Hridaya Philosophy

Yoga of the Spiritual Heart

Hridaya Yoga is a spiritual path whose purpose is the revelation of our True Self, Atman or the Spiritual Heart. Developed by Sahajananda, Hridaya Yoga is based on traditional spiritual principles and visions from classical yoga based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Advaita Vedanta, Tantra Yoga, and Kashmir Shaivism. Hridaya Yoga’s practices include Hatha Yoga, Meditations for the revelation of the Spiritual Heart, and techniques for cultivating Awareness in daily life. Participation in a Hridaya Silent Meditation Retreat is an excellent way to experience these teachings. “Hridaya means Heart. Hridaya Yoga is the yoga of the sweetness of the Heart. It is the Heart of Yoga.” -Sahajananda

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Hridaya Philosophy

What Is Hridaya?

Hridaya, the Spiritual Heart, is our essential and ultimate nature. It is the ineffable dimension of our being. It is another name for atman (the Supreme Self). The Spiritual Heart is the Supreme Consciousness, the ultimate Subject, the pure “I.” It is the Witness Consciousness, that intimate observer of all our thoughts, emotions, sensations, and the entire Universe in both its inner and outer dimensions.

The Spiritual Heart is not just a spark of God—the Spiritual Heart is God.

Perceiving the Heart

The Heart can be felt when attention is directed to the chest area. The very fine and discreet vibration that is awakened there, in the absence of any thought, in the quietness of the mind, is the beginning of the Sacred Tremor, spanda, the most direct experience of the Spiritual Heart. When we relax, take our time, and close our eyes we allow this vibration to arise…. This subtle calling of Infinity that radiates from the chest area is the most expressive and intimate representation of the Heart. Contained within it is the communicative warmth of Truth. Without it, all teachings would only be more “food for the mind” or lifeless information. The real essence of the Spiritual Heart lies exactly in this tremor, this very intimate vibration. In the simplicity of this vibration lies the freshness of revelation—a revelation that comes from “inside” even when the information seems to come from “outside.” This vibration, this Sacred Tremor of the Heart, is the “spirit” of this kind of information.

Revealing the Spiritual Heart

From a practical point of view, an increasingly subtle understanding of the real significance of the Spiritual Heart will be revealed through meditation. This process usually follows a few stages: At the beginning of spiritual practice, the Heart is an object of meditation (the Heart Center), a place in the chest area where the attention is focused. Then, it is revealed as being not just an inert point of attention, but a living reality, a sui generis inner organ of knowledge about our soul. Thus, when meditation goes deeper, we start feeling longing or love or pain or nostalgia or joy. In different spiritual traditions, this sensitivity of the Heart is known by different symbolic names, including “the Eye of the Heart,” “the mirror of the Heart,” and “the Fire of the Heart.” Eventually, the ultimate reality of the Heart is revealed as the very source of our awareness and of the meditation itself. It is revealed as our most intimate “I.” Therefore, during this inner journey, the Heart successively becomes the object of knowledge, the instrument of knowledge, and, ultimately, the source of attention (the knower). This kind of meditation is a process that starts in the Heart and returns to the Heart. In a paradoxical way, the solitude and intimacy of the Heart reveal the essential Unity and Oneness of all existence. The Heart exudes a sense of Truth, a sense of Pure Existence. By using the heart as a symbol of sacredness, many religions have indeed expressed this very idea. Usually, the Heart is considered the seat of feelings and psychological activity. But, this is just a relative and individual dimension of the Heart. The world of individual emotions (the human soul) is to be overcome through detachment in order to attain the revelation of the true universal significance of the Heart. So, atman has no physical or mental dimensions as such and expresses itself essentially as a subtle tremor endowed with transfigurative qualities.

