Known techniques of Tibetan yoga and their features. Tibetan yoga

Less is known about Tibetan yoga than about the eight steps described in the Yoga Sutras by the sage Patanjali. The approach to yoga in Hinduism and Buddhism differs so much that adherents of the two traditions do not always understand each other. Despite the differences in practices, philosophy and methodology, both directions are authoritative, fundamental and really capable of leading the sadhaka to enlightenment. About stages big way Igor Berkhin, an expert at the Yoga Journal, spoke about the bright future of Tibetan yoga.

There are several traditions of spiritual knowledge in the world, which are called "yoga". classic direction associated with Hinduism. Various aspects of yoga are discussed in the shastras - sacred texts: "Bhagavad Gita" and "Yoga Sutras" by Patanjali. Yoga branched out within Hinduism into various teachings and was further developed in the Nath tradition and Tantric systems associated with the cult of Shiva and Shakti.

Another tradition that uses the word "yoga" to refer to spiritual practice is Buddhism. Although the Buddha himself used the word "yoga" in its direct meaning - a yoke, a bond from which it is necessary to free oneself, later Indian Buddhists also began to call their contemplative practice yoga. One of the foundational treatises on meditation is called The Stages of Yoga Practice, and one of major schools Mahayana (lit. "great vehicle") was called "yogachara", or the practice of yoga.

With the spread of Tantric Buddhism, the Vajrayana ("Diamond Chariot") ), the word yoga became much more widely used in Buddhist teachings, and various phases of tantric practice began to be called yoga.

During the Muslim invasion, Buddhism was destroyed not only in India, but also in the territories of such modern countries as Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan. Fortunately, ancient knowledge by that time had penetratedto hard-to-reach Tibet, gain a foothold there, survive and become the dominant spiritual tradition. All the Buddhist teachings of the Mahayana and Vajrayana found a new home in Tibet.Local disciples of Guru Padmasambhava (the second Buddha) and other enlightened masters continued the continuous tradition of yoga teaching - they translated everything into Tibetanaccessible texts of sutras and tantras.

In Tibetan, the word "yoga" is translated as naljor. Initially, yoga is associated with unity, but the term naljor means knowledge of the true state. Nal is "true" and Jor is "a way of discovering the truth". Thus, the naljor is a means of realizing one's true state. This approach differs from the traditional Hindu explanation of yoga as the unity of the individual and the universal, Atman and Brahman. The Tibetan approach comes into conflict with the definition of yoga as "a way to stop the fluctuations of the mind." According to the postulates of Tibetan yoga, naljor does not consist in unity, since ku the individual and the universal are equally illusory. Also, naljor does not imply the cessation of the activity of the mind, but the exit beyond its limits through a deep understanding of its true nature. The nature of the mind, in turn, manifests itself not only in stillness, but also in in move. This ceaseless alternation of stillness and movement is called tantra in the Vajrayana. Tantras are also called texts,in which the knowledge of yoga is expounded.

"Kulayaraja Tantra" (tantra "All-Creating King") - one of the oldest texts of dzogchen (teachings of great perfection) - speaks of the four vehicles of yoga: Sattva Yoga, Maha Yoga, Anu Yoga and Ati Yoga. The classification of the Kulayaraja Tantra is based on the principle of differences in the understanding of the true state. In the Bhagavad Gita, the classification of yoga is divided into Kama yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga. In contrast to the shastras of Hinduism, the Kulayaraja Tandra accurately distinguishes between the principle of vision (the ability to perceive and experience some state) and the principle of recognition (the ability to recognize the nature of what is perceived and experienced). At the same time, the presence of the first does not at all imply the appearance of the second: one can see that

but not to recognize, to experience some state, but not to understand its meaning. And although the natural state is the same for all varieties of yoga, understanding it depends on individual abilities and the source from which knowledge is obtained.

What are the characteristics of the four vehicles of yoga? Sattva literally means "being." The principle of Sattva Yoga is to establish a connection with an enlightened being (deity) through tantric practice - sadhana. Through interaction with the deity, wisdom is gained. Three aspects of sadhana - mudras (gestures), mantras (sounds) and meditation - connect the practice with the deity on three levels of human existence - bodily, verbal and mental.

In order to begin the practice of Sattva Yoga, an initiation is required, during which the guru introduces the student to the techniques and helps to gain a personal experience of acquaintance with divine wisdom. Without such dedication, the practice of yoga cannot bear serious fruit. There are three divisions in Sattva Yoga:
kriya tantra, ubhaya tantra and yoga tantra. Such tantras are called external tantras because they are based on the idea of the existence of an enlightened being - external to the practitioner.

Maha yoga, Anu yoga and Ati yoga are considered internal practices. These three types of yoga do not involve the presence of an external deity, but give the yogi personal experience and knowledge. vajras, the original potentiality of energy. The concept of deity is still present in Mahayoga (great yoga) and Anuyoga (highest yoga). But from the very beginning, the deity is understood not as an external being from whom something can be received, but as a multifaceted symbol of our own nature, contributing to the manifestation and disclosure of our potential. For the successful application of Maha-Yoga and Anu-Yoga, it is necessary to receive the initiation of a teacher. It is believed that due to interaction with the teacher at the moment of initiation, all the abilities of the student are greatly enhanced. This ritual is called bringing to maturation. It leads to a deeper understanding of one's true nature and transcends limitations - liberation. This does not mean that any initiate immediately achieves enlightenment. It can take many years and even lifetimes to achieve liberation. The rite of passage is supposed to plant in the mind of the disciple the seeds of causes, the ripening of which will eventually bear fruit.

Maha Yoga and Anu Yoga use a special method of transformation. The essence of the method is to change the dual vision according to the "subject-object" principle to the non-dual "pure" vision. Non-duality in this case does not mean the unity of the individual and the divine, as in the Hindu teaching about the merging of Atman and Brahman. It is believed that the Tibetan yogi completely goes beyond the limits of the world - subjective and objective. Moreover, such non-duality is the starting point of spiritual practice, and not its completion. In the inner forms of yoga, there are two main stages of practice: development and completion. At the stage of development, the yogi learns to develop and stabilize non-dual perception, and at the stage of completion he integrates various aspects of his existence into this knowledge. What is the difference between Maha Yoga and Anu Yoga? Maha Yoga involves the expenditure of effort and time to acquire key knowledge. In the practice of Anuyoga, with good ability, knowledge can be acquired instantly and almost effortlessly. The yogi then tries to fully integrate the knowledge into his life.

The highest yoga in Vajrayana Buddhism is Ati yoga (total perfection). Ati yoga is also known as the teaching of dzogchen. Ati yoga is based on the principle of using knowledge beyond any, even minimal action. This does not mean that Atiyoga practitioners do nothing. It is believed that the availability of knowledge does not depend on the effort expended to acquire it. An ati-yogi has the right to be an ordinary person and lead an ordinary life. The key point of Atiyoga is to receive from the teacher the knowledge of one's original nature. There is no initiation ceremony in Atiyoga. The teacher acquaints the student with that which is always obvious, but due to the habitual inclinations of the mind, remains unnoticed and unrecognized.

The practice of asanas and breathing exercises is necessarily present in all Vajrayana yogas, but they are not practiced en masse. Physical exercises and pranayama belong to the section of secret instructions.

The equivalent of pranayama, according to Patanjali, in Tibetan yoga is the practice of tsa-lung (tsa - channels, lung - prana). Tsa lung helps to direct the energy of prana and kundalini. Yantra meditations are used to fix the techniques. During yantra meditation, yogis combine physical movement, a special type of breathing and concentration. Different kinds breathing exercises include simultaneous work with sound and visualization. Tsa-lung practices are already performed at the second, final stage of tantric practice. Supposed. that the yogi is able to perform all these exercises only if he remains in non-dual perception. One of the best known practices is tummo, or inner heat practice, which is not done to combat cold, but to develop a sense of non-dual bliss.

