The Tantric Tradition

Yestarday i post a text on the left hand of Tantra becouse it´s my opinion the one that needs to be understand by humanity.
The fact of the sadhana of the left hand use elements as meet,vine,sex,etc as been lead people from all over the world,including India,in seveare mistakes that makes those people more far from the goal than ever.
It´s not easy to find a realized guru in this tradition,it´s evean more dificult that he agrees in give you diksha (initiation)
On other side fake gurus grow like grass in and out of India causing great demage in the innocent and ignorant seekers in this metters.
But maybe was better if you read first this text on tantra,in general,and only after read about the traditions,lineages and schools of tantra.
Namaste

The Tantric Tradition

This question concerns the tantras. Tantra has been classified into five categories: (i) Shaiva tantra in which Shiva is the master and Parvati is the disciple; (ii) Shakta tantra in which Shakti is supreme; (iii) Ganapatya tantra in which Ganesha is the chief deity; (iv) Saurya tantra in which the sun is the primordial force; (v) Vaishnava tantra in which Narayana is the chief. These are the five main classifications of tantra.

Out of the five, two are still very active, vibrant and dynamic in India, and they are Shaiva tantra and Shakta tantra. In Shaiva tantra, where Shiva is the guru and Shakti is the disciple, there are many sects, out of which ten are prominent. In Shakta tantra, where Shakti is the supreme controller of the universe, there are ten major sadhanas which are known as the Mahavidyas. The shakti, the creatrix, is seen in ten different forms, starting with Kali, then in other forms like Tara, culminating in Shodashi, Kamala. The shakti which is seen as the empress of the entire visible and invisible, manifest and unmanifest cosmos, who is the ruler of an individual's destiny and the cosmic destiny, who is the bestower of everything which is auspicious and benevolent, is worshipped as Shodashi. That is the final manifestation of shakti, the Devi.

The sadhana of Sri Yantra in tantra is the highest sadhana. In brief, the worship of shakti leads to transcendence from the earthly plane, the gross plane, and merger with the cosmic energy takes place. This is the theory behind it. At the same time, in the tantric tradition we find that there are eighty-four siddhas and sixty-four yoginis, who are the masters of the tantric art, the tantric science.

The Shakta tantra becomes fruitful only when woman is recognized as the Supreme Master, as the channel of the cosmic energy. This is a very ancient tradition. In ancient India, more specifically in tantric India, women have always had the highest position, the highest status. But later on, with the invasions and political upheavals, the matriarchal system of the tantras went underground and the patriarchal system of the tantras came to the surface.

Swami Sivanandaji, who is our paramguru, was a sannyasi of the Shankaracharya tradition in which Vedanta is the main theme, but at the same time he inspired many disciples to revive the ancient science. He inspired Paramahamsaji and other people to revive the science of yoga. He inspired people like Swami Chinmayananda to revive the subject of Vedanta as it is taught in the Bhagavad Gita. He also inspired another swami to revive the science of Sri Vidya and his name is Swami Advayananda Saraswati.

When the subject of Sri Vidya, the real tantric tradition, had to be revived, it was necessary to initiate females in the sannyasa tradition and in the tantric tradition. So a personality was chosen for that, who is now known as Swami Sri Vidyamba Saraswati. She became the force behind the revival of the Shodashi tantra in which worship of Sri Vidya is the main theme. The priestesses, the swamis, who belong to that group are called yoginis.

In our midst we have five of them who came to conduct the Lalita Yajna in Deoghar. So they are also grandchildren of Swami Sivanandaji and I am also a grandchild of Swami Sivanandaji, and from that relationship we are brothers and sisters. Maybe in the future when you have the opportunity to spend some time with the yoginis, you will come to know the depth of the tantric tradition.

It is a very pure tradition. You see, even in tantra there is the tamasic tantra, there is the rajasic tantra and there is the sattwic tantra. People in society today know the tamasic tantra; that is the mentality of everyone today. Everybody wants to control, to have power, to manipulate other people, to influence other person's attitudes and thoughts. Therefore, in most of the books about tantra which are available in the market you will find the tamasic aspect, which can be and which is equated with magic; sometimes people say black magic, sometimes people say white magic. No matter what it is, it is the tamasic tantra.

