History of yoga

We are organising a 2-day symposium on yoga and the body to be held at the Australian National University, Canberra.

Here is the link to register: http://chl.anu.edu.au/news-events/events/658/yoga-and-body-past-and-present-symposium

Here is the link to download the flyer and schedule: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0ONiOO-EUx-c0w1ZnFQZ0pnWFE

Представлене видання дає можливість сучасним дослідникам і практикам йоґи глибше зрозуміти йоґічну медитацію — дг’яну. У монографії досліджується процес становлення й розвитку філософських засад дг’яни в історичній перспективі. Автор ретельно вивчає та ілюструє різноманіття поглядів та визначень, що формують поняття «дг’я- на» у ведійський, епічний, класичний та гатха-йоґічний періоди. Для відображення уявлень кожної із зазначених епох, уперше зроблено український переклад нових фрагментів санскритських першоджерел. Показано, як зміни в значенні поняття «дг’яна» впливали на розвиток вчення йоґи, практику йоґінів та по-різному формували уявлення про таке звичне для сучасної людини поняття, як «мислення».
Монографія, як ґрунтовне комплексне дослідження, спонукає до подальшого вивчення інтелектуальних тенденцій у розвитку йоґи та її взаємодії з іншими філософськими та езотеричними вченнями. Книга адресована науковцям, викладачам, аспірантам, студентам, усім, хто цікавиться історією індійської та західної філософської думки, прак- тикам йоґи.

За останнє сторіччя Йоґа як і пов’язані з нею практики медитації, психотехніки стали невід’ємним атрибутом західної культури. Десятки мільйонів людей практикують асани й пранаями, беруть участь у йоґа-семінарах, навіть, не помічаючи цього, використовують терміни йоґи в повсякденній мові. Однак, будь-яка популяризація має й зворотну сторону — спрощення. На жаль, цей процес повною мірою торкнувся і Йоґи. У свідомості західної людини терміни Йоґи втратили свою початкову глибину, Йозі приписали масу поглядів і концепцій, породжених швидше західною, а не індійською культурою. Сама Йоґа стала сприйматися як канонічне, монолітне вчення, позбавлене відтінків, історії, внутрішньої динаміки. У зв’язку з цим виникла потреба в справжньому науковому осмис- ленні Йоґи, яка й привела в останні два десятиліття до появи Yoga-studies у провідних світових центрах наукового сходознавства. Одним із піонерів цих досліджень у нашій країні став Дмитро Данилов — автор цієї монографії.
Книга написана в дуже сучасному жанрі історії та деконструкції ідей. Об’єктом досліджень став термін «дг’яна», який, як показав автор, покриває безліч досить різнорідних психопрактик, і неодноразово змінював своє значення. Таким чином, і це дуже відрадно, досліджуючи це вчення, Дмитро виходить за рамки сприйняття Йоґи як чисто тілесної практики й звертається до її глибини. Думаю, ця монографія буде цікава не тільки сходознавцям, але й філософам, психологам, а також усім, хто дійсно глибоко цікавиться йоґою. Андрій Сафронов. Президент Української федерації йоґи

Свого часу М. Еліаде відніс йоґу до одного з чотирьох базових і взаємозалежних понять, до однієї з чотирьох «кінетичних ідей», які ведуть в осердя індійської релігійно-філософської думки. Минає понад півсторіччя і в світі з’являється різнопланове зацікавлення йоґою, а індійське явище стає впливовою і помітною світовою тенденцією. Уявити сучасний глобалізований культурний, релігійний
і науковий ландшафт без йоґи вже неможливо.
В останні роки історико-філософські дослідження йоґи не тільки істотно пожвавились, а і стали помітним напрямком в індологічній гуманітаристиці. Активно розвивається і міждисциплінарне (трансдисциплінарне) осмислення феномену йоґи. При цьому підвищене зацікавлення спрямоване не тільки на індуїстську йоґічну думку, а і буддійську, джайнську. Водночас не вся основна йоґічна термінологія, включаючи дг’яну, встигла стати предметом окремих розвідок. Тому запропоноване Дмитром Данило- вим монографічне видання, присвячене окремо узятому поняття, тобто дг’яні, є беззаперечно актуальним та відо- бражає світові тенденції в сучасних студіях з індійської філософії.
Автору вдалось не тільки зосередитись на одному з ключових понять йоґічної думки, а і належно проаналізу- вати його трансформацію, залучивши для цього необхідне коло першоджерел. Саме дослідження побудоване так, що аналіз вживання дг’яни здійснюється у досить широкому часовому діапазоні: від ведійських витоків (наприклад, Ріґведа cамгіта, Каушитака, Шветашватара, Майтрі упа- нішади) й епічних текстів (наприклад, «Мокшадгарма», «Бгаґавадґіта») до йоґа даршяни (наприклад, «Йоґа-сутри» Патаньджалі) і середньовічних гатха-йоґічних текстів (на- приклад, «Гатха-йоґа-прадипіка»). У результаті, вдалося помітити важливі трансформації в розумінні дг’яни, які відбувались у різних площинах: гносеологічній, сотері- ологічній, трансцендентній, тілесній. При цьому аналіз поняття дг’яна здійснюється у контексті, який передбачає звернення до різних даршян, включаючи неортодоксаль- ні. Це дало змогу доречно вказати на ті конкретні впли- ви у змінах значень дг’яни, які мали місце в індійському діалогічному історико-філософському процесі. У разі необхідності, Д. Данилов обстоює свої погляди, дискуту- ючи з провідними дослідниками йоґічної філософської спадщини (не тільки згаданим раніше М. Еліаде, а і Дас Ґуптою, Дж. Маллінсоном, Ф. Маасом та іншими).
З позиції історико-філософської індології в Україні запропонована монографія Д. Данилова зберігає не тільки вищеокреслену актуальність. Вона вирізняється ще і но- ваторством, оскільки є першим завершеним досліджен- ням, присвяченим історико-філософським аспектам йоґи. Завдяки автору до вітчизняної науки і культури вводиться не тільки цікава та значуща проблематика, а і відповідні фрагменти санскритських текстів у перекладі українською мовою.
Будемо сподіватись, що монографія знайде свого заці- кавленого читача і сприятиме відновленню та пожвавлен- ню вітчизняних досліджень, присвячених непересічному феномену йоґи.
Юрій Завгородній, доктор філософських наук

