Review Questions
A Moment to Review…
Some Fun Review Questions about our time together, with an Answer Key at the End. Please Post one of your favorite answers in the comments section below, and feel free to ask any questions you may have after looking through the answer key at the end. Enjoy!
1. Define the Sanskrit word “Sankalpa”, and what it means to you.
2. What is the translation of Sat-Chit-Ananda? How do you translate those terms in
your own words?
3. According to Patanjali, “The main practice of yoga is to…” (more than one can be
correct)
A) Destroy our Karma
B) Eliminate thoughts
C) Calm the Thought Waves
D) Embrace our Emotions
4. Mantra is Sanskrit for (more than one can be correct):
A) Mind Blocker
B) Mind Instrument
C) Mind Protector
D) Mind Suppressor
5. A Chaitanya Mantra is a: (more than one can be correct)
A) Dead Mantra
B) Living MantraC) Mantra from a Book
D) A Mantra for Wealth
6. Om Namah Shivaya means:
A) I bow with admiration of my Inner Self
B) I bow with respect to MY Inner Self
C) I bow with respect to THE Inner Self
D) I bow humbly to YOUR Inner Self
7. Japa is the practice of:
A) Breath Awareness
B) Mantra Repetition
C) Heart Opening
D) Transcendance
8. What does the following Netra Tantra quote mean to you: "This state is not revealed to
others; it is revealed only to the revealers.”?
9. ShambhavAnanda Yoga recommends that one meditate:
A) Morning & Evening for 30 minutes
B) Only Morning for an hour
C) With an App for 5 minutes
D) Weekends for 2-3 Hours at a time
10.What is a basic template for the process of guiding meditation?
11.Which teacher of the Shambhavananda Lineage taught about “The Wish to Grow”?
A) Swami Muktananda
B) Swami Rudrananda
C) Sri Shambhavananda
D) Bhagavan Nityananda
12. Which lineage teacher said “The Heart is the Hub of All Holy Places, Go there and Roam in
It.”
A) Swami Muktananda
B) Swami Rudrananda
C) Sri Shambhavananda
D) Bhagavan Nityananda
13. The scriptures describe the Bliss of the Self as the light of the Sun, and the happiness of
our horizontal life as the light of:
A) Our Cell PhonesB) A Candle
C) The Moon
D) A Child
14. Surrendering a Ripe Mango means not eating the mango. Why or Why Not?
15. The three levels of mantra are:
A) The mouth
B) The throat
C) The third eye
D) The heart
15 Part 2. Mantra at the level of the heart is ______ times more powerful than mantra at the
level of the mouth.
A) 1,000
B) 10,000
C) 100,000
D) 1,000,000
16. Which lineage teacher taught “When the mantra, the repeater of the mantra, and the goal of
the mantra become one and the same for you, you attain the fruit of the mantra.”
A) Swami Muktananda
B) Swami Rudrananda
C) Sri Shambhavananda
D) Bhagavan Nityananda
16 Part 2. Which lineage teacher gave the following metaphor to describe the practice of
Surrender, “It is as though you are holding onto a big anchor at the bottom of the ocean.
All you need to do is let go, and you will rise to the top.”
A) Swami Muktananda
B) Swami Rudrananda
C) Sri Shambhavananda
D) Bhagavan Nityananda
17. What does ‘writing from the heart’ mean to you? What are practical and energetic
considerations?
18. Free Writing is:
A) Hard
B) Liberating
C) Sort of a waste of time
D) Undecided
19. Why observe silence?
20. The second and third largest Energetic Channels in our body are the:
A) Shushumna and Pingala
B) Ida and Pingala
C) Chakra and IdaD) Third Eye and Crown
21. The second and third largest channels in our energetic body end at:
A) Our Eyes
B) Our Ears
C) Our Nostrils
D) Our Hands
22. Put the following limbs of yoga in the correct order:
A) Yoga Posture (Asana)
B) Mental Focus and Concentration (Pratyahara and Dharana)
C) Breathing Exercises (Pranayama)
D) Social and Personal Conduct (Yamas and Niyamas)
23. Being Sleepy during breath meditation is a sign of a weak mind. Why or Why Not?
24. The natural breath mantra, Ham Sah, means:
A) I Am One
B) I Am This
C) I Am That
D) That I Am
25. The Shambhavi Mudra is specifically the practice of:
A) Circulating Your Energy
B) Opening your Heart
C) Keeping your awareness within amidst your life
D) Surrendering
26. Shambhavananda taught, “Think of the breath as a ______ rather than a ______.”
A) Diagphragm / Pump
B) Vehicle / Jackhammer
C) Jackhammer / Breeze
D) Path / Destination
27. Ultimately the highest form of pranayama is:
A) Increasing the Ability for Breath Retention
B) Longer and Smoother Breathing
C) Flowing with the Breath
D) Nadhi Shodana
28. Merging with your breath, and experience the pulsation of life called Spanda, should
happen every time you meditate on your breath. Why or why not?