Then there is the rajasic tantra in which the individual, the practitioner is the focus, and in which the practitioner has to control different elements and overcome different instincts and natures. This form of tantra is also known – there are masters who teach it – but this is not the real tantra. The real tantra is the sattwic tantra in which surrender and faith, surrender to the Divine and faith in divinity, play a very important and vital role. What the yoginis practise is sattwic tantra; it is not rajasic or tamasic.

The sattwic tantra is of the highest category and it has the force, the power to liberate one completely from the cycle of birth and death. Once you become perfect in sattwic tantra there is no return, there is only moksha. The tantric tradition is unique, very beautiful and very systematic. It is very pure, very simple and it develops the nature of innocence. You have to drop the ego completely. You have to let go of your individuality completely in order to identify with the shakti. So it is one of the most difficult of the practices as well.

Vama Marga - The Practice of the Left Hand Tantra

Sexual life has always been a problem for mankind. From the beginning of history, the primal energy has been misunderstood. Religious teachers and moralists have denounced it. But still sexual life has continued, not because man respects it, but because he wants it. He may give it up, but he cannot remove it from his mind, for this is one of his most powerful urges.

In the context of yoga and tantra, the common definition of sexual life has no relevance. It is absolutely unscientific and incorrect. This definition has created a society and a nation of hypocrites. It has led thousands of young people into mental asylums. When you want something which you think is bad, all kinds of guilt complexes arise. This is the beginning of schizophrenia, and all of us are schizophrenic.

Therefore, the yogis have tried to give a correct direction to the sexual urges. Yoga does not interfere with sexual life. Normal sexual life is neither spiritual nor aspiritual. But if you are practising yoga and have mastered certain techniques, then sexual life becomes spiritual. Of course, if you are leading a celibate life, that becomes spiritual too.

Left hand tantra

The science of tantra has two main branches, which are known as vama marga and dakshina marga. Vama marga is the left path which combines sexual life with yoga practices in order to explode the dormant energy centres. Dakshina marga is the right path of yoga practices without sexual enactment. Previously, due to the barriers in sexual life, the path most widely followed was dakshina marga. Today, however, these barriers are rapidly being broken, and the path most sought after by the people everywhere is vama marga, which utilizes sexual life for spiritual development.

According to tantra, sexual life has a threefold purpose. Some practise it for procreation, others for pleasure, but the tantric yogi practises it for samadhi. He does not hold any negative views about it. He does it as a part of his sadhana. But, at the same time, he realizes that for spiritual purposes, the experience must be maintained. Ordinarily this experience is lost before one is able to deepen it. By mastering certain techniques, however, this experience can become continuous even in daily life. Then the silent centres of the brain are awakened and start to function all the time.

The energy principle

The contention of vama marga is that the awakening of kundalini is possible through the interaction between man and woman. The concept behind this follows the same lines as the process of fission and fusion described in modern physics.

Man and woman represent positive and negative energy. On a mental level they represent time and space. Ordinarily, these two forces stand at opposite poles. During sexual interaction, however, they move out of their position of polarity, towards the centre. When they come together at the nucleus or central point, an explosion occurs and matter becomes manifest. This is the basic theme of tantric initiation.

The natural event that takes place between man and woman is considered as the explosion of the energy centre. In every speck of life, it is the union between the positive and negative poles that is responsible for creation. At the same time, union between positive and negative poles is also responsible for enlightenment, and the experience which takes place at the time of union is a glimpse of the higher experience.

This subject has been thoroughly discussed in all the old scriptures of tantra. Actually, the energy waves that are created during the mutual union are not as important as the process of directing that energy to the higher centre. Everybody knows how this energy is to be created, but nobody knows how to direct it to the higher centres. In fact, very few people have a full and positive understanding of this natural event which almost everybody in this world experiences. If the conjugal experience, which is generally very transitory, could be extended for a period of time, then the experience of enlightenment would take place.

The elements that are brought together in this process of union are known as Shiva and Shakti. Shiva represents purusha and Shakti represents prakriti or energy. Shakti, in different forms, is present in all creation. Both material and spiritual energy are known as Shakti. When the energy moves outwardly, it is material energy, and when it is directed upwards it is spiritual energy. Therefore, when the union between man and woman is practised in the correct way, it has a very positive influence on the development of spiritual awareness.

