“So many beautiful asanas, such a variety of pranayamas, wholesome
yamaniyamas, delightful pratyahara/ shanmukhimudra, enchanting
chants,very fruitful antaranga sadhana (meditation), a rock-solid,
considerate, life changing philosophy--- there is something useful,
uplifting for everyone in Yoga. Maybe you could ask a friend/family member, a loved one, to take a look at Yoga in the new year..”
“ The fledgling yogi may do well to revisit the yamaniyamas
regularly, say at bedtime and/or first thing in the morning,to reign
in the rather wayward mind . The new year may be a good time to give it a try.”
*************************
Warm Greetings and best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!!!
Iniya Puthandu Vahtukkal!
Happy Yoga Sadhana. There is something positive,uplifting for everyone
in Yoga.
In 2013, I have the following confirmed programs.
1. Krama Yoga Center (Ricky Tran), Texas from April 13 to 21, 2013.
2. Harmony Yoga, Wells, UK May 3 to 17, 2013
3. Yoga of Sausalito, San Fransisco, CA from May 17 to 27, 2013.
4. Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA July 9 to Aug 12,
2013.
5. Chicago Yoga Center Sep 20 to 27, 2013, Chicago.
I may also go to Mexico City but the dates are not confirmed yet.
My book “Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga” ran out of stock a few weeks
back. I understand that the next reprint is in and the book has become
available from Amazon
MUDRA
Sri Krishnamacharya would resolve (vigraha) the sanskrit compound word
(samasa) Mudra as that (procedure) which gives joy --mudam raati
dadaati iti mudraa. It is made from two different roots, 'mud' to
rejoice and 'raa' to give. The word has been put to use by several
disciplines in different contexts, from dancers, yogis, to
philosophers and is also much in common usage.
Classical dancers use several gestures, especially hand gestures,
called mudras to give expression to inner feelings. It is a very
beautiful aspect of Indian traditional dances. I understand that there
are many hand mudras used in South Indian dance format, Bharatanatyam.
In fact many of us use hand gestures when we speak to add depth to the
spoken words. Many of us, speakers like me, use hand gestures and body
language a lot to make up for the inability to find the appropriate
spoken words.
Hand gestures or mudras are used by philosophers and yogis as well.
Chinmudra is a very well known mudra among the vedantins. It is a
gesture in which the tips of the thumb and the index finger of the
right hand are joined together by curving/bending these fingers, while
keeping the other three fingers straight. This is supposed to be a
hand gesture which signifies that the jivatma, the individual soul and
paramatma, the supreme soul, are one and the same. It may also
indicate a stage of Sayujya the ultimate stage of a Bhakti yogi when
the jivatma merges with the paramatma. These hand gestures help the
abhyasi to maintain the ultimate goal or thought perpetually, never to
deviate from that. They are said to be more powerful than the spoken
words. The other popular hand gesture used by many people in India
including those who practice yoga is called mrigi mudra in which index
and the middle fingers of the right hand are bent inward and the
other three, thumb, ring and little fingers are kept straight. This
hand gesture is useful for nadisodhana pranayama. The thumb is used to
control the right nostril and the other two fingers are used to
control the left nostril. This is a very commonly used mudra. The hand
when in mrigi mudra looks like a deer running or looks like the face
of a deer with prominent beautiful horns. Perhaps the most well known
hand gesture is the anjali mudra, the gesture that is used to greet
elders or while praying. It comes from the root anj to anoint. The way
my guru maintained añjali-mudrá while saying the prayer was a point of
study. He said that in this mudrá the palms should be slightly cupped
while keeping the hands together. There should be a hollow between the
palms sufficient to hold an imaginary lotus or your heart in a gesture
of loving offering to the dhyeya, the object of your meditation. The
arms should be close to the body but not touching the body, and the
folded hands, inclined by about thirty degrees, should be held in
front of the heart or the sternum. With a straight back and head
slightly bowed, Sri Krishnamacharya would be a dignified picture of
peace and devotion. Another mudra, using hands, that many of
Krishnamacharya's students are familiar with is Shanmukhi mudra. In it
the yogi sits in a comfortable asana and after completing the asana
and pranayama sessions and before starting meditation or chanting
would close the eyes, the ears, the nostrils and the mouth with the
fingers of both the hands in a beautiful mudra. It looks like the
action of the three wise monkeys, speak no evil, see no evil and hear
no evil all rolled into one. It can be considered a symbolic gesture
to indicate that for a viveki everything in the universe is only pain,
YS II 15 . But this shanmukhi mudra, also known as Yoni mudra in some
traditions – is it a hand gesture or a seal as mudra also is used to
mean?
