The Origins of Integral Yoga
The founding and inspirational force behind Integral Yoga is Sri Swami Satchidananda. Born in South India, Sri Swami Satchidananda studied yoga under the guidance of several of the most renowned teachers of yoga in the 20th century, including Sri Ramana Maharashi, Sri Aurobindo, and, most especially, Sri Swami Sivananda. Sri Swami Sivananda of the city of Rishikesh in the Himalayas, who taught a synthesis of many different types of yoga, was

Sri Swami Satchidananda’s spiritual master. Sri Swami Sivananda was one of the most influential teachers of yoga in the 20th century. He counted among his students Sri Swami Satchidananda, as well as Sri Swami Chidananda, Sri Swami Jyotirmayananda, and Sri Swami Vishnu-devananda, who is responsible for the development of Sivananda Yoga.

Sri Swami Satchidananda traveled and taught extensively throughout Southeast Asia and Europe, and there are now yoga teachers and centers devoted to him throughout the world. He was invited to visit the West by an American devotee in 1966. A planned two-day visit turned into a five-month teaching tour. He quickly gained prominence as a teacher of yoga. Many Baby Boomers may remember him as the spiritual mentor of the 1969 Woodstock music festival. His 1970 guide to the practice of hatha yoga, Integral Yoga Hatha, introduced countless Westerners to yoga. It

Integral Yoga is an integrative approach to yoga that is both systematic and practical. It was developed by Sri Swami Satchidananda, a student of Sri Swami Sivananda, whose teachings also contributed to the development of Sivananda Yoga. Born in South India, Sri Swami Satchidananda came to the United States in the 1960s. He gained popular recognition as the spiritual mentor of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Through its headquarters in Buckingham, Virginia, and branches and centers throughout the rest of the United States and the world, Integral Yoga offers classes and workshops that emphasize the accessibility and practicality of yoga. It uses hatha yoga to serve people seeking relief from stress and fatigue as a doorway to yoga practice. Formal classes are generally 75 to 90 minutes in length. Integral Yoga emphasizes ease and comfort in the performance of asanas. Pranayama and meditation receive equal weighting with asana practice within the Integral Yoga system.

Sri Swami Satchidananda founded the Integral Yoga Institute as the vehicle to teach his particular approach to yoga. Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville, located in Buckingham, Virginia, is the international headquarters of Integral Yoga, and there are Integral Yoga branches and centers throughout the world. Integral Yoga remains one of the premier yoga organizations in the world today. It is one of the leading centers for the training of yoga teachers with more than 15 teacher training programs conducted at Yogaville each year. In addition, the New York, New Jersey, and San Francisco centers also conduct training. Teacher training programs in Gibraltar and Portugal conduct training for European teachers.

Hatha yoga means literally the “forceful yoga.” As its name implies, this approach to yoga emphasizes the vitality and life force of the physical body. Hatha yoga is undoubtedly the most well known, popular, and frequently practiced style of yoga in the West. It places great emphasis on purifying the body through a variety of means that include physical exercise, cleansing rites, and specific breathing techniques. These practices not only strengthen the body through the force of exercise, they can also help you to expand your own personal force, or store of energy, through their vitalizing effects.

One of the most influential and widely read texts on hatha yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, written in the 14th century C.E. In this seminal manual, the author describes 16 physical postures as well as a variety of cleansing and breathing practices and what are known as locks and seals to control the flow of energy within the body.

In its emphasis on physical postures, or asanas, hatha yoga is often considered one of the steps on the eight-limbed path of yoga, which forms an important part of classical, or raja, yoga. However, it is important to bear in mind that emphasis is placed on making the body as whole and complete as possible in order to achieve the ultimate goal of liberation. Practitioners of hatha yoga believe that in order to achieve the fullest unfoldment of our minds and spirits, we must do our utmost to have a body that is at ease and free of disease. Hatha yoga is thus a way of balancing or harmonizing body and mind. This intent is highlighted in the esoteric interpretation sometimes accorded to the word hatha. According to some practitioners, the word hatha is comprised of two syllables that stand for the sun (ha) and the moon (tha), implying a deep union of the body and the mind and of the masculine and feminine energies within each individual – man and woman alike. Thus, the word hatha reminds us that at heart, yoga is a search for underlying unity and wholeness.

