Yoga Philosophy

The SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies is delighted to host a series of online seminars with leading scholars at the heart of Philosophy and Yoga Studies. Please join us for this opportunity to go deeper into the material with researchers, graduates in the academic study of yoga and students of yoga more broadly. Sessions will be held over Zoom. Spaces are limited to facilitate exchange of ideas and participants are asked to register in advance. Readings will be shared prior to the sessions. Timings are British Summer Time. To register email Ruth Westoby at [email protected]. Please include a short description of your area of related research or study.

This monograph employs conceptual metaphor theory to investigate philosophy of mind and and the materiality of meditation systems in three c.4th-5th-century CE Sanskrit meditation treatises: the Patanjalayogasastra, the Abhidharmakosabhasya and the Yogacarabhumisastra. The book also challenges the historical framing of these and other texts as 'classical' and applies decolonial thought to how emic labels from South Asian culture might prove more appropriate and useful in categorisation.

Shah Jahan’s period (1627-1666 A.D) is known as the golden age of the medieval Indian history. All historian of modern age dedicated their energies to prove this fact that Shah Jahan was the master of the wealthiest Empire of the world. As far as the matter of wealth and territorial boundaries are concerned this is a fact that he ruled on the largest Empire of the world in Middle Ages. This Empire was the legacy of his father in which he did not contribute even a single inch. The wealth he had used for his personal aspirations must have been used for the welfare of the people. These questions are generally avoided by the historians. Taj Mahal, the seventh wonder of the world made the life of common people miserable because they had to pay many taxes for the satisfaction of architectural sense of Shah Jahan. This paper attempts to find out those realities which may challenge this myth.

This chapter explores the way in which yogic principles influence leadership behavior and approaches. Current understandings of leader development have not incorporated principles of stillness as part of leadership evolution and growth, which leaves the door open for such an exploration. Using a combination of semi-structured personal interviews with individuals at the intersection of yoga and leadership, this inductive inquiry finds that yoga influences leadership in three primary ways: by transforming leadership into a humble service, by allowing leaders to display their humanity through example, and by encouraging leaders to tune in within themselves for better decision-making. This chapter opens the door on the discussion of consciously intertwining yogic practice and philosophical foundations for the benefit of leader development at the individual level.

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

It is not possible to provide a comprehensive account of the educational philosophies and theories that fall within the wide-ranging rubric of 'Eastern philosophy of education'. This disclaimer acknowledges the need to be selective, and so in what follows we have chosen to focus on certain Eastern traditions that have seemed to provide the most enduring and substantive contributions to educational thinking. This inclusionary/exclusionary task should not be understood as disavowing other potentially important contributions and traditions (e.g. Shintoism, Sikhism, Jainism, Baha'i) nor that the categories 'Eastern' and 'tradition' can be offered without significant reservation. Furthermore, the reader would be faced with a bewildering array of ideas without a conceptual frame with which to interpret less familiar contexts. We employ Plato's allegory of the cave as the methodological and pedagogical vehicle to frame and to drive the discussion that follows because it allows us to explore certain key ontological,epistemological and ethical features within our selected Eastern pedagogies, providing the balance between meaningful encounter and coherent interpretation. If philosophy is concerned with what it means to be human, then philosophers of education are sometimes said to take up the question of what it means to become human: humanization. Our traditions define humanization through a set of practices and/or understandings. Thus, we will focus our attention both on the goal and the practices and processes by which the goal might be achieved. Our chapter includes three parts: the first part will briefly introduce key elements of Plato’s allegory of the cave. Part two will include four sections that examine Buddhism, Hinduism, Daoism and Confucianism in turn. It is important to note however, that each of these traditions is more of a tree with several branches, reflecting diverse schools of thought. This general difficulty becomes severe when discussing Buddhism and Hinduism (the former more appropriately conceived as Buddhisms and the latter a broad term that includes several belief systems), requiring us to select specific teachings/aspects within each tradition. Part three will offer some brief statements that may be surmised from our analysis, pointing to shared features of an ‘Eastern philosophy of education’.

The pursuit of Immortality is an essential part of the original religion, if not its primary aim.
The other day I heard a sage say (Sadhguru) that if one reaches to live 85 years or more, it is possible to overcome mortality and imprisonment in samsara; which for us does not mean that every elderly person automatically became wise or immortal, as it is necessary to have attained super-consciousness in due time (according to Sagy Yunna), which is therefore the foundation of the entire work.

