Family: Shiva is the Divine Consort of Shakti, Father of Ganesha & Skanda вЂ“ god of war.He is usually worshipped in the form of lingam. He has a s erpent around his neck вЂ“ representing he ego which has no place in his body, he is adornin a crescent moon to represent the infinite cycles, the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair, the 3rd eye on his forehead, the trident, as his weapon, and the drum. His body is covered in ashes reminding us that material existence is impermanent. Iconography: Shiva, can almost always be seen depicted in deep meditation, representing pure consciousness and bliss.Symbolism : Shiva is known as the Protector and Destroyer as he helps to to move beyond small concerns to bring us to a still point so we can recognise the bigger picture.Shiva is the God of death and destruction вЂ“ destroying the ego, and any illusion of separateness.Verily, he is the inner self of all beings.вЂќ - The Upanishads вЂњ Fire is his head, the sun and moon his eyes, space his ears, the Vedas his speech, the wind his breath, the universe his heart. Mantra: We invoke Brahma to honour the Creator and great teacher.Divine Consort: His divine consort is Saraswati who gives him knowledge to run the universe.Iconography: Brahma is depicted with 4 faces symbolising the completeness of knowledge, and 4 hands symbolizes aspects of the human personality вЂ“ mind, intellect, ego and consciousness.Symbolism вЂ“ Brahma symbolises the mind and intellect as he is the source of all knowledge.Brahma is the first of the Trimurti вЂ“ the supreme trinity of Gods, along with Vishnu and Shiva Brahma is the God of Creation, the Cosmos and all its being.Then think of the galaxies beyond galaxies in infinite space, each a lotus, with a Brahma sitting on it, opening his eyes, closing his eyes. When he dies, the lotus goes back, and another lotus is formed, and another Brahma. Brahma closes his eyes, and a world goes out of being. Brahma opens his eyes, and a world comes into being, governed by an Indra. вЂњJust think, Vishnu sleeps in the cosmic ocean, and the lotus of the universe grows from his navel. In short, learning to work with mantras and deity meditation in your Yoga practice can not only help you to connect to the ancient traditions upon which Yoga draws, but also help you to take yourself and your students on a deepening journey towards awakening, By en-chanting and embodying these qualities in sound and form, we can better identify, honour, and invoke these characteristics and qualities within ourselves, and welcome ourselves into the skirt of their protection. Deities are simply archetypes that are used to represent patterns of thoughts and behavior that are universally present in individual psyches. While Yoga has borrowed powerful mantras and depictions of Gods & Goddesses to help us invoke, embody, realise ad benefit from the beauty and power they represent, deity meditation or chanting, does not mean that we have subscribe to any religious belief in order to tap into the immense beauty and power of the this practice.Д®ach Hindu God is one tiny aspect of Supreme Being. In India, you can find worshippers decorating shrines to the different deities with offerings including mantra, prayer, incense, flowers or other precious items. There are said to be anywhere from 33, 000, 000 to 330,000,000 Hindu deities, each associated with a variety of stories, parables, iconographies and mantras that teach about the values and aims of human life and the path to awakening. Yoga as weвЂ™ve come to know it in modern times, is a syncretic and living spiritual practice and awakening system that draws from a wide range of inspirations including religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, and also western science and psychology. Incorporating myth and mantra into your practice вЂ“ whether teaching or simply deepening as a student, can help bring you into powerful depths of clarity, heart-opening, support and insight for your journey. If youвЂ™re a Yoga teacher or Yoga student and enthusiast, youвЂ™ve likely come across some of the mantras or depictions of some of the popular Hindu Gods and Goddesses, and be wondering why itвЂ™s important for you to know who or what they are! вЂњThere can really be as many Hindu Gods as there are devotees to suit the moods, feelings, emotions & social background of the devotees.вЂќ ~Sri Rama Krishna

Indian gods and goddesses