The word mudra is also used as to seal or to close tightly-- or a seal
or any instrument used for sealing or stamping, a seal ring, signet
ring. In the olden days the King's proclamation would contain the seal
of the emperor with the impression of the royal ring. Mudra is used to
indicate the signature of a poet or a painter, an author in their
respective works. “I see the mudra of Kalidasa in these works” a
critique would say. Mudra also is used in common parlance as a seal in
a legal document. The stamp in your passport is called a mudra. So is
canceling the postage stamp. When I was very young I used to visit an
extension post office--one man post office near my house. Every now
and then I would go and watch in fascination the way the postperson
would cancel the postal stamps on a stack of envelopes. The rapid hand
movement from the inkpad to the postage stamp and then to the inkpad,
all at breakneck speed, to place the postal mudra by the postperson
would be fascinating, That was when I decided that when I would grow
up I would be a post-person working in the sorting office of the post
office stamping mudras on the post cards and envelopes.
Yogis, especially hatayogis, do a set of unique procedures called
mudras, the prerequisites of which are asanas and pranayama. In this,
one could see that the yogi is able to access several of the internal
organs, the kosas and other supporting organs inside the body. But
more than that there is an esoteric purpose. By Pranayama the Hatayogi
is able to cleanse the various nadis and draw in the dispersed prana,
enabling the union of prana and apana. Now the yogi would like to
further elevate the united prana through the Sushumna and achieve the
goal of Hatayoga which is known by various names such as unmani
avasta and others. Towards that the prana withdrawn from the various
nadis should be prevented from going outward and this is supposed to
be achieved by blocking the various nadi pathways by sealing them
through the procedures called mudras like the check valve used by
plumbers. Mudras thus help to seal some of the nadis, arouse the
Kundalini, open up the chakras and thus pave the way for the upward
movement of the Prana through the Sushumna. The mudras also create the
condition for the Yogi to achieve the unmani avasta or immense joyful
state within oneself. Without the distractions of the sensations like
the visual, tactile and other sensations the Hatayogi is able to
achieve immense joy.
There are a number of mudras mentioned in hatayoga texts and many of
them regularly practised too. Mahamudra leads this package of mudras
recommended by Svatmarama in his Hatayogapradipike. The others would
be Mahabandha, Mahaveda, khechari, uddiyanabandha, mulabandha,
jalandharabandha, viparitakarani mudra, vajroli and saktichalana.
These dasa mudras are said to seal the nadis and prevent the wayward
movements of prana and help to move the prana along the royal path of
sushumna. Of these the three bandhas (badnha traya), Mula, Uddiyana
and Jalandhara bandha are practised very regularly with asanas. Sri
Krishnamacharya would ask the students , in addition, practice
Mahamudra and the Viparita karani mudras (sirsasana and sarvangasana)
regularly. In his Yoga Makaranda, he has mentioned many more mudras,
overall twenty, some of the descriptions follow those of
Hatayogapradipika and some entirely different and some not found in
other books. Some of his descriptions follow the Rajayoga school
according to him and some others the Hatayoga school. What are the
benefits of Mudras? According to my Guru it is as follows:
“ ….to keep the ten vayus moving in their respective nadis and perform
the assigned functions without obstruction and to prevent
diseases...for the prana to be taken along the Sushumna nadi and
maintained in the brahmarandhra, and for the gaze to stop wavering
and remain fixed on one spot. “--Yoga Makaranda
The details of how to perform these mudras and the benefits thereof
can be found in a number of yoga books, especially Hatayogapradipika
and Brahmananda's commentary and of course Sri Krishnamacharya's Yoga
Makaaranda. Sri Krishnamacharya also taught a few more mudras to his
students like jihwa bandha, tataka mudra (a variant of what he
describes in Yoga Makaranda), Yoga mudra, He also warned against
getting involved with a few of the other mudras. Why so? The
Hataayogaapradipika proclaims that hatayoga is like a ladder to reach
the lofty heights of Raja Yoga or Yoga of enlightenment of which the
classical Ashtanga Yoga is an integral part. It is generally assumed
that Rajayoga is the Yoga described by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras,
but some modern scholars have questions about it. Brahmananda , the
commentator on HYP says in his commentary on the opening sloka
“raajayogaasca sarvavrittinirodha lakshanh..” thereby confirming that
by Rajyoga is meant, the yoga enunciated by Patanjli. So the
conventional view is that hatayoga and Raja yoga are compatible and
can be practised in tandem.
