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PHILOSOPHY

The etymology of the word ‘philosophy’ that is comprised of the Greek syllables ‘philo’ and ‘sophia’ can be translated as ‘love of wisdom’. The Yoga tradition indeed has a profound love of wisdom, or principles of living that when embraced produce the experience of deep joy and harmonious relationship to all of life. In the yogic tradition this approach to life is called Sanatana Dharma, derived from the teachings of the ancients Vedas. Other complementary wisdom schools incorporated into yoga, as instructed at Shantarasa, include the Classical system of Patanjali, the philosophical underpinnings of Hatha Yoga, and the sublime teachings of the Kashmiri Shaivite tradition.

Wisdom can only be arrived at by authentic living; through consistent and integral application of guiding principles that include ethics, deep self inquiry and a powerful drive to range beyond the consensual mundane into the very heart of the Infinite. For some, this may express itself in various forms of religious and theistic study and practice. Yet Yoga is not religion. It is the meeting and development of an ongoing experience of the unitive, blissful steady state that transcends artificial boundaries that breed division, alienation and suffering.

Application of Yoga practice, while incredibly uplifting and expansive, is intrinsically practical and totally down to earth. We begin to transform only when the practices of yoga meet and intersect with the events of daily life and our long held beliefs and notions which indelibly shape these events. To move from those areas of incongruency and disturbance within ourselves into ‘unconflictive behaviour’ and ‘living peace’ is the outcome of embracing yoga philosophy.