The Relationship between the Mind and the Heart

The relationship between the mind and the Heart is beautifully expressed by Theodore Darrel, “If we can speak of an essential move, then it is that which helped to transform man into a vertical spiritual being, with a voluntary stability. A being whose zeal for ideals, whose prayers, whose uplifting and pure feelings rise up to the sky like frankincense. From this being, the Supreme Being, made a temple within a Temple, a microcosm within the Macrocosm. And for this, He, endowed men with a heart, in other words with a powerful point of support. He endowed men with a center of movement that can keep man close to his origins, resembling so with his first Cause, God. In the same time, it is true, man was endowed with a brain; but this brain is an element common to the whole animal kingdom and belongs to the category of secondary movement. The brain is an instrument of closed worldly thinking and a transformer for the use of the world and for man. It is only the heart, through its secret exhalation and inhalation, that while remaining united with God, allows man to be alive thinking. And so, thanks to this regal pulsation, man is able to maintain his divinity and act under the dominion of the Divine Creator, obeying His Laws, happy in a bliss that only he can rob himself of, when straying from the mysterious path that leads from his heart to the Universal Heart, the Divine Heart… Fallen to the animal level, even if he thinks himself right to call it superior, man can now only use his brain and its annexes. Thus, he feeds from cerebral thinking, directed towards the world, but he is unable to use that thinking which is alive, divine… He only needs to want, and his attention focused on the heart can reestablish in him, balance and help him find happiness once more… At the end of his power, he instinctively folds in over himself; having recognized his own futility, he takes refuge yet again in the heart, and timidly tries to climb down into her silent crypt. It is there that all the vain noise of the world is quieted… The world and man are one. And the Heart of man and the Heart of the World are a single heart.”

Hridaya Yoga and the Spiritual Heart

Hridaya Yoga and the Hridaya Silent Meditation Retreat start from the premise that traditional ideas about the Spiritual Heart can and should be applied in very concrete and practical ways. The Heart, seen as an organ of direct knowledge, can and should be constantly trained in order to increase its purity and capacity to Love, witness, and surrender… In this way, the borders of individuality fade away and, through the recognition of its fundamental attribute as a gateway to Infinity, the Supreme Self is revealed. (from www.hridaya-yoga.fr) “The only beauty that lasts is the beauty of the Heart.” -Rumi

Advaita Vedanta

Advaita Vedanta is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of Hinduism, the others being Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita. Nondual Vedanta is considered the pearl of Indian philosophy and it has influenced virtually all schools of Indian thought.

The key texts from which all Vedanta texts draw are the Upanishads (especially 12 or 13 in particular), which are commentaries on the Vedas, and the Brahma Sutras (also known as Vedanta Sutras), which is in turn constitute a work discussing the essence of the Upanishads. The nondual message of the Upanishads, of the Bhagavad Gita, and of the Brahma Sutra is that only the one Absolute, the Undivided Self is real, It being the only Truth to be seen, surrendered to and ultimately realized.

