Yoga and Tantra

[Guest guest]

Dear Yogaman:

 

First, thanks for your kind words on my post (and for the bonus

compliment on the Mother Mantangini painting).

 

*** Just wanted to add that as one advances, yoga and tantra are not

disparate; there is no yoga without tantra and vice versa. ***

 

I'd be interested to hear more of your thoughts. Our estemmed member,

OmPrem, has posted authoritatively on the relationship between

Kundalini Yoga and Hatha Yoga. One of our co-moderators, Kochu,

noted "The Vamachara [or] Left-Hand Path ... is essentially Kundalini

Yoga. ... It is also called the Kaula Path."

 

Could you elaborate?

 

Aum Maatangyai Namahe

[Guest guest]

Dear Yogaman:

 

As I noted in my previous post "Our estemmed member, OmPrem, has

posted authoritatively on the relationship between Kundalini Yoga and

Hatha Yoga. One of our co-moderators, Kochu, noted "The Vamachara

[or] Left-Hand Path ... is essentially Kundalini Yoga. ...

 

In case you may find it useful, I dug up these three old posts which

took a look at this topic. The first is mine, the second is Kochu's,

and the third is Om Prem's:

 

/message/1158

/message/1172

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DB

[Guest guest]

dear devi bhakta,

 

Reading the three interesting posts you had pulled up i thought i

could add a my two cents.

1. Because of the "branding" trend, certain classical processes

have bcome identified with particular forms of yoga taught by modern

teachers.

Thus kundalini yoga which is the same as kundalini tantra which is

the same as tantra yoga is confused with "kundalini yoga" as taught

by yogi bhajan etc.just as Pattabhi Jois has "trademarked" his palace

gym. influeneced yogasana performace as "ashtanga yoga" of patanjali,

as though the other yogas are not part of Patanjali's ashtanga yoga)

2. The massive influence of Iyengar, Jois and othe

monk/renunciation oriented yoga teachers has almoost obliterated the

importance of the natha sampradayas' contribution to yoga. The yoga

as taught by Goraksha/Matsyendra natha is nothing but tantra yoga ie

yoga asana pranayama and bandhas and mudras practiced with the aim of

attaing the tantric goal of raising the kundalini throught the

chakras to unite with Shiva at the crown.

Since there are sexual aspects of tantra there are the parctices

of yoga which help these..like vajroli veeparitakarini and the other

bandhas and mudras etc.WE should not forget that a lot of yoga i

geared toward retention of the three jewels.

This is also the same as kriya yoga which uses asanas, prnayama

bandhas and mudras to the same "tantric" end.

In his introduction to "Tattva Shuddhi" Swami Satyasangaananda says

"Today yoga is practiced in almost every corner of the world, but we

do not really see any transformation in the conciousness of mankind.

Where does the fault lie?Is it in the practice itself? Not

likely.....it is more likely that the fault lies in the way we

practice our sadhana: a bit of this and a bit of that, when ever we

care to do it.In order to eliminate this lop-sided approach to yoga ,

we will have to pay greater attention to the philosophy and practices

of tantra which is the source of yoga"

And as Kochu had pointed out in his post Srividya is kundaliniyoga

or kundalini tantra . What the yogi does through asanas and pranayama

is achieved here through mantas amd mudras and the worship of the

srichakra.

Tantra is the root of yoga in the sense of joining(shiva/shakti)

is the fruit of tantra.

thanks for letting me share my thoughts.