Brahman-Atman Yoga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brahman-Atman Yoga
Religious origins:	Eastern Philosophy
Regional origins:	Philippines
Founding Guru:	Noel Daryl Pahimna, claims to have restored Original Yoga
Mainstream popularity:	Sparsely practiced in the Philippines, India, Portugal, Germany, Latvia, England and Wales. Also in the States of Arizona, California, Illinois and Virginia.
Practice emphases:	Holistic Health
Derivative forms:
Related schools
Advaita Vedanta अद्वैत वेदान्त
Other topics

Brahman-Atman Yoga (ब्रह्मन् आत्मा योग) is the name of a style of Yoga developed in the Philippines.

It was introduced to an international audience on Saturday, September 27, 2003 through a lecture and demo entitled Brahman-Atman Yoga: The Art and Science of Evolutionary Acceleration at the First World Yoga Expo held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The style is characterized by enhanced flowing poses coupled with deep audible breathing, philosophical discussion, mudra, pranayama, and long meditation.

Contents 1 Explanation of Brahman-Atman Yoga 1.1 Philosophy 1.2 Word Meaning 2 Notes 3 External links

[edit] Explanation of Brahman-Atman Yoga

[edit] Philosophy

Adi Shankara said:

Existence is Brahman-Atman alone ^[1]

Brahman-Atman is the philosophy which, tradition holds, was taught by Shiva and expounded by Vyasa through the character Krishna in the Mahabharata most especially in the Bhagavad Gita.

The same was presented in a clearer and more practical way by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras by meticulously going through the methods, processes, and shedding light on the saguna and nirguna attributes of Atman (purusha).

According to Palmer and Keller (1992):

Brahman is the ocean and Atman is the wave. Brahman is the reality that constitutes all things and Atman merely the extension of that reality. Atman does not exist apart from Brahman, for they are one, just as the ocean and its wave are one.

When taken together the above concepts define the Way of Knowledge, the mystical way in which one realizes the oneness of all things and the oneness of Brahman-Atman. ^[2]

[edit] Word Meaning

Brahman is the most ancient name for God, its literal translation being Universal or One Great Power. Atman is the soul, the individualized unit of consciousness emanating from Brahman. Yoga means union or oneness. Therefore, Brahman-Atman Yoga means "oneness of the individual with the Universal," or "union of the soul with God."

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Sri Sankara: His Life Philosophy and Relevance to Man in Modern Times (p. 176), by Dr. Srinivas Sankaranarayanan, ISBN 81-85141-14-2
2. ^ Religions of the World (p. 29), by Spencer J. Palmer and Roger R. Keller, ISBN 0-8425-2350-2

[edit] External links

• Master Daryl's Official Web Blog personal website of a Brahman-Atman Yoga teacher

• Brahman and Atman a Self-Knowledge article by Hari Prasad Shastri

• Brahman, Atman, Karma and Gunas a Boloji article by Neria Harish Hebbar, MD