The oldest and full text in yoga, which has come down to our days, is the "Yantra of the Union of the Sun and the Moon." The text was compiled by the Tibetan translator Vairochana on the basis of the instructions of Guru Padmasambhava in the 13th century AD. The text briefly describes 108 yantras and pranayamas. All yantras (trulkor) should be performed simultaneously with breath oriented to the natural heartbeat in a state of deconcentrated total presence. Each yantra contains an initial and final part. The central part is associated with one of the five main types of breath holding. Pranayama Yantra-yori are at the same time deep contemplative practices. Yantras are aimed at mastering the fundamental energy of the seed essences of bindu (thigle) and kundalini. Although the practice of Yantra Yoga is secondary, ancillary in dzogchen, it has many simple exercises that can be useful to anyone who is interested in harmonizing the body, energy and mind. Yantra-yora is especially useful for thosewho wants to free their breath and harmonize it with the movement of the physical body and mind.

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, dzogchen teacher on Tibetan yoga especially for Yoga Journal

"Why is the teacher so important? We ourselves are unable to contact the pure dimension, and without this it is impossible to receive the transmission of the Vajrayana teachings. For this reason, in the Vajrayana, the teacher gives initiation, and we receive this transmission from him. All Vajrayana teachings are associated with guru yoga. Guru means "the state of a teacher," and yoga means a living, genuine acquisition of this knowledge.

Yoga is a Sanskrit word that is also used in Hinduism where "yoga" is explained as "union". But in the Buddhist tradition "yoga" does not mean "union".
but true knowledge of one's condition. In Tibetan, yoga is translated as naljor. Of these two words, "cash" means natural, natural state, not changed in any way and not corrected by anyone. This state is called cash or nalma. This is very important in the Dzogchen teaching. Because when we are in contemplation, we must be in a state of nalma. Nalma means we are no longer using the mind. We no longer follow him. The mind creates and changes everything. Therefore, we go beyond the mind and abide in nalma. And this is the true condition of existence. Certainly, from birth, everyone is in the conditions of nalma. But as we develop, this state becomes conditioned by the mind. As small children, you may be more in nalma because you are not conditioned by the mind and have no special ideas. But of course, even a baby has a physical body and everything else: speech. mind. For example, as soon as the baby feels physical pain, he immediately stops being in nalma - he starts crying. It has to do with our physical body. But when there is no such problem. the baby is in nalma all the time. A good practitioner should be like a baby, but it's not that easy. Because we begin to think, and a lot develops in us: through education, knowledge, understanding. The mind conditions us.

The children are in nalma, but they have parents who love them very much. Parents want to do everything possible for their children, because they know that we live in a limited society. We do not live in a nalma society. Therefore, children must learn everything, otherwise they will not be able to do anything. Step by step we teach children: Don't do this, sit like this. And when children obey, education goes well, parents are happy. Happy because the children will grow up and be able to live a normal life. Then the children go to school. Now they are caused Primary School. They are brought up: "You must do this, study that," - so we grow until we graduate from the institute. Now we are completely ready for life, we have occupied a certain cell in it: Now I can do everything. But this only means that now we are finally limited. We do not know what our real conditions are.And this is exactly what we have to find out with the help of the teaching, it is most important".

A yogi is a person who has spent a long time in a hermitage, performing secret exercises to improve his physical, mental abilities and, through such a secret technique, achieving extraordinary control over his mind and body.

Real yogis take an oath to keep their technology in the strictest confidence, and the secrecy of this art is carefully guarded. Recently, some yogis have agreed to reveal their techniques as they seek to preserve their vanishing culture. Although there are many books on yoga today, the information they carry often does not correspond to the true state of affairs.

How did yogis appear?

Especially mysterious yogis are those who lived in the mountains of Tibet. This place is shrouded in a veil of secrets and legends. Fog, snow and inaccessibility made Tibet closed to Europeans. Incredible people with superpowers lived on a vast plateau that is surrounded by the Himalayan mountains. Remote Tibet remained a mystery to the people of the West for a thousand years, they could only add up legends about it.

Only at the end of the 19th century did the first scientific expedition visit the great Tibet. She brought the world the most unique photographs that gave impetus to the development of new fantastic stories. Representatives of the civilized West wanted to believe in the existence of a serene and peaceful country, which is full of compassion and free from wars, hardships and violence.

The philosophy of the people of Tibet was close to what they thought of it in Europe, however everyday life Tibetan residents was full of hardships and hardships. The first settlers of Tibet were nomads who for a long time adapted to the difficult conditions of life in the mountains. The merciless sun literally dried up the eyes of these people, and a sudden hail could completely destroy the most valuable crop and cripple livestock.

The early history of Tibet tells of bloody battles between indigenous tribes and invaders. The inhabitants of this country subtly felt the inconstancy and fragility of life. It is understandable why, in the turmoil of continuous volatility, the Tibetan people turned their gaze inward - they wanted to find peace of mind and constancy.

The king dreamed of uniting the disparate Tibetan tribes and uniting them in one faith and invited saints from India to show Buddhism to the people. The indigenous faith of the Tibetan inhabitants was united with the ideas of Buddhism. Such a Himalayan hybrid of religions is unique - it retained all the symbolism of traditional beliefs, but absorbed the most important foundations of Buddhism.

The Tibetans have adopted a view of life as a continuous stream of rebirths. Human birth makes it possible to independently determine the fate of the next incarnation. Depending on one's righteousness, in the next life a person could be born as one of the lower animals, a human, or achieve a state of complete serenity - nirvana.

Non-harming and full compassion for strangers and friends became the moral foundations of the new religion. The accumulation of good deeds was part of a daily ritual. To subdue the Ego, the Tibetans made long journeys to holy places.

The reading of prayers was accompanied by the rotation of special prayer wheels, which were supposed to send love and mercy to all living beings. Now all life revolved around the new faith.

Monasteries began to be actively built, which served as a home for tens of thousands of people. These temples kept the oldest texts and continued to print literature for the entire Buddhist community.

Astronomy, painting, theater, music and many other disciplines were taught in the monasteries. At its peak, Tibetan monasteries numbered over 600 buildings! Almost every inhabitant of Tibet became a monk. The training started from early age and it took more than 20 years to complete a Ph.D. The adult teacher was called "Lama".

It was in this environment that the most prominent representatives of the Tibetan civilization - "yogis" - appeared. If Indian yogis improved their body, then Tibetan yogis were engaged in the development of the mind. Indian yoga conducted their classes in front of the crowd, and the Tibetan preferred unity. Tibetan yogis are monks who have decided on their own experience to explore all the possibilities of Buddhism and achieve enlightenment (experiencing the bliss of nirvana). Such monks were locked in caves for years and through intense mental and exercise gradually cleared their minds. All Tibetans had great respect for yogis, they inspired people with confidence that it was possible to find a way to overcome all earthly suffering. The Tibetans began to look for the earthly incarnation of the Buddha. One such incarnation was the spiritual teacher of the Dalai Lama.

Expulsion of Tibetan Yogis

Tibetans have never been interested in the other world, but they had to start worrying about themselves when the wave of communist ideology swept over China. Mao Tse Tung claimed his right to the strategically important lands of Tibet and its rich natural resources. In 1946, he announced that Tibet would be returned to China and millions of Chinese would be able to resettle on the high plateau.

Then, under the guise of liberating Tibet from an archaic way of life, Chinese soldiers began to occupy ancient monasteries and villages. The fight against religion and the brutal occupation turned into bloody violence against the inhabitants of Tibet. More recently, Hitler exterminated the Jews, and after 2 years a new war swallowed up Asia.

The destruction of ancient shrines was enormous. This horror cannot be described - Tibetans were tortured, imprisoned and killed in the most cruel and sophisticated ways. Over 1,000,000 Tibetans were killed! This is 1/5 of the population. It is terrible to imagine, but all 6000 monasteries were destroyed. Entire libraries were on fire and icons were desecrated. The Tibetans pinned all their hopes on their leader, the Dalai Lama, who, disguised as a simple soldier, made a dangerous crossing of the Himalayas. Following him, other Tibetan refugees went to India, among whom were these revered yogis. On the way to India, the vast majority of refugees died, because they had to go without food, and injuries and injuries were a constant companion of the fleeing Tibetans. The passage of one group of refugees took more than 2 years, as they were continuously attacked by the Chinese.