Hatha yoga practitioners see the body as a wonderful vehicle for self-realization. For without a body, we would not be alive today, and thus incapable of seeking the path of transformation. Hatha yoga urges a man to respect his body as a temple of the divine spirit of the universe. The practice of hatha yoga is thus an opportunity of honoring your own inner divinity.

Hatha yoga has become so popular, particularly in the last few decades, that there are now many styles for practicing it. Surprisingly, however, most of the styles of hatha yoga that are practiced today trace their roots to a handful of yoga teachers, who traveled from India to the West in the 1960s and 1970s to train practitioners here in their particular approach to yoga; or to a small number of Westerners who traveled to India during the same time period to train as teachers with a few celebrated masters.

The teachers of the 60s and 70s differed in their approach to presenting yoga from the gurus who had preceded them. The earliest teachers of yoga who traveled to the West in the late 19th and early 20th centuries emphasized the traditional sacred texts and metaphysical aspects of yoga. The newer generation of teachers, while revering all aspects of the yoga tradition, also incorporated much more of the physical exercise aspect of yoga into their teaching. Their approaches to yoga appealed to Western practitioners, and, consequently, much of the yoga that has developed in the United States has focused on the physical postures of hatha yoga.

The following chapters will introduce you to the main approaches to hatha yoga that have helped to define hatha practice in the West. Because there are now so many styles of yoga available, the choice of a practice can seem overwhelming. These chapters will introduce you to the main styles of hatha yoga so that you can be better informed as you undertake your own practice of yoga.

Each of the main styles of hatha yoga is generally named after the individual who first introduced or was influential in the teachings of that style, such as Iyengar Yoga and Sivananda Yoga; the institute that was founded based on their teachings, such as yoga taught at the Himalayan Institute and Integral Yoga; or for a prominent element or focal point of the approach, such as Ashtanga Yoga and kundalini yoga.

Nearly all the various styles of hatha yoga have as their base a common repertoire of physical postures and practices, which have evolved over the centuries. The emphasis on how to perform these practices can differ widely from one style of yoga to another, however. Understanding the differences among these styles can help you choose the style of hatha yoga that is right for you. The following chapters describe the major styles of hatha yoga that you are likely to encounter in your exploration of yoga today. As you read these chapters, please bear in mind that the approaches to yoga presented are grouped together under hatha yoga for convenience. In addition to instruction in the physical postures of yoga, most of these approaches can also help you incorporate a full range of yogic practices into your life.

Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini refers to a powerful energy depicted as a serpent (from kundala, which means “coiled”). This energy is stored at the base of the spine, where it lies coiled like a snake. This energy is considered feminine. It lies dormant until properly awakened, at which time it rushes upward through the spine to join with the male aspect of consciousness at the crown of the head, where the union of the feminine and masculine aspects of energy leads to self-realization and enlightenment. Practitioners of kundalini yoga employ specific practices to aid the arousal of this energy. The movement of kundalini energy has been described by some as having the force of a streak of lightning.

The awakening of kundalini energy can be one of the steps on the path to enlightenment. For this reason, various practices have been developed over time to help practitioners cultivate the releasing of this energy as a way of attaining enlightenment. These practices can include physical exercises (asanas) and special breathing techniques (pranayama) combined with meditation and recitation of sacred sounds to raise and release the kundalini energy. Kundalini yoga has become so popular in the West that Chapter 7 is devoted to its practice.

Laya Yoga
Laya means “melting,” “dissolution,” or “absorption” in Sanskrit. Laya yoga is an approach to meditation that uses rites and special practices, such as breathing, to reach a state of total absorption.

Mantra Yoga
Mantra means “thought” or “instrument of thought” in Sanskrit. (It is believed to be related to the same root that gave rise to the words mental and man in English.) Mantra yoga uses special sounds as instruments to focus and still the mind. The sages of yoga from time immemorial have maintained that the universe was born of vibration, or sound. Therefore, sound occupies a sacred role in yoga. Certain sounds are believed to have sacred powers. One of the most famous of these sounds is the universal, untranslatable Om. Because sound is so vital to the principles of yoga practice, Chapter 16 contains a special section on mantras and guidance on how you might begin to practice them.