Retaining the bindu

Bindu means a point or a drop. In tantra, bindu is considered to be the nucleus, or the abode of matter, the point from which all creation becomes manifest. Actually, the source of bindu is in the higher centres of the brain. But due to the development of emotions and passions, bindu falls down to the lower region where it is transformed into sperm and ova. At the higher level, bindu is a point. At the lower level, it is a drop of liquid, which drips from the male and female Orgasm.

According to tantra, preservation of the bindu is absolutely necessary for two reasons. Firstly, the process of regeneration can only be carried out with the help of bindu. Secondly, all the spiritual experiences take place when there is an explosion of bindu. This explosion can result in the creation of a thought or of anything. Therefore, in tantra, certain practices are recommended by which the male partner can stop ejaculation and retain the bindu.

According to tantra, ejaculation should not take place. One should learn how to stop it. For this purpose, the male partner should perfect the practices of vajroli mudra as well as moola bandha and uddiyana bandha. When these three kriyas are perfected, one is able to stop ejaculation completely at any point of the experience.

Ejaculation is not avoided because of loss in terms of the chemical structure of semen, but because it brings down the energy level. The sexual act culminates in a particular experience which is reached only at the point of explosion of energy. Unless the energy explodes, the experience cannot take place. But this experience has to be maintained, so that the energy level remains high. When the energy level falls, ejaculation takes place. Therefore, ejaculation is avoided, not so much to preserve the semen, but because it causes a depression in the level of energy.

To make this energy travel upwards through the spine, certain hatha yoga kriyas have to be mastered.

The experience which is concomitant of energy has to be raised to the higher centres. It is only possible to do this if you are able to maintain that experience. As long as the experience continues, you can direct it to the higher centres. But as soon as the energy level undergoes depression, ejaculation will take place.

Ejaculation brings down the temperature of the body and at the same time, the nervous system undergoes depression. When the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems undergo depression, it affects the brain. That is why many people have mental problems. When you are able to retain the semen without ejaculating at all, the energy in the nervous system and the temperature in the whole body are maintained. At the same time, you are free from the sense of loss, depression, frustration and guilt. Retention will also help to increase the sexual frequency, and that is better for both partners. The sexual act does not have to create weakness or dissipate the energy, on the contrary, it can become a means of exploding the energy. Therefore, the value of retaining the bindu should not be underestimated.

In hatha yoga there are certain practices which must be perfected for this purpose. You should begin with asanas such as paschimottanasana, shalabhasana, vajrasana, supta vajrasana and siddhasana. These are beneficial as they place an automatic contraction on the lower centres. Sirshasana is also important because it ventilates the brain so that all of one's experiences will be healthy experiences. When these postures have been mastered, shambhavi mudra is perfected in order to hold the concentration steadily at bhrumadhya. Then vajroli mudra has to be practised together with moola bandha and uddiyana bandha in kumbhaka. Practice of kumbhaka is necessary while the ejaculation is being held. Retention of the breath and the bindu go hand in hand. Loss of kumbhaka is loss of bindu, and loss of bindu is loss of kumbhaka.

During kumbhaka, when you are maintaining the experience, you should be able to direct it to the higher centres. If you are able to create an archetype of this experience, perhaps hi the form of a serpent or a luminous continuity, then the result will be fantastic. So, in spiritual life, bindu must be preserved at all costs.

The female experience

In the female body, the point of concentration is at mooladhara chakra, which is situated at the cervix, just behind the opening of the uterus. This is the point where space and time unite and explode in the form of an experience. That experience is known as orgasm in ordinary language, but in the language of tantra it is called an awakening. In order to maintain the continuity of that experience, it is necessary for a build up of energy to take place at that particular bindu or point. Usually this does not happen, because the explosion of energy dissipates throughout the body through the sexual medium. In order to avoid this, the woman must be able to hold her mind in absolute concentration on that particular point. For this, the practice is known as sahajoli.

Actually, sahajoli is concentration on the bindu, but this is very difficult. Therefore, the practice of sahajoli, which is the contraction of the vaginal as well as the uterine muscles, should be practised over a long period of time.

If girls are taught uddiyana bandha at an early age, they will perfect sahajoli quite naturally with time.