The pillar of Advaita Vedanta was Adi Shankara (788-820 AD), who consolidated the principles of Advaita. Continuing the line of thought of some of the Upanishadic teachers, and also that of his own teacher Gaudapada, Shankara expounded the doctrine of Advaita – a nondualistic reality. The supreme truth of Advaita is the nondual reality of Brahman, in which atman (the individual soul) and brahman (the ultimate reality) are identified absolutely. It was Adi (meaning “first” in Sanskrit) Shankara who gave Advaita its name and actively tried to spread its ideas. He systematized his conceptions of nondualism and its practice into coherent works such as the Viveka-Chudamani (Crest-Jewel of Discrimination) and Brahma Bhashyas, which are commentaries on the Brahma Sutras. Adi Shankara’s contributions to Advaita thought and Hinduism in general are crucial. He revived monism in India and brought a profound understanding of existence. He considered that the ultimate truth was Brahman, the one divine ground that is beyond time, space, and causation. He did not mean to negate the phenomenal universe, but rather the identification of our true nature with the ephemeral structures, such as body, psyche, and mind. Indeed, while Brahman is the efficient and material cause for the cosmos, Brahman itself is not limited by its self-projection and indeed transcends all binary opposites/dualities, especially such individuated aspects as form and being, since it is incomprehensible by the human mind. The limitless Self cannot be comprehended by mind. Transcending the mind is the path of recognizing our ultimate essence, atman. Later Vedantins debated whether the reality of Brahman was saguna (with attributes) or nirguna (without attributes). The spreading of devotional attitudes had its roots in the belief in the concept of Saguna Brahman. However, it is important to mention that Advaita Vedanta did not deny Saguna Brahman. Shankara counseled worship of God in different forms, and has composed numerous works deploring the uselessness of intellect and calling for the true intuition of the heart to be found in love of the Lord. Advaita Vedanta is commonly misperceived as an intellectual philosophy, whereas it is quite practical, seeking to awaken discrimination (viveka) that leads to Self-realization. Verse 25 of the Avadhuta Gita says: By such sentences as “That thou art,” (Tat Tvam Asi) our own Self is affirmed. Of that which is untrue and composed of the five elements, the Sruti (scripture) says, “Not this, not this.” (Neti Neti). Therefore, by discriminating between what is Brahman and what is not, one comes to the truth. Brahman is neither the body nor the mind. Through this process, the aspirant, or yogi, soon realizes that Brahman is all, is infinite sat cit ananda (pure existence-pure consciousness-pure bliss) and attains moksha (liberation). We can say that the affirmation “not this, not this” (neti neti) sumarizes the Advaita path, the path of discrimination. Two well known and influential nondualist texts are the Ashtavakra Gita and Avadhuta Gita, the former said to have been written by the Sage Ashtavakra and the latter by Sage Dattatreya. (from hridaya-yoga.fr) “There is only one Great Being, which the sages call Brahman, in which all the countless forms of existence reside. That Great Being is utter Consciousness, and IT is the only Essence or Self (Atman) of all beings.” Georg Feuerstein, Sacred Paths

Self-Enquiry

At the age of 16, Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950), named Venkataraman at birth, had an intense spiritual experience involving a sudden and overwhelming fear of death. He went into the experience and it became the death of his ego, which invoked a flood of Self-awareness. Soon after, he left home for Arunachala – a South Indian mountain whose very name had mysteriously called to him as a holy place worth seeking – to pursue a purely spiritual life. He spent his time in deep meditation, often entering high states of consciousness and samadhi.

Eventually he settled on the slopes of Arunachala and his followers built an ashram around him. He answered their questions and commented on the spiritual works they presented him, but always with the same simple issue, pointing to the source of our thoughts summed up in the question: “Who am I?.” Ramana Maharshi’s teachings are fundamental in Hridaya Yoga. Spiritual Heart, as it is called in many traditions.

About the Question “Who Am I?” in Hridaya Meditation

Ramana Maharshi terms Self-Enquiry as “the most sacred of sacred.” Indeed, it is a revolutionary method in spirituality. Ramana explains the reason this practice is unique: “What is essential in any sadhana [spiritual practice] is to try to bring back the running mind and fix it on one thing only. Why then should it not be brought back and fixed in Self-attention (To this feeling of ‘I’)? That alone is Self-Enquiry (atma vichara). That is all that is to be done!” Self-Enquiry is the awareness of Awareness itself. It leads us beyond duality because the object of meditation (the “I”) is ultimately revealed as the Subject itself (transpersonal Consciousness). However, in order to let the question “Who am I?” bring us closer to our Real Nature, or to truly ask “Who am I?” in an efficient way, a certain understanding and spiritual maturity is necessary.

Hridaya Hatha Yoga

n Hridaya Hatha Yoga, the physical postures (asanas) combine with Advaita, the non-dual vision. Asanas are performed while holding the inner spiritual attitudes recommended in the traditional texts of Tantra Yoga and Kashmir Shaivism. The practice is oriented towards getting intimate inner knowledge of the physical body and its bio-energies as well as of our Real Nature, the Spiritual Heart. Therefore, a contemplative attitude is indispensable.