Addressing the Yogasūtra योगसूत्र, or 'the point of view' codified in the Patañjali system, is a difficult task. We are faced with an Opera written in a sacred language, to which we approach with due respect. The text is hermetic, as it is typical of the writings of every initiatory Tradition, where the 'transmission' takes place exclusively through the direct relationship ('mouth-ear') between Master and disciple. Like all the writings of Tradition, the language used is highly symbolic, therefore a vehicle of multiple meanings, the decoding of which is almost impossible if you do not have the opportunity to make them "living them from the inside". Taken alone, it remains a text whose understanding is not only inaccessible for a layman, but also substantially indecipherable for the specialists of the academic world themselves

Affrontare gli Yogasūtra योगसूत्र, ovvero ‘il punto di vista’ codificato nel sistema di Patañjali è impresa ardua. Siamo di fronte ad un’Opera scritta in una lingua Sacra, alla quale accostarsi con il dovuto rispetto. Il testo è ermetico, come peraltro è tipico degli scritti di ogni Tradizione iniziatica, dove la ‘trasmissione’ avviene esclusivamente mediante il rapporto diretto (‘bocca-orecchio’) tra Maestro e discepolo. Come tutti gli scritti della Tradizione, il linguaggio utilizzato è altamente simbolico, quindi veicolo di Significati multipli, la cui decodifica è pressoché impossibile se non si ha la possibilità di realizzarli ‘vivendoli dall’interno’. Preso da solo, resta un testo la cui comprensione è non solo inaccessibile per un profano, ma anche sostanzialmente indecifrabile per gli stessi specialisti del mondo accademico.

Yoga implies various things to various individuals. This subject spotlights on a sort of yoga called Hatha yoga. One of the advantages of Hatha yoga is that it can ease pressure and help you unwind. Yoga incorporates breathing, contemplation, and activities, considered stances or represents that stretch the body. You can do yoga to help you unwind. The objectives of yoga incorporate improved physical and emotional well-being and furthermore "unity" with a higher being, oneself, or some type of higher mindfulness. In any case, yoga shouldn't be a profound practice for you to get the advantages.

Wiek XIX, a zwłaszcza jego ostatnie dekady, był świadkiem niezwykle ożywionego procesu, który prowadził do rozprzestrzeniania się jogi poza granice subkontynentu Indyjskiego. Była to jedna z  konsekwencji kulturowego spotkania Wschodu z Zachodem, zainicjowanego już w okresie kolonialnym. Fakt ten był powszechnie znany, jednak dopiero od niedawna stał się przedmiotem uwagi i pogłębionej refleksji. W centrum zainteresowania badaczy stanęła joga nowoczesna – jej dzieje, a także „lokalne” interpretacje – formy, jakie przybierała adaptując się do różnych, nowych warunków kulturowych. Joga, która pojawiła się w Polsce w ostatnich dekadach XIX wieku i która od samego początku nie tylko cieszyła się znacznym zainteresowaniem, ale od razu zaczęła ulegać interpretacjom, jest jedną z wielu form jogi nowoczesnej. Niniejsza książka, której celem jest próba ukazania całego kompleksu idei związanych z jogą w Polsce w okresie od końca XIX wieku do 1939 roku, wraz z kontekstem, z którego wyrastała i od którego pozostawała zależna, wpisuje się w dynamicznie rozwijający się nurt badań nad jogą nowoczesną.   
Punktem wyjścia dla zaprezentowanych w niniejszej książce badań, jak też rodzajem nici przewodniej stał się rozwijający się od drugiej połowy XIX wieku ezoteryzm zachodni – specyficzny, symptomatologiczny sposób patrzenia i rozumienia rzeczywistości, który miał kluczowy wpływ nie tylko na powstanie jogi nowoczesnej, ale także jej rozprzestrzenianie się i rodzenie lokalnych interpretacji – także i w Polsce. To on wyznaczył ramy rozumienia jogi, jej interpretacji i wreszcie tego, jak była wcielana w praktykę życia codziennego. Jednocześnie jednak kontekst ezoteryczny sprawił, że na gruncie polskim joga została związana z określonym zespołem motywów narodowościowych, patriotycznych i mesjanistycznych, które nadały jej specyficzny charakter. Ten cały kompleks idei, wizji, wyobrażeń, interpretacji i motywów został przedstawiony i poddany analizie w niniejszej książce.

