Tibetan Yantra Yoga

Key features of Yantra Yoga • Movement and breath: All yantras are closely coordinated with the phases of breathing: inhalation, breath retention and exhalation. Particular attention is paid to breath retention (kumbhaka), which allows practitioners to work with subtle energy (prana or lung) in the body’s channels. • Practice structure: The classical system includes 108 movements (yantras) and pranayamas, arranged into groups and cycles (for example, 75 fundamental yantras in 5 groups). The practice has three stages: preparatory, main and concluding. • Breath takes priority over form: Unlike classical Hatha Yoga, where the main focus is on achieving the ideal external physical form of an asana, in Yantra Yoga the body’s form is simply a tool for opening the inner channels. The priority is the correct rhythm of breathing and working with energy. • Origins: The ancient text “The Yantra of the Union of Sun and Moon,” translated by the Tibetan translator Vairochana, is considered the foundation of the teaching. Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche brought the method to the Western world in the early 1970s. • Aim of the practice: To harmonize the three aspects of body, speech (breath) and mind, calm thoughts and bring awareness into a state of contemplation (Dzogchen).