Cultivating Relaxation & Openness through Yoga Practice

Hatha Yoga practice engenders relaxation and happiness rather than effort or strain. Even if it, by itself, may not result in spiritual realization, Hatha Yoga can give us a more adequate “starting point” on the spiritual journey. At Hridaya, Hatha Yoga is practiced to create the state of relaxation and openness needed in order to realize the transfiguration of the body. Therefore, it is very important to maintain the witnessing attitude, which, through the alchemy of asana practice, leads to the intuition of our True Nature.

The Natural Yoga of the Heart

Hridaya Hatha Yoga is a natural yoga, a free expression of energy, where everything is done straight from the Heart and with all our heart. The difference between natural yoga based on the free flow of energies and yoga practiced with the only goal being to push energy in certain directions is similar to the difference between the Heart and the mind. When yoga is practiced mechanically, our starting point is based in the individual will and mind. That is why we do not “teach the asanas.” Instead, we learn meditative attitudes meant to develop our inner sense of freedom. These attitudes are supported and favored by the Hatha Yoga techniques. The awareness of the Spiritual Heart and the attitude of surrender enhance our ability to harmoniously express our personality, improve our ability to focus, and increase our discernment and dynamism. Yoga postures are a practice of samyama, a turning off of the mind’s filters to allow an intimate identification with the body, energies, sensations, breath, and higher mind. By sublimating energy in spanda, the Sacred Tremor of the Heart, we rediscover the sacred and devotional aspects of Hatha Yoga. Asanas have a devotional aspect as well, because they open us up to our inner guide, which is exactly this tremor. This leads us to who we really are.

Yoga—Joy, Relaxation, Celebration, and Surrender

The Spiritual Heart expresses its radiant power of love and happiness in every asana. At Hridaya, we do not focus our attention on performing a spectacular or artistic pose but on awakening and expressing the inner happiness of the Heart. We use the body to allow this happiness to radiate through it, removing tensions, strain, and stress. We avoid practicing in a dry, mechanical way and seek to awaken the happiness, love, and the clarity generated by the awareness of the present moment. When the physical body is positioned in an asana and there are no tensions or unnecessary muscle contractions, we perceive a real “blossoming” of the free flow of energies. In this way, our asana practice reflects a positive, life-affirming attitude. It allows us to completely open our hearts and celebrate life. The asana becomes a mechanism for transformation and spiritual healing, a process of revealing our Divine Nature, not just an “energizing and healthy” exercise. We start and end the yoga practice reminding ourselves that yoga is ultimately a spiritual art and that the revelations which we may have cannot derive from our personal efforts alone, but primarily from the capacity of surrender or letting go of our The Role of the Physical Body and Emotions We see the physical body as a divine instrument designed to enable us to experience the ecstasy of recognizing and glorifying the non-dual, Infinite One, Advaita, in the domain of multiplicity, samsara. The physical body is a majestic manifestation of the spirit, not just a mass of dense matter. In a similar way, our thoughts, desires, passions, and emotions are not obstacles in the way of spiritual awakening to be repressed or eliminated. Rather, they are tools for expanding individual consciousness and, even, for transcending it. Our physical body and subtle energies represent divine gifts meant to help us discover the most profound sense of freedom. We aspire to develop and refine all aspects of the being: the body, mind, intuition, mental clarity, purity of emotions, and our most profound virtues.

The Witness Consciousness

We cultivate an awareness of the Witness Consciousness. However, the harmony of performing an asana spontaneously induces an intuition of the consciousness of the Divine Self. Our own intuitive knowledge of our nature and the detachment from the physical body make energy flow more freely so that spanda may awaken more easily. Through Hatha Yoga, we aspire to the complete freedom and happiness of the Pure Existence, of the “I am.” Hatha Yoga creates a greater fluidity of the energies of our being. In addition to flexibility and relaxation, we feel more balanced and free. At Hridaya, the amplification of energy is accompanied by the development of the capacity to witness it. This results in increased clarity and the centering in the Spiritual Heart, which favors creativity and the ability to get closer to aspects of life that inspire us. Hatha Yoga sessions are seen as a whole, as a unique dance, as a communion with life itself, as an expression of a unique impetus for celebration and the revelation of our Divine Nature.

