Siddha Yoga is a form of yoga characterized by mantras, breath control and an emphasis on seeing God in one's surroundings. It is one of the more popular forms of yoga in the western world.

Siddha yoga is a new religious movement based in part on the Hindu spiritual traditions of Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism. It has ashrams and centers (meeting places) in a number of countries, including India, the United States, Australia, Great Britain and Japan. Siddha Yoga's teachings are summarized in 4 aphorisms: Honor your Self, Worship your Self, Meditate on your Self, God dwells within you as you; See God in each other; tte heart is the hub of all sacred places; go there and roam; nothing exists that is not Shiva. The main practices of Siddha Yoga include meditation, chanting, seva, dakshina, satsang and intensives. Siddha Yoga celebrates two common Indian religious holidays Maha Shivaratri (celebrated in February) and Guru Purnima (celebrated on the first full moon in July). They also celebrate the birthdays of Swami Muktananda and Swami Chidvilasananda as well as Swami Muktananda's divya diksha day (the day he received initiation). They also observe the anniversaries of Swami Muktananda's and Bhagawan Nityananda's deaths.

The goal of Siddha Yoga is to, through meditation, chanting, and scriptures, practice the religious movement of Bhagawan Nityanada.

Bhagawan Nityananda was viewed by many devotees as a Siddha Guru or Avadhut. He first visited Ganeshpuri, a village located 82 kilometers north of Mumbai in 1936. Muktananda describes how on August 15, 1947, Nityananda gave him shaktipat transmission. According to the same source, Swami Muktananda attained God-realization or mukti after nine more years of sadhana and discipleship. Nityananda died in 1961. Muktananda continued the shaktipat tradition by passing on initiation to many people in India and other countries. It was through his widespread extension of the little known Shaktipat experience that Muktananda became a well-known figure. Among his teachings, Muktananda expressed his view of what the Guru really is: one who awakens the inner shakti Kundalini through shaktipat. Muktananda's fame as a Guru increased to the point of being made the subject of a Time magazine article in 1976.

Under Swami Muktananda's leadership, the ashram at Ganeshpuri grew substantially and became known as Gurudev Siddha Peeth.[18] As Siddha Yoga expanded beyond India, Swami Muktananda established a large ashram in the Catskills area north of New York City. One of Muktananda's devotees was a young Hindu woman named Malti Shetty, who came from Mumbai. She accompanied Muktananda on his world tours and was given the role of his English-language interpreter. In May, 1982, Swami Muktananda installed Malti Shetty — now known as Gurumayi Chidvilasananda — and her brother Subhash Shetty — now known as Mahamandaleshwar Swami Nityanand— as co-Gurus and spiritual leaders of Siddha Yoga. Swami Muktananda died on October 2, 1982 (known in India as taking mahasamadhi).

The main practices of Siddha Yoga include meditation, chanting, seva, dakshina, satsang and intensives.[26] The form of meditation practiced is the silent focusing on a mantra and/or on the flow of breath. The mantra used for meditation is the mantra Om Namah Shivaya. Students chant Sanskrit mantras which can either be Nama Sankirtana (chants that consist of short Sanskrit phrases, typically names of God) or swadhyaya (chanting of longer texts). The texts include the Guru Gita, morning and evening Arati, Shree Rudram, and the Kundalini Stavaha.

Students can practice seva (selfless service) through volunteer work at either an ashram or a center in their city. Seva can also mean any service done as an offering to God. Dakshina is a financial offering or gift to the Guru. Traditionally, when students seek the teachings or blessings of a saint, they make an offering of dakshina. The practice of giving dakshina is an expression of appreciation for what has been received on the spiritual path. Satsang refers to group meetings or programs, usually held weekly, at the ashrams and Siddha Yoga meditation centers. Satsang includes talks, meditation and chanting

Abhanga - devotional song composed in the Marathi language expressing the longing and love of a devotee to God

Atman - divine consciousness reading in the individual; the supreme Self; the soul

Bhagavan - literally meaning the Lord; one endowed with the six attributes or powers of infinity: spiritual power, rightousness, glory, splendor, knowledge, and renunciation.

Bindi - a red dot worn between the eyebrows marking the location of the third eye, the eye of inner vision or spiritual wisdom

Chakra - a center of energy located in the subtle body where the subtle nerve channels converge like the spokes of a wheel

Deva - a deity or God

Guru - a spiritual master who has attained oneness with God and who is able both to initiate seekers and to guide them on the spiritual path to liberation

Jagadguru - a world teacher; a great Guru

Om - the primal sound form of which the universe emanates; the inner essence of all mantras

Vedas - among the most ancient, revered, and sacred of the world's scriptures, the four Vedas are regarded as divinely revealed, eternal wisdom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddha_Yoga