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"Yoga in Poland from the late 19th century to 1939: Esoteric Contexts and Interpretations"
The aim of the book is to examine the complexity of ideas related to yoga in the period from the late 19th century to 1939 in Poland, along with the esoteric context from which it grew and to which it remained dependent. The author's study forms part of the current research into modern yoga—i.e. those forms of yoga that are rooted in the Hindu tradition (referring to its philosophical systems, religions or practices), but at the same time have been complemented by themes originating from Western culture or reinterpreted in the light of the various traditions (philosophical, religious, esoteric, scientific) of the West.
The starting point of the research is established, on the one hand, by the esoteric context which determined how yoga was interpreted in the West and created an environment in which yoga could spread and undergo further interpretations, and on the other, by the first mentions of yoga that emerged and originated from Polish sources.
The book is divided into two parts. In the first—"Esoteric Contexts"—selected themes of Western esoteric traditions are presented that were inspired or transformed by esoteric traditions, and were of key importance for the emergence of Polish interpretations of yoga. This part is not a history of modern yoga outside the Indian subcontinent, but rather an attempt to outline the context through which yoga could enter the western—including Polish—cultural landscape. It is an indispensable introduction to the presentation of yoga in Poland. This part of the book was prepared on the basis of subject literature related to the study of Western esotericism and modern yoga, although the author also explores various source literature in order to complement or refine the argument.
In this part of the book the author describes the vision of yoga created in the Theosophical doctrine emphasising the idea of India as the land of primordial, sacred wisdom as well as Theosophical belief about the universal evolution of humanity, the mesmeristic concept of the subtle fluid that became the basis for understanding the idea of prana and the theosophical creation of Raja Yoga as a perfect spiritual path entirely different from the bodily practice of Hatha Yoga. Further the later, post-Theosophical interpretations of yoga were analysed – those emerging on the basis of anthroposophy as well as Agni Yoga, created by Helena Roerich. The author also discusses in details the vision of yoga formulated by Swami Vivekananda, essential for the spread of this discipline in the West. This vision, as it was emphasized, had grown not only from the encounter between the religious and philosophical traditions of India and Western visions of the world, but also from the rich complex of esoteric ideas. The American New Thought movement (represented in the book by Yogi Ramacharaka a.k.a William Walker Atkinson) which became one of the basic media popularizing yoga as a strategy for self-development in the West, was described in a similar way. This part of the book ends with a synthetic review of selected topics related to the process of medicalising yoga, inspired by esoteric interpretations.
The second part of the book—“Interpretations”—deals strictly with the reception of yoga in Poland during the aforementioned period. The reconstructions and conclusions presented here were formulated on the basis of a meticulous analysis of the source literature from that time, both published (eg. books, press articles, leaflets, etc.) and unpublished (archival materials including personal documents, diaries, correspondence, notes, sketches of translations, lectures, etc.). The latter, due to their unique character, are cited extensively. In this part of the book, the following chapters deal with a range of questions and issues. How and with what connotations did the term 'yoga' begin to function in the Polish language? How did Polish travellers in India, who had direct contact with yogis or other ascetics, perceive, interpret and describe this phenomenon? What was their attitude towards it? What place did yoga (conceived both as a philosophical tradition and an ascetic practice) occupy in the philosophical discourse carried out by the prominent Polish philosophers of that time and what sources did they draw upon to formulate their interpretations and analyses? What motivated Poland’s first ever attempts to explain yoga from a medical perspective and what conclusions were drawn?
An extensive chapter was devoted to the characteristics of esoteric (predominantly Theosophical) narratives in which yoga played a fundamental role as a means to accelerate the spiritual evolution of humanity. Here, the author also shows how yoga connected the Polish romantic with the messianic national philosophy. These narratives were described by the author following Wounter Hanegraaff as stories of a “progressive education of Humanity”. They develop, according to the author, through five stages: a) the fall and degeneration of humanity enslaved by materialism; b) the search for restoration—turning to India as the last enclave of spiritual wisdom; c) the visions of a “true yoga”; d) the place and role of yoga in the cultural (also socio-political) milieu of the West and particularly in Poland; e) the rebirth of Poland and the spiritual transformation of humanity. The last three chapters of the book show three forms of Polish adaptation of yoga—"domesticated" yoga, as the author calls it. These are the systems (covering both theory and practical exercise) created by the philosopher and social activist Wincenty Lutosławski (1863-1954), the parapsychologist Józef Świtkowski (1876-1942), and an unsuccessful attempt to transfer the Agni Yoga doctrine to Poland. Here the author illustrates that yoga in the discussed period was not only a part of the narrative, but was also treated as a practice that a Westerner, a Pole in particular, could take and use for his own sake, for the benefit of the whole nation and eventually for the moral and spiritual renewal of the whole humanity.
In conclusion, a general summary is provided and perspectives of further research on yoga is suggested for the period from the end of the Second World War to the fall of communism in 1989.

La Via tradizionale richiede di essere direttamente sperimentata come processo evolutivo concreto, del quale abbiamo testimonianze precise:
“..vi sono sempre stati e vi sono degli esseri che hanno svelato, in quanto lo vivono, e non teoricamente o illusoriamente, questo asserto di verità tradizionale, cosicché la verità è provata sperimentalmente.”
La grandezza dell’Opera è anche l’essere uno strumento a disposizione di tutti coloro che intraprendono la via dello Yoga:
“L’insegnamento della Gītā può essere valido ed essenziale per tutti: occorre meditarlo profondamente, perché lo Yoga di qualunque  forma e grado non può prescindere dalla meditazione. Dalla  corretta meditazione nasce il riconoscimento della retta azione.”
Via di illuminazione dalle molteplici prospettive contenute Tradizione, :
“La Gītā costituisce una Dottrina sintetica (non sincretica) che conduce dalle tenebre alla luce, dalla morte alla vita, dal divenire all’essere, dall’avidyā allo jñāna, dal relativo impermanente all’assoluto incondizionato, dall’apparenza a ciò che é.”
Da cui il sottile ma saldo legame che unisce gli Yogasūtra alla Gītā visibile se ci si pone in modo fattivo nella prospettiva dell’insegnamento tradizionale:
“La Tradizione, con le sue varie scienze, indica la via dell’assoluto e degli universali che va investigata seriamente ed esperita. Lo Yoga è scienza e filosofia, è teoria e pratica, è mente e azione.”

“O human beings, you are fortunate. The clarion call of the Universal has reached you. Not only has the call come, but you are hearing it and it is vibrating in every cell of your body. Will you now lie in the corner of your house as an inert being and waste your time by clinging to old skeletons and bemoaning them? The Supreme Being is calling you in the roar of the ocean, in the thunder of the clouds, in the speed of lightning, in the meteor’s flaming fires. Nothing good will come from idleness. Get up and awake the clouded chivalry of your dormant youth. It may be that the path is not strewn with flowers and that inferiority complex will be attempting to hold fast your each advancing step, but even then you have to proceed onwards, tearing the shroud of darkness. You will tear the thick darkness of despair as you advance in the racing chariot radiant with the Sun’s brilliance towards the attainment of the Supreme state.” Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti (1921-1990) was a Tantric guru in the tradition of Shiva and Krishna. He introduced the empowered universal spiritual mantra “Baba Nam Kevalam”, composed a collection of 5018 spiritual songs called Prabháta Saḿgiita, and founded the socio-spiritual movement Ananda Marga (“the Path of Bliss”).  –  Richard Gauthier, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California, USA, August 17, 2021.

