In Italy it is not particularly widespread, but in the US it is a success that has won many stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Heidi Klum, Sara Jessica Parker, Sting, Uma Thurman - to name just a few - are loyal fans of Jivamukti Yoga .
Practicing this type of yoga in Italy is rather difficult because there are no (yet) recognized centers in our country, but only in the USA, in Munich (Germany), in London and in Sydney.
But there is a substantial internet site that offers a high number of information and a youtube channel with many videos that give an idea of the discipline. We explored them for you!
To each his own class
Let's start with the name: jivamukhti yoga. By breaking down the word, jiva indicates the individual living principle, the soul of the individual (even if the term acquires different nuances depending on the philosophical context to which it is inserted) while mukhti - like mokhsa - indicates liberation from ties with the phenomenal world : at the moment of death, the liberated person will not be reincarnated, but will obtain bliss, nullifying himself in Brahman (the cosmic unity from which everything proceeds). Therefore the term in its entirety can be translated as liberation of the living spirit, liberation while living .
The peculiarity of this style of yoga - which belongs to the vinyasa yoga family - is that it is based on 5 fundamental assumptions, namely: non-violence ( ahimsa ), study of ancient scriptures ( shastra ), power of sound ( nada ), devotion ( bakhti ) and meditation ( dhyana ). Every term, yoga scholars know this well, would deserve a separate article of explanation. In this context, the sense is to take yoga practice out of the mat and make it an integral part of one's lifestyle. These principles are however put into practice in the so-called "classes", or in the work groups to which the student adheres, each with specific characteristics.
What link can there be between yoga and cooking?
In summary:
Open Class : class open to everyone, beginners and advanced. The lesson is based on a theme, a poem or a composition whose teaching guides the lesson in its entirety: asana, pranayama, meditation.
Basic Class : monthly duration class. Each week it offers a different job: the first one deals with the standing asanas, the second the forward bends, the third the back bends and the fourth the inversions. It is aimed primarily at beginners.
Spiritual Warrior : classes for busy practitioners who "have only an hour a day to practice yoga". It consists of a sequence of asanas always the same that the student learns after a couple of lessons.
Beginner Vinyasa : class that offers a sequence to be played in vinyasa, but with a slower pace than the classes of the Spiritual Warrior. It is suitable for everyone, beginners and advanced.
Meditation : class that proposes meditation with a mantra and attention to the breath. You start singing in Sanskrit and then proceed to the actual meditation.
Private lesson: individual lesson, but within a group. In other words, the student attends a yoga class (usually an open class), but will have a teacher totally dedicated to him, private.
to know more
The "inventors" of this type of yoga are Sharon Gannon (yoga teacher, dancer, painter, activist) and David Life . Jivamukti yoga is a registered trademark, a brand that sells yoga classes, clothing, body products, certificates for teachers. Gannon has also published a book available in Italy "Vivere il Yoga" (Eifis Edizioni) and, periodically, holds workshops in the major cities of our country to spread its product here still little known to the general public.
