If, in a street poll, we ask passersby whether they know what yoga is, the majority will confirm. Some will say it is a form of gymnastics, like stretching and Pilates; others will associate yoga with Hinduism and Buddhism, and still others will describe it as personal development. The latter will be closest to the truth about yoga, but everyone will be right to some extent. Asanas are a preparation for meditation and more enlightened states of mind. Patanjali Rishi barely mentions asanas in the Yoga Sutras, and other ancient texts list only a small number of body positions.
How do yoga positions differ from the ordinary Swedish gymnastics taught in schools? This topic comes back like a boomerang in various conversations, in fact, less often even in the yoga community itself, which is a pity because discussions about the context of yoga are needed. “Outside” yoga groups, at social gatherings, at work – there will be relatively often someone brilliant who will ask the question: “And how do yoga postures differ from gymnastic exercises?” The topic has recently come up in the yoga community itself – in the fall of 2010, a very interesting discussion arose between Aćarya Śrivatsa Ramaswami and the author of the interesting book “Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice”, Dr Mark Singleton, about what constitutes the uniqueness of the yoga asana system and how it differs from ordinary gymnastic exercises.
The Sanskrit word “yoga” means “to unite, to tame, to join”. Yoga is a spiritual system that grew out of the ancient Indian tradition, but it is not a proper study of either Hinduism or the instruction manual of the religion. Yoga emerged in the Vedic spiritual culture and is common to Brahmanism, Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Yoga is, therefore, a supranational and supra-religious value – it is an extensive and precise system of personal development based on the simultaneous improvement of the body, mind, and spirit, and the development of harmony with nature. It is worth remembering not to let yourself be pushed into plastic “yoga mats” because yogis do not practice on plastics that energetically isolate from the earth’s energy and nature. You should also avoid rooms without good ventilation and airing because, generally, yoga is best practised in nature, in contact with nature, and fresh air is needed for relaxation or breathing exercises. Therefore, alleged yoga clubs on busy and smoky streets in city centres and airless gyms without windows are somewhat out of the question. Traditional yoga mats are made of grass.
The PWN Polish Dictionary defines “physical culture” as “a field encompassing the science of physical education, sports, personal hygiene and the rational organisation of active recreation”. Even if we slightly expand the scope of this concept, it has no application to the practice of yoga positions, i.e. asanas. The context of contemporary yoga is psychological, although, of course, the psychology of authentic yoga has a slightly different context than the European one because it contains an element of transcendence – it is spiritual psychology. Krishnamaćarya unnecessarily distanced himself from referring to tantric contexts from post-classical yoga texts, clearly preferring the psychological and “scientific” context of Patanjali’s yoga, although Patanjali himself does not teach or describe asanas, but rather one asana – the sitting, meditative one, i.e. padmasana.
The term “yoga” can be encountered in the over 5,000-year-old Indian scriptures – the Vedas. According to some sources, the science of yoga is much older and comes from the pre-Vedic period. The teachings of yoga were collected and systematised in the 2nd millennium AD by the master Patanjali Rishi, a great sage of that time. His treatise “Yoga Sutras” is the primary source text describing the method of gradual development of human consciousness up to the achievement of the state of “samadhi” – that is, the state of super-consciousness, enlightenment, connection with Divinity, with the Universe, with the Absolute. Later source texts develop and describe various yogic practices – there are many schools and traditions of transmission. It is worth adding that the teachings of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are also the basis of Buddhist teaching, but asanas and methods typical of hatha yoga known to us are not mentioned in the Yoga Sutras. It is so because hatha yoga originates from tantric schools and environments associated with Kalaripayat.