简要回顾独特的美国神秘阿迪达(弗兰克林·琼斯)的生活和精神自传。一些版本封面上的贴纸上写着"有史以来最深刻的精神自传",这很可能是真的。我70多岁,读过许多由精神导师和灵性的书,这是最伟大的之一。当然,这是迄今为止我所见过的启蒙过程最全面、最清晰的描述。即使你对人类最迷人的心理过程毫无兴趣,它还是一个惊人的文件,揭示了很多关于宗教、瑜伽和人类心理学的信息,并探讨了人类可能性的深度和局限性。我详细地描述了它,并将他的教学与当代印度神秘奥修的教导进行比较。
那些希望从现代两个系统的观点来看为人类行为建立一个全面的最新框架的人,可以查阅我的书《路德维希的哲学、心理学、Min d和语言的逻辑结构》维特根斯坦和约翰·西尔的《第二部》(2019年)。那些对我更多的作品感兴趣的人可能会看到《会说话的猴子——一个末日星球上的哲学、心理学、科学、宗教和政治——文章和评论2006-2019年第3次(2019年)和自杀乌托邦幻想21篇世纪4日 (2019)

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.

This first article traces some of the lesser known roots and branches of Yoga and how they weave into modern neuroscience and psychology, melding with integration science. The second article will review in more detail the research evidence for the broad-ranging benefits of Yoga to the body, mind, and spirit, gathered from diverse fields such as epigenetics, immunology, clinical psychotherapy, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis research, aging, and mental health. The third paper will outline the framework the author has developed for Yoga as applied to neuroscience, illustrating with case studies drawn from her clients, students, and postgraduate yoga teacher trainees.

श्री ज्ञानेश्वर माउलींच्या वाङ्मयाचे सार्थ विवरण करणार्या योगदा श्री ज्ञानेश्वरी या त्यांच्याच परंपरेतील एका नाथ सांप्रदायिक योग्याने लिहिलेल्या ग्रंथाचा भाग १२/१२
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Books by author Vibhakar Lele
(Swami Yogeshwarananda)
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1. ‘Yogada Shri Dnyaneshwari’ – ‘योगदा श्रीज्ञानेश्वरी’ (खंड १ आणि खंड २) - 1470 A-4 size double columned pages
Book available as Print-copy on
Pothi.com
1. खंड १: ₹1230/-
https://pothi.com/pothi/node/186419
&
2. खंड २: ₹ 1140/-
https://pothi.com/pothi/node/186420
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योगदा श्री ज्ञानेश्वरी
ii. As e-book on Pothi.com as ebook4321 at Rs.250/-
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2. 'एका नाथसिद्धयोग्याचेआत्मवृत्त' – Eka Natha Siddha Yogyache Atmavritta- 350 pages/ ₹550/-
Available as i) Print copy on  Pothi.com at
https://pothi.com/pothi/book/vibhakar-vitthal-lele-eka-nathasiddha-yogyache-atmavritta
&
ii. As e-book on Pothi.com as ebook3777 at Rs.200/-
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Books in English by author Vibhakar Lele aka Swami Yogeshwarananda in the Series: ‘Yoga Of Gita Expounded By Saint Shri
Dnyaneshwar’:
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1. Autobiography of A Natha Siddha Yogin [Travails Of A Mystique`] - 560 pages
₹700/-
Available as Print copy on Pothi.com's store at
https://pothi.com/pothi/book/vibhakar-vitthal-lele-autobiography-natha-siddha-yogi
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ii. As e-book on Pothi.com as ebook7466 at Rs. 250/-
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2. Inner Secrets Of Rajayoga - Saint Dnyaneshwar On Kundalini Yoga
[Practice – Methods And Processes] - 620 pages
₹ 740/-
Available as Print copy on Pothi.com's store at
https://pothi.com/pothi/book/vibhakar-vitthal-lele-inner-secrets-rajayoga
**
ii. As e-book on Pothi.com as ebook7485 at Rs.300/-
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3. Ishwara And Worship [Upasana] - Central Theme Of Gita - 300 pages/
₹ 525/-
Available as printed book on Pothi.com at
https://pothi.com/pothi/book/vibhakar-v-lele-swami-yogeshwarananda-swaroopa-worship-and-philosophy
**
ii. As e-book on Pothi.com as ebook7484 at Rs. 200/-
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4. Rajayoga Of Gita [Kundalini] Karma-Jnana-Bhakti-Dhyana - 362 pages/
₹ 560/-
Available as printed book on Pothi.com at
https://pothi.com/pothi/node/191757
**
ii. As e-book on Pothi.com as ebook7541 at Rs. 250/-
***
5. Rajayoga Consummation [Kundalini] Karma-Jnana-Bhakti-Dhyana - 432 pages/
₹ 615/-
Available as printed book at
https://pothi.com/pothi/book/vibhakar-lele-swami-yogeshwarananda-rajayoga-consummation-kundalini-karma-jnana-bhakti-dhyana
**
ii. As e-book on Pothi.com as ebook7540 at Rs. 300/-
***
6. Dnyaneshwari In Nutshell - 174 pages/
₹ 239/-
Available as Printed book on Pothi.com at
https://pothi.com/pothi/book/vibhakar-v-lele-swami-yogeshwarananda-dnyaneshwari-nutshell
**
ii. As e-book on Pothi.com as ebook8225 at Rs. 50/-
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“Human beings do the actions, and the results come according to the law of nature – the Lord has nothing to do with it. So when people are in trouble, they say: “Oh God, what have You done to me? What put this into Your mind?” But the fact is that Náráyańa, God, has done nothing, and had nothing in His mind. You have done something and are suffering the consequences. You are in trouble and you are crying out. Many people are like this. But Náráyańa has done nothing. As you have sown, so you now reap. This is the plain truth,” explains Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti. “So before doing anything you should think carefully, because the action is in your hand, but not the result – that is in the hand of Prakrti (God’s Cosmic Operative Principle – the law of nature). Náráyańa neither performs the action nor administers the results. He simply gives Prakrti the opportunity to work within Her own limited sphere; Prakrti does Her duty accordingly. She does not aim to satisfy either your mind or the mind of anyone else. She only aims to please the mind of Náráyańa. Whatever work Náráyańa has given Her the right to do, that is what She does. She has no right to do more than that.” 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 6, 2021.