Uddiyana bandha is always practised with external retention. It is important to be able to perform this in any position. Usually it is practised in siddhasana, but one should be able to do it in vajrasana or the crow posture as well. When you practise uddiyana bandha, the other two bandhas - jalandhara and moola bandha occur spontaneously.

Years of this practice will create a keen sense of concentration on the correct point in the body. This concentration is more mental in nature, but at the same time, since it is not possible to do it mentally, one has to start from some physical point. If a woman is able to concentrate and maintain the continuity of the experience, she can awaken her energy to a high level.

According to tantra, there are 2 different areas of orgasm. One is in the nervous zone, which is the common experience for most women, and the other is in mooladhara chakra. When sahajoli is practised during maithuna, mooladhara chakra wakes up and the spiritual or tantric orgasm takes place.

When the female yogi is able to practise sahajoli for say 5 to 15 minutes, she can retain the tantric orgasm for the same period of time. By retaining this experience, the flow of energy is reversed. Circulation of blood and sympathetic/parasympathetic forces move upward. At this point, she transcends normal consciousness and sees the light. That is how she enters the deep state of dhyana. Unless the woman is able to practise sahajoli, she will not be able to retain the impulses necessary for the tantric orgasm, and consequently she will have the nervous orgasm, which is short-lived and followed by dissatisfaction and exhaustion. This is often the cause of a woman's hysteria and depression.

So, sahajoli is a very important practice for women. In uddiyana, nauli, naukasana, vajrasana and siddha yoni asana, sahajoli comes naturally.

The practice of amaroli is also very important for married women. The word amaroli means 'immortal' and by this practice one is freed of many diseases. The practice of amaroli over a prolonged period also produces an important hormone known as prostaglandin which destroys the ova and prevents conception.

Tantric guru

Just as in the scheme of creation, Shakti is the creator and Shiva the witness of the whole game, in tantra the woman has the status of guru and the man of disciple. The tantric tradition is actually passed on from the woman to the man. In the tantric practice, it is the woman who initiates.

It is only by her power that the act of maithuna takes place. All preliminaries are done by her. She puts the mark on the man's forehead and tells him where to meditate. In ordinary interaction, the man takes the aggressive role and the woman participates. But in tantra, the two switch roles. The woman becomes the operator and the man her medium. She has to be able to arouse him. Then, at the right moment, she must create the bindu, so that he can practise vajroli. If the man loses his bindu, it means that the woman has failed to carry out her functions properly.

In tantra it is said that Shiva is incapable without Shakti. Shakti is the priestess. Therefore, when vama marga is practised, the man must have an absolutely tantric attitude towards the woman. He cannot behave with her as men generally do with other women. Ordinarily, when a man looks at a woman, he becomes passionate, but during maithuna he should not. He should see her as the divine mother, Devi. In India, the appellation of Devi is still attached to the woman's name after marriage. This denotes that she is to be held in highest esteem and approached with an attitude of devotion and surrender, not with lust.

According to the tantric concept, women are more endowed with spiritual qualities and it would be a wise thing if they were allowed to assume higher positions in social affairs. Then there would be greater beauty, compassion, love and understanding in all spheres of life. What we are discussing here is not patriarchal society versus matriarchal society, but tantra, particularly left hand tantra.

Path of yogis not bhogis

In tantra, the practice of maithuna is said to be the easiest way to awaken sushumna, because it involves an act which most people are already accustomed to. But, frankly speaking, very few are prepared for this path. Ordinary sexual interaction is not maithuna. The physical act may be the same, but the background is totally different.

In the relationship between husband and wife, for example, there is dependency and ownership. But in maithuna there is no idea of ownership; each partner is independent, one unto himself, Another difficult thing in tantric sadhana is cultivating the attitude of passionless-ness. The man has to virtually become brahmacharya in order to free the mind and emotions of sexual thoughts and passion which normally arise in the presence of a woman.

Both partners must be absolutely purified and controlled internally and externally before they practise maithuna. This is hard for the ordinary person to comprehend because for most people, sexual interaction is the result of passion and physical or emotional attraction, either for progeny or pleasure. It is only when you are purified that these instinctive urges are absent. This is why, according to tradition, the path of dakshina marga must be followed for many years before the path of vama marga can be entered. Then the interaction of maithuna does not take place for physical gratification. The purpose is very clear - awakening of sushumna, raising the kundalini energy from mooladhara chakra and exploding the unconscious areas of the brain.