Yogis recall that after the departure of the Dalai Lama, ruthless purges began. Those who had fame or money were mercilessly beaten, tortured, and their ears were cut off. Many famous yogis spent their entire lives in prison. Instead of sleeping, they made a huge effort on themselves and continued their meditation. The jailers strictly ensured that no one read prayers, but yogis were good at pretending.

Decades later, Tibetan refugees founded monasteries and schools throughout India. Today the Dalai Lama has achieved worldwide recognition! In 1989 he received the Nobel Prize. China has not yet returned to the Tibetans what it took from them, despite all the attempts of the Dalai Lama to revive their culture, today's knowledge is not what it used to be. Yoga traditions are on the verge of death. And today, once closed people go out into the world to preserve their unique heritage.

Tibetan yoga is one of the directions of yoga, formed in the bosom of the Buddhist tradition. Buddhism entered Tibet from India in the middle of the 7th century (at least, according to most researchers of Tibetan Buddhism) and very soon spread throughout Tibet in the form of the Mahayana, one of its main currents.

Buddhism took shape in Tibet in the form of a number of schools and directions. The most famous of them are: Nyingma, Karju, Gelug, Vajrayana. They have their own special lines of succession, their approaches to the teachings of the Tantras (Holy Hindu and Buddhist books, which are among the canonical texts. In this case, we are talking about the Buddhist tantras), their esoteric treatises and differ in that in the methodology of spiritual advancement they single out one or another aspect of the teachings of Gautama Buddha. At the same time, despite the differences, they all, in essence, use similar esoteric practices. The latter will be the main object of our attention. But first, a few necessary digressions.

Tibetan Buddhism is sometimes referred to as Buddhist Tantrism. In fact, this term cannot be applied to Tibetan Buddhism in general, as The religious world of Tibet is very heterogeneous.

Conventionally, representatives of all areas of Tibetan Buddhism can be divided into two large groups. The first group includes monks and lay people who, in their spiritual development, emphasize the observance of the moral requirements of Buddhism and the practice of religious rituals. The second group includes those who also use tantric methods for their spiritual advancement. In other words, in Tibet there is, on the one hand, ritual Buddhism, on the other hand, Tantric Buddhism.

The term "tantrism" is interpreted ambiguously. The main meaning of the word "tantra" in Sanskrit is "activity", "action". Therefore, those who follow the path of action, the path of their own continuous efforts, the path of the practice of raja and buddhi yoga, are considered followers of tantra. However, there are other opinions on this matter. Tantrics are sometimes also called:

a) all those who recognize the Tantras,
b) representatives of some Hindu and Buddhist schools using sexual forms of interaction in their spiritual practice,
c) some Buddhists call Tantrism only Vajrayana - one of the directions of Tibetan Buddhism.

Before proceeding to a detailed examination of the esoteric methods of Buddhist Tantrism, let us briefly dwell on some of the most basic Buddhist concepts.

Some scholars of Buddhism have formed the idea that Buddhism is atheistic, that it denies God. This is probably due to the fact that Buddhists consider God not as some kind of Venerable Person waiting for worship, but as Total Consciousness, poured into everything and perceived as Clear Light. (Although, indeed, in Buddhism there are some few schools that, distorting its foundations, deny the existence of God).

The best spiritual schools of Buddhism, including Tibetan Tantrism, are focused on achieving direct comprehension of God. The main goal of their followers is to merge their individual consciousness with the Divine Consciousness. This goal is realized through a long, hard work on self-improvement, through the acquisition of "three qualities of Buddha nature": Perfect Compassion, which is an analogue of Christian, Sufi, Hindu Love, Perfect Wisdom, Perfect Power. The main emphasis in acquiring these aspects of the Perfection of the Buddha is on the adept's own efforts, since Buddhism believes that every person has everything necessary to become a Buddha.

One of the usual terms in Buddhist practice is the term "Nirvana". It serves to designate the higher states of consciousness achieved by expanding the individual consciousness in one of the two higher spatial dimensions. (Speaking in the language of the Bhagavad Gita - on the plane of Brahman and Ishvara.)

The term "Nirvana" denotes a whole class of states, stages of ascent - from the first achievement of this state to complete affirmation in its highest manifestations. This happens due to mastering the static and dynamic aspects of Nirvana in Brahman, Nirvana in Ishvara. But there is also a very long distance between the attainment of such states and their complete mastery.

In Buddhist practice, there is another term "Liberation". It means the dissolution of all attachments to everything earthly, including one's own body and one's "I". Thanks to this, the adept comes out of involvement in the circle of births and deaths, from the wheel of samsara (manifested being, the world of forms), as the Buddhists say.

Spiritual work in the best spiritual schools of the East and West is carried out simultaneously in three interrelated areas: ethical, intellectual, psychoenergetic. The same, in general, is observed in Tibetan Tantrism.

Let us say a few words about the system of teaching in the schools of Buddhist Tantrism. As a rule, there is no rigid scheme in it. The spiritual mentor, focusing on the individual characteristics of the student, builds the entire training program in accordance with this. At the same time, one cannot fail to say that at certain similar stages of the spiritual advancement of students, the mentor uses a certain set of standard methods and techniques.

The pedagogical system of Tibetan lamas, as a rule, does not include lengthy instructions and teachings. Most often, they use a visual method that provides students with the opportunity to draw knowledge from their own observations and personal experience. (In this, Tibetan lamas are very much like Sufi sheikhs.) Among other things, this form of education enables the student to quickly develop the ability to think for himself. The learning process, very conditionally, can be divided into three stages: preliminary, main, final. Let's take a closer look at each.

Preliminary the stage is predominantly associated with intensive work of the ethical and intellectual plan. The neophyte devotes all his time to the active transformation of his psycho-emotional sphere, ethical improvement, and the study of various canonical texts recommended to him by his mentor. But besides this, a novice adept, if he is capable of further advancement, undergoes a course of preliminary psychoenergetic training, preparing him for the main spiritual practice.

At this stage, special attention is paid to the ethical direction. spiritual development. Already at the very initial stages of his spiritual path, often immediately after initiation, the neophyte takes the Bodhisattva vow. It consists in dedicating one's life to spiritual service and requires the development of immense compassion for all beings. The Bodhisattva vow presupposes the acquisition of such virtues as: passionate striving for the Goal, patience, active service to people, constant meditation, liberation from false attachments and desires, observance of all Buddhist moral requirements, i.e. ahimsa, refraining from lying, stealing, etc.

In an effort to get rid of ethical imperfections as quickly as possible, the adept begins to work tirelessly to eradicate his vices and transform his psycho-emotional sphere. He strives to eliminate all egoistic manifestations, free himself from non-spiritual undertakings and attachments, and also constantly develops positive qualities and properties in himself.

The process of ethical improvement is greatly accelerated through the use of certain psychoenergetic methods. One of them, which plays a huge role, especially in the first years of spiritual practice, is work with yidam.

The practice of working with yidam in Tibetan Tantrism includes two important steps:

1) Creation of a clear image of a mythological creature with a certain complex positive qualities missing to the adept (yidam is chosen by the mentor in accordance with the individual characteristics of the student).
2) Complete identification with this image.

Identification with yidam is carried out at all levels at once. The practitioner, fully getting used to one or another image, begins to perceive, feel the world around him, act in it as a yidam would do. (Working with yidam is also used in other spiritual traditions, for example, in Christianity. Thus, in Catholicism, the image of Jesus Christ is used for identification. Orthodox hesychasts identified themselves with the image of their spiritual mentor.)

This practice allows you to very quickly get rid of all the reactions, stereotypes of thinking conditioned by the previous life, get rid of your "I" and develop a new, "magical" attitude to life.

