Developed by Sharon Gannon and David Life in 1984 in New York City, the Jivamukti yoga style derives its name from the Sanskrit word, which is further broken into two parts. The first part, Jiva means individual or living soul whereas the second part Mukti means liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. In other words, it is a form of yoga that helps you attain liberation while living.
Sharon Gannon, a dancer and David Life, a cafe owner and artist met in 1982. In 1986, they traveled to India and took yoga teacher training under Swami Sivananda and Nirmalananda. Later, they returned to New York city and set up the Jivamukti Yoga Society. In 1990, they flew to India to learn Ashtanga yoga from K. Pattabhi Jois. Let us now understand a bit more about this yoga style.
Sharon and David founded Jivamukti yoga with the aim of helping the western civilization understand the true meaning and intention of yoga, which help a practitioner find a path to enlightenment. The Jivamukti yoga style interwines a holistic approach to living to help the practitioner imbibe compassion for all living beings.
An interesting thing you should know about Jivamukti is you can modify the poses according to how your body reacts. This yoga style combines meditation, chanting, Pranayama, music, and philosophy all into one.
However, that is not all Jivamukti yoga style does. There are a host of benefits which you can reap with daily practice.
As per David Life and Sharon Gannon, jivamukti yoga offers you numerous health benefits like;
Daily practice of Jivamukti yoga under the guidance of a skilled yoga instructor improves your overall flexibility. In the long run, this also improves your muscle strength and elasticity.
Numerous poses in Jivamukti yoga stress on the abdominal muscles and limbs. It is the perfect workout to improve strength in your entire body.
Daily practice of Jivamukti yoga helps you keep stress and anxiety at bay. Moreover, it also improves your concentration level and releases the feel-good hormones in your body.
With the inclusion of meditation and deep breathing exercises, the Jivamukti yoga improves your overall health. Moreover, it fills you with happiness and a sense of contentment unlike any other.
However, do you know about the five tenets of Jivamukti yoga? Yoga experts have the answer so pay attention!
Interested in diving a bit deeper into Jivamukti yoga? It is time for you to know the five tenets of this yoga style.
The four main texts in Jivamukti yoga include Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Bhagwad Gita, and the Upanishads. These are also some of the most influential works on yoga. The tenet of Shastra emphasizes on learning and studying the ancient yogic texts, especially in their original language which is Sanskrit.
Known as Devotion towards God, Jivamukti yoga takes this as the personal beliefs of the yogi. This can be devotion towards a religion, self-realization, yoga practice, or self-love. The main focus of this tenet of Jivamukti yoga is a realization and devotion towards an intention of a higher being.
This tenet requires you to have compassion towards all living beings. It is the principle of non-violence and extends to animals, human beings, and plant life. Remember, non-violence and kindness towards others is an important tenet of Jivamukti yoga practice.
Nada refers to music and emphasizes on focusing on a sound. This tenet of Jivamukti yoga states that everything in existence is composed of certain sound vibrations. As per the Jivamukti yoga style, you practice this tenet by chanting. However, you can practice this by focusing on the voice of the yoga teacher.
This refers to meditation. The tenet of Dhyana forms an integral part of Jivamukti yoga style. Meditation forms an important part of its practice as it offers you the chance to focus on the inner self and be still in the moment.
Also Read: Yoga Gurus Who Brought Yoga to The World
There it is! The complete information on the Jivamukti yoga.
The Jivamukti yoga style gives you a unique opportunity to connect with your inner self. However, if you are someone without experience of yoga practice, you should practice this yoga style under the tutelage of an experienced yoga teacher.