Tantra Yoga
Tantra means “loom” in Sanskrit. Tantric yoga uses a variety of practices such as external rituals celebrating the divine feminine principle as well as more internal practices such as meditation and mantra recitation to weave the way to enlightenment. Many scholars believe that the practices of tantra are very ancient. According to some, tantra developed as a reaction to classical yoga practices, which traditionally had been reserved exclusively for certain castes of practitioners, especially men.

Tantra is particularly appealing to men who enjoy communing with others. Rather than withdrawing into himself alone, a man can engage with others in order to achieve liberation. This union can entail sexual union. As a result of this fact, tantric yoga is sometimes mistakenly understood to apply only to sexual practices. Tantra, however, involves a much wider range of rituals that are practiced in a sacred, ceremonial way to imbue them with the power of transformation and self-realization. When tantric practices include sexual acts, these acts are engaged in as a means of achieving self-realization. Kundalini yoga draws on some of the practices that form part of tantra yoga.

Hatha Yoga
Hatha literally means “violence” or “force” in Sanskrit. Hatha yoga is frequently referred to as the “forceful yoga.” It generally refers to the practice of the physical postures, or asanas, of yoga. To many people, yoga is synonymous with the practice of these physical postures. A variety of approaches to executing these postures has developed over time; consequently, various approaches to hatha yoga have developed. The following chapters will help you better understand the most important approaches to hatha yoga.

1. Yama. Yama means “self-restraint” or “self-control” in Sanskrit. The yamas are a set of ethical practices, somewhat like the commandments of the Old Testament, which form the basis for spiritual development. In order to be liberated, the yoga aspirant first must abstain from engaging in behavior that will be detrimental to his well-being and that of others. Patanjali prescribes five yamas that are to be observed: nonviolence (ahimsa); not telling lies, or being truthful (satya); not stealing (asteya); not wasting one’s sexual energy, or literally, demonstrating “brahmic conduct” (brahmacarya); and not being greedy (aparigraha). By practicing these five yamas, one develops the self-control necessary for the pursuit of the highest goals of yoga.

2. Niyama. Niyama means restraint in the sense of “discipline” or “moral observance” in Sanskrit. The niyamas are a set of ethical principles by which the practitioner of yoga is advised to conduct his life. Patanjali details five niyamas that are to be practiced: purity (saucha), contentment (santohsa), asceticism (tapas), study (svadhyaya), and surrender to a higher power (Isvara-pranidhana). Taken together, the niyamas provide a prescription for right living.

3. Asana. Asana means “seat” or “posture” in Sanskrit. The asanas are a prescribed set of physical postures, or poses, that are meant to purify and steady both the body and mind. For many people, yoga is synonymous with these postures, which form the basis of what is known as hatha yoga, which is derived from the system of raja yoga. The asanas play such an important role in yoga that they have given rise to many approaches to practicing them. Much of the confusion as to what yoga is in the West is caused by these various approaches to executing the physical postures of yoga. Because of the importance that these poses play in yoga and the diversity of ways in which they can be practiced, the first few sections of Yoga for Men are devoted to a description of the various styles of yoga that have developed in response to the practice of raja and hatha yoga.

4. Pranayama. Pranayama means “control (or extension) of the breath” in Sanskrit. The breath (prana) is more than just the air we take in and exhale, however. Breath is also synonymous with vital energy, or the life force. Without breath there is no life. Practitioners of yoga believe that it is essential to learn to control the breath in order to still the mind. Consequently, detailed practices have been developed to enhance the flow of breath, or vital life force. These practices include various ways of inhaling, retaining, and expelling the breath.

5. Pratyahara. Pratyahara means “withdrawal” or “starving the senses” in Sanskrit. The practice of pratyahara entails withdrawing the senses from sensory objects, as in sleep.

