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DIVING DEEPER INTO THE WORLD BEYOND EVERYDAYNESS
Yoga in Ancient Egypt
In her book ‘Initiation’, Elizabeth Heich, founder of the first yoga school in Europe, describes the structured system of education in the ancient temples of old Egypt. Before delving into advanced studies of various subjects, including mathematics, astronomy, metaphysics, architecture, ethics and philosophy, the students had to master the art of yoga. It was considered a prerequisite for intellectual and spiritual development – a path of self-control and inner harmony which aimed to unlock the higher consciousness inherent within each person.
In pursuit of self-discovery and divine connection, yoga (or Smi Tawi, as referred to in ancient Egypt) was seen as a ‘shortcut’, a much steeper but much more efficient way to understanding one’s true nature, as opposed to a long, repetitive and arduous journey of experiential errors. These principles and teachings hold an intriguing connection to the now much more commonly known Indian traditions.
Elizabeth Heich’s memories of her past life, which can be treated with skepticism by some, are of course not the only source referring to the above. Not limited to hieroglyphs only, depiction of yoga was illustrated through artwork and spiritual writings found in tombs and old temples, murals, statues and papyrus scrolls showing various yoga postures, offering insights into principles and techniques of physical and spiritual perfection that the ancient Egyptians aspired to achieve.
Nowadays, the system of Kemetic Yoga reaches back to Ma’at, the Egyptian goddess representing principles of truth, balance, harmony and order. Practitioners aspire to embody these principles in their daily lives. When compared to a standard (western) asana class, Kemetic yoga encourages a much slower pace of motion, with more focus on meditation, deep breathing and chakras. Hand movements are much softer and one tries to ease into an asana, as opposed to force oneself into it, treating the body with respect and gentleness.
It is fascinating to delve deeper into how yoga had spread all over the ancient world. In Mesoamerica, it was discovered that the Olmecs were passionate practitioners of hatha yoga – their stone sculptures are sitting in Sukhasana, holding Gyana mudra, which is generally the most commonly known meditation posture. And while the academics tend to describe these sculptures as ‘shamans taking postures of jaguars’, it is interesting to place them side by side with people assuming well-defined yoga asanas – the resemblance is striking.
There are historical links and connections between nations and continents, earthquakes, floods and catastrophies leading to migration, and there’s also a possibility that the ancient peoples were much more able to tap into what C.G. Jung famously coined as ‘collective consciousness’. The art of yoga seems to have gracefully found its way through cultures, religions, historical periods and paradigm shifts and is still here today, gently inviting us, if we choose so, to find the way back to ourselves.
Magic behind Hand Gestures
When I was travelling around Greece a couple of years ago, I visited some of the mysterious byzantine monasteries – not only Meteora monasteries famous for their outstanding architecture and beauty, but also some others, built just beneath the Olympos mountain, not so visited by toursists, gracefully resting over the lakes and deep in the forests, quietly hiding their ancient secrets.
What struck me the most was the fact that most of the saints and high priests depicted in the old Orthodox Christian icons were holding specific hand gestures which I recognized as mudras from Indian yoga tradition – and because I had just completed my yoga teacher training, I was excited to search for this surprising connection between traditions so far apart, at least geographically.
Yoga mudras are a set of hand gestures usually performed during meditation and are regarded as a component of hatha yoga. Depending on how you position, hold and connect your palms and fingers, you can direct the flow of the vital energy (prana) to different parts of the body through the energy channels (nadis). Thus, you can help balance the five elements your body consists of – fire, air, ether, earth and water. According to ayurveda, the imbalances among these five elements can result in various diseases. That means that apart from strenghtening and regulating the physiological functions of your body, mudras can assist in healing and provide a number of mental and spiritual benefits for the one who practices regularly.
For example, the hand gesture pictured above this article is called The Prithvi (Earth) Mudra, and you can see Jesus Christ holding it in many artworks depicting him. It is performed by touching the tip of the ring finger with the tip of the thumb. It is very efficient in strenghtening and healing the body, and also activates the root chakra, which promotes a sense of stability and self-assurance.
Out of the multitude of yoga mudras known in India, there are two in particular which appear the most in Orthodox art, apparently. One of them is the Prithvi mudra mentioned above, and the other one is Prana mudra, which supports the immune system and gives the body resilience to heal itself.
While the Christian Church nowadays does not recognize these gestures as mudras and simply considers them as being signs of blessing, there are many other Christian practices, rituals and customs which overlap with those of Buddhism and Hinduism, ranging from asceticism, fasting, prayer and meditation to monastic life and using candles and incense in worship rituals, not to mention specific details as rosary beads of the Christian Church being the same as japamala used by Buddhists and Hindus.
To answer my initial question, it seems that, according to historians, there have been contacts between the Indians and the Greeks since the time of Socrates and Plato. Also, the Romans traded heavily with South India, and there are many historical accounts of Indian philosophers and Buddhist monks being present in the Mediterranean countries before and after the period of Christ. Buddhist gravestones from the Ptolemaic period were found in Alexandria, Egypt, showing that Buddhists were living in Hellenistic Egypt at the time when Christianity began. This indicates that, in its infancy, the Christian Church adopted all practices, eastern and western alike, to help their followers establish a closer communion with God.
In this time and day, when the lines between not only different religions, but also between religions and science get blurred and more people are awakening to the fact that it is ourselves who are in direct contact with the source, these ancient practices open up so many possibilities to go within and turn our attention – inward.