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What was haṭha yoga before it meant postures?

As the scholar Jason Birch explains, medieval yogis used a three-part sequence of physical methods to raise vital energy and empty their minds (video here). Their ultimate goal was transcendence of death.

Our conversation discusses Jason’s book, The Amaraugha and Amaraughaprabodha of Gorakṣanātha: The Genesis of Haṭha and Rājayoga. We also explore other questions, including:

• What might practitioners learn from this system, and other recent findings?

• Is haṭha yoga needed for liberating insights? What does it mean to become immortal?

• Are the subtle components of yogic anatomy always involved? Do different approaches reach similar goals?

• Is academic work informed by practice, or are the two separate?

🔗 You can read Jason's publications at academia.edu, or via The Luminescent, which he co-founded with Jacqueline Hargreaves.

🎓 For more on the history of haṭha, as well as immersions in texts and traditions, join me for an online course at truthofyoga.com.

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