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.

東洋の修行法において、呼吸は極めて重要な位置を占めている。インド思想では、調気法prANAyAmaが成立する以前より、呼吸は生命の象徴としてとらえれ、ウパニシャッドでそれが成立して以降は、ヨーガや仏教において、心の働きを鎮め、解脱に導くものとして、多様に実践されてきた。
　中国の老荘思想でも、その意味こそ異なれど、健康を築く養生法としてさまざまに実践されてきた。我々日本人は、仏教だけでなく、大陸の文化、特に道教の思想的影響を強く受けている。そもそも、何気なく使っている「呼吸」という語そのものが『荘子』に由来するといわれている。
　また、呼吸のあり方を考えた場合、その属性について、胸式によるものか腹式によるものか（胸息－腹息）、腹息時の入息の際に腹部が膨らむか凹むか（順息－逆息）、出息の際に長いか短いか（長息－短息）、呼吸量が多いか少ないか（深息－浅息）、入息、出息それぞれを鼻孔を経て行うか口を経て行うか（鼻息－口息）、呼吸のテンポが速いか遅いか（速息－遅息）など、様々な要素を含んでいる(2)。
　本稿は、こうした基本的かつ重要な項目について、いくつかの思想、文化で重視されてきた呼吸に関わる実践(調気法や呼吸法等)について、統合的にまとめてみた覚え書きである。尚、インド・仏教思想と老荘思想では用語の概念に違いがあるため、一般的意味での息を表す場合は呼吸(呼吸法)とし、『荘子』にかかわるような道教的な養生法を表す場合には「呼吸」(「呼吸法」)、インド精神史におけるヨーガの行法のひとつとして表す場合は、調気法と記して区分することとする。