29. What is the difference between Pranayama and Breath Awareness meditation?30. A Shambhava meditation teacher should teach only those practices that he or she has
been given permission to teach from Shambhava Yoga. Why or why not?
30.What is one of the most important ways to prepare for teaching a meditation class?
31.It is important for beginning meditators to experience their subtle bodies in meditation.
Why or why not?
32. How does the tension release practice differ from the more general idea of surrendering
tension in order to grow?
33. Why do we need to do the tension release practice? How often should we do it?
34. How is gratitude journaling different than gratitude meditation? Which one is better?
35. A meditation teacher is always responsible for helping students:
(A) Burn karma
(B) Discover their Inner Selves
(C) Relax (D) Sit Still
(E) Awaken kundalini
Answer Key
Note: The written answers are merely a reference point to help you know
the direction of the question, but are not meant to be exhaustive of its
possible answers.
1. Define the Sanskrit word “Sankalpa”
A Sankalpa is commitment you make to yourself to do a certain practice at
a certain time in a certain place for a certain length of time.
2. What is the translation of Sat-Chit-Ananda?
Being, Consciousness, and Bliss
3. According to Patanjali, “The main practice of yoga is to…” (more than one can be
correct)
A) Destroy our Karma
B) Eliminate thoughts
C) Calm the Thought Waves
D) Embrace our Emotions
4. Mantra is Sanskrit for (more than one can be correct):
A) Mind Blocker
B) Mind Instrument
C) Mind Protector
D) Mind Suppressor
5. A Chaitanya Mantra is a: (more than one can be correct)
A) Dead Mantra
B) Living Mantra
C) Mantra from a Book
D) A Mantra for Wealth
6. Om Namah Shivaya means:
A) I bow with admiration of my Inner Self
B) I bow with respect to MY Inner Self
C) I bow with respect to THE Inner Self
D) I bow humbly to YOUR Inner Self
7. Japa is the practice of:
A) Breath Awareness
B) Mantra RepetitionC) Heart Opening
D) Transcendance
8. What does the following Netra Tantra quote mean to you: "This state is not revealed to
others; it is revealed only to the revealers.”?
Ultimately one can only benefit and learn about meditation through the actual
practice of meditation.
9. ShambhavAnanda Yoga recommends that one meditate:
A) Morning & Evening for 30 minutes
B) Only Morning for an hour
C) With an App for 5 minutes
D) Weekends for 2-3 Hours at a time
10.What is a basic template for the process of guiding meditation?
Introduce the practice, teach the technique, step back, depth cues, cue out and
absorb
11.Which teacher of the Shambhavananda Lineage introduced “The Wish to Grow” practice?
A) Swami Muktananda
B) Swami Rudrananda
C) Sri Shambhavananda
D) Bhagavan Nityananda
12. Which lineage teacher said “The Heart is the Hub of All Holy Places, Go there and Roam in
It.”
A) Swami Muktananda
B) Swami Rudrananda
C) Sri Shambhavananda
D) Bhagavan Nityananda
13. The scriptures describe the Bliss of the Self as the light of the Sun, and the happiness of
our horizontal life as the light of:
A) Our Cell Phones
B) A Candle
C) The Moon
D) A Child
14. Surrendering a Ripe Mango means not eating the mango. Why or Why Not?
Surrender is something that occurs on the inside, and can take many forms. I look
forward to reading your answer!
15. The three levels of mantra are:
A) The mouth
B) The throat
C) The third eye
D) The heart15 Part 2. Mantra at the level of the heart is ______ times more powerful than mantra at the
level of the mouth.
A) 1,000
B) 10,000
C) 100,000
D) 1,000,000
16. Which lineage teacher taught “When the mantra, the repeater of the mantra, and the goal of
the mantra become one and the same for you, you attain the fruit of the mantra.”
A) Swami Muktananda
B) Swami Rudrananda
C) Sri Shambhavananda
D) Bhagavan Nityananda
16 Part 2. Which lineage teacher gave the following metaphor to describe the practice of
Surrender, “It is as though you are holding onto a big anchor at the bottom of the ocean.
All you need to do is let go, and you will rise to the top.”
A) Swami Muktananda
B) Swami Rudrananda
C) Sri Shambhavananda
D) Bhagavan Nityananda
17. What does ‘writing from the heart’ mean to you? What are practical and energetic
considerations?