6. Dharana. Dharana means “concentration” in Sanskrit. Once the practitioner of yoga has withdrawn the senses from external objects, he practices concentration, for instance, by focusing single-pointedly on an object of awareness, such as a mental image or a sound.

7. Dhyana. Dhyana means “meditation” in Sanskrit. As the practitioner’s concentration develops, it deepens into meditation.

8. Samadhi. Samadhi means “bliss” or “ecstasy” in Sanskrit. Once the aspirant has perfected the preceding steps on the ladder of yoga, he enters into a state sometimes referred to as superconsciousness, in which the individual self merges with the infinite consciousness of the universe. This state of bliss is the ultimate goal of raja yoga.

These eight practices comprise the eight-runged ladder referred to as ashtanga yoga. Taken together, they form a kind of guide to developing self-control. The first two sets of practices prescribe how to establish self-discipline over one’s conduct and behavior toward others through a system of do’s and don’ts of ethical behavior. The next two practices teach how to achieve self-discipline of the physical body. The last four practices provide detailed instruction on how to gain mastery of the senses and mind, leading to self-realization.

The Four Majör Branches of Yoga
As most commonly presented, the four major branches of yoga are bhakti yoga, jnana yoga, karma yoga, and raja yoga. Understanding the nature of each can help you incorporate yoga into your life in the most meaningful way.

Bhakti Yoga: The Yoga of Devotion
Bhakti literally means “devotion” in Sanskrit. Bhakti yoga is known as the yoga of devotion. Following the path of bhakti yoga requires one to surrender oneself completely to a force or power greater than oneself. That power might be a deity, saint, revered teacher, or a quality, such as love. Through the force of opening one’s heart with undivided love and devotion to this higher force, one enters the grace of self-realization. Faith, grace, and love are the hallmarks of bhakti yoga. Mahatama Ghandi and the Dalai Lama, with their open hearts and unswerving devotion to serve, are excellent examples of a bhakta, the term that describes a practitioner of bhakti yoga.

Jnana Yoga: The Yoga of Knowledge
Jnana literally means “wisdom” or “knowledge” in Sanskrit. Jnana yoga is known as the yoga of wisdom. Of all the branches of yoga, this path requires the greatest concentration of mental activity. Jnanins (“knowers”), or practitioners of jnana yoga, seek enlightenment through the power of mental discrimination and inquiry – learning to differentiate the real from the unreal, and the limited personal self from the unlimited infinite self that is the source of all being. Meditation is the most powerful tool used in the practice of jnana yoga.

Karma Yoga: The Yoga of Action
Karma literally means “action” or “cause” in Sanskrit. Karma yoga is known as the yoga of action. Following the path of karma yoga involves seeking liberation through one’s actions in the world. Devoting selfless service to others and practicing one’s tasks in life – professional, familial, and otherwise – with perfect awareness and mindfulness without regard for success or failure permits the practitioner of karma yoga to achieve enlightenment and self-liberation. Through karma yoga, even simple and routine tasks such as driving a car or mowing the lawn can be acts of yoga practice if they are offered selflessly and to benefit others in an act of service. Many people associate yoga with asceticism and withdrawal from the external world and the company of others. Karma yoga offers those who are interested in pursuing its path a way of practicing yoga actively in the world.

Raja Yoga: The Royal Yoga
Raja means “royal” in Sanskrit. Raja yoga is known as the royal road to yoga, or the yoga of enlightenment. Of all the branches of yoga, raja yoga is probably the best-known approach to yoga in the West. The practitioner of raja yoga follows a carefully prescribed path composed of eight practices, or limbs, known as ashtanga (“eight limbs”), to achieve self-realization. These limbs include many of the best-known and most frequently engaged yoga practices, including physical postures, breath control, and concentration. (These practices will be described in much greater detail in the chapters that follow.) Raja yoga is sometimes referred to as classical yoga because the practices that comprise it are detailed in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, one of the earliest extant texts on the practice of yoga.