Malgré les recherches d'historiens, les connaissances sur la diffusion, l'évolution et les transformations du yoga en Europe, notamment en France et en Suisse, restent assez mal connues. Cette conférence aura pour vocation de faire la lumière sur l'évolution du yoga en Europe en liant histoire, sociologie et anthropologie. Elle se présente comme le deuxième volet de l'histoire du yoga en Inde, mais toutes deux peuvent être suivies indépendamment.

Rāmabhadra Dīkṣita, a great grammarian and poet, who belonged to Tamilnadu, wrote in the 17th century, a text on the life of Patañjali, called ‘Patañjalicaritam.’ The text contains 8 chapters and approximately six hundred verses. The Sanskrit verses were published by Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay, in 1895. This is a poetic work. The story presented by Rāmabhadra is an admixture of traditionally known ideas and poet’s imagination. The current Sanskrit prose adaptation with English translation of the poetic work of Rāmabhadra was attempted because the poetic version is replete with many incidental elaborate romantic descriptions and such other things which are inconsequential to the flow of the story. Rāmabhadra might have included them for the sake of poetic imagery. The objective of this publication is to bring to light the only available narrative on the life of Patañjali. It was felt that a pruned poetic version would not be appropriate. So, a Sanskrit  prose adaptation based on the story line of Rāmabhadra is attempted here. Effort has been made with respect to the usage of the words to sustain the fervor of Rāmabhadra’s work in describing the life of Patañjali.

Year of Publication: 2012
Published By: Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, Chennai
Prose adaptation and Translation: Dr.M.Jayaraman

Le yoga répond aujourd’hui à une forme « d’injonction sociale au bien-être » (Cedestrom, Spicer 2016). Depuis les années 2000, d’un côté, de nombreuses études médicales tendent à démontrer les bienfaits du yoga (Birn 2008, Bhimani 2011, Singh 2011). De l’autre côté, en sciences humaines, seuls quelques travaux se sont penchés sur les transformations sociales des pratiques et des discours autour du yoga (Hauser 2013). Aujourd’hui, rares sont les travaux qui allient discours subjectifs et données objectives sur le bien-être.
Se nourrissant d’abord de l’anthropologie, j’ai mené en parallèle une expérimentation interdisciplinaire auprès de 25 pratiquants en 2014-2015 en France et en Suisse afin d’analyser ce bien-être dans ses dimensions objectives (grâce à la dominance du système parasympathique) et subjectives (discours des pratiquants). Se basant sur les travaux de F. Varela (2017) et de P. Vermersch (1994), cette étude a permis un dialogue entre données anthropologiques et physiologiques et a révélé des définitions du bien-être propre au yoga, une influence du social sur ces perceptions subjectives et, selon le niveau des pratiquants, des points d’achoppement entre données objectives et subjectives du bien-être.
Ce chapitre souhaite présenter (1) cette expérimentation, (2) les résultats obtenus, puis (3) d’ouvrir la discussion sur les différences et les similitudes entre données objectives et subjectives sur le bien-être. La question centrale sera donc d’allier les approches afin de s’interroger sur les dimensions (sociales, physiologiques, culturelles) qui peuvent influencer et définir le bien-être.
Chapitre publié

Joga była stałym, powszechnym i ważnym elementem europejskiej XIX wiecznej myśli ezoterycznej i okultystycznej. W jej ramach joga doczekała się wielu interpretacji, często bardzo odległych od jej tradycyjnego, indyjskiego rozumienia, a pomimo to, paradoksalnie prezentowanych zazwyczaj jako powracających do korzeni i przywracających jej właściwe rozumienie. Jedną z istotniejszych, choć stosunkowo mało znanych interpretacji jest ta, zaproponowana przez Rudolfa Steinera i stanowiąca część jego obszernego projektu jakim była „droga do wtajemniczenia” prowadząca do poznania „światów wyższych” – nowoczesna dyscyplina duchowa, adekwatna do potrzeb i uwarunkowań współczesnego człowieka, czy też mówiąc językiem Steinera, adekwatna do poziomu ewolucyjnego (określającego charakter psychofizyczny i duchowy) współczesnego człowieka. Celem artykułu będzie ukazanie myślenia Rudolfa Steinera na temat jogi jako „dyscypliny duchowej dnia wczorajszego” na tle jego poglądów na ewolucję człowieka oraz skontrastowanie jej z antropozoficzną, nowoczesną ścieżką rozwoju duchowego. Idee te – o czym warto pamiętać i co zostanie zasygnalizowane w artykule – miały kluczowe znaczenia dla powstania jednej z pierwszych interpretacji jogi w Polsce, której twórcą był okultysta i prapsycholog Józef Świtkowski (1876-1942). Należy pamiętać, że to właśnie Świtkowski wprowadził do polskiego dyskursu toczącego się  wokół jogi szereg wywodzących się właśnie z myśli Steinera koncepcji, które pozostały w nim do dziś, i do dziś określają specyficzny sposób myślenia o jodze w Polsce, specyficzny sposób jej postrzegania, a także wyjątkowy sposób jej krytykowania, w szczególności przez katolickie środowiska antykultowe.

This conference presentation explores the introduction of yoga to Russia through the travelogues of the co-founder of the Theosophical Society, Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891). The paper compares Blavatsky's views on yoga as a postural and spiritual practice with those of Swami Vivekananda and others in the context of emerging interest in yoga in the West.