If this is not clear when you practise the kriyas and sushumna becomes active, you will not be able to face the awakening. Your head will get hot and you will not be able to control the passion and excitement, because you have not tranquillized your brain.

Therefore, in my opinion, only those who are adepts in yoga qualify for vama marga. This path is not to be used indiscriminately as a pretext for self-indulgence. It is meant for mature and serious minded householder Sadhakas, who are evolved, who have been practising sadhana to awaken the energy potential and to attain samadhi. They must utilize this path as a vehicle of awakening. Otherwise it becomes a path of downfall.

Practice of Vajroli

In the tantric system, there are two techniques given for vajroli - one is from hatha yoga and the other from kriya yoga. The hatha yoga vajroli is mainly directed towards maithuna, and the kriya yoga technique towards chakra awakening. Results are reached much sooner with the first method (in one or two years), but results gained with the second method are far more complete and powerful, even if it takes longer to perfect (four to five years).

The traditional hatha yoga technique involves insertion of a flexible silver or gold tube up the urethra. This method has to be utilized before puberty, when the walls of the urethra are more elastic, so that discharge of semen (which very often occurs when the tube reaches the urithroid, immediately after the curve of the urethra) is avoided. In this practice, it is not the tube which has to bend at the curve, but the urithroid which has to be stretched.

In the kriya yoga method, uddiyana bandha must be practised in siddhasana twice a day in the morning and evening, for one or two years, until mastery is achieved. Pranayama must also be continued. The practice of siddhasana places an automatic lock on mooladhara without performing moola bandha, while the practice of uddiyana bandha strengthens the urithroid. It is necessary to maintain uddiyana bandha for at least one and half minutes. Only then will it be possible to proceed to the next stage. During this first stage, techniques of the following stages are not to be performed.

When perfect control of uddiyana bandha is established, it is necessary to eliminate acidity in the body with a convenient diet. For this purpose, besides diet, it is necessary to drink a lot of water until the urine becomes clear and odourless. If diet and water are not enough to eliminate acidity, seeds of dry coriander are to be masticated. The most convenient way to check if acidity has been eliminated, is to hold back the flow of urine for a moment while urinating. If a burning sensation is felt, it means that acidity has not yet been eliminated.

When siddhasana and uddiyana are mastered and acidity is eliminated, the practice has to be continued, trying to stop the flow of urination. When a quarter is left to flow, the flux has to be stopped, then the contraction is released and the urine is allowed to flow a little, then again the flux is stopped, and so on. This is not performed while standing but in namaskara. It is necessary to practise interrupted urination for about six months.

When the flow of urine is perfectly under control and it is possible to stop and start the flux at will, it is necessary to practise sucking the urine back up again. This technique is very difficult and requires one or two years to perfect. Only a small amount of urine is actually sucked back up in comparison to that which is afterwards emitted, but the feeling of sucking is very clear.

When it is possible to suck the urine back up, the same thing can be done with semen. The next stage, therefore, is to suck the discharging semen back up. In order to master this technique, it is necessary to lengthen the gap between the moment in which the urge to discharge semen is felt and the moment in which it is actually discharged. This gap has to be gradually lengthened up to one minute, not more. At the beginning, a longer gap would cause one to lose consciousness. The experience is an explosive one. During that minute, the body must remain immobile, eyes closed, and breath retained either inside or outside. Concentration has to remain on the control of the semen only. Holding back causes a very clear sensation in mooladhara chakra like a little ball hitting it.

Finally, when perfect control of this technique is achieved, concentration is directed to the chakras.

Summing up

The complete technique of vajroli can be summed up in the following stages:

1. Sit in siddhasana and practise uddiyana, increasing gradually until it can be held for one and half minutes.
2. Eliminate acidity of urine by means of (i) diet, (ii) water, and (iii) seeds of dry coriander.
3. Practise interrupted urination while performing namaskara. Time needed: six months.
4. Suck the urine back up. Time needed: one or two years.
5. Hold back the ejaculation up to one minute.
6. Progressively increase the period of holding back until permanent retention is achieved.
7. Direct the concentration to the chakras.

