Anahata Tradition
An ancient and humble yoga tradition
What is yoga?
Yoga means union. It is a science and holistic practice of self-care through self-development and realizing the state of Oneness, all connection.
Anahata origin
The Anahata Tradition comes from the Himalayan foothills of northern India, where a lineage of yogis lovingly developed a self-care system inspired by life immersed in rugged mountain-scapes.
Body
Rocky crevices where one misstep meant death, formed ergonomic asanas to improve stamina, balance and stability.
Breath
High altitudes shaped breath-work techniques for optimizing oxygen retention and energy.
Dreamwork
Night skies illuminated by stars and campfires invoked dream exploration and methods for navigating different states of consciousness.
Trance meditation
Living self-sufficiently nurtured healing techniques that tapped into the body’s innate ability to regenerate and restore.
Heart coherence
But above all, the yogis observed that tuning into their heart’s awareness created a state of coherence where ALL of their life sustaining abilities improved. They became more connected with their environment as well as with themselves. They called their system of practice, Anahata Yoga. Anahata, named after the energetic heart chakra.
Experiential philosophy
With no books or libraries, knowledge was transferred through an oral tradition of sharing through stories, experiential learning and body memory. Emphasis was placed on inner-awareness and meditation filled movements called the dances of Shiva (the masculine principle) and Shakti (the feminine principle). The dances of duality.
Woven into these dances were the philosophies of : Tantra – the multidimensional weave that connects all, Ha-tha – the dual nature of the mind and cosmos, Tattwa Shuddhi – the five elements, representing 5 principles of energetic manifestation and, of-course Ashtanga – the 8 limbs of yoga philosophy.
The human path
Unlike many popular streams of yoga in the west, the Anahata yoga lineage does not stem from the upper levels of the Hindu caste system. It stems from a lineage of simple mountain village yogis, respected healers, great mystics. They did not reject material abundance, as this was seen as a support for life but they had no ambition for status. The practices were designed to be practical, to be woven into daily living. An individual’s unique life path is considered their greatest Spiritual teacher.
