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The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (HYP) and Tantric and Kundalini Yoga

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The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (HYP) and Tantric and Kundalini Yoga The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (HYP) and Tantric and Kundalini Yoga. By Neville Cregan Introductory thoughts The development of Tantric modes of practice and thinking in India seemingly started to develop around the 8th Century. Tantra predates Hatha Yoga which is an offshoot development of it. They both largely share the same 'Psychotechnology' and metaphysical view points. Historically, Tantra was partly a reaction to some more austere modes of spiritual practice in vogue at the time in that it embraced the material world, the body and sexuality as helpful if integrated into a spiritual path. More austere traditions tended to renounce some of these material aspects of life as unhelpful distractions in spiritual practice. Arguably the Tantrics view and approach to practice is more non-dualist than some of the official non-dualists, in that, if indeed 'all is one' then that includes the body and the material world. Although in its original cultural context, and sometimes now and in our own culture, Tantra tended to be viewed as extreme and sometimes degraded (and perhaps, it seems, was, certainly to our conventional morality), it has a high philosophical and artistic side. Philosophically there is much for us to chew on regarding balanced modes of practice, living and perspective. Essentially, most of what is taught in Hatha Yoga originates from the Tantric tradition; what was seen as relevant was taken from Tantra and became what we know today as Hatha Yoga. In relation to Western culture there are and interesting speculative parallels between Tantric Hatha yoga and modern quantum physics. According to quantum physics, observable energetic activity exists behind what we can normally see as matter. It behaves in unexpected ways and somewhat differently from the usual surface laws of nature that we are familiar with, yet clearly these underlying phenomena must be influencing the surface phenomena of which they are a part. In the same way the energy body described in Hatha Yoga and Tantra is operating within a somewhat different framework to the surface physical body and mind, yet is having a direct effect on them in many ways. Or in other words, things ain’t what they seem. Hatha Yoga Hatha Yoga, sometimes just used as a generic term for asana and pranayama practice, is generally defined as something like ‘the unification of opposites to merge with a unified divine consciousness’. This unification and balancing of opposites is a central theme both philosophically and literally in terms of the practices. Traditionally Ha refers to the sun, male energy, left brain, rationality, linear time, the right side of the body and Tha to the moon, female energy, right brain creative activity, non-linear space, intuition and the left side of the body. The practices are orientated around balancing these two opposite tendencies on 2 many levels as well as heading towards a unified transcendent state. We can conceive of Yoga Practice as having 2 main frameworks, or 2 parallel ways of describing the same process. These two processes are happening simultaneously. Viewed this way the esoteric descriptions in Hatha Yoga and Tantra seem more obviously connected to other descriptions of yoga. 1. A Mind/Psychological/philosophical model - this is the language of getting a perspective on, and deconstructing our conditioning so we can see the truth of who/what we are really are below the surface activity of the mind through the means of mind/body disciplines, philosophical inquiry and meditation. This is clearly laid out in Patanjalis Yoga Sutras and the Yogic path of the Buddha. It tends to focus on ethics, right living and meditation. 2. A Body/Energy (Prana) model - this is the language of the body both in the way we would recognise it and subtle anatomy and the energy body - Koshas (gross and subtle forms of the body), Nadis, Meridians, Chakras and Kundalini etc. This is the engagement of body and mind in practices, that revolve around removing blockages and tensions in the energy flow in the body/mind and increasing energetic concentrations and vibrations though directed awareness and/or movement. These ideas are laid out in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and Tantric texts. Both 'psychological' and 'energetic' types of practice are mentioned to one degree or another in all of the main Yoga texts as the two frameworks of practice run parallel to each other in their effects (Whether or not we are fully aware of this). They are not separate as demonstrated by there being references to subtle anatomy in the Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita and Patanjali as well as there being references to Atman, Purusha, Karma etc in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Tantric texts. Copyright Neville Cregan/LYTTG 3 Main concepts, principles and dynamics of Subtle Anatomy in Tantra and the HYP. The 5 Koshas - The 5 sheaths/bodies. In the Yogic tradition it is considered that there are 5 interlinked and interrelated bodies. (See Below) This two dimensional diagram is only a conceptual map as the bodies are interactive. 