What is Yoga

Usually known in the west in various popular “keep fit” variations, yoga is in fact a rigorous spiritual discipline, a genuine science of the human being, a complete system controlling all aspects of life.  YOGA is a complex spiritual tradition, having a history older than five thousand years. It possesses a very rich and extensive literature. YOGA is what we traditionally call “the knowledge of liberation”. We all seek, consciously or not, to rise above the limited notion of what we are. More exactly, we seek to rise above what we usually think we are. Generally, we identify ourselves with our body, our mind, with our possessions or relationships, bringing all this together in what we normally call “my life”. These mental habits do not contain anything but shadows of the truth inside ourselves, and they bury us more deeply in ignorance.

As a term, YOGA stems in the Indo-European root, that could go in English for YOKE or JOIN, GATHER, MERGE, or BRING TOGETHER. In Sanskrit, the main meaning of the word YOGA is harness, which goes with some representation of the human psyche as driven by some randy horses (the senses and passions), which strive to master the driver (the intellect, BUDDHI) whereas the reins represent the mind (MANAS). This is at least the image in the most ancient texts of the Eastern tradition, the UPANISHAD.  It is written that the helpless soul would unavoidably crumble unless practicing yoga, as a method to master the horses and even get off the cart, which implies to become a free spirit.

The oldest systematic description of the YOGA system is to be found in the YOGA-SUTRA of Patanjali (2nd century b.c.). Due to enormous information, the text is rather a guide, which was always supposed to go with some oral secret teachings. This is the reason why for the one who never practiced yoga it is still a text shrouded in mystery. However YOGA-SUTRA is still the most precise and scientific text ever written on YOGA. It describes the eight stages in YOGA:

1. YAMA and NIYAMA – inner and outer attitudes, whose aim is to harmonize our interactions with the outer world and with ourselves.
2. ASANA – motionless physical postures for balancing the body’s subtle energies.
3. PRANAYAMA – the accumulation of cosmic energy (Prana) through rhythmic breathing.
4. PRATYAHARA – the withdrawal of the senses’ energy from their objects, with the purpose of focusing it towards our inner universe.
5. DHARANA – focusing the mind upon an unique object.
6. DHYANA – the unidirectional and continuous flow of mental processes around an object.
7. SAMADHI – telepathic identification of the object of meditation with the practitioner’s being. SAMADHI is the highest state of expanded consciousness and a complete participation of the human being to the Cosmic Life. SAMADHI is the ultimate goal in YOGA, leading eventually to the state of spiritual enlightenment and total wisdom.
8. MUKTI – or ultimate spiritual freedom, does not mean deliverance from the manifested world, but a close and permanent identity with the Supreme Consciousness, which is the true nature of one’s own self. Ultimate freedom is therefore possible only by realizing one’s own identity with the Universe.

This ultimate spiritual state is NOT to be attained after death or in another dimension of Reality, but HERE and NOW – “Only liberation in this life (JIVANMUKTI) is authentic liberation” SPANDA PRADIPIKA.

Why Practice Yoga

Yoga can offer a state of health and body harmony If it is correctly and perseveringly practiced. It actually offers countless ways to improve our life and destiny, to enlarge our personality and attain self-knowledge. Yoga can increase our state of awareness and urge us to a spiritual experience toward our being. The sublime aspects that Yoga can enforce inside of us will bring some unique touch that helps us discover the divine sense of our life integrated in the Absolute.

Some of the benefits of Yoga practice:

Yoga is also about searching answers to existential questions which have been in peoples mind since time began: “For what reason was I born ?”, “What is my life for?”, “What will happen after death?”, “Who am I?”. The original purpose of YOGA is therefore to teach us how to ask correctly and meaningfully the above mentioned questions and how to discover the ultimate truth about the human being, life and universe.

YOGA as a method to release the spirit

For the East, the spiritual accomplishment or maturation is considered the only aim in life, which also is the only way to get the human being out of the cycle of incarnation and death. Therefore, YOGA prevails as a method of spiritual release. Such an extraordinary accomplishment can only be attained after acquiring knowledge and control over the components of the human being, by means of severe methods. The most important parts of the body are those to go beyond death, i.e. the subtle body that will only disappear after the final release, when the only to survive is the purified intellect and the absolute, unconditioned conscience the PURE BEING – PURE CONSCIENCE – PURE BLISS, SAT – CIT – ANANDA.

