Sivananda Yoga teaches a traditional form of asana practice which involves a deeply meditative experience of the postures. Postures are entered with careful attention to detail and held for long periods of time. Stillness in the pose and deep, slow breathing awakens the awareness to the subtle flow of energy in the body. Sivananda practice works on all systems of the body—muscular, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, energetic. It creates suppleness in the joints and flexibility in the spine. Over time, it removes energy blocks in the subtle body so that prana can flow freely in the nadis.
The practice begins with Salutations to the Sun, the traditional twelve- point variation of this flowing sequence. It then follows a basic structure of twelve postures or posture groups. However, unlike Astanga-Vinyasa, the actual sequence practised can vary considerably. Each of the twelve postures represents a “family” of related poses and includes endless variations. All postures, from the most basic to the extremely advanced, are practised in the Sivananda tradition—eventually. Though it can take many years of devoted practice to be able to perform the advanced yoga postures, one can feel the benefits of practice with the simplest poses of a beginners class. It is all a matter of concentration and awareness. Sivananda yoga emphasises relaxing into poses, deepening the breath, and concentrating on the meditative experience. Savasana, the yoga posture of deep relaxation, is practised for a short time between different posture groups to maintain the body in a state of calm and stillness. Each class begins and ends with a Sanskirt chant and includes instruction in pranayama and a short meditation.
Sivananda Yoga developed
out of the teachings of Swami Sivananda, a great Indian saint who
was born in 1887. After renouncing worldly life, Swami Sivananda
dedicated himself to the spiritual path, studying and teaching Vedanta
(one of the ancient philosophical traditions of India), writing
over 300 books and pamphlets, and serving humanity through the training
of many disciples in the principles of truth and non-violence. His
advice for the spiritual aspirant can be distilled to the following
commandments: “Serve, Love, Give. Purify, Meditate, Realise.” |
 |
Swami Sivananda |
|
Swami Vishnu-Devananda was one of
his greatest disciples and the one who was chosen by Swami Sivananda
to take the teachings of yoga to the West in the late 1950’s.
A master of Hatha Yoga, Swamiji practised the same life of spiritual
devotion that he learned from his guru, spreading the highest teachings
of yoga and non-violence throughout Europe and North America. Across
the world, he founded many yoga centres and ashrams. |
||||||
Swami Vishnu-Devananda |
A dynamic and inspiring leader, Swami Vishnu-Devananda worked directly for the cause of peace in many of the world’s trouble spots during the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Sivananda-Vedanta Yoga emphasises the need for yoga
to be practised in all its dimensions. Along with the asanas, pranayama
and kriyas of Hatha Yoga, the Sivananda tradition includes a strong bhakti
yoga element in the form of chanting, devotion and meditation. It stresses
the importance of right living, following the ethical precepts of the
yamas and niyamas, the first and second limbs of Patanjali’s system
of Astanga Yoga. It teaches the benefits of a pure vegetarian (sattvic)
diet for both the individual and the planet earth. None of this is required,
however, or taught directly in a hatha yoga class. But serious practictioners
of yoga usually begin to make changes in their life style as they deepen
into their practice and experience the effects of yoga influencing all
dimensions of their life.