Atmavikasa Centre Of Yogic Sciences

Atmavikasa means evolution of the Self. The Atmavikasa Center Of Yogic Sciences was established in 1998 by Yoga genius Acharya Venkatesha and Acharye Hema. In a world where Yoga is being equated to nothing more than a prosperous business prospective, Atmavikasa aims at the traditional yogic values and the revival ofn culture.

Atmavikasa is not a mere Yogasana instructing school. On the contrary, it is an integrated center of Physical, Intellectual and Philosophical yogic Sciences. Hence a range of yogic sciences like Asana, Pranayama, Meditation, Sanskrit, Yoga sutras, kriyas, Mudras and chanting are taught here with Sincerity, focus and their natural following - perfection.

We know the clear difference between a Yoga Guru and a Yoga instructor. Hence, at Atmavikasa, the students are not instructed to follow what we say, but are taught to practice what we follow with full heart and consciousness. Our aim is to be pure and to provide, to the sincere practitioners, a strong inclination towards Yogic life, where even their commonest of actions are based upon the principles of Love, Divinity and Yoga.

Atmavikasa Asana System

Atmavikasa system is an integration of four dimensions:

• Physical
• Physiological
• Intellectual
• Spiritual

Any course at Atmavikasa, in general and the asana course in special, essentially comprises of all the above factors. Hence, our Asana system, which is a composition of ten sequences, which are further divided as Primary, intermediate and advanced, is characterized by the following features.

• Alignments: An asana is not a mere physical shape. But it is actually a set of contradictory, self-balancing forces acting upon various organs of the body. In order to gain stability and comfort as described in the yoga sutras of Patanjali [Sthira Sukhamasanam], one should know the exact location where each organ of the body should be placed. This concept of arrangement of various parts of the body according to the consistency-requirements of the asana is executed through alignments.
• Dynamics: It is very much essential to know the extent of energy flow in various organs, in order to establish stability in the asana. Alignments provide consistency from outside; where as awareness about the channels of prana flow provides internal stability.
• Constant self awareness: Though teachers are required for providing a suitable inclination to a student, they should essentially become their own masters in the course of time. Many systems of yoga provide physical adjustments either through manual adjustments or through props. Though it may be useful to a student in the beginning, there is a danger of being addicted to them. We believe that an asana should bloom naturally like a flower. Just like a flower dies if made to bloom forcefully, the intelligence suffers and loses its brilliance due to excessive physical support. Therefore, in Atmavikasa asana system, we do not provide any manual support. In fact, THE TEACHER DOES NOT TOUCH THE STUDENT at all. But, we make the student comprehend the asana through special techniques which are unique to our style. We train the intelligence of the student to control the body without external aides. This makes the student his own teacher in the course of time.
• Spirituality: As the yoga sutras of Patanjali rightly instructs, practice without detachment makes the mind unstable. Many systems believe that spirituality being the highest goal of all practices, should be taught in the very end - when the right time comes. But, our approach is contrary to the popular myth. We believe that detachment is an integral part of practice and should be enforced from the very beginning. Hence from day1, we focus on the factor that every practitioner is much higher than the body and therefore has the natural capacity to control it. This attitude helps a practitioner to quickly transcend the limitations of the body and enter the spiritual zone which leads to Atmavikasa [Self-realization].