Philosophy

The ethos of Preshana Yoga emerges naturally in the practice and teaching of Hatha Yoga.  Wisdom lives in the Love (Prema) of our practice.  We encourage students to arrive at a greater sense of self through alignment in centres of the body, mind and spirit. This is a process that begins by making and maintaining active connections between the mind and body. The intention of our practice is to reinfuse consciousness into the body, and to heighten our experience of life. 

This intentionality comes from the Hindu philosophical tradition of Tantra, which began as an undercurrent to the classical spiritual traditions of India.  In time, this school of thought came to sit comfortably next to the accepted spiritual liturgy of the Hindu religion. It forms the basis of the modern practice we call ‘Yoga’. In fact, one of the benefits of Yoga is that it is a means to actually sit comfortably in meditation, and to be at Peace (Shanthi) in the body.  Tantric philosophy speculates on the human condition as it is manifested physically. As such, Hatha Yoga is a way of coming to terms with and enjoying our bodies, through its practice. The ultimate truth is that bodily existence furnishes our experience of life, and so is how we arrive at all knowledge. 

John Friend, founder of Anusura Yoga, speaks of Tantric philosophy in this connection:
“In Tantra…We don’t try and transcend this world since we view it as the embodiment of the divine. The pleasures of life are slowed vibratory forms of Ananda (Divine Bliss). So, we delightfully explore life through the senses instead of trying to subdue the senses in order to transcend worldly life.”   

The enjoyment and mastery of sensory experience is a continuation of the developmental process, which begins at birth. In childhood we experience the world as truly alive, and struggle to gain control our bodies.  In adulthood we often leave this process behind, forgetting our bodies, and the self is lost in the cultural body. Preshana Yoga facilitates the process of mastery, as teachers seek to restore practitioners to an innate sense of aliveness.