In attaining the spiritual release, the supreme individual essence ATMAN (our Supreme, eternal Self) merges to the Paramount Principle PARATMAN, or BRAHMAN (GOD), but it still does not disappear. No matter the paths enforced by YOGA, they all lead to the same unique target: the Supreme. YOGA offers a path for deep introspection with the goal as Truth. We all desire to know ourselves, at least to some extent, but is this not an illusion?

YOGA confers inner freedom and the understanding of the fact that everything is possible, though not all is allowed. Being liable to some unchangeable laws, as human beings we all feel limited and impotent when faced with the difficulties of life. YOGA induces the power and energy to handle these challenges in life. Moreover, YOGA enables us to overcome the human condition and to reveal our divine nature, the Divine Self within (Jivatman). YOGA aims to gain direct, immediate knowledge of ultimate truth regarding man, existence, and the Universe.

YOGA is a science of immortality. It contains the methods for becoming fully aware of the mysterious aspects of being human. It allows for the employment of all the hidden potentialities within ourselves, for elimination of limitations due to ego, for deepening of self-knowledge; and reaching immortality.

YOGA leads to bliss (Samadhi). Although this word exists and is common in every language, the word ”samadhi” denotes a state accessible to only a small number of people. Experiencing this bliss means to be in full resonance with the beneficial energies of the Universe. By reaching the state of samadhi or full bliss, the yogi gets confirmation of ”completion”. This is where the ineffable fusion occurs between man”s ultimate essence and the Supreme Macrocosmic Universal essence, God. There are no disadvantages.

The original purpose of YOGA is therefore to teach us how to ask correctly and meaningfully the above mentioned questions and how to discover the ultimate truth about the human being, life and universe.

Integrative Yoga

We all want true and lasting happiness. We find this happiness in many ways, depending on the level of spiritual development we have attained at any given time. It is important to reach true happiness. A genuine and efficient Spiritual path will offer ways and modalities to develop all aspects of our being so we can reach true happiness by fulfilling all aspects of our personality, physical, emotional, intellectual as well as spiritual.

In yoga, the body, the emotions, the mind and the intellect need to be developed optimally, so that they can function in perfect harmony with one another. When this happens one can live happy in a real sense. Then the body, the emotions, the mind, the intellect can be used as tools to transcend one’s limits and to experience the Divine.

All of the world spiritual traditions agree that lasting happiness can be reached only by the knowing of what is permanent, eternal, in other words of the DIVINE, who is the Supreme essence of all beings and the source of Life. In time, people found names for this Reality like ‘Self’, ‘Ultimate Nature’, ‘Brahman‘, Cosmic Consciousness, ‘Infinity’, ‘Nirvana’.

We provide a course of integrative yoga. This is an intelligent combination of traditional specific methods meant to secure healthy development for each level of the human being: physical, emotional, mental, intellectual and spiritual.

Integrative yoga is a scientific system to mix different branches or forms of yoga in order to attain the complete and perfect richness of all upper potential qualities of the individual. Here are some yoga branches that our course can offer access to:

HATHA YOGA

• special body poses, having complex beneficial effects (ASANAS);
• deep relaxing (SHAVASANA);
• breath control and rhythm (PRANAYAMA);
• essential methods of purification (KRIYAS);
• mental focus exercises meant to enhance physical harmony in a lithe and relaxed body (MEDITATION)

All these exercises together increase vitality, secure perfect health and cure different diseases. By proper diet, the physical body is gradually and entirely purified, which will remove impurities and toxins and help the body assimilate and use vitamins and minerals. Therefore the body and mind will be completely purified and the practitioner will shortly attain the mind control.

KARMA YOGA

this is the path of the detachment in action, which enables the practitioner connection by resonance with the divine, infinite energies. Hereby the actions and the daily social duties accomplished with no attachment or wish to take possession of the results or effects of the actions, the yogi may constantly purify his mind and increase his evolution process. When the mind and heart become pure enough, the Karma yogi becomes a perfect tool highly self-conscious inside of which and by which the Divine can manifest and materialize different actions. By such actions, urged by the sublime spirit of devotion, the yogi goes beyond his individuality and experiences the state of communion with God.