But Sri Krishnamacharya had some strong reservations about some of the
mudras, so do several orthodox Indians. He would say, inter alia, that
there are several practices under the name of yoga and it becomes
important to pick and choose those practices that are wholesome and
reject others that could be harmful to the unsuspecting yogabhyasi. So
his advise would be to stick to Patanjali's yoga as the bible of yoga
and anything that goes against the tenets should be eschewed in one's
practice.
What were the practices, especially mudras, my Acharya was not in
favour of? Mudras like the famous Kechari mudra, Yoni Mudra as
described in HYP, Vajroli Amaroli and similar practices. Why so?
Because these practices were not conducive to the satvic goal of
Kaivalya which Raja Yoga is meant to take the abhyasi to. But then
hatayoga is meant to be a stepping stone for Rajayoga. Yes but then
the Rajayogi will have to see if any of the procedures of hatayoga
violate any rajayoga rules and these mudras mentioned are considered
to violate that. Even as hatayogis claim that these procedures help
one to maintain Brahmacharya under the most provocative circumstances
they are unnecessary risks and many yogabhyasis fail miserably, like
even the great sage Viswamitra. And they have no bearing whatsoever on
the ultimate goal of Kaivalya which the orthodox Rajayogi is after and
they directly violate the yama niyamas like saucha and brahmacharya.
If they violate these aspects of yamaniyamas don't hatayogis believe
in these tenets? Further Sri Krsihnamacharya has himself mentioned and
described some of the mudras like kechari mudra, vajroli mudra in his
Yogamakaranda.. But if you carefully read his Yoga Makaranda the
rather embarrassing benefits mentioned with Kechari mudra in
Hatayogapradipika are not referred to by TK. Further his Vajroli mudra
as per Rajayoga is very different from what you find HYP, and his own
alternative description of Vajroli mudra following the hatayoga
school is more a therapeutic tool and not as described in HYP. He
also mentioned during my classes that the somewhat surgical procedure
mentioned HYP ( as also in Yoga Makaranda) of kechari mudra is a
risky procedure and he would suggest use of Jihwa bandha instead
rather than the more extreme Kechari mudra using a knife. I think
Krishnamacharya's teaching should be understood not merely by reading
his books but by following what he really taught to his students. In a
book one has to present the subject in its totality but while teaching
he would teach what is acceptable and what is not. If you take the
Yoga Sutras, Patanjali described various siddhis but he also wants the
Rajayogi who has the goal of Kaivalya in mind to guard against the
distraction of these fascinating but addictive Siddhis.