The Seven Steps of the Hridaya Hatha Yoga Asana Practice:

The Witnessing Attitude and Open Attention: These represent the underlying background of the entire asana session. We observe thoughts, trends, and patterns, and keep a non-reactive attitude toward them. Entering the Asana: We emphasize the relaxation of the body and the slow movement of getting into the posture. This is meant to increase the elasticity of the joints and muscles. We do this movement with the joy that a cat or a dog has when it stretches its body. It is the same naturalness and feeling of spontaneity. We perceive how the movement itself releases tension. Immobility: The body remains motionless and still (kaya sthairyam). After we settle in the final position, we try to maintain the complete immobility of the body, which induces the stability of the mind. Open Attention: We have an awareness of present moment, attuned to any kind of physical or subtle sensation, impression, energy stream, or chakra activation that might appear during an asana. Thus, we remain in a state of observation full of love, free from the need to analyze, label, or conceptualize. This attitude brings a state of acceptance, intimacy, and identification with the energy, sensation, etc. Chakra Activation: We acknowledge the specific energy that the asana awakens in us (according to what we spontaneously perceived in the previous stage and to the traditional recommendations regarding the asana). This is a state of awareness with a specific object (a chakra or a specific form of energy related to the asana). Universal Energies: The awareness of the universal quality of the perceived energy—a transition from the personal perspective about the energy to a transpersonal one. The energy is not perceived as being “my energy” anymore, but universal in nature. This does not mean that a universal energy replaces a personal energy. It is just another perspective on the same phenomenon. The Question: The surrender of the egoic consciousness to atman (the Supreme Reality). Here, the asana becomes meditation. Asking the “Who am I?” question, we stop identifying with the physical body or with energy (even universal energy) and we become aware of the infinite and non-dual nature of our being.

Hridaya Meditation

Hridaya Meditation is a spiritual path in Itself. It is a way of revealing our fundamental essence, the Supreme Self, atman, or the Spiritual Heart, as it is called in many traditions.

From a technical point of view, it consists of 3 aspects:

The awareness of the Heart Center (in the chest area)
The awareness of short pauses after inhalation and exhalation
Self-Enquiry (asking the question “Who am I?“)

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The Finger That Points to the Moon

There is a very beautiful metaphor from the Zen tradition, “The finger that points to the Moon,” which describes the relationship between the technical elements of practice and the Ineffable. It suggests that we should never remain focused on the finger, but always look in the direction it points. In a similar way, these three attitudes are just like “fingers” that point to the “Moon” of Supreme Consciousness. They are just pointers or doors to the Vastness of our Being. Therefore, these attitudes don’t have a value in themselves, but only in connection with what they might reveal. For example, we can focus on the chest area and this can definitely, in time, bring an increased level of concentration, mental clarity, and awareness of our emotions. But all these are limited to the domain of our personality. When we understand that the Heart Center is just a pointer, we open ourselves to a new “domain,” described in the Islamic hadith as “Heaven and Earth do not contain me, but I am contained in the heart of my devotee,” or in Jesus’ affirmation “The Kingdom of God is inside you.” In this way, the Heart Center is not just a “point of concentration,” but brings a taste of Infinity. Similarly, both of the other two attitudes, the awareness of the pauses in the breathing cycle and the question “Who am I?”, can lead us to that domain that transcends the limits of individuality. Therefore, Hridaya Meditation, while using these tools, finally goes beyond them—becoming a natural way of celebrating the freedom and joy of our Real Being. Our 3– and 10-Day Hridaya Silent Meditation Retreats give you the opportunity to develop a deeper and more intimate connection with the Spiritual Heart, the very core of your being. This awareness allows you to enjoy happiness and peace wherever you are, no matter the conditions. Our retreats allow you to directly experience the profound inner transformation that meditation brings. During your time in silence, you will explore many aspects of the Spiritual Heart. Practices are drawn from a variety of traditions, including yoga, Buddhism, and Sufism. No previous meditation or yoga experience is necessary to benefit from a retreat.

