Sometimes I have had questions “But Chaja, what kind of yoga are we actually practicing?”
And I have probably been quite firm in saying Hatha yoga, which is absolutely true, but in some classes, we have embarked on practices that relate to Kundalini yoga.
Let’s dive a bit more into the Hatha yoga that you can explore with me and is based upon the teachings I had from Yoga Saraswati In Leuhan, France. In the next upcoming blogs we will then further explore the 'technical' aspects of Hatha yoga and the connection of Yoga Saraswati with Kundalini yoga.
Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga lies at the basis of all forms of yoga and is as such, the gateway to all other branches of yoga including Raja yoga (yoga of the mind) and its meditation practices. Hatha yoga is essential for your yogic journey.
The postures (called asanas), as experienced by the yogis who developed them, are based on a very precise knowledge of human physiology and that is why they are so effective. Through the teachings of Yoga Saraswati®, you are guided to relax your body to be able to concentrate and to become more and more sensitive and precise in observing everything that is going on inside and thus to better understand and see your own functioning. This allows an awakening to gradually expand the field of consciousness and knowledge and open it to a new vision of life.
Hatha yoga prepares and establishes the basics of an elaborative work on yourself and the steps to self-knowledge.
The teaching method of Hatha Yoga according to Yoga Saraswati stimulates awareness of the physical body and other levels of the body: energetic, emotional and mental, and spiritual. This way and through consistent practices, practitioners will familiarise themselves with the subtle interactions that take place between these different bodies. Energetic modifications can be experienced, produced by the asanas.
Who is Saraswati?[1]
Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom and learning.
Etymologically, her name refers to ‘she who has ponds, lakes and pooling water’. Her feminine deity is celebrated as having healing and purifying powers of abundant, flowing waters. The goddess Saraswati is often depicted as a beautiful woman dressed in pure white, often seated on a white lotus, which symbolizes light, knowledge and truth. She embodies both knowledge and the experience of the highest reality.
She is very often pictured with four arms that represent manas (mind sense), buddhi (intellect & reasoning), citta (imagination, creativity), and ahamkāra (self-consciousness, ego). The objects she carries in her hands are a book or script, a garland, a water pot and a musical instrument.
Saraswati Yoga is a very complete traditional Yoga that acts on all levels of the personality and is based on ancestral knowledge informed by current scientific knowledge.
Puja and Yoga Saraswati
The teachings of Yoga Saraswati emphasise on practicing a Puja every morning and evening. A puja is a ritual, honouring our ecological interconnection that stimulates awareness in all our interactions, between everything and everyone and vice versa.
One of the morning mantras is the Gayatri Mantra to which the Goddess Saraswati is connected, because it stimulates knowledge and qualities directly related to Ajna Chakra (third eye): intelligence, clear vision, strong intuition, positive thoughts and wisdom.
Kirika Yoga
During my classes you will be challenged, (intuitively) adapted to your level, and encouraged to see your limitations, to stimulate your inner observations, acceptance, growth and transformation. You will see and understand what you have to reconsider: attachments, beliefs, negativity and knowledge. You will develop a deeper sensibility to see what you have not seen before. This together with the qualities of abhyassa and vairagya can stimulate an elaborative and disciplined work without an end point, but with neutral observation, awareness and detachment to integrate positive changes in your daily life.
Yoga offers all the means to restore a sense of balance and deep inner coherence.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati