WHAT SWSTHYA YGA IS

There is one thing stronger

than all the powers in the world,
and this is an Idea which time has arrived.
Victor Hugo

SWSTHYA YGA IS THE MOST INTEGRAL YGA

SwSthya, in Sanskrit, the dead language of India, means selfdependence (swa = your own). Also, embedded in its meaning is
health, sound state, comfort and satisfaction. In Hindi, the most
widely spoken language of India, it merely means health. In this case,
using the Hindi accent, it is pronounced suasti. Do not permit less
informed individuals to confuse SwSthya, Sanskrit, the ancient
method, with SwSthya (suasti), Hindi, because it would result in an
equivocal interpretation with a therapeutic connotation. In reference to
this, consult the Sanskrit-English Dictionary by Sir Monier-Williams,
which is considered to be the most respected Sanskrit dictionary.
In India, in Jaipur, I ran into a health center that employs Yga as a
therapeutic method. It is called the SwSthya Yga Center (in this
case, Suasti Yga Center) and has nothing to do with SwSthya
Yga. It was merely a Health Center that used Yga! Things like this
can confuse those who are less linguistically cultured.

THE FORMAL DEFINTION OF OUR YGA:

SwSthya Yga is the name of the systematization of the Ancient
Yga, Pre-Classic, the most complete Yga in the world.
REGISTER THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION
It is only SwSthya Yga if it has the following characteristics.
Even the heterodox modality needs to observe items 2 through 8
below. If someone teaches you something with the name of
SwSthya Yga and does not respect these particularities, it is not
our method.
Even though the person in question may have completed a teachers
course with us and hold a teachers certificate, once this person has
graduated he/she has the autonomy to teach the type of Yga he/she
wishes to, since the Ancient Yga (SwSthya Yga), has, in itself, the
constituting elements of practically all the remaining branches of
Yga. Some teachers maintain themselves and their teachings
faithfully within the lines which formed them and others stray, mix
systems and begin to transmit apocryphal versions. Therefore, pay
close attention to the following, those of you who teach, those who
practice, and those of you who intend to become teachers.
READ CAREFULLY
Study the pages that follow carefully. You need to incorporate these
teachings in such a way as to be able to explain, teach and mainly to
debate the systematization of SwSthya Yga according to the
knowledge transmitted below. If you do not have a pen to make notes,
get one. If you are in a hurry, close the book and leave it to read at a
later time.
At the end of the chapter, do not continue. Go back and read it again,
paying more attention to the notes that you made during your first
reading. Apply the same procedure at the end of every chapter. Do not
get in a hurry to finish the book. It is not a novel. Besides, if you
finish the book soon, you will cut short the joy of your experiences
with the author.
I. CHARACTERISTICS OF SWSTHYA

1) ASHTNGA SDHANA
The principal characteristic of SwSthya Yga is its orthodox practice
denominated ashtnga sdhana (ashta = eight; anga = part; sdhana =
practice). It is an integrated practice of eight parts: mudr, pj,
mantra, prnyma, kriy, sana, yganidr and samyama. These
elements will be explained in detail later in the book.
2) GENERAL RULES OF EXECUTION
One of the most notable historical contributions of our systematization
was the discovery of the general rules, which are not ered in any other
type of Yga unless they have come to incorporate them recently,
as a result of an influence from SwSthya Yga. We have already
witnessed examples of this tendency in classes and texts of various
types of Yga in different countries, after they came in contact with
SwSthya Yga.
It is easy to verify that the rules and other characteristics of our
method were neither known nor utilized before. Consulting books of
various modalities of Yga that were published before the codification
of SwSthya Yga (1960) is enough to show this. In not a single one
of them will you encounter any reference to general rules of
execution.
On the other hand, these general rules only constitute a discovery and
not an adaptation, as they had always been subjacent to the existence
of Yga. Take, for example, any given techniques, such as a forward
bend (paschimttansana), a backward bend (bhujangsana) and a side
bend (triknsana), and execute them according to the rules of
SwSthya Yga. Afterwards, consult a book of Hatha Yga and
execute the same positions following their extensive descriptions for
each technique. You will be surprised: the executions will be
equivalent in more than 90% of the cases. Therefore, there exists a
pattern of behavior. This pattern was identified by us and synthesized
into general rules.
The existence of such a pattern went unnoticed by many generations
of Masters throughout the world for thousands of years of practice and
was only discovered at the beginning of the third millennium after