Hridaya Yoga Philosophy

Hridaya Yoga is a spiritual path whose purpose is the revelation of our True Self, atman or the Spiritual Heart. Developed by Sahajananda, Hridaya Yoga is based on traditional spiritual principles and visions from classical yoga based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Advaita Vedanta, Tantra Yoga, and Kashmir Shaivism. They are further correlated with teachings from Sufism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Taoism.

The practice of Hridaya Yoga allows us to live in the very “core” of existence, to feel the heartbeat of life, to intuitively know the eternal dimension of every moment. Students engaged on the path of Hridaya Yoga aspire to live in the Heart, in the Supreme Reality, in God, with God being experienced directly, beyond any conceptual and religious definitions.

Find your unique meditation spot in nature during your solitude retreat or group retreat a

Metaphysical Principles of Hridaya Yoga

The vision of this spiritual path is based on the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, which teaches about the essential Oneness of all creation. We start from the premise that everything that exists in the Universe is a manifestation of the Supreme Consciousness, which reveals itself in each and every individual as atman, the Spiritual Heart. The Spiritual Heart represents the real source of our freedom, spontaneity, and profound bliss. Hridaya Yoga aims to eliminate the contradictions, tensions, and conflicts caused by the dualistic vision and by its inherently conditioned programming. Hridaya Yoga amplifies the aspiration for the revelation of our Ultimate Nature, the Spiritual Heart. This brings a direct understanding and experience of Oneness. In Hridaya Yoga, we endeavor to coherently express the Consciousness of Oneness through the use of meditation and Hatha Yoga. Additionally, Hridaya Yoga uses specific methods to assist students in applying this vision in their everyday lives. In this manner, the awareness of the Spiritual Heart can be permanently infused in every moment. At Hridaya, the focus on energy centers (chakras) and energetic phenomena during the practice of Hatha Yoga is always associated with the Witness Consciousness—the awareness of our real being. In the beginning stages of Hatha Yoga practice, experiences related to energizing the chakras (and the insights and transformations which may result) are important to acquire an increased awareness of the subtle structures (koshas) of the being. However, gradually, as we gain spiritual maturity, the process of transcending the attachment to our physical or energetic structures becomes the most important aspect of spiritual practice. Therefore, Hridaya Yoga is a spiritual practice that does not emphasize the domination, control, or forcing into submission of our internal or external nature. Instead, it recommends the conscious surrender of our individual limits. Here, the surrender to the Spiritual Heart is the highest stage, the crowning of a practice sustained by personal effort. The asanas (yoga poses) are performed with an attitude of profound devotion and inner transfiguration rather than by allowing the ego-based will to attempt control of the body and the mind. The Hridaya Yoga practice itself represents a profound aspiration to remain permanently aware of the ultimate spiritual Reality. As part of the practice, Hatha Yoga inspires us to reach a state of harmony with the Divine Reality, to let go of limited corporeal consciousness, to reveal our inherent freedom, beauty, and openness to the Spiritual Heart. The meditation and yoga techniques practiced at Hridaya are not performed in order to “achieve” the Supreme Reality. In fact, the Supreme Reality is not something to be “achieved” or conquered—this is not an aim or purpose of the spiritual path. Actually, we are revealing something that already exists within us, which is our very intimate essence. Thus, the purpose of the practice is to promote the purity of our “instruments”—the body, the soul, and the mind—in order to allow them to express atman, the Supreme Consciousness. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to understand these attitudes, as well as the role played by the body, soul, and mind in their relation to the Spiritual Heart.