The four major branches of yoga form the overall umbrella under which all other yoga practices are subdivided. Each branch, however, need not be considered mutually exclusive. Some practices, such as meditation, are common to more than one branch of yoga. A follower of yoga can also engage in practices from more than one branch – a man can open the heart through bhakti yoga, engage the world mindfully and dutifully through karma yoga, seek mental discernment through jnana yoga, and engage in the liberating practices of raja yoga all at the same time. In fact, a devotee who follows the teachings of all the branches of yoga will find in yoga a nearly perfect system leading to right living, thinking, and self-realization.

Understanding that yoga has developed over a 5,000-year period and has extended its reach into many cultures and belief systems can help explain why there are so many approaches to yoga. It is important to realize, however, that as a tree, all the branches and limbs of yoga developed from one initial seed: the goal of liberating the self through the union of body, mind, and soul. Virtually each system of yoga represents a path of inquiry that unfolded from a single starting point: responding to the question, “Who am I?” Each of the systems of yoga represents a particular approach to realizing self-understanding and liberation. None of the systems is superior or inferior to any other. Each system or approach merely emphasizes certain aspects of yoga as the path to liberation. These systems do not have to be viewed as mutually exclusive. Each system offers valuable insight.

We have arrived at an exciting time in the development of yoga. As practiced in India for millennia, yoga has frequently entailed detailed study of a particular path of yoga under the tutelage of a venerated teacher, or guru. As the tree of yoga is becoming embraced in the West, it, in turn, is being influenced by and benefiting from the uniquely individual and creative input from the characteristically Western style of thinking. By understanding what each system of yoga teaches and emphasizes, each individual can decide for himself which elements are most appropriate to his needs. He can then create a uniquely personal practice by drawing selectively from the best elements of yoga. Those men who prefer a more methodical, organized approach are also free to follow the teachings of a particular school or teacher in the time-honored tradition of guru study. Your practice of yoga will be your own personal decision.

The following outline of the major branches and limbs of yoga will help demystify the many diverse names you may have heard for systems of yoga. It will help you to get a bird’seye view of the overall organizational system of yoga without becoming overwhelmed in the intricacies of the details of each. You can then choose, through the remaining chapters in this book, to learn more about a particular style of yoga or practice. Throughout this book, you will also find a wealth of resource information to help you learn more about a particular approach to yoga you might like to explore further.

Yoga is being merged with journal writing and talk therapy to access ever-deeper levels of the body/mind. It is being combined with dance and movement to enhance creativity, natural expression, and the sheer enjoyment of one’s own body in movement. Yoga is being shared with partners for a particularly nurturing practice.

Yoga for Men introduces you to all of these and many more ways in which you can incorporate yoga into your life. The most important aspect of yoga, though, is the actual experience of the practice itself. In this book, you will find all the information and inspiration you need to begin your practice of yoga if you are a novice, or take it to a higher level if you are already somewhat knowledgeable. It is up to you, however, to take the first step in putting that information into practice in your daily life. It is my hope that you will take that first step now: Discover for yourself the joy, peace, and harmony that are the gifts of yoga. They are your birthright.

In addition to its ability to help reduce stress, yoga has many other benefits for a man’s health. One of the primary aims of the physical practices of yoga is to help improve the alignment and flexibility of the spine. This is encouraging news for the 70 million Americans who are estimated to seek help for back problems each year. Yoga can help promote overall fitness by both stretching and toning virtually all the muscles in the body. Yoga exercises can help increase range of motion in joints and help protect muscles from being injured during sports and athletic activities. They can also help to lengthen and restore muscles after exercise.

Yoga postures can help improve circulation and eliminate toxic waste substances from the body. They can help promote optimum functioning of the internal organs by helping to massage and tone them. Yoga postures can help open the area of the pelvis and organs of reproduction that are housed there. Yoga practices can help bring increased circulation, muscular control, and awareness to a man’s sexual region, thus promoting enhanced sexual enjoyment.

The breathing practices of yoga can help improve lung capacity and posture, and harmonize body and mind. The meditation practices of yoga can help still the mind and bring about greater inner clarity, peace of mind, and self-understanding and acceptance. This can help lead to greater emotional awareness and stability. For those men seeking spiritual enlightenment, yoga has a variety of techniques that can help support and guide you on your path.