18. Free Writing is…I just wanna see how it went for you, lol.
A) Hard
B) Liberating
C) Sort of a waste of time
D) Undecided
19. Why observe silence?
Mataji quote: If you observe silence you will be able to listen to the voice of your
soul. You will understand the language of your soul. You will grasp the message which
your soul wants to convey.”
20. The second and third largest Energetic Channels in our body are the:
A) Shushumna and Pingala
B) Ida and Pingala
C) Chakra and Ida
D) Third Eye and Crown
21. The second and third largest channels in our energetic body end at:
A) Our Eyes
B) Our Ears
C) Our Nostrils
D) Our Hands22. Put the following limbs of yoga in the correct order:
2) Yoga Posture (Asana)
4) Mental Focus and Concentration (Pratyahara and Dharana)
3) Breathing Exercises (Pranayama)
1) Social and Personal Conduct (Yamas and Niyamas)
23. Being Sleepy during breath meditation is a sign of a weak mind. Why or Why Not?
No, sleepiness is a threshold we must all pass through to find our natural breath.
Shiva Sutras: “When, through meditating in continuity, your thought becomes ever more
subtle, you will feel that you are about to go to sleep. Sleep comes for those who can not
maintain awareness. Those who can maintain awareness do not fall asleep.”
24. The natural breath mantra, Ham Sah, means:
A) I Am One
B) I Am This
C) I Am That
D) That I Am
25. The Shambhavi Mudra is specifically the practice of:
A) Circulating Your Energy
B) Opening your Heart
C) Keeping your awareness within amidst your life
D) Surrendering
26. Shambhavananda taught, “Think of the breath as a ______ rather than a ______.”
A) Diagphragm / Pump
B) Vehicle / Jackhammer
C) Jackhammer / Breeze
D) Path / Destination
27. Ultimately the highest form of pranayama is:
A) Increasing the Ability for Breath Retention
B) Longer and Smoother Breathing
C) Flowing with the Breath
D) Nadhi Shodana28. Merging with your breath, and experience the pulsation of life called Spanda, should
happen every time you meditate on your breath.
Why or why not? The experience of merging with your breath is a combination of effort
and grace. We can only prepare for the reception of such a high state, we can’t make it
happen.
29. What is the difference between Pranayama and Breath Awareness meditation?
During Pranayama we are directing the breath, whereas in breath awareness meditation
we are attempting to watch the breath move on its own accord.
30. A Shambhava meditation teacher should teach only those practices that he or she has
been given permission to teach from Shambhava Yoga. Why or why not?
Yep. There are a lot of practices out there, but we believe you should learn them from a
teacher who has been empowered to teach you them, and in a training setting that can
ensure your understanding.
31.What is one of the most important ways to prepare for teaching a meditation class?
Keep a steady practice, use your practice in your life, meditate before class, and keep
checking in with your practice while you teach.
32.It is important for beginning meditators to experience their subtle bodies in meditation.
Why or why not?
The only thing that is important for a beginning meditator is the wish to grow.
33. How does the tension release practice differ from the more general idea of surrendering
tension in order to grow? Surrendering tension is the foundation of our work in meditation.
This produces a heat, which burns up blockages in our subtle body. As this occurs over
time, there is a residue that forms, much like the salt that may be on your skin after
sweating. The tension release practice is like a shower to release that residue, whereas
the practice of surrendering tension is the work itself that burns up our limitations.
34. Why do we need to do the tension release practice? How often should we do it?
Without Tension release our spiritual mechanism can get clogged and our tensions tend
to reform faster. As Swami Rudrananda taught: “There is no such thing as growth
without breaking down in the growth, the byproduct-- it should be growth which has
been suggested, and allows the breaking down of energy and chemistry so that you can
wash out of yourself just as after you eat food. You wash out the poisons, you psychically
wash out through any creative process, the unassimilated energy so that you grow back
in a different way-- you are changing human being. without ridding yourself of some of
your chemistry consciously every day you will never change.”
We should make time to do this at least once a day.35. How is gratitude journaling different than gratitude meditation? Which one is better?
Gratitude journaling is a process that takes place on the page, and can be a great
stepping stone to gratitude meditation. Gratitude meditation is the actual process of
generating a grateful thought, and then going to the source of that gratitude consciously
in order to expand it. Neither is better than the other, of course.
36. A meditation teacher is always responsible for helping students:
(A) Burn karma
(B) Discover their Inner Selves
(C) Relax
(D) Sit Still
(E) Awaken kundalini
None of the above