Christ. This occurred in the same way that the law of gravity passed
unregistered by the great thinkers and physicists of Greece, India,
China, Egypt and the rest of the world, only to be discovered very
recently by Newton. Just as Newton did not invent gravity, we also
did not invent general rules of execution. They were always there, but
no one had noticed them before.
In SwSthya Yga the rules help a great deal, simplifying learning and
accelerating the evolution of the practitioner. To the teacher, aside
from this, they save a precious time normally spent on unnecessary
descriptions and instructions.
The rules will be explained in the chapter SANA, subtitle General
Rules.
3) CHOREOGRAPHIC SEQUENCES
Another important characteristic of SwSthya Yga is the recovery of
the primitive concept of training, which consists of more natural
executions, ones that came before the custom of repeating exercises.
The institutionalization of the repetitive system is much more recent
than is imagined. The ancient techniques, free of limitations imposed
by repetition, led from one to the other through spontaneous links or
passages. In SwSthya Yga, these constitute linking movements
between unrepetitive and unstilted sanas that create a predisposition
for elaborating choreographic executions.
In this way, [A] non-repetitiveness, [B] passages (linking movements)
and [C] choreographies (with sanas, mudrs, bandhas, kriys, etc.)
are reciprocal consequences of each other and are a part of this third
characteristic of SwSthya Yga.
The choreographies, like the general rules, are also not a
contemporary creation. This concept goes way back to the ancient
Yga, from the time when Man had no institutionalized religions and
worshipped the sun. The last rudiment of this primitive form of
choreographic execution is the most ancestral practice of Yga: the
srya namaskara!
It just so happens that srya namaskara is the only thing reminiscent
of choreography that is registered in the memory of modern Yga.

Choreographies do not constitute, therefore, a characteristic of modern

Yga. It is worth remembering that Hatha Yga is a modern Yga,
one of the last to arise, in the XI century after Christ or around 4,000
years after Yga originally appeared.
Important note: the teacher who claims to teach SwSthya Yga, but
who does not put together their whole class in a choreographic format
is not transmitting 100% legitimate SwSthya. Those who are unable
to instill enthusiasm in their students for practices in a choreographic
form need to take more courses and strengthen their contact with our
egregore, since they have still not understood the teachings of the
codifier of SwSthya Yga.
4) RIGHT PUBLIC
It is fundamental that one comprehends the following: in order to truly
be SwSthya Yga, mere fidelity to the method is not enough. What is
critical is that the people who practice it be the right public. In the case
it is not, this public will technically be practicing the method
previously defined, but in the end, it will not be SwSthya Yga being
exercised. It would be something similar to providing a certain
technique to make excellent quality bread, yet wanting to make it with
the wrong flour.
5) GREGARIOUS FEELING
The gregarious feeling is the force of cohesion that makes us grow and
become so strong. The gregarious feeling is the energy that mobilizes
us to participate in all the courses, events, meetings, and festivals of
SwSthya Yga because it provides us with pleasure. The gregarious
feeling is the feeling of gratefulness that bursts within us from the
privilege of being together and participating in everything next to
people who are so special. It is the invisible power that confers
success in everything that we do, thanks to the support that our
colleagues offer us with the greatest willingness. The gregarious
feeling is the uncontained satisfaction with which we share our
discoveries and hints for bettering ourselves technically,
pedagogically, philosophically, ethically, etc. The gregarious feeling
is what induces each one of us to perceive deep in our soul that doing

all of this, participating in all of this, is not an obligation, but a

satisfaction.
6) UTMOST SERIOUSNESS
When first coming into contact with SwSthya Yga, one of the first
impressions observed by experts is its utmost seriousness that they
perceive in our texts, language and procedures. This seriousness
manifests itself at every level, from the honesty of its purpose a
fundamental honesty to its extreme care not to make any kind of
doctrination nor proselytism, nor therapeutic promises. Definitely, you
will not find such care in most other modalities of Yga.
We make a very strong point of our teachers and students being
rigorously ethical in all of their attitudes, from Yga to work, personal
relationships, family and in all circumstances of life. We should
remind ourselves that, even as students, we represent the Ancient
Yga and the public will judge Yga based on our behavior and
image.
When dealing with money, remember that it is preferable to lose the
precious metal than it is to lose a friend, or lose ones good name, or
lose ones class.
We should demonstrate ourselves as profoundly responsible, mature
and honest when doing business, making assertions, avoiding
conflicts, seeking our own betterment in good manners, cultivating
elegance and nobility. The world expects of us a model of balance,
especially when we have a moral obligation to courageously defend
our rights and that or those in which we believe. To hide from the
fight would be the utmost despicable cowardliness. To fight with
bravery in defense of justice and truth is an attribute of the
courageous. However, fighting with elegance and dignity is something
that few are able to conquer.
7) SINCERE JOY
Seriousness and joy are not mutually exclusive. You can be a
contagiously happy person and, at the same time, extremely serious
within the rules of behavior that prevail over life in society.