P. R. Sarkar described Ráŕh, an ancient land in eastern India, as the “Cradle of Civilization”. He claimed that it is one of the areas where human beings first appeared on Earth. Bengali, or Báḿlá, which has come from the Púrvii Ardha-Mágadhii language, is the language of Ráŕh today. Within Bengali there are twelve main dialects, which are listed in the article.  Ráŕh’s dialects include Mid-Ráŕhii Báḿlá, Kolkata Báḿlá and several other dialects or sub-dialects. Because of the high percentage (92%) of Sanskrit-related words in the “colloquial language of the remote outpost of Ráŕh”, P. R. Sarkar suggests that Sanskrit had almost no relation with the influx of the Aryans into India, nor is Sanskrit of foreign origin. This article contains Chapters 19-28 of his book Ráŕh—The Cradle of Civilization plus a short article on the history and dialect of Ráŕh.  P. R. Sarkar (also known as Shrii Shrii Anandamurti) (1922-1990), was the spiritual guru of Ananda Marga and a self-described master of all languages – Richard Gauthier, Santa Rosa, California, October 26, 2020.

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.”

Svāmī Rāma  (Brij Kiśore Dhasmana) sin da giovane ha seguito l’insegnamento del suo Maestro, Bangali Baba, che l’ha fatto viaggiare tra vari Templi dove ha ricevuto insegnamenti di altri Maestri, incluso il Gran Maestro che viveva in una remota regione del Tibet. E’ stato uno dei primi Yogī le cui facoltà sono state oggetto di studi scientifici in occidente. Fondatore dell’Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, ha altresì dato stimolo alla realizzazione di una struttura ospedaliera nel nord dell’India (Dehradun) al servizio di milioni di persone povere che vivono in prossimità delle montagne

This paper draws on the dissemination of yoga training as a case study examining dialogue education versus anti-dialogical or didactic education. I suggest that the Guru-Disciple or teacher-student relationship is a reciprocal one in so far as a dialogical approach is at the foundation of learning. Reciprocity, in this context, can be understood as an exchange that is mutually beneficial and interdependent. The space of learning is co-created, as a third space, between the teacher and student where generative themes emerge and form the basis of praxis and reflection. The learning and knowledge production in dialogue has the potential for transfer and impact in one’s life both personally and socially. I propose that it is dialogue which plays a major role in the liberatory function of education.

“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.

This first article, in a series of two, explicates some of the tacit connections and practical ways in which practitioners of global yoga come to unwittingly support a Hindu supremacist ideology. This occurs through the shared assumptions found within the Sanskrit episteme. I argue that a banal, fetishised consumption of Sanskrit-inspired, yoga-inflected lifestyles, can, and often does, lead to banal support of Hindu supremacist ideology, which has consequences for the unwitting, individual consumer of global yoga. This is because the Hindu supremacist agenda includes the utopian aspiration to create a pan-global Hindu theocratic state, which is eerily similar to ISIS's caliphate. If an individual participates in the global yoga phenomenon in some way, does this leave them susceptible to becoming an unwitting supporter of a violent Hindu nationalist ideology? And, does this make them a yoga fundamentalist? One of the more pressing matters involves clarifying the link(s) between the consumption of yoga-inflected lifestyles and the potential for banal support of a Hindu supremacist ideology. My main argument is that an individual does not need to be aware of a Hindu supremacist ideology to, at least tacitly, support it. The unwitting support occurs through the affective sharing of symbols, narratives, histories, and practices. It is through the consumption of fetishised, Hindu-inspired objects of worship, like the ubiquitous presence of Hindu deities in yoga studies, and the use of Sanskrit prayers (mantra-s), expressions, practices, and identities, which exposes the consumer of global yoga, first to a Hindu idiom, and possibly later, to supremacist ideology.

It appears online, in a slightly modified version, here: https://www.politicaltheology.com/blog/yoga-practitioners-and-the-unspoken-global-aspirations-of-indian-ethno-nationalism-patrick-mccartney/

The purpose of the study was intended to assess the effect of yogic and physical exercises on leg explosive strength and agility, for this purpose hundred fifty students studying in various classes of Government high school Nagathan of Vijayapaur in Karnataka state in age group of 14-16 years were selected. They were divided into three equal groups, each group consist of fifty subjects, in which group-I underwent yoga practices, group-II underwent physical exercises and group –III acted as control group who were not allowed to participated and receive any special treatment apart from their regular curriculum classes, the training period for this study was six days a week for twelve weeks, the before and after the training period, the subjects were tested for leg explosive strength and agility ability. The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was applied to find out which group has better in performance, whenever F ratio for adjusted test was found to be significant for adjusted post-test means Scheffees test was followed, as a post hoc to determine which of the paired means differ significantly. It was drawn conclusions that after the training of yoga and physical exercise both training has improved leg explosive strength and agility, significant increases found in explosive strength among the physical exercise group comparing their counterpart and agility has ability has been increased in the physical exercises comparing to yoga group.

