18/11/2024
Seven Vital Principles of Vijñāna Yoga
1. Relaxing the Body
Begin by relaxing the body. With each exhale, release tension and scan the body. Let tight areas loosen and embrace space. Breathe into areas of weakness to energize them and let excess tension leave, creating stability and calm.
2. Quieting the Mind
On the mat, detach from external responsibilities. Observe your inner state with quiet eyes, positioned as if at the back of the head. With each breath, deepen concentration and silence, allowing the mind to settle and intensify awareness.
3. Focusing through Intent
With the body and mind stable, set your focus on the objective—whether sitting, breathing, or moving. Visualize the practice and embrace it with full intent. Each breath sharpens your dedication, guiding the body and mind toward harmony.
4. Rooting
Feel where the body meets the earth and let your weight sink into those points, like roots growing deep into the ground. From this grounding, energy flows upward, creating lightness and ease in movement.
5. Connecting
Balance opposing forces: up and down, forward and back, left and right. Each part of the body connects to the others, moving as a unified whole. The more distinct each part, the steadier the connection, allowing effortless, harmonious movement.
6. Awareness of Breath
Stay mindful of each breath. Inhale to connect inward; exhale to root and release. Breathing elongates and steadies the body, with rhythms that adapt to each moment. Breath becomes the anchor for presence and action.
7. Expanding – Elongating and Widening
Rooting through the exhale creates space for elongation and widening on the inhale. The body moves effortlessly, free of tension, with the skeleton and muscles supporting one another in balance.
Integration
All principles must coexist for a complete practice, though mastering them takes time. Focus on one or two principles at a time, allowing them to become second nature. When progress feels stuck, revisit and revive the neglected principle, remembering that wholeness arises when all principles work together.
Source: © 2003 Vijñāna Yoga Practice Manual, Orit Sen-Gupta