But Hatayogis subscribe to Yamaniyamas, dont they?It may be of
interest to note that HYP published by Adyar Library contains the
Yamaniyamas in Ch I but in parenthesis suggesting perhaps that these
slokas are an interpolation between verses 16 and 17. Further
Brahmananda who has written the detailed commentary on each and every
sloka of HYP has not written any commentary for these slokas on
yamaniyamas, whereas Patanjali uses up maximum number of sutras for
the yamaniyamas, the foundation of ashtanga yoga. Brahmananda in his
commentary for HYP I.17, also says that Hatayoga is made up of four
angas, asana, kumbhaka (pranayama), mudras and nadanusandhana, whereas
the ashtanga of Rajayoga has yamas and niyamas as the first two angas,
HYP does not seem to recognize them as part of Hatayoga. Does
Patanjali recommend Mudras? He seems to recommend one Mudra for sure
which is the graceful and charming Shanmukhi mudra. It is symbolic
hand mudra and also seals the indriyas perfectly meeting the
definition of pratyahara. It is both a seal and joyful procdure.
So there are different schools of yoga with different goals and so it
is necessary for a yogabhyasi to have some clear goal set and choose
that yogapath that will help achieve the goal. Sri Krishnamacharya
while teaching HYP to me in 1967 said as follows (extract from my
written notes) regarding the mudras:
“If we look at (yoga) as per sampradaya (tradition)...aacharah
prathamo dharma ,following the right tradition is the first duty. Yoga
which is inconsistent with (varnasrama) dharma is an impediment in
achieving Moksha (freedom of the spirit). As there are three types of
karmas and one should avoid karmas that are Rajasic and Tamasic,
likewise in Yoga only satvic practices should be observed. From that
viewpoint. Kechari mudra is not acceptable. From among mudras some are
absolutely essential, like Mahamudra, Aswini mudra, Yoni (Shanmukhi)
mudra. As per our Sampradaya (tradition) mudras such as kechari,
vajroli, etc.,should be avoided” He further. added..... “Mudras give
vitality. They enable movement of Prana along the required pathways.
They also enable granthis/ organs not to be displaced from their
respective positions.”
Happy Yoga in the New Year
Sincerely
Srivatsa Ramaswami
PS
Please send your comments, suggestions to in...@vinyasakrama.com
My website
www.vinyasakrama.com
My Videos
http://www.youtube.com/user/
My Newsletters
http://groups.google.com/
-----------------------------------
Krisztian has already added the above newsletter to those from the rest of the year and made a fourth volume of Ramaswami's newsletter, available in pdf and free for your Kindle or Kindle app. - Grimmly
yamaniyamas, delightful pratyahara/ shanmukhimudra, enchanting
chants,very fruitful antaranga sadhana (meditation), a rock-solid,
considerate, life changing philosophy--- there is something useful,
uplifting for everyone in Yoga. Maybe you could ask a friend/family member, a loved one, to take a look at Yoga in the new year..”
“ The fledgling yogi may do well to revisit the yamaniyamas
regularly, say at bedtime and/or first thing in the morning,to reign
in the rather wayward mind . The new year may be a good time to give it a try.”
*************************
Warm Greetings and best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!!!
Iniya Puthandu Vahtukkal!
Happy Yoga Sadhana. There is something positive,uplifting for everyone
in Yoga.
In 2013, I have the following confirmed programs.
1. Krama Yoga Center (Ricky Tran), Texas from April 13 to 21, 2013.
2. Harmony Yoga, Wells, UK May 3 to 17, 2013
3. Yoga of Sausalito, San Fransisco, CA from May 17 to 27, 2013.
4. Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA July 9 to Aug 12,
2013.
5. Chicago Yoga Center Sep 20 to 27, 2013, Chicago.
I may also go to Mexico City but the dates are not confirmed yet.
My book “Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga” ran out of stock a few weeks
back. I understand that the next reprint is in and the book has become
available from Amazon
MUDRA
Sri Krishnamacharya would resolve (vigraha) the sanskrit compound word
(samasa) Mudra as that (procedure) which gives joy --mudam raati
dadaati iti mudraa. It is made from two different roots, 'mud' to
rejoice and 'raa' to give. The word has been put to use by several
disciplines in different contexts, from dancers, yogis, to
philosophers and is also much in common usage.
Classical dancers use several gestures, especially hand gestures,
called mudras to give expression to inner feelings. It is a very
beautiful aspect of Indian traditional dances. I understand that there
are many hand mudras used in South Indian dance format, Bharatanatyam.