Raising competition and stress in business organizations is causing workplace disturbances and malpractices, affecting its efficiency and long-term goal achievement. Maintaining healthy workplace environment through behavioral management and modification at workplace is the only ultimate solution to overcome from this common challenge of all business organizations. Number of behavioral management strategies and behavioral modification practices are suggested and adapted by business organizations as corrective measure; however, the yogic approach given by ancient Indian philosopher and economist Acharya Chanakya in his book ‘Chanakya Niti’ is very much application, relevant and wholesome solution to this predicament.Present research article is an attempt to present the relevance of adopting equanimity – a yogic approach given by Acharya Chanakya as a corrective mean for this problem. The dominant motive for research is to provide explanation on how the ancient theories of Chanakya and yoga are still apposite and practical at business workplace. Discussion in the article explains the relevancy of some Chanakya Niti shlokas and need of behavioral modification in business organization. Article ends by outlining scope and need for further research.

Premesso che la dizione ‘Upaniṣad dello Yoga’ è un termine di comodo utilizzato solo in epoca recente e che: “I testi di riferimento per le Upaniṣad dello Yoga sono considerati non ortodossi, anzi eretici” mentre “L’ortodossia classica è invece rappresentata da Patañjali“ , si ritiene comunque importante vedere se e quando tali  opere, pur “lontane dal rigore dei Sūtra di Patañjali”  ed “in generale piuttosto grossolane, se paragonate a quelle più antiche” , facciano riferimento ai primi due ānga.


Given that the term 'Upaniṣad of Yoga' is a term of convenience used only in recent times and that: "The reference texts for the Upaniṣad of Yoga are considered unorthodox, indeed heretical" while "Classical orthodoxy is represented by Patañjali ", it is still considered important to see if and when such works, while" far from the rigor of the Sūtra of Patañjali "and" generally rather coarse, if compared to the older ones ", refer to the first two ānga.

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

Negli ultimi anni, in Italia, a più livelli dell’osservazione scientifica, è stata conferita notevole attenzione e importanza alla cura del corpo. Cura intesa in molteplici aspetti, forme e fraintendimenti.
Questo studio, lungi dal voler essere esaustivo, vuole presentare una psicomotricità che  pone l’accento su alcuni aspetti relazionali, emotivi e fisici del bambino in crescita, principalmente dal punto di vista di chi insegna e non di chi impiega terapie psicomotorie di tipo preventivo e riabilitativo. Ci troviamo difronte ad un sapere interstiziale e interdisciplinare tra medicina, biologia e altri studi cognitivi che tendono ad oltrepassare anche il metodo scientifico o logico-razionale.

This paper examines the growth of interrelated tourism phenomena yoga tourism and spiritual tourism-both sit under the wider umbrella of wellness tourism. Tourism has long been linked with spirituality and where this is the case (for example pilgrimage travel), it is considered to pave the way for personal transformation. Linking spiritual tourism to yoga tourism is a fait accompli, as is drawing similar associations with wellness and pilgrimage tourism on account of allied and abiding motivations predicated on uniting mind, body and spirit and these ruminations are central to this paper. More recently, there has been a growing chorus calling for the decolonisation of yoga on account of its commodification and industrialisation, and especially concerning what is argued to be a shift away from its spiritual and transformative tenets.

The underlying meaning of the Sanskrit word yuj from which yoga is derived alludes to the pursuit of achieving a sense of union with something higher than oneself, and this is arguably one of the key drivers for its contemporary acceptance. Linkages between spir-ituality and yoga tourism through an examination of the motivations of Western yoga devotees in Maharashtra, India provide the canvas for this analysis. The motivations for yoga related travel and the broader implications for yoga and spiritual tourism are discussed. This article draws from two periods of exploratory fieldwork conducted in 2014 and 2015 in Maharashtra, India. A qualitative, case study scaffold underpinned by serious leisure as a conceptual framework (Stebbins, 2001) was constructed.