1. Anna-Maya-kosha; our familiar physical body or 'food body' by which we navigate the material world. 2. Prana-Maya-kosha; the Prana body (Prana as Life force) is the energy field that is associated with, and sustains the physical body. It is the connecting link between the physical body and the mind and provides the field for much of Esoteric Hatha Yoga and traditional health care practices (In the East particularly). 3. Mano-Maya-kosha; Lower functions of the mind - sensory input and desire, doubt and confusion. Vacillating according to the predominating Gunas in this field, Rajas (activity and stimulation) and Tamas (inertia). 4. Vijnana-maya-kosha; Higher functions of the mind - discernment and wisdom. Tends towards clarity and lucidity due to due to the predominating guna in this field - Sattva. 5. Ananda-Maya-kosha; the bliss body associated with the correct Copyright Neville Cregan/LYTTG 4 identification with Atman or the transcendental Self. Prana-maya-kosha or the sheath composed of life force (Prana) is the main ‘body’ worked with in Tantra and Hatha Yoga Practice and is the body that many Eastern healing modalities are concerned with. It is described as sustaining and animating the physical 'food' body as well as it being the bridge between body and mind. We can consider that Eastern healing modes (Acupuncture, Shiatsu, Thai massage, Reiki) often treat conditions that seem to relate to 'physical food body' in ways that are theoretically based in ‘energy body ideas and illogical to western medicine, yet they can have a significant impact on the physical body as well as the mind. In addition, other bodywork techniques both ancient and modern can have a significant (and sometime unintended) impact on other levels including the mind and emotions. Interestingly in the HYP it states that the Prana partly influences the physical body via the blood and that Prana is directed by the mind. The subtle body offers a complete view of the human condition from a refined perspective - Like a kind of sub layer of existence or a hologram fitting on to the physical body. Some of the resistances and blockages we experience in posture practice are traditionally described as ‘contracted energy’ or ‘blocked energy’. It is considered by some that it is here that many ‘blockages’ in the body are created here at the interface between mind/emotion/body. We can certainly consider the areas of our body that we ‘hold’ or tense when we are stressed/unaware and the long term ramifications of this in the body-mind relationship. Prana - usually translates as 'Life Force', 'that which animates' or 'psycho-energy' due to its close relationship to the mind. It is referred to in the Far East as Chi or Ki. It is considered to be closely related to the breath (though it is not actually the breath) and can be influenced through breathing practices (Pranayama). We can reflect on the fact that the breath is the first and last animation of the body and the seemingly close relationship between the breath and differing states of mind. Sometimes analogies are used in relation to Prana such as electrical systems and circuits and storage facilities such as batteries. (Interesting that we also use terms such as 'I need to recharge my batteries' in colloquial language, to describe our experience of energy levels. There are also considered to be 5 subdivisions of Prana all performing different functions in the body. (See Desikachar, ‘Heart of Yoga’ chap 6 if you want the details) or they are detailed in the HYP Nadis - Essentially the same idea as Meridians/Sen lines and other Eastern terminology for energy pathways in the body: described in two main ways - either as minute tubes distributing prana or as currents of prana along certain pathways. Either way no subtle anatomy of this nature has yet really been verified empirically, only experientially or by inference. Various outlandish figures are given in various texts as to the number of Nadis in the body with 72,000 being a popular figure, presumably this is an Indianism for a lot! In most people many of the nadis are considered to be blocked or to have very weak currents and Hatha Yoga in part is about releasing blocks and stimulating the flow of Prana in Nadis and Chakras through Mind/Body practices for general health, personality integration, and ultimately spiritual transformation. Some modern practitioners are speculating whether fascia may relate to the energy body as it is all pervading through the body, though this is as Copyright Neville Cregan/LYTTG 5 yet unknown. Below - 72,000 Nadis! The Three Main Nadis and the seven Chakras.
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