The Importance of the Principles Governing the Spiritual Practice

“One cannot realize the ultimate reality without relying on conceptual knowledge.” –Nagarjuna It is important to outline the principles underlying the spiritual practice because they define it and make it coherent and clear. Principles These metaphysical principles can be found (in different terminologies) in many of the great spiritual traditions: There is one Supreme Reality, which represents the universal, unique, and ultimate substratum of the entire existence. The Nature of the Supreme Reality is Consciousness. (The first Mahavakhya, “Great Saying,” of the Upanishads is Prajnanam Brahman, or “Consciousness is Brahman.”) Consciousness is understood here not as an expression of mental activity, but rather as the very “life” of creation. It is not only the source of biological life but also of any movement or energy. Consciousness is the root of any cognitive or sensorial process. Consciousness is the background of “life” in animals and plants. It is the ultimate source of the movement of atoms. This approach is different from the common religious belief in a God who exists somewhere separate to us, such as Heaven. Thus, the affirmation “Brahman is Consciousness” makes us understand that Brahman is not to be seen as God, the “Creator of the World” as in the theistic religions, nor as a Creator who does not intervene in the Universe (as in Deism). Brahman, as Consciousness, is the very light in which we are thinking. Because Brahman, God, is Consciousness, even to doubt or deny Brahman is to affirm His existence, since Brahman is the very source of thinking, and the brain merely an instrument of consciousness. This Supreme Reality exists as the ultimate essence of our being. It is called atman, the Supreme Self. (We also frequently refer to atman as hridaya, the Spiritual Heart.) The practice of yoga techniques, Self-Enquiry, and other spiritual practices can generate the necessary conditions for the revelation of our ultimate essence, the Spiritual Heart. The revelation of our ultimate essence, of who we are, atman, has caused the great Indian sages to recognize that Brahman, the Supreme Reality, and atman, the Spiritual Heart, are identical. (Three of the great four Vedic and Upanishadic statements, Mahavakhyas, refer to this correlation of atman and Brahman: Ayamatma Brahma, “The Self, atman, is Brahman“; Tat Tvam Asi, “Thou art That”; and Aham Brahmasmi, “I am Brahman.”) There is a primordial vibration, spanda, that is expressed in our being as the Sacred Tremor of the Heart. The origin of the term spanda (literally “tremor” or “vibration”) is found in the spiritual tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. Spanda is the primordial vibration of the Universe and of our being. If we imagine the Supreme Reality as an absolute immobile ocean, there would be no connection between It and the world. The consequence would be that the world is just an illusion, maya, that there is nothing divine in the manifest world, which should be transcended. This is the conclusion of the ascetic paths. With this comes the denial of the world and of many of the energies of the human being. Conversely, Kashmir Shaivism recognized the “dynamic” of spanda, a dynamism that is simultaneously inherent to the Supreme Transcendent Reality and is expressed in the world as well. Thus, spanda creates a bridge between the transcendent and immanent, between energy and consciousness. Ramana Maharshi used the term sphurana to refer to the same sacred vibration. It can serve as a way for an emotional or spiritual experience to transcend the personal level and reveal the freedom of the spirit. The Sacred Tremor of the Heart is an infallible inner guide. It always exists, as the fundamental dimension of existence, to guide us from the personal level to the transpersonal and beyond, from temporary existence to eternity. In accordance with the traditional tantric vision and the contemporary holistic vision, the starting point in the Hridaya Yoga philosophy is that everything is interconnected. The Whole in itself is a vibrant living relationship. Life, per se, is a cosmic game of infinite interactions. The consciousness of the Spiritual Heart causes every moment lived according to this holistic vision to become an opportunity for inspiration, revelation, and a sacred celebration of the interconnectedness between all the individual parts, on the one hand, and between each individual part and the Whole, on the other. CorollaryAs we start to develop an intuitive knowledge of the one universal background of existence, the understanding arises that all aspects of our being are ultimately divine. We also become intuitively aware that our Ultimate Nature is not limited to the physical body or to the subtle mind, soul, or other energy structures. We become aware of the universal background of existence as being the transcendent dimension of our being.

