Introductory Class to ‘Āsana Vinyāsa: the Tantric Origins of Modern Yoga’

Āsana is the means to experiencing the state of awakening through one’s body – one which uproots the anxiety of embodiment because it eliminates death.” -Goddess Bhairavī to Shiva, Kaula Tantra, ca. 13th century A.D.

In this introductory session, Christopher will briefly introduce sample passages drawn from a large collection of (largely un-published) source texts to be featured in our course, which will counter the claims of recent scholarship in demonstrating the presence in pre-16th century Tantric sources of – Surya Namaskara.

Krishnamacarya’s Surya Namaskara as the foundation for postural Yoga practice originates in pre-16th century Tantric sources, and not from more modern gymnastic sources, as now claimed; Vinyasa.

Contrary to recent claims that ‘Vinyasa has no meaning in Yoga practice,’ the phrase Āsana Vinyāsa’, the ‘Sequencing of Poses’ choreographed to mantra, pranayama, and visualization, originates in pre-16th Tantric sources;

Non-seated Poses, many of which have survived to the present day, originate from pre-16th century Tantric sources, versus the contemporary claim that these were simply made up by Krishnamacharya or derive from Wrestling manuals.