Introduction to Purna Yoga™
Purna Yoga™ was founded by Aadil Palkhivala and Mirra Palkhivala and is
taught by Certified Purna Yoga Instructors.
Purna Yoga is the complete yoga: the alignment-based asana and pranayama
found in the Iyengar system; Yoga philosophy of Sri Aurobindo
and The Mother , the Yoga Pradipika, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras,
the Gita the integration of the Ayurvedic system, Chinese nutritional
philosophy, and the best of Western nutrition
and healthy lifestyle all synthesized by the personal experience of Aadil
Palkhivala and Mirra. Purna Yoga™ also embodies meditation developed by
Mirra Palkhivala called Transformational Spirituality.
Lineage of Purna Yoga™
Meditation
Sri Aurobindo called his yoga Integral Yoga which
is the synthesis of yoga for the body, mind, and
spirit. He realized that the Divine is an evolutionary
being which is involved in and an integral part of the
universe, not separate from Her creation. “All life is
yoga” Sri Aurobindo declared. The practice of Purna
Yoga™ can bring the evolution of consciousness into our
daily lives.
The Mother embodied Sri Aurobindo’s yoga in matter.
Representing the feminine aspect of Divinity, her
teachings offer practical useful wisdom to support
Purna Yoga™ practitioners in bringing yoga into their
day-to-day thoughts, words and actions.
The work of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother form the
spiritual foundation of Purna Yoga™ and, as clarified
by the daily experience of Mirra Palkivala and Aadil Palkivala, it informs
many of the practices of Purna Yoga™. The meditation
practice, called Transformative Spirituality, focuses
on opening the heart chakra, the seat of the soul
in the physical body and our access to the Divine.
Transformative Spirituality is an active and dynamic
progression of self-discovery and personal evolution.
Asana and Pranayama
BKS Iyengar has been a part of Aadil’s life since before
Aadil was born. Purna Yoga™ asana and pranayama is
based on Iyengar’s system of alignment and precision.
Yogic anatomy, therapeutic applications of the
asanas, and the use of asana knowledge in daily life
come from Iyengar’s teachings, and are incorporated
into Purna Yoga™ through the personal experience
and practice of Aadil and Mirra. Iyengar’s amazing
perfection in detail in asana and pranayama integrates
perfectly with the great yoga of Sri Aurobindo and
The Mother. Purna Yoga™ asana classes also incorporate
the beauty of the inner dimensions of poetry and
chanting, used as tools for transformation rather than
as a means to escape our self-created reality.
Applied Philosophy
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the Yamas and Niyamas,
the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and other texts are
used in Purna Yoga™ to lay the foundation of yoga
philosophy. In Purna Yoga™ all philosophy is based on
its application in life and never for its own sake. The
understanding of Purna Yoga™ is that knowledge in and
of itself changes nothing; knowledge must be applied
to make a difference.
Nutrition and Lifestyle
Purna Yoga™ encourages practitioners to align all
aspects of their life. While caring for our bodies with
asana and pranayama, we cannot ignore the foods that
we eat. Since nutrition plays a critical role in health,
Purna Yoga™ draws upon the wisdom of Ayurvedic
nutrition, Chinese nutritional philosophy, and the best
of Western nutrition. Purna Yoga™ encourages practitioners
to balance, cleanse, and nourish their bodies on
a very deep level. They are encouraged to eat wholesome
organic foods that support the individual and
heal the planet.
Purna Yoga™ also incorporates tools designed to cleanse
and protect ourselves from environmental toxins.
Practitioners are encouraged to drink pure clean water
and eliminate exposure to toxins and electromagnetic
frequencies in their homes, of.ces, and living spaces.
Maintaining balanced nutrition and a healthy lifestyle
is as much a part of Purna Yoga™ as are meditation,
asana, and philosophy.
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