The c. eleventh century CE Amṛtasiddhi conceives of a bindu-oriented (semen) model of the yogic body which may be leveraged for yogic ends. Verse 7.8 teaches bindu to be of two kinds: bīja is male bindu, rajas is female bindu; when united internally, one is a yogi. This paper reads the bindu passage in the Amṛtasiddhi to explore the function of bindu and rajas in this text: the conception of these constructs as physical and psycho-spiritual power substances, the methods with which they are to be manipulated, and the ends towards which this effort is directed. In order to probe the nature of the female element, rajas, the paper will seek to historicise the bindu-rajas oriented model within textual precedents such as Āyurveda and bring the Amṛtasiddhi into conversation with the later haṭhayoga corpus.

The characterisation of rajas is a key aspect of the overall research project which is to study constructions of gender within the premodern haṭhayoga corpus. Gendered yogic body models are both esoteric and corporeal, where the female principle is at once physical and power substance - generative, divine, and impure. An overarching research question is the extent to which gendered models are generated by socio-historical factors or have an inherent function in haṭhayoga’s soteriology. The project considers the scope of gender as an explanatory model in researching haṭhayoga and what these findings can illuminate of the lacuna of female practitioners.

Tratto da:
Pātañjala Yogasūtrāṇi
Le fondamenta:Yama e Niyama
Il ‘punto di vista’ Yoga Vol II – terza edizione
A cura di Fabio Milioni
YCP 2020,
ISBN | 979-12-20306-83-6
Pgg. 371-413


Yama, Niyama e salute della popolazione
Yoga-terapia e Āyurveda
Yoga e Āyurveda nell’insegnamento di Śrī Svāmī Sivananda
Yoga-terapia e il Ministero Indiano AYUSH
Yama e Niyama nella Yoga-terapia secondo la IAYT
Yoga-terapia in Francia
Yoga-terapia in Germania
Yoga-terapia in Gran Bretagna
Yoga-terapia in Giappone
Yoga-terapia in Australia
Yoga-terapia in Italia
Yama e Niyama nello stress-management
Yama e Niyama nello Yoga Nidrā
Riflessioni provvisorie sulla Yoga-terapia.

Bozza preliminare dal testo:
Dall’Uno della Tradizione ai Sistemi Aperti
Patañjali Yogasūtra – Il ‘punto di vista’ Yoga Vol I -Yama e Niyama, i Doveri (astensioni e osservanze) III^ ed. in corso di preparazione.
dal Capitolo: I commentatori moderni degli Yogasūtra

“The true devotees love the world, the society and everything around because they perceive each and every manifestation of the artful Prakrti (Supreme Creative Power) with one universal spirit. They also love the finite, since it is also a portion of the Universal. They perceive worldly pleasures as divine bliss varied by time, place and person. They keep their mind-stuff absorbed in the eternal currents of the divine flow. Such devoted aspirants are the only true enjoyers or rasika and their object of enjoyment is the Supreme Brahma (God).” Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti (1921-1990) was a Tantric guru in the tradition of Shiva and Krishna. He introduced the empowered universal spiritual mantra “Baba Nam Kevalam”, composed a collection of 5018 spiritual songs called Prabháta Saḿgiita, and founded the socio-spiritual movement Ananda Marga (“the Path of Bliss”).  –  Richard Gauthier, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California, USA, August 18, 2021.

In his book Discourses on the Mahábhárata, Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar (1922-1990), a spiritual teacher (also known as Shrii Shrii Anandamurti) and social philosopher, clarifies the role of Lord Krśńa as both the real author of the Mahábhárata War and as a physical embodiment of the Cosmic Nucleus and creator of the universe. The Cosmic Nucleus has played the roles of different divine personalities in the drama of the universe, which is actually a thought process within the Cosmic Mind. One was the role of Lord Shiva about 7000 years ago. A second was the role of Lord Krśńa about 3500 years ago. Both were embodiments of Divine force at the time of their birth. Each played a vital role in the spiritual and social development of human society in different historical periods. We can learn much from Shrii Shrii Anandamurti’s clarification of the roles that the Cosmic Nucleus has played in human history. Two chapters that focus on these topics are presented here.-- Richard Gauthier, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California, USA, 13 September, 2020

Premessa: nell’emisfero occidentale, e non solo, si è avuta una larghissima diffusione di pratiche che vengono proposte come ‘meditazione’. Tale diffusione è seconda soltanto alle pratiche fisiche (āsana) dello Yoga, spesso proposte come ‘yoga’ tout court. Sono due fenomeni che si ritiene abbiano origine in un comune fraintendimento riduzionista. Se, rifacendoci alla fonte della Tradizione, prendiamo come termine di paragone e riferimento gli Yogasūtra di Patañjali, risulta evidente  una semplificazione fonte non solo di potenziali rischi, ma anche di snaturamento dell’essenza della Tradizione. La formulazione degli Yogasūtra è strutturata in otto aṅga (अङ्ग componenti, parti, membra, ausili, aiuti), compenetrati tra loro: Yama (यम), Niyama (नियम), Āsana (आसन), Prāṇāyāma (प्राणायाम), Pratyāhāra (प्रत्याहार), Dhāraṇā (धारणा), Dhyāna (ध्यान), Samādhi (समाधि) .  In questa breve bozza di contributo,  tratta dal testo:
Dall’Uno della Tradizione ai Sistemi Aperti
Pātañjala Yogasūtrāṇi
pratyāhāra प्रत्याहार , Il ‘punto di vista’ Yoga Vol III

Proponiamo la lettura e riflessione di un brano di Śrī Svāmī Sivananda su Pratyāhāra. Nella speranza che possa suscitare un impegno concreto in controtendenza con l’attuale scenario. Nello Yoga, che è una disciplina, un metodo scientifico, non esistono scorciatoie. Da cui le domande:
 Se si escludono, di fatto, Yama e Niyama, lo scopo delle Āsana è salvaguardato?
 Āsana e un po’ di Prāṇāyāma sono di per se sufficienti per passare direttamente alla pratica della meditazione (Dhyāna)?
 Di quale ‘meditazione’ stiamo parlando, quando ci troviamo di fronte a proposte avulse dal metodo nella sua integrità?

cfr anche: Dr Ananda on Pratyahara, the missing link in Modern Yoga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVW8FNnOsGE