Novice adepts, on the recommendation of their spiritual mentor, can also use another method - the Chhod rite. The rite is performed in solitude, in a secluded, terrifying place. The adept identifies his passions, vices, false desires with his own body and then, visualizing various supernatural beings, gives them the body to be torn to pieces. If the ascetic has a well-developed ability to produce figurative representations, he really sees his flesh, tormented and torn apart by a host of terrible creatures... The purpose of this rite is to renounce one's "I".

Some work is done in cemeteries, where the bodies of the dead are offered to be eaten by animals. Thoughts about death and the frailty of the body that come involuntarily in such places make the adept take a different look at the time he has left on Earth, and contribute to the elimination of false attachments and desires. In addition, this form of spiritual work can contribute to the emergence of a state of non-discrimination between repulsive and attractive objects. (Similar work is carried out by Indian yogis and Muslim Sufis. Reflections on death are an integral part of the spiritual work of other schools and directions of yoga).

In addition to these original practices, the adept performs a lot of exercises that help put the body and its bioenergetic structures in order (for example, techniques similar to hatha yoga are used), establish a "mental pause", develop the ability to perfect concentration, visualization. At this stage, some rituals, prayers, mantras are widely used, various psychophysical exercises, breathing practices, yantras (symbolic diagrams), etc. are used,

Let's dwell on the art of visualization in more detail, because. it is one of the most characteristic Tibetan tantric practices.

Visualization is the art of creating images. This practice begins with the visualization of one or another mythological creature, individual parts of his body, details of clothing. As the skill grows, the adept easily and quickly begins to reproduce in front of the "inner eye" the whole appearance of this creature. This is followed by work with even more complex figurative representations. In some cases, adepts tend to visualize very dense, material images that other people see as real objects.

The visualization of such dense forms is associated with the development of enormous personal power, often quite brute. It cannot be said that this is a very dangerous path, full of temptations. Not everyone can withstand his temptations and sometimes stop there, refocusing on magic, a demonstration of miracles. The correct way on the path of perfection in the art of visualization is a constant tendency towards the refinement of consciousness.

After an intensive course of preliminary training, the adept proceeds to the main spiritual practice. The goal of the main stage is to overcome duality (in Sanskrit - "dvaita") and gain a living experience of working in a multidimensional space. It involves further honing the "facets" of the art of visualization and includes performing complex psychophysical exercises, working with chakras, energy channels and other energy structures of the body.

If we draw parallels, then, in general, this corresponds to the work that is done on the steps of dharana and dhyana of Patanjali's eight-fold path of yoga.

For many adepts, this stage is very long. It can take 20, 30 years, a lifetime to master it. At the final stages of the main stage, if the adept reaches them, individual consciousness becomes a reality for him and new opportunities for working with consciousness (in Sanskrit - buddhi) open up before him.

main stage also involves further improvement of the psycho-emotional sphere, its refinement. This happens, in particular, through the use of the art of visualization, for example, those deities of the Tibetan pantheon who can serve as a standard of subtlety. Creating a vivid image of a particular deity, the practitioner, through emotional attunement with him, begins to perceive a completely different spectrum of emotional and energy states.

This practice, in addition to refinement, makes it possible to comprehend the multidimensionality of space. Visualization is also used for purification and development of chakras, energy channels, bringing all energy structures of the body to perfection. To do this, for example, the figure of a particular deity can be visualized in the desired chakra. Work with mantric images, images of tattvas (elements), various colors, objects, processes, etc. is also widely used.

The technique of working with figurative representations turns out to be highly effective for the regulation physical performance. This is most clearly demonstrated by the meditative running technique - lung gom. It is also based on the use of certain breathing exercises and mantras. Lung-gom-pa (the so-called adept who owns this technique) begins, against the background of certain figurative representations, to continuously repeat the mantra to himself. In accordance with it, he regulates the rhythm of breathing and measures the beat of movements. These techniques allow lung-gom-pa to run long distances at high speed, without resting at all, easily overcoming all obstacles encountered on the way. Europeans traveling in Tibet (in particular, the Roerichs and Alexandra David-Nel) had to see lung-gom-pa several times. Descriptions of these meetings can be found in their books.

Meditative running against the background of continuous meditative work is also used by other schools of raja and buddhi yoga. Descriptions of it can be found in particular in Carlos Castaneda.

At the main stage of spiritual practice, some techniques are also used, referred to in Buddhist Tantrism as "Ways of Form". Of these, the best known are those presented in the Six Doctrines of Naropa, one of the most famous teachers of the Vajrayana. We list them in ascending order, as given by Naropa:

Tummo (technique of "psychic warmth" or "inner fire"),
Giyu-lus (practice of working with the "illusory body"),
Mi-lam (dream technique),
Od-sal (clear light technique),
Bardo (technique of working in an intermediate state between death and new birth),
Pho-wa (the practice of transferring consciousness).

Consider those of them that are relevant for the final steps of the main stage.

The "Way of Form" techniques used at the main stage are mainly intended for those practitioners whose consciousness is still "attached" to the material plane. Therefore, the launching pad for starting work is precisely the "world of forms". Techniques are supported in visualization, are associated with the use of powerful psychoenergetic techniques, certain breathing practices. All this helps the practitioner to refine his consciousness, gain required amount forces, energy for a meditative breakthrough and expansion of consciousness in one or another spatial dimension. If the mind of the adept who resorts to these techniques of the "Path of Form" is sufficiently refined, then he can very quickly approach Liberation through their application.

Tummo (the technique of "psychic warmth" or "inner fire") very quickly allows the adept who practices it (they are called turnips in Tibet, literally, "wearing cotton clothes") to gain personal strength, sometimes quite rude.

Tummo is associated with the use of visualization, specific breathing exercises, psychoenergetic techniques, mantras. Using his skill, the turnip visualizes the image of a raging flame in his body and gradually fills up completely with it. Following this, he strives for the maximum expansion of the image of his body filled with flame - to the whole universe ...

The practice of tummo is accompanied by one very interesting effect - the generation of physical heat. "For the many rap hermits who meditate year after year in ice caves without warm clothes, this by-effect very convenient. So, a turnip that has reached a certain level of development can sit naked all long winter nights in the snow without any health consequences.

Alexandra David-Nel, in one of her books about Tibet, tells how she herself, at the request of her teacher, plunged into an ice stream in deep autumn at an altitude of about four thousand meters above sea level. Then, without changing clothes and body position, she spent the whole night in meditation. What was her own surprise when, after this procedure, she did not even catch a cold.

David-Nel also mentions the peculiar skill tests sometimes given by mentors to their students. One of these tests is the number of wet sheets dried overnight by a naked body, the other is the measurement of the area of snow that has melted under a sitting student.

Practice guiyu lus associated with the comprehension of the "illusory" nature of all objects in the universe and one's own body, i.e. meditative study of the fact that all material forms are only "visible manifestations" of the Divine Consciousness.

Work on the methods of giyu-lus can begin, for example, with the adept contemplating his own image in the mirror. Focusing on his mirror image, he should think about it as something illusory, like a mirage, a cloud, a dream. Then the adept tunes in to the image of the tantric deity Vajra-sattva reflected in the mirror. He does this until the image seems to "materialize" in front of the mirror. What follows is a meditative study of this fact.

Thanks to this practice, the adept receives experimental evidence that there is another reality outside the material world, that all material objects are just "appearance", representing only "emanations" of the Divine Consciousness. Through this direct experience, the adept acquires a state called in the Tibetan tradition "non-duality", i.e. such that everything is "realized in its fullness as Unity". Let us clarify that this requires learning to look at everything from the depths of the multidimensional world, as if through the eyes of the Creator. This, however, is not at all easy. These achievements are possible only for those who have already gone through a sufficient path of refinement of consciousness through other techniques and really comprehended the multidimensionality of the universe.

Closely related to guiyu lus practice mi-lam . It also confirms the adept in the "illusory nature" of material existence, giving him the opportunity to stay in the depths of the multidimensional universe and in the state of dreams.