BHAKTI YOGA

this is the path of endless love and affectionate devotion to God, to some godlike appearance, to some spiritual master or even to the divine spark inside of any human being, under the form of the eternal Supreme Self (Atman). By means of love, constantly infusing both thinking and feeling and unconditionally submitted to God, the human being will finally merge with the infinite divine love and by transcending its confined personality it will attain the state of Cosmic Conscience. The path of BHAKTI, or endless devotion that directs our whole love upon God or His different appearances, may be easily practiced by anyone. All we need there is strong faith and constant remembrance of God, through our continuous love for Him.

RAJA YOGA

This is the path of intense focus, profound meditation and full mind control. This form of YOGA is based on perfection in morals and ethics, on perfect control of senses, which will gradually lead to a state of meditation, where the mind will be still and sheltered from unpleasant whirls. At such stages, once this state fully attained, all limitations are transcended and by deep fusion to the Divine Mind of the Macrocosm, the yogi will experience the state of supreme conscience or the ultimate ecstasy, known in yoga as Samadhi.

MANTRA YOGA

is the path of the ineffable resonance to some specific, sublime energies of the divine manifestation, by uttering some specific sound, known as MANTRA. A MANTRA is a sound modulation that represents some specific aspect of energy or secret realm of manifestation in the Macrocosm. The proper mental focus in uttering some Mantra will enable the yogi to feel some ineffable state of resonance or unison in his whole being and thereby he will be deeply and ineffably connected to the DIVINE REALITY.

JNANA YOGA

is the path of the superior intellectual knowledge, the path of wisdom. It consists of perfect self-knowledge and detached analysis, which gradually lead to complete spiritual awakening. The yogi on this path will acquire early on the first stages the knowledge of his Supreme Self (ATMAN) and therefore he no longer sees his identity in his body, psyche, mind or ego. By complete revelation of his endless Self (ATMAN) he merges with the Divine Essence inside his being; therefore he will all over recognize the Divine Essence surrounding him and he will attain Uniqueness, source of ecstasy.

TANTRA YOGA

Tantra is much more than eroticism. Tantra is the spiritual path that teaches the true art of living and of saying YES to life in all its aspects. Tantra teaches us how to live life in every moment with intensity, full awareness and detachment and how, with love and understanding, we can abandon to the flow of life. Then, life itself becomes a continuous and joyous lesson, teaching us all that we need to know, transforming us for the better, supporting us in realizing our full potential and bring us to perfection. Tantra is a spiritual path that can be learned by all! The purpose of spiritual accomplishment through the tantric sadhana or spiritual practice is the state of plenary union with the Supreme Reality of God the Father, whose nature is Sat-Chit-Ananda (Pure Existence-Pure Consciousness-Pure Bliss). In the tantric tradition this nature of the divine reality is called Cit and denotes, from a certain perspective, the infinite power or force of the Consciousness of God.

MAHA VIDYA YOGA

Essentially speaking, this tradition actually represents a tantric spiritual practice (tantra sadhana) which has a purpose of acquiring a “magical” control over the subtle forces and energies that unceasingly animate and impel both the human being’s microcosm and to the Macrocosm in its multitude of aspects, through faithful connection to one or more of the 10 aspects (Great Cosmic Powers) of the divine expression into manifestation.

KUNDALINI YOGA

Kundalini is the energy that exists in a latent state in man at the base of the spinal column. When this force is “awakened”, it springs upwards (or downwards if the person is practising the headstand  position ”Shirshasana”). It moves along the central axis of the body (the spinal column) towards the crown or  lotus on the top of the head (Sahasrara chakra). Yoga tradition mentions the existence of 7 energetic centres (chakras), whose levels comprise the steps or phases of the process of creation. Kundalini is present in the body of every person as the aspect of Transcendental Power that precedes and penetrates the whole Macrocosmos.

As a conclusion, we may say that integrative Yoga is a synthesis of all forms of Yoga. It mainly aims to a perfect body, utterly healthy and vigorous, a clear, strong mind, calm and controlled; a refined, vivid intellect, as keen as a steel razor, a heart brimming with love and compassion, which is able to live by empathy the spiritual states of the fellow people, a life full of sublime ideals, dedicated to the others’ wealth and happiness, where the aspiration of achieving the inner eternal Self is always prevailing.