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PranaShakti YOGA
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Private sessions at Yogapathways OM Center, Marlborough MA
audrey@yogapathways.com

Lord Lakulish, Dadaji to his disciples was the 28th incarnation of Shiva. He chose Swami Kripalu, lovingly known as Bapuji by his followers, to carry forth the age-old secrets of yoga through the prana tantra lineage. Swami Kripalu reached to the highest state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi and is known as one of the greatest yoga masters of the 20th century. Yogi Amrit Desai, affectionately known as Gurudev to his followers brought his guru Bapuji to America where he stayed and taught and blessed thousands of seekers through his teachings and his presence. Audrey Pearson Devdasi had the grace to be in Darshan with Swami Kripalu at Kripalu Ashram during Bapuji’s 4 ½ years stay at Kripalu Ashram. She was initiated as a Carrier of the Light of the Lineage by Yogi Desai in 1979.

A. It is Amrit Yoga's method of liberating the prana from the confines of the judging mind. It is a practice of learning acceptance of all that is as is, starting with self-acceptance. When we take this understanding to the yoga mat we have the opportunity to ease into and through habitual holding patterns and blockages that inhibit our life off the mat. We come face to face with the practice of self-acceptance the moment we step onto our yoga mat. We then have the opportunity to practice self-acceptance throughout the sequence of postures. And, we continue practicing acceptance of all that is as is after we have stepped off the yoga mat. It is a practice of releasing criticism and judgment and replacing those self-defeating head trips with acceptance and compassion while on the journey to our divine nature, which is unconditional love.

A. ‘When you start to notice that you are no longer judging, then you are entering a state of unconditional love, but first things first. The journey is challenging. And it starts right here, from where you are.

A. PranaTantra-Yoga like Kripalu and Amrit supports all levels of experience, from first time beginner to long time practitioner. The progress however cannot be measured by outward appearances. The long practicing person holding an athletic yoga posture which requires strength and flexibility can be completely absorbed in the outward self-image of the ego mind. That is not yoga. And without seeking guidance from an experienced inward focused yoga teacher such outward focus will not lead to yoga. On the other hand a person whose body appears stiff and unyielding, may be entering yoga postures with complete awareness on accepting all the presenting sensations that come with stretching to her physical, mental and emotional edge. Being unconditionally present with what is as is. That is PranaTantra-Yoga.

A. The main focus is being actively present with all that is as is while holding the posture, surrendering to spirit presence in the energy spaces between the postures, and applying those principals in daily life

Q. Does the teacher need to be enlightened to affect the progress of her students?

A. No the yoga instructor is not required to be enlightened to assist the progress of their students. All that matters is that the teacher is as true to the teachings she shares as she is able to be in the given moment.

Q. So what you are saying is that the state of the teacher and the teachings are completely separate matters?

A. Yes, you could also say that the state of the teacher has no bearing on the truth of the teachings. It’s another way of saying the entire universe and its contents are my reflection, so how could there be any concern about the quality of any single reflection?

Q. Great Tantra Masters like Osho were considered by many to be Rogues. So my question then becomes, is there a difference between the Master who is revealing the truth & the Rogue who is revealing the truth?

A. To see a difference would be choosing for or against again. There is no difference in the Rogue and the Master delivering the truth. Any difference is only in your judgment. The only importance is the effect the Teachings have on the student

A. When you practice acceptance of yourself and others on the mat, you cease choosing for or against how your ego oriented self-image “shows up” on the mat. You cease judging yourself and others, including the Instructor leading you. If you are a sincere student of yoga, you embrace the discomfort that comes with the changes that need to happen within you. You are then in the space to practice yoga. Too often people practice comparison and self-rejection on the mat. Liberation happens when we move beyond our ego mind’s preservation of the self-image it presents to the world. Then we recognize that what we judge “out there” as the Master or the Rogue is our very own self. Until we learn that the ego self-image is not who we really are we practice preservation of the self-image, not yoga.

Q. Is there any reason to follow the PranaTantra-Yoga sequence of postures exactly as it is designed?

A. No, but a familiar flow takes the practitioner out of the duality of choosing for or against what is presented and into the realm of acceptance where everything is automatically in balance and harmony. The familiarity of the sequence of postures is designed to take the body-mind and emotions out of ego mind’s struggle to be perfect and instead to recognize and accept that everything is already in accordance with balance. The familiar progression intentionally guides us into the realm of inner felt senses. This focused awareness calls upon the practitioner of yoga asana to stay present and recognize what is really happening, as opposed to what we might wish was happening. We see this in the pleasure pain polarity. We might fear moving into a posture because of fear of pain. Pain is only a sensation. When body pain is accepted as the presenting felt sense teacher, and the student breathes their way to their personal edge, the student can stay out of the limiting factor of the blockage perceived as “pain”, and move through the blockage that is holding them back.

A. This “struggle” to be perfect reflects only one side of the pleasure-pain polarity. When we choose only the pleasure side we are shunning the pain as teacher. When we choose either the pleasure side or the pain side we are in duality. When we accept both as essential to polarity, to natural order, we are centered and in yoga. We are not talking about suffering here. No, if suffering is experienced it demonstrates that you are past your edge, stop, and adjust to where you can focus and breathe without struggle. We are talking about sensation. Sensation that presents as the holding pattern we have habitually used that keeps us from our full self-expression.

A. We refer to the pleasure-pain polarity to illustrate the habitual resistances we have to merging into the oneness that is yoga. The reference to “pain” can be felt as physical sensation, emotional insecurity and mental fear. All these perceptions of “pain” are the dualistic self-image-ego-mind’s attempt to manage and change what is already perfect just the way it is. This is perhaps the most difficult part of the practice. The yogi is taught to accept the physical limitations, the emotional insecurities and the mental fears as part of the practice, as presenting teachers. Gradually through practice he notices that the “pain” is no longer limiting his ability to be present, and he can hold the posture with consciousness awareness, accepting all that appears in his field of awareness on and off the mat. As the yoga practitioner continues to allow the physical mental and emotional bodies to open, she continues to move deeper into self-acceptance. This is where we practice releasing self-criticism and self-judgment. This is where we cultivate compassion for ourselves which eventually leads to compassion for all.

A. It’s a very beautiful practice. All of these principles of PranaTantra-Yoga are found in Patanjali's Eight Fold Path of Yoga. All of Patanjali’s codified principles are studied and practiced within the PranaTantra Methodology. Yoga teachers and students are taught how to apply each principle to daily life. PranaTantra-Yoga on the mat is a great vehicle to start this practice as it begins with your physical, emotional and mental reactions to what is as is. Your reactions can be an awareness of your progress. Your reactions on the mat reflect how you live your life off the mat. PranaTantra-practices show you how to disengage from the reactions. Then you are on the path. The PranaTantra practices can take you all the way to unconditional acceptance of what is, as is. When you start to notice that you are no longer judging, then you’ll also notice you are entering a state of unconditional love.