Joy is healthy and it predisposes us to a long and happy life. Joy

sculpts our physiognomy, which shows more youth and sympathy. Joy
captivates and opens doors without which, we would have to put forth
much more effort. Joy can bring sincere friendship and preserve old
ones. It can even save our marriages.
A practitioner of Yga who is not joyful is inconceivable. If Yga
brings happiness, smiles and a relaxed demeanor are both inevitable
consequences.
However, administer your joy so that is does not pass others limits
and offend them. Some people, when they are happy, turn into noisy,
indelicate and invasive individuals. This, obviously, is not the case of
the SwSthya ygin.
8) UNFALTERING LOYALTY
Loyalty to ideas, loyalty to friends, loyalty to ones type of Yga, and
loyalty to ones Master are also marked characteristics of the Ancient
Yga. In SwSthya, we value even loyalty to clients and to suppliers.
Symbolically, we are loyal to our possessions and our houses, seeking
to preserve them and cultivate stability in the process of avoiding
substitution and change for the simple impulse of variation (Yga
chitta vritti nirdhah). There are circumstances in which change is part
of evolution and can constitute the solution to a problem of stagnation.
In this case, it is clear that it is not related to emotional instability.
Shiva himself, the creator of Yga, had, as one of his attributes,
renewal.
There is nothing more beautiful than to be loyal; loyal when all others
have ceased to be; loyal when all the evidence points against ones
friends, loved one, colleague or companion. You are not afraid to
compromise yourself and you maintain loyal until the end.
There is really nothing nobler than loyalty, especially in an age when
so few preserve this virtue.
II. ORTHODOX PRACTICE
SwSthya Yga is the very trunk of the Ancient Yga, Pre-classic
Yga, after it was systematized. The most authentic SwSthya Yga is

the orthodox SwSthya, in which each practice is made up of the

following eight parts:
1. mudr
2. pj3
3. mantra
4. prnyma
5. kriy
6. sana
7. yganidr
8. samyama

reflexological gestures made with the hands;

retribution of energy; energetic exchange
vocalization of sounds and ultra-sounds;
expansion of bio-energy through breathing;
purification of the mucous membranes;
corporeal techniques;
relaxation techniques;
concentration, meditation and samdhi.

There exist various types of ashtnga sdhana. The structure shown

above is the first one that the practitioner learns. It is called di4. The
second type is viparta ashtnga sdhana. After comes mah, swa,
manasika and gupta ashtnga sdhana, which are only accessible to
Yga teachers.
However, if you do not identify with the more complete forms, in
eight parts, another option called the Heterodox Practice exists.
III. HETERODOX PRACTICE
This variety is totally flexible. The structure of each practice is
determined by the teacher who administers it. Therefore, the session
can be made up of only one anga, two angas or as many as the teacher
would like to utilize and they can be in the order the teacher deems
best. The teacher can, for example, minister a sdhana exclusively
using sana, or mantra, or prnyma, or samyama, or yganidr, etc.
Or, a combination of some of them can be freely used. Such practices
can still be considered SwSthya Yga, as long as it obeys the other
characteristics mentioned in item I (Characteristics of SwSthya
3

O acento indica apenas onde est a slaba longa, mas ocorre que, muitas vezes, a tnica est
noutro lugar. Por exemplo: pj pronuncia-se pdja; e yganidr pronuncia-se ygandra.
Para sinalizar isso aos nossos leitores, na primeira parte do livro e no Glossrio vamos
sublinhar a slaba tnica de cada palavra. Se o leitor desejar esclarecimentos sobre os termos
snscritos, recomendamos que consulte o Glossrio. Sobre a pronncia, oua o CD Snscrito Treinamento de Pronncia, gravado na ndia. Para mais conhecimentos, o ideal estudar os
vdeos do Curso Bsico de Yga.
4

Keep in mind that in words that end with the i and are followed by words which begin with a
vowel, you should transform the i into a y, dy.

Yga) and as long as it has a general orientation according to the

philosophy that we follow.
However, in using this alternative, the teacher should preferably
utilize all the angas, which can be done on different occasions and
with varying intensities. In this way, in the many classes given during
the month, experimentation and results of the eight angas will have
been provided to the students.
The ideal is that the teacher does not adopt only the heterodox version
but that the orthodox also be used. For example, if instruction were
given twice a week, one practice would be given in the first mode and
the second in the second mode of practice.
Yet, for the teachers examination, given by the International
University of Yga and by the State Federations, only the orthodox
version of practice is accepted.
A good understanding of this chapter is indispensable for the
foundation of our work as is for the assimilation of the purpose of this
mode of Yga. It would be a very good idea for you to go back and
read everything once more, paying close attention. Reread small parts
each time and stop and analyze what you have read.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SWSTHYA YGA AND HATHA YGA
All 108 types of Yga are different from each other, not only the two, which are
discussed here, are distinct from each other. It just happens that Hatha Yga is the
most common and the reader can utilize the table below as a parameter for the
comparison between a popular image (Hatha) and another that is more ancestral
(SwSthya).

DIFFERENCES

SWSTHYA YGA

1. FOUNDATIONS:

Tantra-Smkhya
(assumed)

2. HISTORICAL PHASE IN WICH

THEIR ROOTS ARE SITUATED :

Pre-Classic (more
5,000 years)

HATHA YGA
Tantra-Vdnta (yet a large
number of the teachers of
this line declare that they
are against Tantra and align
themselves
with
the
Brahmchrya-Vdnta)

than Medieval ( XI century A.D.)