In fact many of us use hand gestures when we speak to add depth to the
spoken words. Many of us, speakers like me, use hand gestures and body
language a lot to make up for the inability to find the appropriate
spoken words.
Hand gestures or mudras are used by philosophers and yogis as well.
Chinmudra is a very well known mudra among the vedantins. It is a
gesture in which the tips of the thumb and the index finger of the
right hand are joined together by curving/bending these fingers, while
keeping the other three fingers straight. This is supposed to be a
hand gesture which signifies that the jivatma, the individual soul and
paramatma, the supreme soul, are one and the same. It may also
indicate a stage of Sayujya the ultimate stage of a Bhakti yogi when
the jivatma merges with the paramatma. These hand gestures help the
abhyasi to maintain the ultimate goal or thought perpetually, never to
deviate from that. They are said to be more powerful than the spoken
words. The other popular hand gesture used by many people in India
including those who practice yoga is called mrigi mudra in which index
and the middle fingers of the right hand are bent inward and the
other three, thumb, ring and little fingers are kept straight. This
hand gesture is useful for nadisodhana pranayama. The thumb is used to
control the right nostril and the other two fingers are used to
control the left nostril. This is a very commonly used mudra. The hand
when in mrigi mudra looks like a deer running or looks like the face
of a deer with prominent beautiful horns. Perhaps the most well known
hand gesture is the anjali mudra, the gesture that is used to greet
elders or while praying. It comes from the root anj to anoint. The way
my guru maintained añjali-mudrá while saying the prayer was a point of
study. He said that in this mudrá the palms should be slightly cupped
while keeping the hands together. There should be a hollow between the
palms sufficient to hold an imaginary lotus or your heart in a gesture
of loving offering to the dhyeya, the object of your meditation. The
arms should be close to the body but not touching the body, and the
folded hands, inclined by about thirty degrees, should be held in
front of the heart or the sternum. With a straight back and head
slightly bowed, Sri Krishnamacharya would be a dignified picture of
peace and devotion. Another mudra, using hands, that many of
Krishnamacharya's students are familiar with is Shanmukhi mudra. In it
the yogi sits in a comfortable asana and after completing the asana
and pranayama sessions and before starting meditation or chanting
would close the eyes, the ears, the nostrils and the mouth with the
fingers of both the hands in a beautiful mudra. It looks like the
action of the three wise monkeys, speak no evil, see no evil and hear
no evil all rolled into one. It can be considered a symbolic gesture
to indicate that for a viveki everything in the universe is only pain,
YS II 15 . But this shanmukhi mudra, also known as Yoni mudra in some
traditions – is it a hand gesture or a seal as mudra also is used to
mean?
The word mudra is also used as to seal or to close tightly-- or a seal
or any instrument used for sealing or stamping, a seal ring, signet
ring. In the olden days the King's proclamation would contain the seal
of the emperor with the impression of the royal ring. Mudra is used to
indicate the signature of a poet or a painter, an author in their
respective works. “I see the mudra of Kalidasa in these works” a
critique would say. Mudra also is used in common parlance as a seal in
a legal document. The stamp in your passport is called a mudra. So is
canceling the postage stamp. When I was very young I used to visit an
extension post office--one man post office near my house. Every now
and then I would go and watch in fascination the way the postperson
would cancel the postal stamps on a stack of envelopes. The rapid hand
movement from the inkpad to the postage stamp and then to the inkpad,
all at breakneck speed, to place the postal mudra by the postperson
would be fascinating, That was when I decided that when I would grow
up I would be a post-person working in the sorting office of the post
office stamping mudras on the post cards and envelopes.