The final stage spiritual development in the schools of Tibetan Tantrism, as well as the main one, is very long for those adepts who approach it. It is associated with the achievement of Nirvana and following its ever-deepening steps, with the creation of the vajratela (diamond body). Thanks to it, one can permanently gain a foothold in the highest spatial dimension due to the "crystallization" of consciousness in it. This means the final Liberation. To achieve this goal, some techniques of the "Way of Forms" are used, which have not yet been considered by us, as well as techniques of the "Formless Path", about which we will talk Further.

Practicing to Achieve Clear Light ( od-sal ) are numerous. Available special exercises designed to be performed during the day, evening and night. Here is one of them, for the daytime, described in the Tibetan text "The Path to the Clear Light". Its sequence is as follows: first, the adept reaches the state of "mental pause", then enters into deep meditation. In a meditative state, he opens the Clear Light-Child in himself and merges it with the Fundamental Clear Light, in other words, the Clear Light-Mother.

These simple words hold deep meaning. They testify to the comprehension of God through a long, huge work, which begins after the knowledge of the Atman, the first entry into Nirvana and is associated with the achievement of its highest levels.

It is believed that some exercises of the od-sal technique can be performed in a state of bardo - an intermediate state between death and a new birth. But one cannot fail to say that only those who, while still living on Earth, through constant yogic practice, have achieved the "crystallization" of consciousness in the highest spatial dimension, can remain in merger with the Clear Light after the death of the body.

Technique pho-wa , "movement of consciousness", gives the adept the opportunity to freely move his consciousness within one or different spatial dimensions. This is one of the most jealously guarded secret practices in Tibet. Although it should be said that the secrets of all the other techniques of the "Way of Form" we have mentioned are transmitted only orally from teacher to student with great discretion and caution.

Unlike the practices of the "Path of Form", the techniques of the "Formless Path" are not associated with the use of psychophysical exercises, breathing techniques, visualization. Therefore, they turn out to be acceptable only for those adepts whose consciousness is already sufficiently developed due to developments in previous incarnations or in this life.

Among the practices of the "Formless Path" two are best known: Mahamudra (or "Blissful Experience of Nonduality") and "Great Liberation". Their methodologies are similar. The only difference is that they come from different traditions.

primary goal Mahamudra - the merging of the individual consciousness of the adept with the Divine Consciousness - is realized as follows. First, the adept reaches a state of "mental pause". Then he meditatively comprehends the position of his individual consciousness in relation to the material plane as a whole. Revealing the identity of the nature of his individual consciousness and all the material objects of the universe, he brings them in his awareness into a state of perfect Unity. In other words, he comprehends that God is in Everything and Everything.

There are numerous reports that adepts practicing Mahamudra very soon recover the memory of their previous incarnations. Knowledge of the experience of past lives helps them in the fastest achievement of all aspects of Divine Perfection. By the way, it was with these methods that Rajneesh began his journey in the last incarnation.

Adepts practicing techniques "Great Liberation" proceed from the premise that the Divine includes all forms - manifested and unmanifested - being the receptacle of both Nirvana and samsara. Therefore, in order to merge with the Divine Consciousness, the adept meditatively comprehends the identity of the individual consciousness and the Divine Consciousness, the identity of his individual consciousness with all manifestations of the multidimensional universe. This leads him to the realization that God is one with his Creation, to the understanding that merging with God in the aspect of the Absolute (the Creator is one with his Creation) is the only means of final Liberation.

Any yogic practice, especially at advanced stages, is associated with the appearance of supernormal abilities (siddhis). In the schools of Tibetan Tantrism, the intentional pursuit of such abilities is not encouraged, as it may lead one away from the direct path to Liberation. Students are generally warned against deliberately cultivating such abilities and deliberately using them except in cases of extreme necessity.

In the reports written over two hundred years by Christian missionaries, as well as in the works of modern researchers in Tibet and the memoirs of travelers, various cases of the manifestation of siddhis are mentioned. Although adepts who wield them do their best not to detect them, some abilities are very difficult to hide. For example, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, a prophetic gift. Supernormal abilities usually include those effects that give the practice of tummo, pho-wa, lung-gom.

Information about Tibetan Buddhism would be incomplete without mentioning the Vajrayana, which stands out among other schools and trends of Buddhist Tantrism, representing a "high-speed" technique of spiritual development. In addition, it is interesting and important in that it has had and is having a tremendous impact on all aspects of Tibetan Buddhism.

Looking back shows that Buddhism was originally established in Tibet in a form that included the Vajrayana. All the first preachers of Buddhism in Tibet and the founders of the main schools and directions were, in the main, renowned teachers of the Vajrayana. This is - and Padmasambhava - the founder of the Nyingma school, whose name in Tibet has been revered for centuries along with the name of Gautama Buddha, and the legendary Naropa and Tilopa, about whom many go around all over Tibet to this day. amazing stories, and the most revered hermit poet in Tibet, Milarepa, and the famous preacher of Buddhism in Tibet, Atisha, and many others.

And now the Vajrayana can rightfully be considered the core of Tibetan Buddhism. Blofeld in his book "Tantric Mysticism of Tibet" points out that the differences in the application of certain psychoenergetic methods that exist between the Tantric schools of Tibet are mainly related only to the preference for one or another aspect of the Vajrayana.

In terms of its goals, this direction is no different from others. The main feature of the Vajrayana is that its adherents strive to reach their Goal in the shortest, most direct way. But this "Short Path" (as the Vajrayana is sometimes called) ensures the achievement of Nirvana and Liberation in this earthly life only for those who already have a high psychogenetic advancement due to past incarnations.

All this is made possible by the fact that the Vajrayana:

a) gives a clear understanding of the general scheme of a person's spiritual development;
b) requires him to be fully focused on achieving the Goal;
c) uses powerful psychoenergetic techniques that significantly accelerate the spiritual advancement of the adept.

The role of the master, mentor in the Vajrayana is invaluable, because it lacks a "established" curriculum. The tasks and instructions given by the master depend only on the level of intellectual and psychoenergetic development of the student.

Neophytes who embark on the "Short Path" are invited to immediately radically change their attitude to the surrounding reality and to themselves. The adept must learn to perceive everything as a means to an end, must learn to use every moment of his life for spiritual progress. Literally everything becomes the object of his attention: every thought, every word, sensation, action, any circumstances and situations.

The requirements placed on Vajrayana adepts aim them at maintaining unshakable calmness even in frightening and disgusting circumstances. They are initially guided by a spiritual mentor to see in everything only manifestations of God. Gradually learning to remain calm in any situation, not to shy away from anything, not to be irritated by anything, they very quickly do a colossal work to transform their emotional and intellectual spheres, to free themselves from false attachments and desires, to refine their consciousness, etc.

It seems worthwhile to also say a few words about the use sexual forms interactions in Tibetan spiritual practice.

Some Tibetan tantric schools do not focus on sex special attention and even consider it harmful to those who use esoteric methods of spiritual development. Others, on the contrary, attach great importance to the bioenergetics of sexual life, sexual contacts, considering them as one of the opportunities for spiritual growth, as one of the paths leading to Liberation. Therefore, in such schools, sexual interactions are used at certain stages of spiritual advancement. This becomes possible only when the adept becomes free from attachment to sex.

We emphasize that, unlike some Hindu tantric schools, which ritualize sexual contacts, giving them a high symbolic meaning, the Tibetan tradition considers sexual relations not as a ritual, but as an effective psycho-energetic work that significantly accelerates the process of spiritual evolution of partners. (By the way, the same attitude to the sexual sphere of human relations as in Tibetan Buddhism can be traced in Chinese Taoism).

Relations between partners, driven by the desire for joint spiritual evolution, are built on the basis of absolute trust, mutual respect for each other. This relationship is a selfless act of giving your love to another, without any conditions.

Sexual interactions are used to carry out joint bioenergetic work, in particular, within the framework of the main stage for improving the chakras and bioenergetic conductive structures of the body, and later for joint entry into various meditative states. The effectiveness of such work is achieved by combining the energy potentials of partners.