The Purpose of the Practice

The aim of the various technical approaches used in Hridaya Yoga is not to cause a state of mind or an experience, but to develop and refine the structures which adequately support the revelation of our Divine Nature. We utilize these technical elements to further develop: A clear and quiet mind, able to generate the conditions for the transcendence of the mind itself. The Spiritual Heart—becoming aware of it being an “organ” of direct knowledge. The Spiritual Heart is a subtle organ that can simultaneously integrate the Supreme Reality (the Subject of knowledge), the very nature of spiritual endeavor and aspiration (the means of knowledge), and the object of the spiritual practice (the object of knowledge).

The Awareness of the Spiritual Heart

In the spiritual practice, we shall not make a goal of perfecting the physical postures. However, the profound transformations that take place during the execution of an asana make it a tool to help us open towards our Ultimate Nature. Therefore, an asana is but a modality to express the Oneness of our being, a tool used to cause the consciousness to expand. It is a dance of energies—the dance of Shakti and Shiva, of Energy and Consciousness. The awakening of latent energies and their balancing and centering in the Spiritual Heart represents a way for us to open towards the infinite and become cosmic beings. Instead of “practicing” or “doing” yoga or an asana, our aspiration is of “being” in yoga and of consciously living, in that asana, the miracle of “be-ing.” The asana is used as a tool to help us develop the sharpness of the Witness Consciousness, to immerse ourselves into the Heart’s profound levels, and to reveal who we really are. Thus we achieve an attitude that is meditative and in which mental concentration is accompanied by the Witnessing Attitude and an Open Attention to the energetic phenomena that may arise. The Hatha Yoga session is not an imposed practice, but a creative activity called for by the tendencies and energies associated with the present moment. Thus, the practice of Hatha Yoga is more than an ascetic practice or a strictly physical workout. It becomes a practice of awareness and joy-filled openness. In this manner, we avoid the danger of a rigid or useless practice based on egoic willpower. Instead, our practice is oriented inwards. It becomes increasingly intimate in its nature, freely expressed, dynamic, continuously refreshed by inner echoes, by feedback responses from the flow of energy. In order to harmonize the energies and the various aspects of our being (the body, sensations, and mind), we have to go through a process of unification and integration of this “Conscious Totality,” which is our very being. While practicing yoga, we become yoga. Oneness is reflected in and between the internal and external aspects of the being. By practicing Hridaya Yoga, we celebrate and honor the very power of life. In this manner, we establish contact with the infinite and eternal potential of our True Nature. As a result, we stop being preoccupied with routine problems, dramas, and fears, and we can freely access the extraordinary treasure which is offered by the present moment. Centering in the Spiritual Heart induces a feeling of a sacred interconnection within the Totality. This is the true home where we find ourselves together in the radiance of Pure Presence.

What is Hridaya Meditation

Welcome Back Home...Into the Heart

Hridaya Philosophy

Yoga of the Spiritual Heart

Hridaya Philosophy

What Is Hridaya?

Perceiving the Heart

Revealing the Spiritual Heart

The Relationship between the Mind and the Heart

Hridaya Yoga and the Spiritual Heart

Advaita Vedanta

Self-Enquiry

About the Question “Who Am I?” in Hridaya Meditation

Hridaya Hatha Yoga

Cultivating Relaxation & Openness through Yoga Practice

The Natural Yoga of the Heart

Yoga—Joy, Relaxation, Celebration, and Surrender

The Witness Consciousness

The Seven Steps of the Hridaya Hatha Yoga Asana Practice:

Hridaya Meditation

The Finger That Points to the Moon

Hridaya Yoga Philosophy

Metaphysical Principles of Hridaya Yoga

The Importance of the Principles Governing the Spiritual Practice

The Purpose of the Practice

The Awareness of the Spiritual Heart

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