Yogis, especially hatayogis, do a set of unique procedures called
mudras, the prerequisites of which are asanas and pranayama. In this,
one could see that the yogi is able to access several of the internal
organs, the kosas and other supporting organs inside the body. But
more than that there is an esoteric purpose. By Pranayama the Hatayogi
is able to cleanse the various nadis and draw in the dispersed prana,
enabling the union of prana and apana. Now the yogi would like to
further elevate the united prana through the Sushumna and achieve the
goal of Hatayoga which is known by various names such as unmani
avasta and others. Towards that the prana withdrawn from the various
nadis should be prevented from going outward and this is supposed to
be achieved by blocking the various nadi pathways by sealing them
through the procedures called mudras like the check valve used by
plumbers. Mudras thus help to seal some of the nadis, arouse the
Kundalini, open up the chakras and thus pave the way for the upward
movement of the Prana through the Sushumna. The mudras also create the
condition for the Yogi to achieve the unmani avasta or immense joyful
state within oneself. Without the distractions of the sensations like
the visual, tactile and other sensations the Hatayogi is able to
achieve immense joy.
There are a number of mudras mentioned in hatayoga texts and many of
them regularly practised too. Mahamudra leads this package of mudras
recommended by Svatmarama in his Hatayogapradipike. The others would
be Mahabandha, Mahaveda, khechari, uddiyanabandha, mulabandha,
jalandharabandha, viparitakarani mudra, vajroli and saktichalana.
These dasa mudras are said to seal the nadis and prevent the wayward
movements of prana and help to move the prana along the royal path of
sushumna. Of these the three bandhas (badnha traya), Mula, Uddiyana
and Jalandhara bandha are practised very regularly with asanas. Sri
Krishnamacharya would ask the students , in addition, practice
Mahamudra and the Viparita karani mudras (sirsasana and sarvangasana)
regularly. In his Yoga Makaranda, he has mentioned many more mudras,
overall twenty, some of the descriptions follow those of
Hatayogapradipika and some entirely different and some not found in
other books. Some of his descriptions follow the Rajayoga school
according to him and some others the Hatayoga school. What are the
benefits of Mudras? According to my Guru it is as follows:
“ ….to keep the ten vayus moving in their respective nadis and perform
the assigned functions without obstruction and to prevent
diseases...for the prana to be taken along the Sushumna nadi and
maintained in the brahmarandhra, and for the gaze to stop wavering
and remain fixed on one spot. “--Yoga Makaranda
The details of how to perform these mudras and the benefits thereof
can be found in a number of yoga books, especially Hatayogapradipika
and Brahmananda's commentary and of course Sri Krishnamacharya's Yoga
Makaaranda. Sri Krishnamacharya also taught a few more mudras to his
students like jihwa bandha, tataka mudra (a variant of what he
describes in Yoga Makaranda), Yoga mudra, He also warned against
getting involved with a few of the other mudras. Why so? The
Hataayogaapradipika proclaims that hatayoga is like a ladder to reach
the lofty heights of Raja Yoga or Yoga of enlightenment of which the
classical Ashtanga Yoga is an integral part. It is generally assumed
that Rajayoga is the Yoga described by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras,
but some modern scholars have questions about it. Brahmananda , the
commentator on HYP says in his commentary on the opening sloka
“raajayogaasca sarvavrittinirodha lakshanh..” thereby confirming that
by Rajyoga is meant, the yoga enunciated by Patanjli. So the
conventional view is that hatayoga and Raja yoga are compatible and
can be practised in tandem.
But Sri Krishnamacharya had some strong reservations about some of the
mudras, so do several orthodox Indians. He would say, inter alia, that
there are several practices under the name of yoga and it becomes
important to pick and choose those practices that are wholesome and
reject others that could be harmful to the unsuspecting yogabhyasi. So
his advise would be to stick to Patanjali's yoga as the bible of yoga
and anything that goes against the tenets should be eschewed in one's
practice.
What were the practices, especially mudras, my Acharya was not in
favour of? Mudras like the famous Kechari mudra, Yoni Mudra as
described in HYP, Vajroli Amaroli and similar practices. Why so?