Yoga in the physiological sense uses many techniques that have never been used in any gymnastic systems, and even less so in contemporary European gymnastics, i.e. Swedish gymnastics, therefore the specific synchronisation of breathing with movement, bandhas and many other elements will be a distinguishing feature of the asana practice system comparing to other gymnastic systems. Such elements are used basically only by systems based on yoga, influenced by yoga or inspired by yoga, such as Eastern martial arts and kalaripayat. This special distinguishing feature for yoga is additionally the context of practice. The context of various yoga practices, including practising yoga positions, is the pursuit of spiritual development, a specific state of mind and self and soul, which Patanjali Rishi defines (YS I.2) at its foundation as “stopping the movements of the mind”.
For many people, this distinction of spiritual development will seem subtle, but it cannot be denied that practising asanas for health or even for “holistic psychophysical development” also brings significantly different effects than referring in practice to the context of a state of peace of mind. It is worth remembering that yoga is not a typical “physical culture” but rather spiritual psychology, psychotherapy and psychosomatic therapy; therefore, the context of practising yoga positions is psychological and spiritual, and not only recreational or rehabilitative. This means that asanas can cure someone and spiritually transform the entire human being. Psychosomatism of yoga does not mean that you can practice asanas disregarding anatomical rules because it is even quite the opposite. Studies on the anatomy of yoga and its applications for therapy conducted in Poland and Canada, for example, by Dr Pasek, have brought many interesting experiences for preparing good instructors of the so-called basic level in teaching yoga.
The West heard about yoga in the 19th century from researchers from the Theosophical Society and Swami Vivekananda, who taught in the USA in the 1890s. Jiddu Krishnamurti was supposed to be a master of raja yoga and the saviour of the world, but he became only a teacher of the simplest methods of concentration, relaxation and meditation. The Western world rediscovered yoga in the 1970s when the young generation began to contest the extremely consumerist lifestyle of their parents, which accompanied the economic growth after World War II. With the hippie movement based on the idea of freedom, community and pacifism, young people began to search for the meaning of life and spirituality – and finding no answer in the dogmatic and institutionalised Christian tradition – they turned to Eastern philosophy, which seemed to be much more in line with their values. Some of the first popularisers of Eastern spirituality in the West were the musicians of the band “The Beatles” and other artists of that time.
Yoga positions are first learned statically, i.e. we learn individual asanas, approaching the asana, maintaining the asana, and relaxing after the asana. Holding in the asana is a training for developing strength and power, as well as isometric training, which is characteristic of yoga and, at the same time, very important. When people already know a dozen or so asanas, which can be combined into various therapeutic sets or those serving spiritual development, then the forms or arrangements of asanas are introduced, called vinyāsa. As we know from the dictionary, vinyāsa is simply order, sequence, arrangement or form; in other words, what we call a set of asanas performed fluidly, smoothly and efficiently, moving from one asana set to the next. Similarly, we also practice arrangements in kalaripayat – an Indian and Tibetan martial art resembling the versatile Daiqi and Qigong combined. It is worth remembering that vinyāsa is not Krishnamaćarya’s invention but is present throughout the history of yoga teaching, especially in tantric hatha yoga, where asana arrangements practised by advanced practitioners often looked like a dance.
Nyāsa is a form of ritual in the Indian spiritual tradition that includes specific body positions, gestures, placing hands in appropriate places or magical signs drawn in the air. Nyāsa is present in every tantric ritual and the daily sadhana, the spiritual practice of all authentic yogis. Vinyāsa has the same meaning but is enriched with an element of fluidity and establishing the order or sequence of performed elements. The word vinyāsa, in relation to the commonly used term nyāsa, means something that could be above nyāsa, some “supernyāsa”. Therefore, we can say that vinyāsa is a magical yogic ritual of a magical type, originating from tantric hatha yoga and serving the same higher purposes as any typical nyāsa offered before Indian deities in pujas. From the view of martial arts such as Daiqi (Tai Chi), vinyāsa is simply a form, a system of smoothly performed sequences of postures and positions. It is therefore worth checking whether vinyāsa performed in Western fitness clubs of supposed yoga is full of power and energy. For this purpose, masters in India undergo special tests and examinations both in kalaripayat and in yoga.