The research paper aims to analyze the definitions of the concept of dhyāna in the Mokṣadharmaparvan of the ancient Indian epic Mahābhārata. Understanding the dhyāna in the Mokṣadharmaparvan makes it possible to comprehend the process of forming the later philosophy of yoga of Patañjali. The seven sections of the Mokṣadharmaparvan are analyzed: 181, 188, 189, 203, 294, 321 and 333, which explain dhyāna. The results are presented in the form of six theses: (1) dhyāna leads to nirvāṇa; (2) requires pre-preparation of the mind: the collection of indriyas and the abandonment of everyday, usual forms of activity; (3) attributes of dhyāna are the following: ekāgratā – unidirectional thinking, dhāraṇā - keeping the attention, as well as svādhyāya, āsana and breath control; (4) the result is the collection of manas in samādhi, whose products are cogitation (vicāra), the distinguishing knowledge (viveka) and the judgment (vitarka); (5) two long-term goals of dhyāna are brahmakāya and penetration into the ātman in the heart; (6) yoga and dhyāna are synonyms.

Целью исследования является анализ определений понятия дхьяна (dhyāna) в « окшадхарме» древнеиндийского эпоса « ахабхараты».  онимание дхьяна в « окшадхарме» делает возможным осмысление процесса формирования более поздней философии йоги  атанджали.  роанализированы семь разделов « окшадхармы»: 181, 188, 189, 203, 294, 321 и 333, объясняющих дхьяну.  езультаты представляем в виде шести тезисов: (1) дхьяна приводит к нирване; (2) требует предварительной подготовки ума: сбор вместе индрий и отказ от бытовых, привычных форм деятельности; (3) атрибутами дхьяни является: екаграта — однонаправленность мышления, дхарана – удержание внимания, а также свадхьяя, асана и контроль дыхания; (4) результат — сбор манаса в самадхи, плодами которого предстают размышление (vicāra), знания, что различает (viveka) и суждения (vitarka); (5) двумя долгосрочными целями дхьяни есть брахмакая и проникновения в атман в сердце; (6) йога и дхьяна в выступают синонимами.

Millions of Americans practice yoga in studios, gyms, and their basements. Millions more have some vague idea what yoga is all about. How far are these modern practices and understandings from the systems of spiritual discipline that developed in India 2,000 years ago? In this course, we will trace the history of yoga from ancient texts like the Yoga Sutra to modern practices developed by innovators like Bikram and Iyengar. We will also examine the forms yoga has taken in contemporary western society and the varied responses its popularity has inspired. Along with readings, lectures, films, and discussions, the coursework will include the actual practice of different styles of yoga led by a certified instructor.

Independent scholar. https://jeanmacphail.academia.edu/ CHAPTER 2 AND LEVEL II Müller's Science of Religion and Vivekananda's Yoga as a Science Vivekananda's Emphasis on Yoga or Self-transformation Vis à Vis Müller With regard to Müller's influence on Vivekananda, Green asserts (50) that Vivekananda did not carry out a systematic study of religion and that his presentation of the historical development of religions, the essence of religion and its supernatural origins and theory are similar to Müller's. However, he admits that although Vivekananda read Müller's books, it is difficult to prove that Vivekananda borrowed from Müller and concludes that Vivekananda's integration of religion was not passively derivative of Müller's thought. A somewhat ambivalent assessment, as is true of much of what is said about Vivekananda in this book. The cogency of Green's remarks may now be explored in the light of Gayatriprana (2020), a compilation of all of Vivekananda's remarks on the history of Vedanta from its earliest Vedic stages up to the beginning of the twentieth century. In passing, Vivekananda does refer, though often obliquely, to Müller and other Western Orientalists and their theories, which would be in keeping with his respect for their work and his Westernized ability to gladly present some of their seminal ideas. In the same vein, he does not refrain from calling them out when their views simply make no sense in the Indian context. Further, it may be somewhat of a superimposition of Müller's thought on Vivekananda that Vivekananda was primarily moved by conceptual influences rather than by his own experience. These two positions could be further finessed by saying that Vivekananda saw that India desperately needed contemporary social consciousness and modern institutions to support its people if they were to gain independence from Western imperialism and gain a place in the global community. Such institutions were not to be built on Western presuppositions, but on the principles of indigenous thinking, including Vedanta and the practice of traditional yoga. On the other hand, his mission to the West was to introduce the time-tested methods of self-transformation (yoga) so that the West could find its "soul" without necessarily having to kowtow to outmoded religious forms or rejecting science, its crown jewel. Rather than relying on any conceptual analysis, this bipartite program arose more from Vivekananda's personal experience, supporting Green's other suggestion that Vivekananda's worldview was heavily influenced by his spiritual teacher, Ramakrishna. As we already know, it was at Ramakrishna's hands that Vivekananda-vehemently asserting the reality and value of the physical world-had been thrown into the world of pure subjectivity, a rather terrifying samadhi or saltation from the objective physical world to the totality of what Vivekananda would later call the superconscious, where any recognizable features of our material, rationalistic world-including the categories of exegesis by scholars-cease totally to exist, thereby bypassing any quibbles about established criteria of anything. This experience, occurring in what was to the Advaitins the "lowest" step of the chatushpad of "four steps of experiencing the Atman", can be said to throw a first monkey wrench into the apotheosis of Advaita and certainly is an illustration in actual life of the kind of process on which all of Vedanta, including Advaita, is built. Classical Advaita, however, was adamant in its denial of the worth of any practice other than that of intense focus on the meaning of non-dual scriptures and the resultant sudden saltation of the seeker's mind into pure intuitive experience. It therefore supports Müller's quest in the most radical of ways.

