an uncomfortable position.

The use of these techniques contributes to the cessation of mental processes and the long-term maintenance of a state of deep inner silence, peace. Against the background of such a mental "non-action" all the meditative classes of the student take place. He also strives to constantly maintain this state throughout the day, only automatically reacting to everything that happens to him.

Within the framework of the methods of the tarikat, murids also train in the art of visualization - in creating various images and emotional attunement with them. So you can work with images of plants, animals, as well as with a number of emotional states - both positive and negative. These exercises allow you to learn how to easily regulate your emotional sphere. The development of the ability to create vivid figurative representations enables the murids to work in those extreme situations in which sometimes, for pedagogical reasons, the sheikh can put them.

One of the techniques used at the very initial stages of the tariqah is jiberish or "gibberish". It consists in the rapid pronunciation of any most meaningless sounds, accompanied by any spontaneously arising body movements and emotional "outbursts". This technique is of a psychotherapeutic nature, actualizing complexes hidden in a person, clamps, repressed emotions, and also allows you to "throw out" everything rough and achieve inner purity.

Among the initial exercises used on the steps of the tarikat, we can also mention the exercise "stop". It consists in the following. According to the established sign or the word of the sheikh, all students instantly freeze. Any slightest movement is excluded. At the same time, they also try to keep their emotional state unchanged. During the "stop" students begin to move the concentration from one part of the body to another or smoothly spread it over the entire body. (With full, perfect concentration, no inconvenience of posture, body position is felt). In addition to the concentration skills that this exercise gives, it also contributes to the destruction of existing stereotypes of behavior, teaches you to look at yourself from the outside, and helps to increase the composure (alertness) of students.

As the tariqah passes, psychoenergetic work gradually becomes more complicated. The actual meditative practice (mushahada) begins with the use of various psychophysical exercises: rhythmic movements to music, dervish dances, Sufi shaking and whirling; special language forms (prayers, mantras) are also used; there is a deep meditative study of texts, etc.

The use of all this arsenal of means gives an excellent cleansing effect, develops certain energy structures of the body (in particular, anahata). Some of these exercises cause a very "fine tuning" of the body, mind and consciousness, leading practitioners to an ecstatic state called "hal" by the Sufis. There are different types of halal. Most often, the ascetic acquires such types of this state as: kurb - a feeling of closeness to God, mahabba - a feeling of ardent love for God, hauf - a feeling of deep repentance, shauk - a passionate impulse to God, etc. In terms of classical Hindu yoga, hal can be assessed as the first steps towards Samadhi (in the meaning given to this word by the Bhagavad Gita).

Let us explain what some of these practices are.

Dervish dances, for example, require the participants to completely release the body and achieve a complete "mental pause". Against the background of this emancipation, spontaneous natural movements arise. They are not planned, they are not set from the mind, but come "spontaneously". As a rule, dervish dances are performed using meditative music or meditative tunes. This gives an appropriate mood to all the dancers and brings the prepared participants to the state of hal.

Another interesting technique is Sufi whirling (whirling of dervishes). It allows you to withdraw consciousness from the head chakras, promotes the transformation of energy and entry into the state of hal. There are various modifications of this technique. Whirling can be carried out with or without music, with the use of mantras, without a certain concentration or with a concentration in certain energy structures of the body. In the latter case, circling can contribute to their development and improvement.

The general rules for performing the exercise are as follows:
1) start no earlier than 2-3 hours after eating;
2) circling is carried out in any convenient direction against the background of complete relaxation of the body;
3) open eyes are fixed on one of the raised hands, or defocused altogether;
4) circling is carried out in an individual rhythm, with the smoothest entry and exit from the exercise;
5) in case of a possible fall while circling, it is necessary to roll over on the stomach and relax;
6) after the exercise, relaxation is necessary;
7) it also requires complete confidence in the technique, complete "openness" during the exercise. Its duration is determined individually and can vary from several minutes to several hours.

At the "mature" levels of the tariqah, intensive work is carried out to develop and improve the energy structures of the body. If we use Hindu terminology, we are talking, in particular, about the chakras, nadis (meridians). (At the same time, special emphasis is placed on the development of anahata - the chakra responsible for the production of emotional "heart" love). For this, a variety of techniques are used, for example, prolonged concentration in one or another chakra or channel, work with mantric images that are placed in one structure or another of the body, or move from one structure to another, etc.
One such technique is laughter meditation. Its participants lie on their backs and completely relax. After meditative attunement, they place one of their hands on the anahata area, the other on the muladhara area, activating these chakras. Then those present begin to conduct waves of soft, light light-laughter through the body (from muladhara to the head chakras).

Laughter meditation has a cleansing effect and promotes the development and improvement of the chakras, the middle meridian, if, of course, it is carried out at the proper level of subtlety (13).