1. I due fiumi del paradiso terrestre Sulla vetta della montagna del Purgatorio,  rappresentano due modalità di reintegrazione nel Paradiso: il distacco da ogni cosa terrena, paragonato al processo del pratyahara e dharana, dell'Ashtanga Yoga, e la immersione nell'amore della sorgente, Dhyana e Samadhi

In Iyengar yoga we shape our bodies with the outward form of each asana but the practice of asana also requires that we observe our relationship to what we are doing – the quality of our actions. Once the form of each asana is learnt and becomes familiar, what becomes more apparent to the practitioner is the changing nature of concentration, moods and energy levels. How many times, for example, have you gone to practice only to find yourself mentally resistant or unable to concentrate-unwilling in fact. A student will often postpone their practice until their interest levels are higher but in terms of the relationship to the practice, this unwillingness needs to be questioned. Coming to understand this question is really about coming to understand yourself. Practice should involve the deeper question of who am I, and what drives me, if it is not to become a physical exercise used only to make you feel good. This could be likened to merely looking for pleasant sensation or comfort. Just as erratic practice can become an avoidance of the difficult issues within one's practice, changing teachers can entail the same. By the nature of their own practice, the teacher is intimately involved with their own process and development and yet a student may only wish to hear the instructions of how to do each asana-its points. The knowledge the student seeks is assumed to be contained in the verbal instructions (points) used to describe each asana and so the student tries to gather these points. Psychologically, however, they are training themselves to gather information as though " truth " were a static thing. Discovery is seeing the interconnectedness of things-the linking or relationship. For example-the way focus and attention affect the experience of the asana, or the way the breath interacts with sensation. Without learning to be in your own process, points in asana practice are of no use. You cannot look outward to understand the internal environment and so the use of points should reflect the linking of attention to experience. A teacher uses points as a way of expressing, in words, their own experience of this interconnectedness. Because the asanas are so elegant and practice is a graceful art, students often try hard to do well. They apply effort and willpower in an attempt to learn. These qualities will take the body so far, but as the practice continues it becomes apparent that these two qualities have a residue in the muscles-they tighten and contract. Thus more effort is needed with diminishing results. Below I would like to outline some central concepts in relation to learning with a teacher. Learning There are three stages in the learning process. To be fed, to discriminate, to think. To be fed Initially the teacher informs the student, showing them the shape and form of each pose, while the student watches the teacher closely to adapt their senses to the task of learning. Home practice is commenced. At this stage the student is totally reliant on the teacher. Discrimination As the student progresses the teacher should not continue to provide all the impetus for the student, because the student has to learn to discriminate using the tools and experience passed on from the teacher. This second stage is crucial in the development of a yogi and requires the student to deepen their commitment to home practice; it is a personalising of the art. Various challenges come to the student whether it be finding time to practice, interest levels or an injury. These can be seen as problems or challenges which require careful observation. An injury or physical difficulty often throws the student into fear and uncertainty. They must fall back on their experience and skills of inquiry to realign themselves-it is sensitivity not just information that is needed. Too often an injury overwhelms the

Philosophy East and West, 65.3. July 2015.

This article offers a novel approach to the interpretation of Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras (YS) through the Jungian lens of Western alchemy.  When viewed from this perspective, the YS read not as a final separation of matter and spirit as traditionally understood, but as a path toward increased wholeness and integration.  Jung found in Western alchemy evidence for his own theory of individuation, the psyche’s process of Self-becoming.  First, I contextualize the YS within the broader scholarly conversation on yoga and alchemy.  Second, I define Jung’s understanding of individuation, specifically in the context of Western alchemy and its processes.  Finally, I interpret the prominent stages of the YS – nirodha, saṁyoga, and kaivalya – through a Jungian-alchemical lens to demonstrate that Patañjali yoga, far from a dualistic system, works with the undifferentiated matter (prakrti) of the mind (citta) in order to transmute it into a more differentiated, individuated, and clarified whole (kaivalya).