Sahajoli

Sahajoli is performed in siddha yoni asana, so before beginning the practice it is necessary to first perfect this posture. Then the practice should be developed gradually along the following lines:

Seated in siddha yoni asana, after washing the legs and feet thoroughly, contract the muscles of the vagina and then relax them, repeating several times in succession.

When the vaginal muscles become stronger, contract the inner part of the vagina and hold the contraction. Gradually increase the contraction of all vaginal muscles until it becomes more intense and deep.

When deep contraction has been achieved, begin to contract the vaginal muscles, raising the opening from the heel. Then bring the heel up close to the vaginal opening, and relax the muscles so that the heel enters the vagina. Continue to contract and raise the vagina, then relax and lower it, until the heel enters approximately two centimetres into the vagina.

When this stage has been mastered, repeat contractions while sitting in bhadrasana and gorakshasana.

Alternate practices

1. Perform naukasana with the arms and fists clenched strongly. While holding this position, contract the vagina also. The practice has to be done holding the breath inside. When this can be performed with ease, contract the whole body, starting with the contraction of the vagina.

2. Assume namaskara with the arms outside the legs and the hands flat on the floor. Contract all the muscles of the vagina and hold the contraction for as long as possible, while retaining the breath inside and performing shambhavi mudra.

yoga teraphy

Yoga enthusiasts link the practice to a long list of health benefits, including greater flexibility and range of motion, stronger muscles, better posture and balance, reduced emotional and physical stress, and increased self-awareness and self-esteem.

But definitively proving these benefits is challenging, requiring years of costly research. A pharmaceutical company is unlikely to fund a study that doesn’t involve a drug, and in any event, the research requires a large group of volunteers tracked over a very long time.

The subjects must provide health measurements at the outset, learn the proper poses, continue to do them regularly for years and be regularly evaluated.

No one knows these challenges better than Dr. Loren M. Fishman, a physiatrist at Columbia University who specializes in rehabilitative medicine. For years, he has been gathering evidence on yoga and bone health, hoping to determine whether yoga might be an effective therapy for osteoporosis.

The idea is not widely accepted in the medical community, but then, researchers know comparatively little about complementary medicine in general. So in 2005, Dr. Fishman began a small pilot study of yoga moves that turned up some encouraging results. Eleven practitioners had increased bone density in their spine and hips, he reported in 2009, compared with seven controls who did not practice yoga.

Knowing that more than 700,000 spinal fractures and more than 300,000 hip fractures occur annually in the United States, Dr. Fishman hoped that similar findings from a much larger study might convince doctors that this low-cost and less dangerous alternative to bone-loss drugs is worth pursuing.

Those medications can produce adverse side effects like gastrointestinal distress and fractures of the femur. Indeed, a recent study published in Clinical Interventions in Aging found that among 126,188 women found to have osteoporosis, all of whom had Medicare Part D drug coverage, only 28 percent started bone drug therapy within a year of diagnosis.

Many of those who avoided drugs were trying to avoid gastrointestinal problems.

On the other hand, yoga’s “side effects,” Dr. Fishman and colleagues wrote recently, “include better posture, improved balance, enhanced coordination, greater range of motion, higher strength, reduced levels of anxiety and better gait.”

Weight-bearing activity is often recommended to patients with bone loss, and Dr. Fishman argues that certain yoga positions fit the bill.

“Yoga puts more pressure on bone than gravity does,” he said in an interview. “By opposing one group of muscles against another, it stimulates osteocytes, the bone-making cells.”

Most experts argue that it’s difficult, perhaps impossible, for adults to gain significant bone mass. Undeterred, Dr. Fishman invested a chunk of his own money and with three collaborators — Yi-Hsueh Lu of The Rockefeller University, Bernard Rosner of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Dr. Gregory Chang of New York University — solicited volunteers worldwide via the Internet for a follow-up to his small pilot study.

Of the 741 people who joined his experiment from 2005 to 2015, 227 (202 of them women) followed through with doing the 12 assigned yoga poses daily or at least every other day. The average age of the 227 participants upon joining the study was 68, and 83 percent had osteoporosis or its precursor, osteopenia.

