Articles

Das Mahavidyas – The 10 Tantric Goddesses of Wisdom

Das Mahavidyas – The 10 Tantric Goddesses of Wisdom

Who are the Das Mahavidyas – The Goddesses of Wisdom? The divine feminine – Shakti, is a powerful force that works and moves in limitless forms in every aspect of the material and spiritual world. She is the nurturing mother. It is her energy that sustains us, and she also destroys that which no longer serves us. Within yogic mysticism and Tantra, the Das Mahavidyas display the scope of the divine feminine in many powerful ways. These Ten powerful goddesses…

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The Emergence of Devi within Tantra Through the Ashta Matrikas

The Emergence of Devi within Tantra Through the Ashta Matrikas

Written By Swami Ayyappa Giri There was once a classic battle between good and evil, from which the ancient Sapta Matrika goddess mothers emerged victorious. It represents the ageless conflict between the forces of darkness and the towering motive within us that yearns for the highest light of truth. Internally, the battle reflects the soul’s struggle to be free from karma, maya, and the limitations of human ego. Triumph over these limiting influences, and deliverance from illusions of identity with the…

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Lord Shiva & The Five Acts of the Cosmic Source

Lord Shiva & The Five Acts of the Cosmic Source

Written By Swami Ayyappa Giri Known well by the ancient sages, siddhas and rishis, and usually hidden from ordinary humans, there are five acts of the cosmic source flowing through to the material realm for the experience of individual souls. These five acts are accessible as also to souls in human form, although the soul itself is covered by Maya’s veil and it falsely identifies itself as the doer.  It is that very identification that accrues karmic impact from most actions…

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The Functions of Māyā in Yoga & Tantra

The Functions of Māyā in Yoga & Tantra

The South Indian traditions of Yoga and Tantra have always maintained that mãyā is of a material nature and in its essence is real within the context of material existence. As it is bonded with the five clocks of the soul, the Kanchukas (limiting conditions) – Kalā, Rāga, Vidya, Kāla and Niyati. Mãyā is both eternal and manifest at the very root of the universe.

Great Yogic Upanishad of Sage Śvetāśvatara with Commentary by Swami Ayyappa Giri

Great Yogic Upanishad of Sage Śvetāśvatara with Commentary by Swami Ayyappa Giri

Extracts from “Upanisads” by Patrick Olivelle. Swami Ayyappa Giri conducts annual courses on the Upanishads.  Contact Yogini Ashram for details and registration. © E. Ayyappa, (Swami Ayyappa Giri), 2020.  All Rights Reserved. The Śvetāśvatara  Upanishad was composed at least a century, perhaps several, before Maitre Upanishad, in the later part of the 1st millennia BCE.  Thus it preceded both Patanjali Yoga Sutras, and Bhagavad-Gita.  It contains the oldest known articulation of a number of core concepts relating to Shiva Yoga,…

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The Ashta Matrikas

The Ashta Matrikas

How the Ancient Mother Goddesses Elevate and Transform Consciousness Excerpt from an upcoming book By Swami Ayyappa Giri, Tantracharya, Yogini Ashram, Norwalk Ca. “The classic battle, from which the ancient Mothers famously emerged victorious,  represents the war between the inmost Divine Self and the ego. Victory over ego and destruction of illusion alone is the great battle of every sincere soul in their journey to enlightenment. On a macrocosmic level, it heralds the ultimate victory of the collective divinity in…

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The Power of Story in Yoga Nidra

The Power of Story in Yoga Nidra

~ Swami Premajyoti Saraswati ~ Derived from Tantra, Yoga Nidra is a systematic form of deep relaxation that actively fosters profound physical, mental, and emotional relaxation. It has been shown to decrease stress, release past trauma, improve sleep, lower blood pressure, and increase overall sense of health and well-being. Yoga Nidra enhances creativity and creates conditions for people to find their own solutions to issues through access to higher wisdom and intuition. Within the sequential structure of Yoga Nidra, participants…

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How to Fall in Love with Your Practice Again

How to Fall in Love with Your Practice Again

By – Swami Premajyoti Saraswati Almost everyone who practices yoga and meditation will at some time, hit a ‘flat patch’.  One of those times when we are left scratching our heads as to why – having loved our practice so much for so long, we now struggle to approach our mat or cushion. It may feel like we have gone off track and we find it really difficult to rebuild enthusiasm and faith in the supportive and transformative power of Yoga….

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THE 3 FORMS OF SHAKTI – YOGA’S POWER PRINCIPLES FOR SUCCESS

THE 3 FORMS OF SHAKTI – YOGA’S POWER PRINCIPLES FOR SUCCESS

According to Yoga and Tantra, within all of us exist two main governing aspects. Consciousness, also known as the principle of Shiva, and Energy, also known as the principle of Shakti. These principles have been known to ancients for thousand of years, and now it is widely accepted that these aspects are also present in different qualities throughout the entirety of our manifest existence. Every single cell and perceivable particle in our world has some form of consciousness and some form of energy.

HATHA YOGA EXPLAINED – AN ANCIENT SYSTEM IN MODERN TIMES

HATHA YOGA EXPLAINED – AN ANCIENT SYSTEM IN MODERN TIMES

By Swami Premajyoti Hatha Yoga has been practiced and prescribed for those who seek a fuller, more energized and harmonious life, since the times of the early Indian Yogis and  Sages.  It is an ancient, continuously taught and practiced system of postures, cleansing techniques, breath-work and meditation that brings about ongoing purification and balance to the entire human being. The Brain, nerves, organs, tissues and muscles are all toned and strengthened through Hatha Yoga practices. It is considered by many…

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