Con questo breve intervento, destinato ai lettori italiani, riportiamo uno stralcio in bozza tratta dal testo, in corso di redazione:
Dall’Uno della Tradizione ai Sistemi Aperti, Patañjali Yogasūtra. Il “punto di vista” dello Yoga Vol I -Yama e Niyama, delle astensioni e delle osservanze.
I. K. Taimni ha scritto numerosi testi sulla filosofia Hindū, tra i quali quello sugli Yogasūtra di Patañjali. Si tratta, anche in questo caso, di un testo basilare la cui lettura è fonte di spunti di riflessione e meditazione di grande respiro. Molti dei Significati più complessi degli Yogasūtra sono indagati in profondità, descritti in modo chiaro e incisivo. Abbiamo pertanto ritenuto doveroso sviluppare un contributo adeguato, facendo riferimento diretto all’edizione originale in lingua inglese . Nella traduzione delle citazioni, riportata in nota, si è cercato di restare aderenti al testo originale, inserendo tra parentesi quadra chiarimenti ritenuti utili, indirizzati soprattutto a chi presta attenzione alla Via iniziatica tradizionale. Ci si è sentiti autorizzati a praticare tale metodo da quanto scritto da Taimni nell’introduzione dove, dopo aver rammentato le recenti scoperte scientifiche e la loro coerenza con i principi già enunciati dallo Yoga nell’antichità, fa un richiamo al concetto ermetico “Come in alto così in basso”. La lettura integrale del testo di Taimni, che confidiamo i lettori siano stimolati a compiere, si ritiene particolarmente fruttifera per ogni ricercatore che ha intrapreso la Via Tradizionale, specificatamente quella del ramo Occidentale. E’ una lettura istruttiva che, pur nel rispetto integrale delle peculiarità e scevra da ogni facile suggestione di sincretismo, pone domande profonde su molti degli aspetti maggiormente critici dell’attuale situazione di diffuso degrado.

This chapter offers analytical meta-reflection on the process of identifying, surveying and examining the current field of academic yoga and meditation studies. It discusses significant and ongoing shifts in this field of study, as well as the scholarly choices that contributors to this volume have faced collectively in what they have classified under the categories of ‘yoga’ and ‘meditation’ and in the terms they have used. We review the theoretical and practical challenges of one of the first attempts to bring into direct dialogue two closely related areas of academic research: meditation and yoga. The conclusion highlights emergent themes, foci and issues in the field, as well as current gaps for future research.

In the West, yoga of today is practiced with a strong focus on the physical exercises; whilst in India yoga is generally understood to be a mainstream ancient spiritual philosophy (Joshi 2018). This difference is at the core of a rigorous ongoing debate of historical arguments between Indian scholars and secular gurus; and Western researchers and yoga experts about what yoga, its practices and origins really are.

The process of documenting history is always an attempt to frame events and actions within the context of time with man as the essential component. But both elements are culturally conceptualized; in Europe time is perceived as of an essential quality, but in India an illusion where reality is of “timeless nature” (Saha 1990:113).

This cultural disparity has compelled me to analyze the arguments as to how man and time as social and cultural constructs are expressed in these opposing understandings of Yoga. The arguments with implied assertions form fundamental presumptions in which there appears to be an incompatibility between a fundamental Indian belief in the eternal truth in comparison with Western faith with its reality of documented facts.

The starting point for my analysis was Agamben's statement about time, history and culture: “Every conception of history is invariably accompanied by a certain experience of time which is implicit in it, conditions it, and thereby has to be elucidated. Similarly, every culture is first and foremost a particular experience of time, and no new culture is possible without an alteration in this experience.” (Agamben 2007:91).

I first discussed temporality; how the cultural understandings of time create the framework of logic in these arguments and how this affects the conclusion arrived upon. Thereafter the interpretations of modern yoga as cultural and social narratives for the archetypal meanings they espouse, and lastly how they are related to history, myth, legend and the understanding thereof.

The final debate between the Western and Indian scholars was then eventually put into a perspective of representation, which seems to boil down to who has the right to tell the story of Yoga.


Here are the main findings of my analysis:

Temporality:
The Western conception of time being solely linear has been culturally and historically amplified in Europe, where to prognosticate is to foresee a development with elements of the past introduced into the future. In the Western story of modern postural yoga āsana’s origins are seen to be the key element of the interpretation, both in the near and the distant past. This presumption has an ingrained cultural bias whereby the amount of āsana are considered to have increased over time due to human causation (Koselleck 2004:11). This logic leads in the Western interpretation to the final conclusion that modern posture-based yoga cannot be considered a successor of the Indian tradition of Haṭhayoga (Singleton 2010:5)

In the Indian presentation the past is not an object but present in the current moment and this cultural framework sets the condition for what can be considered knowledge. From this perspective it is not imperative to know by whom or during which period the āsana appeared, was created or developed as they are seen as timeless instruments.


Narratives:
Western history is written about men who, in their quest to master time, perform great deeds, by other men who use superlatives to capture those events (Arendt 1958:572-574).
The Western biography interprets the great Yogi Krishnamacharya without the mythical glow, and extraordinary knowledge, as in the Indian version. A narrative where the qualities and nature of the main character are not credible must therefore be presumed not to be creating the same impression for the reader as the Indian (Carrithers 1994:263). The view presented by the Western researchers of casting doubt on the main character's qualities thus weakens and disfigures that which the readers of the Indian version aspire to.

In a comparative analysis of these two interpretations and their different agendas it therefore at first resembles a contrast between history according to Western standards versus the Indian practice of recounting legend and myth (Hirsch & Stewart 2005:269). The disciplinary boundary dissolves though as they are both culturally framed interpretations with differing objectives.


Myth:
History, following Western standards, contains in theory no greater knowledge or truth than myth, although greater importance may be attached to it if it is deemed to be a historical fact (Leach 1970:56).

The legend of Krishnamacharya embodies the message of epic Indian myths that divinity can be experienced through the combined yogic practices of right belief, pure action and sacred ritual. Krishnamacharya´s character, his qualities, and his nobility are therefore key elements for the understanding and meaning of the Indian message of yoga; even understanding the role of myth in his life. The meaning and the significance of his character can then only be fully understood as a mythical or legendary figure in its proper cultural context (Dundes 1984:193), and therefore become upheld and honoured as a blueprint for a yogic way of life.