Briefly, Patanjali Rishi describes the eight-step path of human development leading to the achievement of the state of “Samadhi” or Enlightenment:
YAMA – adherence to basic moral or ethical principles. These universal principles should roughly distinguish man from an animal, on which most religions are based, and all so-called secular ethics, which are essentially derived from religion. The vibration of “YA”, “YAM”, or “YAH” opens the heart. The sounds of “MA”, “MAM”, MAH” remove poisons and impurities. So, we have YAMA as a purifying opening of the heart.
Ahimsa – do not harm, do not use violence
Asteya – do not steal
Satya – do not lie, live in truth
Brahmaćarya – restrain instinctive desires
Aparigraha – do not focus on collecting, do not be greedy.
NIYAMA – adherence to the basic assumptions of individual self-discipline. These assumptions also have surprisingly much in common with the rules of many religions and the recommendations of relatively modern psychologists.
Śauca – purity, in the sense of body and mind, avoiding harmful stimulants, unhealthy food and negative thoughts
Santosha – contentment with what we have, maintaining peace of mind
Tapas – enthusiasm, effort, perseverance in pursuing a goal
Svadhaya – observation of one’s reactions, behaviour, emotions, research, self-education
Iśvara pranidhana – surrendering to the experiences of life, accepting reality.
Universal moral principles and tips on self-discipline and self-improvement are essential foundations for proper, beneficial spiritual development practice. Developing the 5 yamahs and 5 niyamahs allows one to live in harmony with oneself and the environment.
ASANA – practising yoga positions. Practising asanas or yoga positions is precisely this tantric, secret “gymnastics” with which yoga is commonly associated in the West. Asanas strengthen muscles, make joints more flexible, add energy by accelerating metabolism and the flow of body fluids, and cleanse the body at a physiological level by massaging internal organs. They help develop body awareness, which is the art of self-observation, learning about one’s limitations, and working with them at a physical level. Proper practice gives a sense of stability, peace, mental balance and inner strength and unblocks emotional tensions caused by stress.
PRANAYAMA – control, mastery of breath and prana – life energy. Pranayama is a breathing exercise that integrates the body and mind. They should be practised after mastering a certain level of performing asanas. Control and different ways of breathing complete the process of self-purification and removal of tension from the body. In fact, the word Pranayama does not tell us anything about breathing because Prana is life energy, a vital force, and Pranayama is mastery of five types of vital energy, work such as in Qigong (Chi Kung).
PRATYAHARA – restraint of the senses, accumulation of energy, yogic psychology and psychoanalysis, unblocking the psyche, removing complexes from the sense organs and mind. The next, higher or inner levels of development of human consciousness are:
DHARANA – concentration, focusing, increasing power
DHYANA – meditation, contemplation, flow of light
SAMADHI – ecstasy, fruit of practice, state of super-consciousness, union with the Divine.
Swami Vivekananda, Sainatha, Krishnamaćarya, Śivananda – some of the most outstanding yoga masters of the 20th century claim that yoga is mastery of the mind and vital energy. Nevertheless, people leading a normal secular life in Western societies are recommended to develop the first five levels of yoga primarily. Strengthen themselves in moral life, self-improve, maintain discipline, practice asanas and pranayama and spiritual psychotherapy or pratyaharam. The remaining parts, concentration, meditation and the state of samadhi, result from achieving perfection in the first five. Even if the fascination with the spiritual aspect of yoga was the basis of Western interest, its “side effects” resulting from practising asanas and pranayama quickly came to the fore – namely, rapid improvement of both physical form and mental or psycho-energetic state. Yoga always helps!