At all levels of the tarikat, special collective psychoenergetic trainings are also used, usually called "dhikr" (lit. - "mentioning the name of God") (14). They are very important in Sufism. Sufis consider dhikr to be "the pillar upon which the whole mystical path rests," since the regular performance of dhikr brings the "traveler" closer to God.

Variants, modifications of dhikr are very diverse - in accordance with the traditions of this or that brotherhood or order, the skill of the sheikh. Dhikr is performed as follows:
Everyone present stands or sits in a circle. The sheikh gives a certain meditative setting and then, at his direction, those present begin to perform a series of exercises replacing each other. These exercises are rhythmic movements performed at an ever-accelerating pace (for example, tilts, turns, swings of the body). The movements are accompanied by the pronunciation of certain prayer formulas. Against the background of them, breathing techniques can also be given.

In some orders, brotherhoods, music and singing are of the utmost importance during psychoenergetic training. It is believed that music - "food of the soul" (giza-i-ruh), as Sufis call it, is one of the most powerful means of promoting spiritual progress. Music is widely used that encourages the body to spontaneous movements (tarab), appeals to the mind (raga), evokes various emotions (kul), helps the emergence of appropriate figurative representations (nida), promotes entry into deep meditative states (saut), etc. A number of orders and brotherhoods introduced daily listening to music, collective classes with vocal performance of mystical verses (sama), ecstatic dances to music, etc.

In addition to the usual methods, Sufism also has "high-speed" techniques of spiritual development, similar to the Tibetan Vajrayana (14). Through these secret techniques, the murid can make a very rapid advance. They apply only to those who already have a sufficiently high psychoenergetic readiness and the blessing of their sheikh.

But even ordinary Sufi methods are very powerful and effective. (For example, even a one-day successful experience of Sufi whirling can make a person completely different). The effectiveness of these techniques is achieved, among other things, due to the fact that meditative work is carried out not only using motionless body positions, but also against the background of movements. At the same time, special breathing exercises and prayers are widely used. Thanks to such a complex use of various methods, several "centers" of the human body are involved at once: emotional, motor, intellectual (16). The well-coordinated, harmonized work of the "centers" opens up possibilities for a very rapid change in the psychoenergetic state of the students.

The Sufi meditative tradition is very rich and very diverse. It has accumulated a tremendous experience of working with the body, mind, consciousness. The available arsenal of techniques is inexhaustible. In this ancient tradition, both the ways of cognition of Vajad (in Hindu terminology - Samadhi), and techniques for achieving the correct "crystallization" of consciousness in two higher spatial dimensions, and techniques for mastering Fana-fi-Rasul and Fana-fi-Allah (respectively, Nirvana) have been developed. in Brahman and Nirvana in Ishvara).

Sufism has a lot of originality and originality. But, despite this, its striking similarity with the spiritual traditions of other world's best religious schools and trends is traced - the similarity of goals, ways of their implementation and even methods. This can only testify to one thing: that Sufism and Hesychasm, Taoism and Buddhist Tantrism, classical Hindu yoga and the path of the Mexican school of Juan Matus, as well as some other directions not named by us, are based on the same laws of spiritual development. They are only realized in different ways in certain cultural and historical conditions. Therefore, there are always people, regardless of their religion, regardless of belonging to a particular spiritual tradition, who successfully follow the Sufi path.

NOTES
(1) The materials of this article and other articles of the collection show the identity of Sufism and yoga.
(2) Not everyone who calls himself a Sufi is really one.
(3) The sacred tradition of Islam, presented in the form of hadith - short stories about the actions and sayings of the prophet Muhammad.
(4) All religions speak about it directly or indirectly. For example, the same thought can be traced in the New Testament: "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21), in Vedanta: "Self-knowledge is the true essence of life."
(5) Compare: the attitude towards spiritual guidance that has developed in Hindu, Tibetan yoga, Taoism, etc.
(6) Compare: the principles of niyama santhosha and isvarapranithana.
(7) By the way, in one form or another, many literary Sufi stories, plots and images are reflected in the literature of the East and West.
(8) See other articles of the collection "Methodology of Yoga" for details.
(9) In Hinduism, this state is called "advaita", i.e. nonduality.
(10) For Buddhi Yoga, see also other articles in the collection and .
(11) Recently, some Sufi psychoenergetic techniques have become known due to their use in groups working according to the methods of G.I. Gurdjieff, in the ashram of Rajneesh, where they are used in a modified form, most often for psychotherapeutic purposes.
(12) See other articles in Yoga Methodology.
(13) For the practice of thinning, see .
(14) There is also a tradition of individual performance of dhikr.
(15) For more on the Vajrayana, see Art. "Tibetan yoga".
(16) See details.

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