Because these practices were not conducive to the satvic goal of
Kaivalya which Raja Yoga is meant to take the abhyasi to. But then
hatayoga is meant to be a stepping stone for Rajayoga. Yes but then
the Rajayogi will have to see if any of the procedures of hatayoga
violate any rajayoga rules and these mudras mentioned are considered
to violate that. Even as hatayogis claim that these procedures help
one to maintain Brahmacharya under the most provocative circumstances
they are unnecessary risks and many yogabhyasis fail miserably, like
even the great sage Viswamitra. And they have no bearing whatsoever on
the ultimate goal of Kaivalya which the orthodox Rajayogi is after and
they directly violate the yama niyamas like saucha and brahmacharya.
If they violate these aspects of yamaniyamas don't hatayogis believe
in these tenets? Further Sri Krsihnamacharya has himself mentioned and
described some of the mudras like kechari mudra, vajroli mudra in his
Yogamakaranda.. But if you carefully read his Yoga Makaranda the
rather embarrassing benefits mentioned with Kechari mudra in
Hatayogapradipika are not referred to by TK. Further his Vajroli mudra
as per Rajayoga is very different from what you find HYP, and his own
alternative description of Vajroli mudra following the hatayoga
school is more a therapeutic tool and not as described in HYP. He
also mentioned during my classes that the somewhat surgical procedure
mentioned HYP ( as also in Yoga Makaranda) of kechari mudra is a
risky procedure and he would suggest use of Jihwa bandha instead
rather than the more extreme Kechari mudra using a knife. I think
Krishnamacharya's teaching should be understood not merely by reading
his books but by following what he really taught to his students. In a
book one has to present the subject in its totality but while teaching
he would teach what is acceptable and what is not. If you take the
Yoga Sutras, Patanjali described various siddhis but he also wants the
Rajayogi who has the goal of Kaivalya in mind to guard against the
distraction of these fascinating but addictive Siddhis.
But Hatayogis subscribe to Yamaniyamas, dont they?It may be of
interest to note that HYP published by Adyar Library contains the
Yamaniyamas in Ch I but in parenthesis suggesting perhaps that these
slokas are an interpolation between verses 16 and 17. Further
Brahmananda who has written the detailed commentary on each and every
sloka of HYP has not written any commentary for these slokas on
yamaniyamas, whereas Patanjali uses up maximum number of sutras for
the yamaniyamas, the foundation of ashtanga yoga. Brahmananda in his
commentary for HYP I.17, also says that Hatayoga is made up of four
angas, asana, kumbhaka (pranayama), mudras and nadanusandhana, whereas
the ashtanga of Rajayoga has yamas and niyamas as the first two angas,
HYP does not seem to recognize them as part of Hatayoga. Does
Patanjali recommend Mudras? He seems to recommend one Mudra for sure
which is the graceful and charming Shanmukhi mudra. It is symbolic
hand mudra and also seals the indriyas perfectly meeting the
definition of pratyahara. It is both a seal and joyful procdure.
So there are different schools of yoga with different goals and so it
is necessary for a yogabhyasi to have some clear goal set and choose
that yogapath that will help achieve the goal. Sri Krishnamacharya
while teaching HYP to me in 1967 said as follows (extract from my
written notes) regarding the mudras:
“If we look at (yoga) as per sampradaya (tradition)...aacharah
prathamo dharma ,following the right tradition is the first duty. Yoga
which is inconsistent with (varnasrama) dharma is an impediment in
achieving Moksha (freedom of the spirit). As there are three types of
karmas and one should avoid karmas that are Rajasic and Tamasic,
likewise in Yoga only satvic practices should be observed. From that
viewpoint. Kechari mudra is not acceptable. From among mudras some are
absolutely essential, like Mahamudra, Aswini mudra, Yoni (Shanmukhi)
mudra. As per our Sampradaya (tradition) mudras such as kechari,
vajroli, etc.,should be avoided” He further. added..... “Mudras give
vitality. They enable movement of Prana along the required pathways.
They also enable granthis/ organs not to be displaced from their
respective positions.”
Happy Yoga in the New Year
Sincerely
Srivatsa Ramaswami
PS
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2 comments:
Original' 1974 Ashtanga yoga Syllabus
look kpjois plan of study in second year includes up mudras mudras hand gestures dasha mudras
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Er86YgP1Po
Nice find, post to come on this.
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