Expressive, healing and beautiful, asanas are like poetry: they lead us to deeper levels of the mysteries of life. It is rare for a yoga student to hear a teacher declare that yoga is not just about body positions. Yoga is much deeper than performing impressive body positions; it is much broader than perfecting physical movement. We practice not for the glory of impressive bends but for the clarity and wisdom that come from observing our minds as we move through asanas in a harmonious breathing rhythm. It may seem that we are just playing with our bodies from the outside, but inside, we recognise, analyse and change our consciousness and mind patterns.
When starting the hatha yoga practice, we should begin by observing the breath, i.e. the length, rhythm, and places of energy concentration. We gradually equalise the inhalation and exhalation, giving them the same length in most asanas, and at the same time, we try to keep it as soft and relaxed as possible, as well as with a uniform sound (“ujjayi”) throughout. Breath “tamed” in this way guides the body and mind in asanas and transitions between them, i.e. we synchronise movement with the breath in the practice of sets or forms of asanas called kaya-sadhanas. We should feel stable and comfortable in these positions to breathe freely, focus, and distribute energy.
Breathing and working with vital energies is a very important part of yoga. Not only in yoga practice but also in everyday life, when lifting a heavy object, we naturally take a deeper breath, which is like a safety valve when it turns out that something is too heavy. In the case of diving, a deep breath allows us to enjoy the underwater view. This makes us aware of how natural our yogic practice should be. In yoga for beginners, synchronising movement with breathing is crucial – intelligent, individualised building of the sequence of forms. Dynamic and static work is balanced, and attention is focused on breathing, thanks to which we can achieve harmony between stability, relaxation and peace. Without this synchronisation of the breathing rhythm with movement, there is no talk of yoga, kalaripayat, Chinese qigong, or daiqi. The harmony of movement and breathing is the magical basic principle of the practice of forms, postures and body positions aimed at self-improvement. In India, yoga is also considered an art form, the beauty and grace of which are fully demonstrated by the smoothly practised sequences of asanas. This extraordinary field of Indian culture and art is beautiful and brings many benefits to the body and mind.
A simplified approach to yoga has caused an explosion in the popularity of this form of exercise as a remedy for posture defects, back pain, and the stress and mental tension omnipresent in the Western world. Immediate improvement in physical and mental shape – felt after just a few sessions – is currently the main motivation for people taking their first steps on the yoga mat. Many stop there, but it also happens that, initially guided only by the desire to lose weight, a person begins to “accidentally” change their diet, habits, behaviour, then worldview and finally their entire life to a much better, fuller one, giving much more satisfaction.
In the last decades of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century, yoga has undoubtedly enjoyed increasing popularity in the West. In the US and Western Europe, 5-7% of the population regularly practices yoga; in Poland, it is still less than 1%, but this number is constantly growing despite the massive, paranoid campaign of Catholic anti-cult centres against yoga and its leaders. The popularity of yoga is largely due to public figures who admit to practising yoga, such as Sting or Madonna, and in Poland, Magda Umer, Krzysztof Materna, Joanna Brodzik, Szymon Majewski, Katarzyna Grochola and many others. Thanks to this, practising yoga has become fashionable in some circles – but in reality, any motivation is good to start. After a few sessions with a good teacher, we will understand what yoga can give us on completely different levels of life.
Yoga, in its poor Western version, focuses mainly on health and therapeutic values, while originally it was primarily a spiritual system – but probably the modern Westerner is so neurotic and blocked that he needs therapy and regain mental balance first. Yoga is a wonderful system of psychosomatic therapy, encompassing both body and mind, and this is the effect brought about by the practice of yoga – similar to the practice of Daiqi (Tai Chi Chuan) or Qi Gong (Chi Kung) – also increasingly popular forms of exercise of Chinese origin. It should be remembered, however, that Qiging is Indian Pranayoga brought to China, and Daiqi is Indian Kalaripayat based on Hathayoga and brought to China via Tibet. Asanas and their sequences, asana forms, offer people many ways to help reduce imbalance and alleviate body ailments. When your stomach hurts, you can learn to rest in a well-supported Supta Virasana; when you are overtired, you can relax your legs in Viparita Karani – of course, without supporting yourself against a wall, straps and pegs because this is unnatural for yoga. When you are sleepy, all the body needs is a few Sun Salutations, Surya Namaskar, and when our mind is tense – we do some forward bends. Yoga gives its practitioners physical health and vitality, and it is also a gift that further elevates and develops spirituality, but exercises in this direction can be a bit more subtle in their nature.
