European Satyananda Yoga Family

Yoga Techniques

SATYANANDA YOGA® combines traditional and scientifically recognized techniques to unite the complexities of the various functions of body and mind into a harmonious interplay.

Many of these techniques are introduced in a way, so that beginners as well as persons with physical limitations can have a safe and easy access to yoga. The consistent and systematic structure of Satyananda Yoga ensures that practitioners gradually move from the physical to more subtle planes of their personality.

Asanas and shatkarmas work on the physical body. Pranayamas, mudras and bandhas raise, stabilize and channel vital energy. Satyananda Yoga Nidra® and pratyahara meditation techniques relax, harmonize and focus the senses and the mind.

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Asana (body posture)

Sage Patanjali defined „asana“ as a body posture in which one can stay a long period of time in absolute peace and equilibrium. Accordingly, raja yogis practise asanas to prepare the body for sitting in a meditative posture for long durations.

Hatha yogis on the other hand emphasize that asanas gather the body’s energies and purify as well as activate the energetic network (nadis and chakras).They use asanas as a method to attain inner experiences, concentration and awareness.

Especially in our fast-paced modern age, many people discover the benefits of asanas. An active life often takes its toll by creating tension on the physical and mental planes. They accumulate over time and in an advanced state create blockages and even diseases.

The close connection between body and mind is used for the practice of asanas. Through stretching and massaging the various body tissues, mental and physical blockages are released. The effects are somato-psychic, which means from body to mind. By dissolving blockages, latent energy is awakened and released. The practitioner feels healthy and happy in his body and the mind is balanced and focused.

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Pranayama (breathing technique)

The word pranayama is derived from the Sanskrit roots prana and ayama. „Prana” means vitality or life force. „Ayama“ means to expand, to lengthen. Therefore, „pranayama“ can be translated as expanding the life force.

The different pranayama techniques help to activate and stabilize the vital energy field of the body. As life force increases, each cell in the body is supplied with additional energy. Therefore, pranayama can be a real milestone into an active, dynamic and healthy life.

A further important effect of the preliminary pranayama techniques is the development of a healthy breathing rhythm. Most people only use a small part of the lungs, their breath is shallow. The body does not get enough oxygen whereby the breathing rhythm becomes rapid and irregular. The purpose of the preliminary pranayama techniques is to generate a healthy, deep and slow breathing pattern.

Traditionally, pranayamas were the basis for advanced kundalini and kriya yoga techniques. They were handed down personally from master to only those students he found suitable.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati rediscovered many of these old techniques and described them in such a precise way that today they are available to everybody. Many other yoga schools and traditions refer to the explanations and descriptions in his books for their courses and training.

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Pawanmuktasana

The pawanmuktasanas series essentially help to activate the blocked energy flow. They consist of three simple and systematic asana series (physical postures) and can be practiced by everybody. 
No matter how young or old you are, whether you are healthy or not, everybody can benefit from the pawanmuktasanas.

Pawanmuktasana series:
1. Anti-rheumatic practices to release blockages and accumulations in joints and extremities.
2. Practices to strengthen the digestive system and to release blockages.
3. Shaktibandas to release blocked energy in the pelvic region and the spine, which in turn raises vitality.

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Satyananda Yoga Nidra® (deep relaxation)

Satyananda Yoga Nidra® is both a systematic deep relaxation technique and a pratyahara meditation. It was developed in a precise manner by Swami Satyananda Saraswati and is said to be one of the most important practices of his teachings. As a pratyahara technique it belongs to raja yoga.

In our modern world, human life and the environment change in an unbelievably fast-paced and demanding manner. Many people are physically, mentally and emotionally in a constant state of tension and nervousness due to the many excitements which constantly stimulate the senses and scatter the mind. Lack of balance, poor concentration and rapid exhaustion are the outcome.

In the state of pratyahara, as in Satyananda Yoga Nidra, we mitigate this inner chaos by withdrawing the awareness step by step from the external stimulus and turn it inwards. This provides not only a complete relaxation for body and mind but also allows deeper insights into our inner being. New paths open and new possibilities of working on ourselves arise. We learn to set new goals and to use our existing potential.

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Pratyahara Meditation Techniques

The Satyananda Yoga system offers many different traditional techniques to help the practitioner to turn the awareness away from the external to his internal world (pratyahara), to concentrate the mind (dharana) and eventually to attain the state of meditation (dhyana).

In the past most of these techniques were transmitted by word of mouth from master to student. It is due to Swami Satyananda Saraswati, that today a precise and systematic explanation of these ancient techniques is available.

Antar Mouna works with the activities of the concious mind. The practitioner learns to witness his thoughts and feelings in a neutral way and realizes how he can reduce the congestion of the mind and bring about calmness and develop concentration.

Ajapa Japa is a concentration technique than can lead the practitioner from simple physical awareness, to subtle pranic awareness and eventually to highest states of meditation. The technique consists of breath awareness, visualization as well as mental and eventually spontaneous repetition of the universal mantra soham or the personal guru mantra.

Trataka includes fixing the gaze (internal and external) on a chosen object. The goal is to gather the scattered mind and concentrate on one object. Traditionally, trataka is a part of hatha yoga (sixth technique of the shatkarmas).
However, it can also be used as a bridge between mental and physical orientated techniques and thereby establishing a link between hatha yoga and raja yoga.

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Other Techniques

Mudras, gestures, may contain a complex combination of asana, pranayama, bandha and visualization technique or simply consist of a hand or eye movement. They enable the practitioner to influence energy flows in the body, to sharpen perception and to strengthen awareness.

Bandhas, inner locks, are an essential part of many of the mudra and pranayama techniques. “Bandha” means to holdto close or to tighten. This describes precisely the inner experience while practising bandhas. With the support of bandhas it becomes possible to accumulate prana in certain areas of the body and to redirect it to sushumna nadi for the purposes of spiritual experiences.

The Shatkarmas are the origin of the hatha yoga system. They consist of six groups of cleansing techniques which bring about a state of purity and balance in the different aspects of our body and mind. On one hand, they serve as a preparation for intense hatha and kundalini yoga sadhanas and on the other hand, they help to prevent many diseases as well as cure existing disorders.

The introduction into mudras, bandhas and shatkarmas should always be learned from an experienced yoga teacher.