So, we briefly examined the most intimate part of the spiritual culture of Tibet - the Land of Religion, as Tibet is called by its inhabitants. It is obvious that it carries a lot of original, original. Peculiar psychoenergetic practices, meditative traditions of Tibet are a huge contribution to the treasury of esoteric knowledge of the whole world.

And yet, the spiritual paths of Tibetan Tantrism lead along milestones common to all the best spiritual schools in the world, which are determined by the general laws of spiritual evolution.

Statue of Tsongkhapa
Potala Palace. Tibet.

Tibetan Buddhism is sometimes referred to as Buddhist Tantrism. In fact, this term cannot be applied to Tibetan Buddhism in general, as The religious world of Tibet is very heterogeneous.

a) all those who recognize the Tantras,
b) representatives of some Hindu and Buddhist schools using sexual forms of interaction in their spiritual practice,
c) some Buddhists call Tantrism only Vajrayana - one of the directions of Tibetan Buddhism.

Before proceeding to a detailed examination of the esoteric methods of Buddhist Tantrism, let us briefly dwell on some of the most basic Buddhist concepts.

At this stage, special attention is paid to the ethical direction of spiritual development. Already at the very initial stages of his spiritual path, often immediately after initiation, the neophyte takes the Bodhisattva vow. It consists in dedicating one's life to spiritual service and requires the development of immense compassion for all beings. The Bodhisattva vow presupposes the acquisition of such virtues as: passionate striving for the Goal, patience, active service to people, constant meditation, liberation from false attachments and desires, observance of all Buddhist moral requirements, i.e. ahimsa, refraining from lying, stealing, etc.

The practice of working with yidam in Tibetan Tantrism includes two important steps:

1) Creation of a clear image of one or another mythological creature that has a certain set of positive qualities that the adept lacks (the yidam is chosen by the mentor in accordance with the individual characteristics of the student).
2) Complete identification with this image.

This practice allows you to very quickly get rid of all the reactions, stereotypes of thinking conditioned by the previous life, get rid of your "I" and develop a new, "magical" attitude to life.

Let's dwell on the art of visualization in more detail, because. it is one of the most characteristic Tibetan tantric practices.

Silver buddha statue
Potala Palace. Tibet.

If we draw parallels, then, in general, this corresponds to the work that is done on the steps of dharana and dhyana of Patanjali's eight-fold path of yoga.

The technique of working with figurative representations is also highly effective for the regulation of physical performance. This is most clearly demonstrated by the meditative running technique - lung gom. It is also based on the use of certain breathing exercises and mantras. Lung-gom-pa (the so-called adept who owns this technique) begins, against the background of certain figurative representations, to continuously repeat the mantra to himself. In accordance with it, he regulates the rhythm of breathing and measures the beat of movements. These techniques allow lung-gom-pa to run long distances at high speed, without resting at all, easily overcoming all obstacles encountered on the way. Europeans traveling in Tibet (in particular, the Roerichs and Alexandra David-Nel) had to see lung-gom-pa several times. Descriptions of these meetings can be found in their books.

Meditative running against the background of continuous meditative work is also used by other schools of raja and buddhi yoga. Descriptions of it can be found in particular in Carlos Castaneda.

Tummo (technique of "psychic warmth" or "inner fire"),
Giyu-lus (practice of working with the "illusory body"),
Mi-lam (dream technique),
Od-sal (clear light technique),
Bardo (technique of working in an intermediate state between death and a new birth),
Pho-wa (the practice of transferring consciousness).

Consider those of them that are relevant for the final steps of the main stage.

The "Way of Form" techniques used at the main stage are mainly intended for those practitioners whose consciousness is still "attached" to the material plane. Therefore, the launching pad for starting work is precisely the "world of forms". Techniques are supported in visualization, are associated with the use of powerful psychoenergetic techniques, certain breathing practices. All this helps the practitioner to refine the consciousness, gain the necessary amount of strength, energy for a meditative breakthrough and expansion of consciousness in one or another spatial dimension. If the mind of the adept who resorts to these techniques of the "Path of Form" is sufficiently refined, then he can very quickly approach Liberation through their application.

The practice of tummo is accompanied by one very interesting effect - the generation of physical heat. "For many turnip hermits who meditate year after year in ice caves without warm clothing, this side effect is quite convenient. Thus, a turnip that has reached a certain level of development can sit naked all long winter nights in the snow without any health consequences.

The final stage spiritual development in the schools of Tibetan Tantrism, as well as the main one, is very long for those adepts who approach it. It is associated with the achievement of Nirvana and following its ever-deepening steps, with the creation of the vajratela (diamond body). Thanks to it, one can permanently gain a foothold in the highest spatial dimension due to the "crystallization" of consciousness in it. This means the final Liberation. To achieve this goal, some techniques of the "Path of Forms" are used, which have not yet been considered by us, as well as techniques of the "Formless Path", which will be discussed later.

Practicing to Achieve Clear Light ( od-sal ) are numerous. There are special exercises designed to be performed during the day, evening and night. Here is one of them, for the daytime, described in the Tibetan text "The Path to the Clear Light". Its sequence is as follows: first, the adept reaches the state of "mental pause", then enters into deep meditation. In a meditative state, he opens the Clear Light-Child in himself and merges it with the Fundamental Clear Light, in other words, the Clear Light-Mother.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the temple in front of the statues of Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche and the thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara.
Dharamsala, India.

Looking back shows that Buddhism was originally established in Tibet in a form that included the Vajrayana. All the first preachers of Buddhism in Tibet and the founders of the main schools and directions were, in the main, renowned teachers of the Vajrayana. This is Padmasambhava, the founder of the Nyingma school, whose name has been revered in Tibet for centuries along with the name of Gautama Buddha, and the legendary Naropa and Tilopa, about whom many amazing stories go around all over Tibet to this day, and the most revered hermit poet in Tibet Milarepa, and the famous preacher of Buddhism in Tibet, Atisha, and many others.

All this is made possible by the fact that the Vajrayana:

a) gives a clear understanding of the general scheme of a person's spiritual development;
b) requires him to be fully focused on achieving the Goal;
c) uses powerful psychoenergetic techniques that significantly accelerate the spiritual advancement of the adept.

Apparently, it makes sense to also say a few words about the use of sexual forms of interaction in Tibetan spiritual practice.

Some Tibetan tantric schools do not pay much attention to sex and even consider it harmful for those who use esoteric methods of spiritual development. Others, on the contrary, attach great importance to the bioenergetics of sexual life, sexual contacts, considering them as one of the opportunities for spiritual growth, as one of the paths leading to Liberation. Therefore, in such schools, sexual interactions are used at certain stages of spiritual advancement. This becomes possible only when the adept becomes free from attachment to sex.

And yet, the spiritual paths of Tibetan Tantrism lead along milestones common to all the best spiritual schools in the world, which are determined by the general laws of spiritual evolution.

For a long time, Tibet was closed to foreign citizens. Only certain enlightened people penetrated into it, so it was shrouded in mystery and myths about the teachings and health systems, which are used by monks living in the Tibetan mountains. And only with the spread of Tibetan Buddhism around the world in the twentieth century, a little more became known about these phenomena. One of these secret teachings - Tibetan yoga - will be discussed in our article.

History of Tibetan Yoga

The origin of Tibetan yoga took place at the beginning of the 1st millennium, its formation lasted until the 18th century. For a long time it remained unknown to Europeans and Americans. Then some teachers of the Tibetan spiritual communities began to teach the ancient Tibetan secrets.

The most famous schools are Yantra Yoga, based on the ancient text "The Union of the Sun and the Moon", and Trul-khor ("magic wheel").

The main emphasis in Tibetan yoga is on psycho-emotional work: visualization, mantras, meditations, etc. Thanks to Tibetan yoga, it is really possible to improve your health, even out your emotional background, improve metabolism, and normalize the functioning of internal organs.