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Illness and Immortality examines a medieval Sanskrit text, the Netra Tantra, which is devoted to health and healing through a yogic practice dedicated to the chanting of mantras, the building of mandalas, and meditation. Patricia Sauthoff examines the role of such ritual elements in rites to alleviate illness and death. She includes analysis of the various forms of the deity Amrtesa or Mrtyuñjaya (Conqueror of Death), the nature of mantra, and the relationship between the tantric practitioner and the patient. This work explores what is meant by immortality within the medieval context and how one goes about attaining it. It asks how ritual alleviates illness, what role the deity plays in health and healing, and finally who has access to the rites described within the text. Central to this study is the conception of a body vulnerable to demons and reliant on deities for continued existence, and how the three yogic bodies (sthula, suksma, and para) play a role in physical and spiritual well-being. Featuring new translations of large sections of the Netra Tantra, the book offers readers various points of entry into the text so that tantric practitioners and scholars alike can access the influential and important concepts and practices found within this long-revered but under-studied work.

In the wake of the Great Depression, Paramhansa Yogananda proposed the creation of spiritual yoga communities he called "World Brotherhood Colonies" as a solution to the suffering experienced throughout America. This book chapter traces the history, controversies, and ultimately the hope that his colony idea might still have to offer in the face of the perils of global capitalism.

Yoga has become trendy. This generally-Eastern, vaguely-mystical practice is now a favored exercise for soccer moms, college students, and the elderly alike. It is likely to be this decade's jazzercise and "Sweatin' to the Oldies," only with less spandex and more Sanskrit.

Wątki orientalne stanowią istotny komponent powstających na Zachodzie nurtów myśli ezoterycznej okresu międzywojennego, a ezoteryzm polski nie był pod tym względem wyjątkowy. W tym kontekście Indie zaczęły być postrzegane jako źródło odnowy, nadzieja na obudzenie i odrodzenie Europy. Ezoterykiem, który chętnie czerpał z tego źródła wątków był jeden z najbardziej wszechstronnych przedstawicieli polskiego środowiska ezoterycznego okresu międzywojennego, lwowianin Józef Świtkowski (1876–1942). Bogactwo jego zainteresowań, a także aktywność, jaką podejmował nie tylko zresztą na polu ezoteryki, sprawiła, że był on postrzegany zarówno jako ekspert w tym zakresie, jak i swego rodzaju "zwornik" ezoterycznego Lwowa. Był on twórcą jednej z najbardziej rozpowszechnionych interpretacji jogi, którą oparł w przeważającej mierze na myśli Rudolfa Steinera. Najważniejszą pracą dotyczącą jogi, jaką przygotował Świtkowski, jest "Wstęp w światy nadzmysłowe. Radża joga nowoczesna", w którym znalazł się pełny wykład jego poglądów na temat jogi - tak teoria, jak i wskazówki praktyczne.
Praca naukowa finansowana w ramach programu Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego pod nazwą „Narodowy Program Rozwoju Humanistyki” w latach 2016–2019: Kultura polska wobec zachodniej filozofii ezoterycznej w latach 1890–1939 (0186/NPRH4/H2b/83/2016).

Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888 - 1989) is widely acknowledged as the father of Modern Postural Yoga.  This paper carefully analyzes one of his few major works, the 1934 Yoga Rahasya, . The book reveals the depth of Krishnamcharya's dialog with the received tradition as well as his desire to promulgate a modern yoga focused on numerous complex asanas, yoga for the householder and yoga for women.

Yoga, bedeni, zihni ve ruhu eğiten ve kişinin kendini tanımasını sağlayan en eski kişisel gelişim yöntemlerinden biridir. Hindistan’da ortaya çıkmasına rağmen, Yoga felsefesi tüm dünyaya yayılmıştır. Özellikle yoganın sağlık üzerindeki etkileri, ruhsal etkilerden daha çok araştırma konusu olmuştur. Bu çalışmada yogaya ilişkin genel bir bilgilendirme yapıldıktan sonra, yoganın sağlık üzerindeki muhtemel faydaları literatür taraması yoluyla irdelenmiştir. Bu bağlamda yoga-sağlık ilişkisini ele alan çalışmalar ulusal ve uluslararası alan yazın ekseninde değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışma sonucunda yoganın; özellikle psiko-sosyal rahatsızlıklar başta olmak üzere epilepsi, kanser, astım, multiple sklerozis, tansiyon, romatizmal eklem hastalıkları, infertilite, obezite, şizofreni ve diyabet gibi birçok hastalıkta yardımına başvurulan faydalı bir uygulama olduğu bilgisine erişilmiştir. Bu faydaların kökeninde ise yoganın bedensel ve zihinsel rahatlama sağlaması dolayısıyla bireylerin stres ve depresyon düzeylerini azaltıcı etkisinin yer aldığı görülmüştür. Bir diğer taraftan yoga-sağlık ilişkisinin daha güçlü bir metodolojik temelde ve daha geniş örneklem hacimlerinde araştırıldığı çok sayıda çalışmaya ihtiyaç duyulduğunun altı çizilmiştir. Ayrıca yoganın hangi sağlık sorunlarına kesin olarak iyi geldiği veya hastaların sağlıklı yaşam konusunda ne açıdan desteklendiği ile ilgili olarak daha fazla çalışmaya ihtiyaç duyulduğunun altı çizilmiştir. Bu bağlamda ileriki yıllarda konuyla ilgili ele alınması planlanan çalışmaların, spesifik bir sağlık sorununa yönelik olarak gerçekleştirilmesi, metodolojik açıdan iyi ve kaliteli bir yapıya sahip olması ve örneklem hacminin geniş tutulması önerilebilir. Ayrıca Türkiye ekseninde düşünüldüğünde, meditasyona yönelik farkındalığı artıracağı gerekçesiyle yoganın, ilköğretimden başlayarak ileriki yaş grubunda yer alan öğrencilerin ders müfredatlarına en azından seçmeli ders olarak eklenmesi önerilebilir.