Anteprima dal testo Pātañjala Yogasūtrāṇi, gli Yoga Sūtra di Patañjali, Il ‘punto di vista’ Yoga Vol I, a cura di Fabio Milioni. Il testo, in fase di redazione, sarà pubblicato il prossimo autunno.
Dall’Uno della Tradizione ai Sistemi Aperti
Nel corso della sperimentazione, che ha sempre visto speculazione teorica e operatività quotidiana legati in modo indissolubile, sono emerse e si sono consolidate due ispirazioni fondamentali:
 La Tradizione, al di là delle forme che assume al variare delle dimensioni spazio-temporali è unica.
 Conoscere sé stessi è un processo lungo, complesso, irto di ostacoli e cadute; progredire nel cammino è impossibile se non ci si affranca da ogni forma di dogmatismo e dualità. Per andare oltre l’orizzonte occorre superare ogni confine, aprendosi a dimensioni sempre più ampie.
L’Unicità della Tradizione ed i Sistemi Aperti rappresentano quindi le due colonne portanti che costituiscono la soglia da oltrepassare, lo spartiacque tra la dimensione profana e gli stati superiori dell’Essere.
Essendo manifestato in Occidente, le radici sono i grandi Adepti: Parmenide, Pitagora, Platone, Plotino, Pletone.
In questi tempi di crisi e degenerazione, purtroppo, la complessità del loro insegnamento è in larga misura perduto, essendosi interrotta la continuità della trasmissione diretta da Maestro a discepolo. I frammenti che sono giunti sino a noi, pur fondamentali, sono carenti rispetto al ‘metodo operativo’. Dalla grande crisi del ‘600, assistiamo ad una biforcazione del sentiero su linee divergenti rispetto all’Axis-Mundi: la deriva speculativa e quella magico-teurgica.  Avendo ben presenti i rischi e gli aspetti deleteri del sincretismo, non possiamo non riconoscere che solo la Tradizione Orientale ha conservato intatto il metodo operativo. La Visione dello Yoga è parte integrante di essa.

O objetivo é explorar conexões entre yoga, processos de criação em dança, improvisação, performance  e o que denomino de ‘in-ex-corporação’, uma proposta artístico-investigativa com  ênfase na complementariedade, que busca unir ao invés de separar, tendo em vista que o termo ‘Yoga’ tem em si o radical ‘Yuj’ que significa unir. Para unir dentro-fora, no Yoga, na vida, nos processos de criação em perfomance e em dança, podemos acionar nossas percepções a fim de haja uma ligação indissolúvel nas trocas constantes entre o conhecimento que se processa no corpo pessoal e o conhecimento processado nas trocas com outros corpos, humanos e não humanos, vivos e não vivos, e com o ambiente. Sugiro que para ampliar possibilidades de que conhecimentos construídos na criação e improvisação em dança e performance se tornem significativos, ou seja, sejam embodied/‘in-ex-corporados’,  no seu processo criativo haja profunda conexão interna-externa (incluindo fluxos de sensações, sentimentos,  emoções, energias e estados corporais com os de outros corpos e com o meio). Esses conhecimentos são frutos de sinergias, trocas, não necessariamente em harmonia, mas como se o conhecimento fosse formado por um corpo de saber ou uma unidade que contém muitas partes diferenciadas. Corpo único, pois cada corpo de saber se constrói de forma diferenciada dos demais de acordo com inúmeros fatores (e.g., história, valores, crenças). Em processos de criação em dança e performance, principalmente se lidamos com improvisação, movimentamos de forma intuitiva ou pré-reflexiva gerando conhecimentos que tem grandes chances de serem ‘in-ex-corporados’/embodied quando acionamos nossas múltiplas maneiras de perceber, fazendo conexões e mediando diferentes caminhos, formas, possibilidades. Assim, podemos abrir espaços e canais para in-ex-corporar (embody) conexões no grau máximo. Ao abraçarmos ‘conexões’ como parte do processo de embodiment, temos que considerar que essas  estão em um ‘contato-improvisação’ constante. Portanto, podem se tornar parte, mesmo que provisoriamente, do nosso ser, mas assim como mudamos em termos físicos, fisiológicos, cronológicos e assim por diante, também  se transformam conexões já construídas, in-ex-corporadas. Ou seja, entendo que não há mundo estável. Sob esta perspectiva, embodiment se cria, se materializa, se (re)constrói, 'dança' e se faz ‘artista’ de acordo com a intermitência co-existencial.