The 12 poses, by their English names, were tree, triangle, warrior II, side-angle, twisted triangle, locust, bridge, supine hand-to-foot I, supine hand-to-foot II, straight-legged twist, bent-knee twist and corpse pose. Each pose was held for 30 seconds. The daily regimen, once learned, took 12 minutes to complete.

The researchers collected data at the start of the study on the participants’ bone density measurements, blood and urine chemistry and X-rays of their spines and hips. They were each given a DVD of the 12 yoga poses used in the pilot study and an online program in which to record what they did and how often.

A decade after the start of the study, bone density measurements were again taken and emailed to the researchers; many participants also had repeat X-rays done. The findings, as reported last month in Topics of Geriatric Rehabilitation, showed improved bone density in the spine and femur of the 227 participants who were moderately or fully compliant with the assigned yoga exercises.

Improvements were seen in bone density in the hip as well, but they were not statistically significant.

Before the study, the participants had had 109 fractures, reported by them or found on X-rays.

At the time the study was submitted for publication, “with more than 90,000 hours of yoga practiced largely by people with osteoporosis or osteopenia, there have been no reported or X-ray detected fractures or serious injuries of any kind related to the practice of yoga in any of the 741 participants,” Dr. Fishman and his colleagues wrote.

“Yoga looks like it’s safe, even for people who have suffered significant bone loss,” Dr. Fishman said in an interview.

Furthermore, a special study of bone quality done on 18 of the participants showed that they had “better internal support of their bones, which is not measured by a bone density scan but is important to resisting fractures,” Dr. Fishman said.

The study has many limitations, including the use of self-selected volunteers and the lack of a control group. But all told, the team concluded, the results may lend support to Dr. Fishman’s long-held belief that yoga can help reverse bone loss.

Even if bone density did not increase, improvements in posture and balance that can accrue from the practice of yoga can be protective, Dr. Fishman said.

“Spinal fractures can result from poor posture, and there’s no medication for that, but yoga is helpful,” he said.

In addition, “Yoga is good for range of motion, strength, coordination and reduced anxiety,” he said, “all of which contribute to the ability to stay upright and not fall. If you don’t fall, you greatly reduce your risk of a serious fracture.”

For more fitness, food and wellness news, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, or sign up for our newsletter.

There She Goes

I saw a picture from an artist that always present me with great voyages of self-knowledge each time that i check the art-work that she share´s on the web.

The art work that toke me on a trip is a picture (that i will not post here becouse i belive that there are many forms of stealing)

that the autor named as this song (that was not stolen becouse the autors released their work on the web) and to me,becouse of my life experiences of the moment,one compleate the other.

THERE SHE GOES :) 

Hatha Yoga is what,almost everybody,maybe 97% of the people in the Ocident and in this days also in Índia,start to pratice as yoga when he get in touch with a teacher,a school or a instructor of a academy.
Without knowing the most purists are also praticing tantra,.Hatha yoga is a tantric pratice "presented" by a Tantric sect ,the Nathas, as a stair that leads to Raja Yoga, Raja or Classic yoga as it was codified by Patanjali.
Hatha yoga was presented with six angas,the limbs of hatha yoga are defined as asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samādhi.

As Raja yoga was codified by Patanjali with his famous 8 angas,Matsyendra natha presenting Hatha yoga as preparation to Raja,never intended that hatha was a yoga that alone can take the practicioner to the ultimate state of yoga,kaivalya,but Matsyendra Natha knowing the difficulties that the body of practitioners were subject,recovered the yoga of Patanjali,who was half-forgotten by these times,introducing the preparation of the physical body of the yogue, vajra deha.

Palestra Praia da Areia Branca 8 de Abril na ANIMAR

                                                  A MEDITAÇÃO DOS YOGUIS 

                                      (Praia da Areia Branca na ANIMAR pelas 19.00h)

Raramente o Ocidente têm a possibilidade de travar contacto com os verdadeiros segredos dessa terra de Mistérios que é a Mãe Índia. É sobre a semente da sua eterna busca que todas as escolas e disciplinas iniciáticas colocam a bussola que lhes premite estabelecer os azimutes de suas propostas.

O Professor Carlos Eduardo Gonzales Barbosa é um dos maiores expoentes da Filosofia Hindú,onde se inclui o Yoga,e um buscador de sua essência mais profunda.