Did you know? In 2001-2006, in Tibet, at an altitude of 4-5 km above sea level, they built railway, along which pressurized cars run, where oxygen is supplied through the air conditioning system and to each place. The air at such a height is very rarefied, it is difficult for them to breathe.

Differences between Hatha Yoga and Yantra

Despite the fact that the Tibetan Yantra has many similarities with the Indian Hatha Yoga, they pursue different goals. Indian yogis improve their body, while Tibetan yogis pay attention to the development of the mind.

They strive to clear the mind of negative emotions, learn to be in a constant state of relaxation, get rid of tension and achieve liberation - the "natural mind".

In Yantra Yoga, asanas are used exclusively with meditation. They do not stay static for a long time. The time for performing an asana is evenly distributed between entering it, staying in it, and leaving it.

Since Tibetans are adherents of the fact that in men and women energy flows through different sides body, then asanas are not performed symmetrically, but in one direction.
A less important role, in comparison with Hatha, is given to the synchronization of movement and breathing. Tibetan asanas are simpler and therefore not suitable for people who want to lose weight with the help of yoga.

Stages of learning

The system of teaching Tibetan yoga is conditionally divided into 3 stages: preliminary, main and final. During each of them, the student has to do a certain task.

Preliminary

During the preliminary stage, a person who wants to comprehend Tibetan yoga will need to study the canonical texts. Then take a preliminary course of psychoenergetic training.

One will have to meditate long and hard. In the course of meditation, to eradicate one's vices, eliminate selfish aspirations, direct efforts towards the development of exclusively positive qualities, the development of calmness.

At this stage, asanas are applied, similar to those practiced in Hatha yoga. Simultaneously with them, visualizations, mantras, prayers, breathing exercises, diagrams-symbols (yantras).
After mastering all the necessary material during the preliminary preparation, the student is allowed to move on to the next, main stage of studying Tibetan yoga.

Basic

During this stage, many visualizations (image creations), work with mantras, objects that help the student to comprehend the multidimensionality of space, purify, develop chakras, energy channels are practiced.

The stage is difficult to master. It will take different people different amounts of time to implement it, sometimes tens of years.

Final

IN The final stage the student enters changed, with consciousness that has passed into another reality. He knows how to control his own consciousness and achieve liberation. At this stage, a variety of practices are applied, which are performed at different times of the day.

Indications and contraindications

Tibetan yoga cannot be compared to therapeutic gymnastics and advise for getting rid of any health problems. The main thing that it is aimed at is a person's comprehension of himself, self-acceptance and improvement.
Therefore, it is recommended to those who wish:

find mental and physical balance;
restore energy fullness;
get rid of mental problems and stress;
learn to control yourself and remain calm in any situation;
relax joints and ligaments.

Traditionally, yoga is not recommended for people who:

suffer from high blood pressure;
underwent surgery (up to 6 months ago);
have diagnoses of "gastric ulcer", "gastritis";
have diseases of the spine;
suffer arthritis in an acute form;
have a traumatic brain injury;
have a cold and have a fever;
have mental disorders, epilepsy;
have malignant tumors.

Pregnant women should approach yoga practice with caution and only after consulting a doctor. There is a list of asanas that are not recommended for menstruation, curvature of the spine, vegetative-vascular dystonia, neurosis, and gastrointestinal problems.

Temperature, air and place to practice

For each technique of Tibetan yoga, a different time of day is suitable. For example, Yantra and hormonal gymnastics are practiced in the morning, and to perform the Sleep and Dreaming technique, it will take evening and night time.

Beginners, of course, need to attend a group or take individual lessons, since it is almost impossible to master Tibetan yoga techniques on their own. A mentor must be present.
As a rule, groups gather in spacious halls. For individual training Suitable for an apartment room.

The room where exercises and meditations are carried out should be well ventilated. The air temperature should not exceed 27 degrees. If the room is hotter, the load on the cardiovascular system will increase.

When the temperature drops below 24 degrees, the risk of injury increases, since the muscles and ligaments in cold conditions are more rigid and do not stretch well.

For normal operation respiratory system indoors should maintain a sufficient level of humidity - not lower than 60%.

Known Techniques

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the eight most famous techniques of Tibetan yoga.

Yantra Yoga

Yantra Yoga includes 108 exercises. The main ones are 8 called "Lungsang", which combine movement, breathing and rhythm. All yantras are performed at the expense of 4. You can devote 15 minutes a day to classes.

These exercises are for:

restoring strength and clarifying the mind;
elimination of diseases of the shoulders, arms, joints, ligaments;
elimination of diseases spinal cord, kidney;
strengthening the spine;
toning the lungs and heart;
improving the functioning of the nervous system.

Exercise 1. "Slow breath":

Take a standing position with feet shoulder-width apart.
Raise your hands up.
Bend them at the elbows.
Grab the elbows with your palms.

Exercise 2. "Open delay":

Take a standing position.
Bend the right arm at the elbow with the wrist down.
Bend the left arm at the elbow with the wrist raised up.
Twist your palms into fists.

Take the Lotus position.
Put the right leg under the buttocks.
Place the left one above it.
Grab your feet with your palms.
Turn your head to the right.

Exercise 4. "Quick exhalation":

Take a sitting position with legs bent under you. The heels are under the buttocks.
Cross your arms over your stomach.
Tilt the body forward.

Exercise 5. "Quick breath":

Take a sitting position with bent knees with an emphasis on the back of the fists.
Push your back up, continuing to stand on your fists and focusing on the front of the foot. The body with the knees should take the form of a straight line.

Exercise 6. "Closed delay":

Take the Lotus position.
Place the left foot under the buttock.
Place the right foot over the left.
Grab your left hand thumb on the right leg.
Grasp the big toe on your left foot with your right hand.
Turn the head and body to the right.
Lower the chin.

Exercise 7

Lie down on the mat.
Put your hands behind your head and cross.
Raise the body and straight legs at the same time.

Important! With the practice of Tibetan yoga, you need to be careful. The fact is that it is dangerous to do many techniques for beginners, uninitiated people - they can harm physical and mental health. Both before and after their implementation, certain preparatory work must be carried out.

Exercise 8. "Slow exhalation":

Take the Lotus position.
Place the left foot over the right.
Grab the elbow with your left hand right hand.

Five Tibetan pearls

This practice is known for helping to rejuvenate the body, bring it into a state of vivacity. It consists of 5 exercises that must be performed in strict sequence with repetitions from 3 to 21 times. Exercises are done daily in the morning.

Important! The number of repetitions of exercises will need to be increased gradually and evenly. For example, starting in the first week to do 3 repetitions, the next increase their number to 4 and so on up to 21 repetitions.

Exercise 1:

Take a standing position.
Spread your arms out to the sides with your palms pointing down.
Rotate clockwise until slightly dizzy.

Exercise 2.

Take a lying position.
Exhale.
Stretch your arms along the body with palms pointing down.
On an inhale, raise your head.
Press your chin to your chest.
Raise straight legs up.
As you exhale, lower your legs and head to the original position.

Exercise 3

Take a kneeling position with an emphasis on the front of the foot.
Place the palms on the buttocks.
As you exhale, tilt your head forward.
Press your chin to your chest.
While inhaling, throw your head back.

Exercise 4

Take a sitting position with straight outstretched legs and an emphasis on the hands behind.
Turn the palms towards the body.
As you exhale, lower your head.
Press your chin to your chest.
While inhaling, take your head back and raise your body so that the head and knees are in the same line.
Tighten and relax your muscles.
Return to sitting position with chin tucked in.

Exercise 5

Take a lying position face down.
Focus on the palms and front of the feet. The knees should be in weight.
As you exhale, take your head back and make a deflection in the spine.
While inhaling, take a mountain pose - with your head down, focusing on your palms and feet.
Press your chin to your chest.

sound healing

This practice involves the use of singing bowls. The bowl is held at the level of the problem area and with the help of vibrations they act on the diseased area. Such a sound massage has a relaxing effect, normalizes the functioning of the nervous system, eliminates tension in the body, frees from blocks, fills with energy.

