I somras inledde vi ett mycket spännande samarbete med den globalt erkände Gurun Alan Finger, och ISHTA Yoga. Vi filmade dem bland annat Live vid ett retreat i Varberg. Delar av detta material finns nu publicerat på Yogobe.
Vi börjar med en guidad meditation och en tillhörande lärorik föreläsning. Logga in och klicka för "Ishta yoga" under VIDEOS. Fler filmer och pass inom Ishta kommer inom kort. I följande blogginlägg, på engelska, kan du läsa om vad ISHTA är och om dess grundare Alan Finger. Yogobe-medlemmar kommer framöver ha chans att ta del av såväl yogavideos som guidade meditationer inom ISHTA, vilka leds av Alan Finger, Sarah Finger och ISHTAS Sverigerepresentant Ulrica Norberg.
What is ISHTA?
ISHTA stands for the Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra, and Ayurveda; understanding more about these three key sciences of yoga will assist us in developing and sculpting the best yoga practice for each of us.
Hatha relates to the physical body. In practising a sequence of asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing techniques), we start to open the body’s channels so that energy can flow freely and we can begin to enjoy the feeling of bringing the body back into balance.
Tantra comes from the root words tanoti (”expansion”) and trayati (”liberation”). In ISHTA, tantra refers to the oneness between the individual and the universe (often likened to a drop of water in the ocean), and the ability to expand and liberate the individual consciousness in order to connect to our inherent divinity. We practice tantra by using breathing and meditative techniques that expand our awareness of the more subtle aspects of being.
Ayurveda is the science of life; specifically, what keeps us alive. Prana is the body’s life force and it is uniquely manifested in every individual. If we can understand how prana interacts with five key elements (air, space, fire, water, and earth), then we can begin to understand our body’s constitution. Knowing what makes us tick and, importantly, what doesn’t, is how ayurveda restores balance and ultimately brings us back to optimal health and well-being.
An ISHTA class brings together asana to stretch, strengthen, balance, and release the physical body; pranayama with visualization to still and quiet the mind; and meditation to expand our awareness, with the goal of releasing energy and liberating consciousness.
ISHTA History
ISHTA yoga was founded in the 1960s by Mani Finger and his son Alan. Their intention was to integrate all the different systems and teachings from two decades of study with famed yogis such as B.K.S Iyengar and Swami Nishraisananda and to bring yoga into the modern world.
In Sweden, ISHTA Yoga Sadhaka (Masteryogi in training) yogini, Ulrica Norberg, represents ISHTA yoga and its lineage.
Sources: Ishtayoga.com / Ishtayoga.se