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.

Rachel Calleja TELESCOPING AWARENESS:A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION INFORMED BY THE YOGA SUTRA OF PATANJALI AND NANCY STARK SMITH'S THE UNDERSCORE. Awareness was found to be a common focus between different dance improvisational practices. This led the researcher to question how awareness can be studied rigorously and what behaviours are to be practiced for awareness to be nourished. Nancy Stark Smith's the Underscore was chosen as the key improvisational dance practice due to its applicability as a research tool. The Yoga Sutra is an historical text attributed to Patanjali (3rd Century AD). In the Yoga Sutra, cognitive processes and behaviours to be engaged in to attain a state of liberation, Kaivalya, are presented in 195 concise yet detailed aphorisms. Only five aphorisms were chosen for thorough investigation in this study. Research on the Underscore and the Yoga Sutra were then used to structure a two week phenomenological investigation in which the researcher partook in a forty-five minute session, everyday, for fourteen days. Quantitative and Qualitative recordings were kept daily. After the two-week research period, the data was coded and clustered into themes. The results are discussed in chapter four and focus on two main discussions. Firstly the benefits of following aphorism II.1 by structuring the study based on discipline, self-study and orientation are discussed in terms of promoting behaviours that lead to a detachment from the identification with thought. Secondly, two initiators of movement are differentiated. Namely, movement from mind and movement from awareness. The experience of movement from awareness is then likened to the state of samadhi. The limitations of the study as well as the potential for further research are then outlined in the concluding chapter. AWARENESS DANCE IMPROVISATION YOGA SUTRA UNDERSCORE B.A. Dance Studies June 2015

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.

In the Iyengar method we are taught, as teachers and student alike, about the importance of linking in asana practice. We learn to link movements into 'paired actions', we link actions in one part of the body to actions in other parts of the body, and we link a sequence of poses by selecting them according to their effects on the mind and body, and by performing actions that are common among the poses. Through this kind of practice we come to appreciate the subtlety of the asanas, the subtlety of our bodies, and the potential of our minds to apprehend those subtleties. The purpose or function and effects of each asana and how they relate to each other reveal themselves to us through the directed practice of linking. In this article we look at five specific reasons and benefits of linking, all of them founded in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, and one of them in a way hidden. Consider the practice of Utthita Trikonasana. In the first steps of performing this asana, we are told to press the inner edge of the front foot down and turn the whole leg out. These two individual movements engaged together are a 'paired action'. If we only press the inner foot down, which we can easily do, then we may feel some stability in the foot, but we may collapse the arch and turn the thigh in at the same time. Turning the thigh in of the front leg in Utthita Trikonasana will strain both the knee and hip joint. If, on the other hand, we only turn the whole leg out, we obtain a better result in the outer hip joint of the same leg than if we only press the inner foot down, but there are other consequences. We may find the inner edge of the foot lifting or getting light compared with the outer edge of the foot. And this lightness will strain the knee, and prevent the inner thigh from lengthening, so the inner surface of the hip joint doesn't receive a stable support by comparison with the outer surface of hip joint. What appear to be simple movements that are relatively easy to perform each have localized benefits, but also potentially undesirable consequences somewhere else in the body. When we perform both of these actions together, then we can eliminate the undesirable consequences, and enjoy more global benefits. Notice, however, that performing this kind of paired action is usually more difficult than performing each movement by itself, both from a physical point of view and from a cognitive point of view. The physical difficulty arises because the medium through which globally separate parts of the body have to pair or interact and link is often stiff or short or tight, and presents a resistance: the hamstrings are often tight, and must lengthen when we both press the inner edge of the foot down and turn the whole leg out. And there is a supportive or complementary action that must also be learned and performed, which is pressing the inner edge of the foot down and lifting the outer thigh to the hip of the front leg. The cognitive difficulty arises because the paired action is usually new to our minds and requires that on some level we overcome the duality (dvandva, YS II.48) inherent in performing the two movements separately. For example, as beginners, we alternate between pressing the inner edge of the foot down and turning the whole leg out. We go on alternating until the moment (ksana, YS III.9) when we suddenly notice we are doing them both together. At that point we 'own' the paired action and add