A Definition of Purna Yoga


Definition

The Lineage of Purna Yoga:

     Meditation

     Asana and Pranayama

     Applied Philosophy

     Nutrition and Lifestyle


Definition

 “Purna” means “complete,” and Purna Yoga distills and integrates the vastness of yoga into an invaluable set of tools for transformation and healing. Reminding us that yoga is far more than a system of exercise, Purna Yoga offers wisdom and techniques for the union of the body and the mind with the spirit. Using awareness, precision, and concentration, Purna Yoga inspires the evolution from our lower nature to our Divine Self. It is the art of loving yourself by living from the heart.

Purna Yoga practitioners learn alignment-based asana, pranayama, and Purna Yoga Meditation (the art of aligning inner energies for transformation), along with nutrition and yogic philosophy, adapted for our lifestyles today. Like a tuning fork, Purna Yoga aligns our entire being with the vibration of truth and the Divine essence within us and all around us.

The Lineage of Purna Yoga

The lineage of Purna Yoga is based on the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, the Vedas, Patanjali, B.K.S. Iyengar, and the systems of Ayurvedic, Chinese and Western nutrition, synthesized by the personal experience of Aadil Palkhivala and Mirra, the founders of Purna Yoga. In a world where trendy, brand-name yogas are constantly being created, Purna Yoga is grounded in ancient wisdom. Purna Yoga, with its roots in the past and its reach into the future, is here to help create the world we have all dreamed of.

When we feel lost, sad, confused, stuck, stiff, or are in pain, our bodies are telling us that we have lost contact with the most important part of us, our spirit. Therefore, we must use our breath, actions, thoughts and feelings to welcome our spirit into our first and most important physical home, our bodies. Purna Yoga teaches our mind, body, and emotions how to be at home with our spirit.

Meditation

 Sri Aurobindo called his yoga Integral Yoga, the synthesis of yoga for the body, mind, and spirit. He realized that the Divine is an evolutionary being which is involved in — and an integral part of — the universe, not separate from creation. “All life is yoga,” Sri Aurobindo declared. The practice of Purna Yoga brings the evolution of consciousness into our daily lives.

The Mother embodied Sri Aurobindo’s yoga in matter. Representing the feminine aspect of Divinity, her teachings offer practical, useful wisdom to support you in bringing yoga into your day-to-day thoughts, words and actions.

The work of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother form the spiritual foundation of Purna Yoga. This work is continually clarified by the daily experiences and teachings of Mirra and Aadil. Purna Yoga Meditation is an active and dynamic process of self discovery and personal evolution. It focuses on opening the heart chakra, the seat of the soul in the physical body, and ultimately integrates Divine Light into the cells of the body. Purna Yoga Meditation offers simple moment-to-moment techniques guiding your mind to your heart, where your wiser voice can be felt and heard, uniting all parts of you into your physical home, the body.

Asana and Pranayama

 BKS Iyengar has been a part of Aadil’s life even before Aadil was born — his parents were students of Iyengar! Purna Yoga asana and pranayama are based on Iyengar’s precise system of alignment. Yogic anatomy, therapeutic applications of asana, and the use of asana knowledge in daily life are incorporated into Purna Yoga through the personal experience and practice of Aadil and Mirra. “Perfection in detail” in asana and pranayama integrates perfectly with the great spiritual yoga of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

The asanas we teach open and awaken the body, so that you feel comfortable and grounded as you live in it. The precision of pranayama teaches your breath to bring the gift of life into your body so that you can feel more alive and at home. We hope that, one day, you will sit in your body as you do in your favorite chair, feeling safe, peaceful and at ease!

Purna Yoga asana classes also incorporate the beauty of the inner dimensions of poetry and chanting, used as tools for transformation rather than as a means to escape our self-created reality. As you chant the word “Om” in asana class, you feel the sound resonate the word “home.”

Applied Philosophy

 Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy, the Vedas, the Gita, and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are used in Purna Yoga to lay the foundation of yoga philosophy. Purna Yoga embraces the essence of all religious faiths. In Purna Yoga all philosophy is valued for its application in life and never for its own sake. The understanding of Purna Yoga is that knowledge in and of itself changes nothing; it is not about knowing, it is about being.

Nutrition and Lifestyle

 Purna Yoga teaches us to align all aspects of our lives. While caring for our bodies with asana and pranayama, we cannot ignore the foods that we eat. Since nutrition plays a critical role in health, Purna Yoga draws upon the wisdom of Ayurveda, Chinese nutritional philosophy (Sunrider), and the best of Western nutrition. Purna Yoga encourages us to cleanse, nourish and balance our bodies on a very deep level. It reminds us to eat wholesome organic foods that support our health and heal our earthly home.

Purna Yoga also incorporates tools designed to cleanse and protect us from environmental toxins. Purna Yoga teaches us to eliminate exposure to toxins and electromagnetic frequencies in our homes, offices, and living spaces. Maintaining balanced nutrition and a healthy lifestyle is as much a part of Purna Yoga as are meditation, asana, and philosophy.