Yoga can form a cornerstone of your ongoing health maintenance program. As more and more men are discovering, it is increasingly important for them to take charge of their own physical fitness and healthcare. The physical postures of yoga can offer a refreshing alternative to high-impact cardiovascular and strenuous bodybuilding practices, an especially attractive option for a population that is increasingly aging. Yoga also offers a man the opportunity to become much more aware of his own body. Through the mindfulness and awareness that yoga engenders, a man has the opportunity of listening more carefully to his body so that he might detect pain, discomfort, and other warning signs early enough to take preventative action before illness or disease sets in.

In addition to its overall health benefits, yoga can be of special value to men, in particular, by helping them to contact their inner resources. As many top yoga teachers underscore, today’s man is often caught up in the pressures of work and conforming to society’s perceived expectations. This can result in a man’s armoring himself and losing touch with his inner self. Yoga practice can provide a man with the opportunity to reconnect with himself and to accept himself just as he is—not as he feels he is “supposed” to be. Through a sustained yoga practice, a man can experience the priceless benefits of peace and happiness that can accompany self-awareness and self-acceptance.

Cautions for Yoga
Yoga encompasses a wide variety of practices, from physical postures to meditation. Every man should be able to find a yoga practice suitable to his needs. However, the physical postures of yoga can place specific demands on a man’s body. The following are some common, but by no means exhaustive, cautions to consider for anyone when approaching a practice of yoga. Anyone with a history of high blood pressure or any other cardiovascular disorders; glaucoma or other eye problems; recent surgeries or injuries; particular neck, back, or vertebral disk problems; or any joint problems, particularly in the areas of the knees and shoulders, should consult with a physician as some yoga practices may be inadvisable. In addition, for any female readers of this book, special precautions may be appropriate for pregnant or menstruating women. And any individual—man or woman—who has any particular concern should consult with his or her physician before embarking on a practice of yoga.

Sanskrit terms are generally italicized upon their first occurrence in Yoga for Men, with an English translation provided in parentheses. Subsequent uses of the Sanskrit term in the text are not italicized. Because of the complexity of transliterating Sanskrit words into English, Sanskrit words often have variant spellings in English. Yoga for Men attempts to use the most frequently encountered spellings.

Several nouns and adjectives are used to describe yoga practitioners and practices that may be new to some readers. A male practitioner of yoga is frequently referred to as a yogin, while a female practitioner is referred to as a yogini. Alternatively, the word yogi refers to any practitioner, regardless of sex. The plural of yogi is yogis. The adjective yogic does not yet appear in all dictionaries, but is used with increasing frequency as a qualifier to denote that the noun to which it refers has a special yoga connotation. You will find these words used at various times throughout this book.

What seems to have done the most to bring yoga into popular awareness, however, has been a cross-fertilization of knowledge about India and its sacred traditions that began more recently when a number of master teachers, or gurus, came from India to the West with the professed aim of bringing the ancient teachings of India to Western nations. First among these was Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), who gained prominence through his presence at the World’s Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. One of the most influential of the Indian gurus was Parmahansa Yogananda (1893–1952), who was sent by his revered master to bring the teachings of yoga to the West in 1920, when he attended a congress of world religions in Boston. In that same year, Parmahansa Yogananda founded the Self-Realization Fellowship, an organization through which he initiated thousands of Westerners into yoga. His Autobiography of a Yogi remains one of the most widely read books on yoga throughout the world today. Since these two pioneers, a number of other influential teachers have brought their particular focus on yoga to the West, including, most notably, B.K.S. Iyengar (founder of Iyengar Yoga), Swami Rama (the Himalayan Institute), Swami Satchidananda (Integral Yoga), and Swami Vishnu-devananda (Sivananda Yoga).

The transmission of knowledge of yoga is a two-way avenue, however. Because knowledge about yoga has become more widely available in the West, increasingly large numbers of Americans and Europeans are traveling to India to seek instruction firsthand in the ancient practices of yoga. Ram Dass was one of the first and best-known Westerners to forgo the creature comforts of the West to sit at the feet of a guru in India. He distilled the essence of what he learned in the title of his groundbreaking book Be Here Now. Since Ram Dass’s pilgrimage, countless other Americans have followed a similar path.