Most often performed in a group or couple. Healing with sound is preceded by simple exercises, which allow you to relieve tension from the body and bring it to a deep perception of sounds.

It is a set of 5 exercises that should be performed in the morning, preferably before 6 am. The peculiarity of gymnastics is that a person can do it without getting out of bed.

Exercise helps to slow down the aging process, improve well-being, cheer up, saturate the body with energy, normalize hormonal levels, improve blood circulation, and prolong life.

Technique for performing morning hormonal exercises:

Rub your palms well until hot.
Bring your palms to your closed eyelids and apply 30 light pressures on the eyeball. The last pressure should last 1-2 seconds.
Perform 30 pressure on the ears.
Put your thumbs behind your ears. Twist the remaining 4 fingers into a fist. Make 30 skin pulls with fists from the chin to the temples and ears.
With the palm of the right hand, do 30 rubbing of the forehead from temple to temple. Perform the movement for half a minute.
Place your right hand on your stomach. Place your left hand on it. Perform 30 circular movements.
Take a sitting position. Alternately rub the feet, and then the legs.

This practice works with energy centers human body through touch, color and sound vibrations. The ultimate goal is to free nervous system from her painful experience.

A person learns through meditation to connect his natural heartbeat and sexual energy. This combination leads to the formation of "cool Fire", which becomes a force that heals the body and erases negativity from the nervous system.

As a result, a person can translate pain into pleasure, suffering into relief, and fear into bliss.

Tibetan pulsations are practiced in pairs or groups. Below are two exercises from pulsation yoga.
“Love with the kidneys” (performed in pairs):

One person assumes a prone position.
The second person sits down next to him and places his palms on the partner's kidneys. Finds pulsation. Tune to her sounds up to 10 minutes.
Then the tuned-in person sits down with his crotch on the partner's kidneys and makes a series of oscillations, slightly rising and falling. This phase should last 15-25 minutes.
After that, the upper partner lifts his perineum from the kidney zone and acts as if he is drawing all the excess energy from the receiving person.
You need to complete the exercise with joint relaxation in an embrace.
Swap places.

"Hara Activation":

The fist is placed on the stomach below the navel.
Grab a fist with the other hand.
Take a lying position, sitting on a fist.
Relax and feel the pulse beat.

Sleep and dreams

The goal of dream yoga is liberation not only in the wakeful state, but also during sleep. This can be achieved by making dreams lucid. During lucid dreams, yogis continue to know themselves and use them for the benefit of their transformation and development. The foundations of dream yoga were outlined in the book by Tenji Wangyal Rinpoche.
It gives 4 fundamental practices with which you can make dreams lucid:

"Changing Karmic Traces". In the course of it, a person learns to see lucid dreams. To begin with, he tries to convince himself that everything that he experiences in a waking state is the same as a dream. This is done to change the worldview of a person. Then he learns to feel like a dream, using his imagination, feelings and awareness and making them inseparable from experiences.
Elimination of attraction and dislike. In the course of it, a person learns to suppress negative reactions that arise in response to experiences, and completely get rid of them.
"Reinforcing Intention". During this practice, a person daily reviews the day before going to bed and strengthens the intention to practice yoga at night, that is, sending the desire to consciousness to have lucid dreams and remember them.
"The Development of Memory and Joyful Effort". Done after waking up. Begins with a review of dreams. They can be recorded on a voice recorder or in a diary. Yogis say that every person can learn to remember dreams if he makes a promise about his intentions for several days.

Practices are performed not only at night, but also during the day. Efficiency is achieved only with consistency. In addition to these practices, the practice of 9 cleansing breaths and the main practice with sequential actions, as a result of which awareness comes, is also given.

Tummo (inner fire technique)

The meaning of the technique is to awaken the inner fire, after which the human body stops responding to cold. Yogis go through a retreat-shutter for 49 or 100 days, after which they pass an exam - in extreme cold, they dry wet sheets with their own bodies.
It is believed that when the inner fire awakens, it burns out all the ailments of a person in the middle.

This technique should be done exclusively under the supervision of a teacher. The practice of Tummo is securely protected and is not passed on to the uninitiated. For initiation, one must adopt the philosophy and views of the Dharma. Students need to go through the preparatory stage - ngondro. And then strengthen and purify the body and spirit through training.

Traditional exercises for Tummo are trulkhor, retreat, etc. In addition to training, a person must switch to pranic nutrition.

Did you know? In Tibet, yogis who practice Tummo are called "respa" (translated as "white skirt"). In the most terrible frosts, they walk in thin cotton capes.

This practice includes 5 exercises that allow you to improve the work of the cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive systems.
"Finding a Voice"

Take a deep breath and hold your breath.
Make 5 sharp tilts of the head to the left, then 5 to the right, back, forward.
Make an exhalation.
Do a repeat 2 times.

"Strengthening the Heart"

Place your left hand on your lower abdomen.
Draw a circle over your head with your right hand. Finish the movement by stretching the arm forward with the thumb extended.
Repeat the same exercise with all other fingers, ending with the little finger.
Change hands and repeat the same.

"Rekindling the Digestive Fire":

Take a breath, hold your breath.
Pull the stomach up under the diaphragm 5 times.
Lock in the lock of the brush on the knee of the right leg.
Make 5 rotational movements body from right to left.
Do the same with the left knee. Rotations should be from left to right.
Exhale.
Do a repeat 2 times.

"Achieving Balance"

Inhale, hold your breath.
Twist the spine 5 times, turning the head to the left side with the body, 5 to the right.
Do a repeat 2 times.

"We warm the bottom":

Inhale, hold your breath.
Raise the pelvis off the mat, focusing on the knuckles.
Pushing off the floor with your hands, do 5 bounces.
Exhale.
Repeat 2 times.

Thus, Tibetan yoga is a practice aimed at clearing the mind of negative emotions and freeing consciousness. To achieve this goal, asanas are used in combination with meditations, yantras, sounds, pulsations. Tibetan yoga is not for everyone. It has a number of contraindications.

How did yogis appear?

The philosophy of the people of Tibet was close to what they thought about it in Europe, but the daily life of the Tibetan people was full of hardships and difficulties. The first settlers of Tibet were nomads who for a long time adapted to the difficult conditions of life in the mountains. The merciless sun literally dried up the eyes of these people, and a sudden hail could completely destroy the most valuable crop and cripple livestock.

The reading of prayers was accompanied by the rotation of special prayer wheels, which were supposed to send love and mercy to all living beings. Now all life revolved around the new faith.

Astronomy, painting, theater, music and many other disciplines were taught in the monasteries. At its peak, Tibetan monasteries numbered over 600 buildings! Almost every inhabitant of Tibet became a monk. Education began at a very young age, and it took more than 20 years to earn a doctoral degree. The adult teacher was called "Lama".

It was in this environment that the most prominent representatives of the Tibetan civilization - "yogis" - appeared. If Indian yogis improved their body, then Tibetan yogis were engaged in the development of the mind. Indian yogis held their classes in front of the crowd, while Tibetan preferred unity. Tibetan yogis are monks who have decided on their own experience to explore all the possibilities of Buddhism and achieve enlightenment (experiencing the bliss of nirvana). Such monks locked themselves in caves for years and, through intense mental and physical exercises, gradually cleared their consciousness. All Tibetans had great respect for yogis, they inspired people with confidence that it was possible to find a way to overcome all earthly suffering. The Tibetans began to look for the earthly incarnation of the Buddha. One such incarnation was the spiritual teacher of the Dalai Lama.

Expulsion of Tibetan Yogis

Yogis recall that after the departure of the Dalai Lama, ruthless purges began. Those who had fame or money were mercilessly beaten, tortured, and their ears were cut off. Many famous yogis have spent their entire lives in prison. Instead of sleeping, they made a huge effort on themselves and continued their meditation. The jailers strictly ensured that no one read prayers, but yogis were good at pretending.