By cooperating with the inhalation, we can lengthen and open up while relaxing and unwinding more with the exhalation. We maintain a balance between dynamics and statics. With breath, we synchronise the transitions between positions and work during important asanas. By applying appropriate dynamics and statics in positions, we can obtain specific psychosomatic effects on the body (kaya). To put it more clearly, by practising dynamics first, we will prepare the body for more demanding asanas because in order to mould something from plasticine, we have to “knead” it and rub it. When it becomes soft, we give it the right shape and texture; we similarly affect the physical body. Let’s not forget about mindfulness and concentration (satkara), without which there is no development of consciousness (ćitta). We will not synchronise the breath with the movement if we are not mindful, and we will not stand steadily like a tree putting down roots in the ground, i.e., if we are unaware of the basis of the position. Thanks to mindfulness, we avoid risky movements during practice that could cause injuries or renew old ones, etc. Of course, hatha yoga is not only asanas; it also includes other aspects of yoga, such as pranayama, meditation, and recitation of mantras, which makes the practice of yoga rich and varied.
Yoga is undoubtedly an extremely valuable discovery for the morally and health-declining Western culture. To a person who has completely turned to seeking happiness only in the external world, it shows the values inside him and in other people. Even if, following the suggestion of Swami Vivekananda, Śivananda, Krishnamaćarya, Saibaba or Iyengar, we stop only at the third and fourth level of the eight-step path of yoga, we will gain such values as peace, inner stability, the ability to true love and forgiveness. Paradoxically, thanks to yoga methods, the Christian teaching of universal love for one’s neighbour has a chance to go beyond the sphere of pure theory and become a natural part of our everyday experience.
Many people, including yoga teachers, often doubt the validity of addressing topics such as the differences between asana practice and regular gymnastics. They assume from the outset that people practising asana will not be interested in the deeper context of the practice. However, a good instructor must know how to introduce yoga’s philosophical or psychological context when teaching asana and pranayama. About 25% of people practising yoga positions called asanas are interested in delving deeper into philosophical and spiritual topics or the psychology of yoga. However, the experience of elite instructors shows that more people are interested in the practical application of yoga psychology. Of course, this may also be related to their professional teaching method.
The role of the teacher or instructor is very important in unobtrusively conveying the correct, deeper context of yoga. In everyday life at yoga schools, we usually encounter one of two opposite attitudes: either someone completely ignores yoga’s psychological and philosophical aspects or indoctrinates beginners with alleged secret knowledge. It is worth noting that both attitudes are harmful and convey a very false image of yoga. In turn, the teacher’s transmission of a harmonious view of the connections between the body and the mind and the search for ways to free oneself from various levels of suffering will undoubtedly be helpful for his students. It is worth remembering from the outset that there is no contradiction between the Vedic (classical) approach to yoga exercises and the tantric or esoteric approach. In both cases, it should be remembered that beginners are always as they are, and instructors must adapt to their ability to absorb both the exercises and the contextual knowledge and needs. The teacher should be ready to teach when the student asks and not assume some theory about the people who come, usually not in line with reality.
Swami Paramahansa Lalita Mohan Babaji G.K.
SEVENTH MANDALA OF HRIDAYA SUTRAM
(This publication contains only fragments of the original esoteric-hermetic lesson Hridaya. The entire material of this lesson is available in a book edition, available at workshops and trainings of tantric yoga for adepts and supporters of the Himavanti Confraternity Order and Kaśmiri Śaiva – Kashmiri Śaivism.)
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