 Transliterou para o Portugûes os Yoga sutras de Patanjali,obra que têm á disposição para free download no seu site www.yogaforum.org ,é um profundo estudioso das upanishads, apaixonado professor e difusor da Lingua Sânscrita e empenhado em transmitir o seu conhecimento a quem dele queira usufruir.

A sua procura por todos os rincões desta nave terra levou-o a tomar contacto com grande parte das tradições iniciáticas do mundo antigo,como as escolas de Mistério Gregas,e todas elas apontavam inequivocamente,com mais ou menos trabalho de pesquisa,para a Mãe Índia como o local de origem.

A sua busca levou-o ao contacto com os Nathas, uma seita tântrica a que se atribui a criação do Hatha yoga, e através desse contacto enriquecedor escreveu " A meditação dos yoguis", um "manual" sobre a real proposta dos Nathas, Patanjali e cultura Védica, que ao invés de se dividirem entrelaçam-se,ofereçendo-nos um vislumbre sobre a verdadeira proposta de união que a Mãe Índia e seus Rishis ofereçaram á Humanidade.

A vontade maior dos yoguis da Índia sempre foi a de compreender e cumprir o Dharma.

 Dharma tanto significa a ordem universal como as características que fazem de nós indíviduos únicos na Natureza o Sva (próprio) Dharma.

 A Meditação dos Yoguis levará-nos a trilhar o caminho do Coração onde encontrare-mos o caminho reservado para nós dentro da ordem universal.Ao pratica-la colocamos em acção a nossa verdadeira natureza,libertando as forças imensas que suportam a nossa mais íntima vocação.

 É,de certa forma,uma síntese da busca de um dos mais notáveis investigadores do self dos nossos tempos e a palestra que se vai realizar na ANIMAR dia 8 de Abril pelas 7.h na Praia da Areia Branca uma rara oportunidade de se travar contacto com o verdadeiro conhecimento pela voz do Professor Carlos Eduardo.

Carlos Eduardo Barbosa 

Instrutor de Cultura Sânscrita residente em Florianópolis,Brasil.

 Iniciou estudos sobre as culturas da Índia em 1972. Estudou Sânscrito na Universidade de São Paulo. Dá aulas de língua e cultura sânscritas desde 1982, com foco no Yoga. Co-autor do "O Livro de Ouro do Yoga" (Ediouro, São Paulo, 2007). Autor de “A Meditação dos Yoguis” (Traço, São Paulo, 2011)

 Consultor para revistas especializadas em Yoga e história da Índia. Ministra cursos e palestras sobre temas relacionados à Índia, ao Hinduísmo e ao Yoga, em instituições diversas no Brasil e em Portugal.

 No momento dedica-se à difusão do Sânscrito como língua para conversação (laukika samskritam), através de cursos presenciais e cursos à distância. Desenvolve também tradução de textos de yoga e da tradição Natha. É editor do site Yogaforum, de informações sobre yoga e cultura sânscrita 

Contacto para inscrição- 913 185 155

Happy New Year 2013

When we start the path to the spirit the teaching about live,dead and eternal life, is one of the earliest that we get in contact,all the books that we read and persons that we talk touch in this subject,we meditate upon it and it becames our intellectual property,so it´s not a new subject to me,however an insight turns knowledge into wisdom,it´s yours, as if you always had know that but nevertheless is something new,fresh.
2012 ended to me with this strong insight that Life is to short,a realization that cames straight from the heart, far away from the mind channels. 
Last week a good friend of mine had an heart attack,he has 40 years old, a wife and a kid.Gonçalo,my son has now almost 20 years and it looks like he was born yestarday.

Where is life there is also the shadow of dead,as if one had the existential purpose of reminding us of the other,the very essence of the absolute dividing himself to remind us that life and dead only becomes unity in the present,and not forget any of them is to live in the fullness.
I wish to all my friends that they can realize this in time to not loose another moment with small little things.
Do not waste your life working for others in things that you don´t want to do,security in life is something that does not exist,it´s a legend that keeps you working for the system in exchange of a car and a house.
Go after your dreams,be happy and realize your inner propose in live.Living every moment with the knowledge that life is fragile and we do not have any control over dead is the path for the full living and hapiness.
May 2013 be a happy year to all.
Love,Realize and Live!