From Transcendence to Embodiment: The Journey of Yoga Philosophy

In today’s world, we are blessed with the great gift of freedom of choice. Yet so often, we lose ourselves in the endless possibilities and complexities of life. Everything moves faster and faster, and patient, sustainable approaches are easily replaced by instant gratification—through social media, fast food, New-Age Instant Kundalini promises, or the glittering illusion of a “golden cage” that promises to elevate us above nature, while quietly separating us from our true Self.

Amidst this chaos, many of us feel a gentle calling: to return to the anchor of nature, both around us and within us, and to reconnect with our Essence.

Yoga can indeed open us to ecstatic states of consciousness and awakening. And they can be so gloriously valuable, insightful and supportive. Yet after nearly two decades of yoga practice, I find that the true gift of Hatha yoga lies in something quieter—the simplicity of embodied awareness and the rememberance of our true Being.

Classical Yoga philosophy, as presented in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, borrowed its philosophical framework predominantly from Samkhya and Advaita Vedanta. Both are Indian philosophical systems that seek liberation and freedom through transcending the body. The body was not regarded as pure or sacred. And from a certain perspective, this makes sense: the more we identify with the appearance of the world, and with my body, the more we live in separation and impermanence. No matter how strong or healthy our bodies may be, one day they will perish and return to the earth as compost.

So what is it within us that endures beyond the constant coming and going of appearances? Who am I? These were the fundamental questions that gave rise to the philosophical systems that shaped Classical Yoga. The aim of Classical yoga according to Patanjali (+-200AC) was not to purify the body, awaken the energy body, or bring divinity into form, but rather to transcend the world and the illusory identification with body and mind. The goal was to awaken to the vision and abiding in the Self as a cosmic being — Brahman in Advaita Vedanta, Purusha in Samkhya.

This perspective began to shift around the 5th–6th centuries, when Indian spirituality increasingly interacted with devotional (bhakti) movements, Buddhism, and folk traditions that valued ritual, embodiment, and the senses. Tantra emerged as a synthesis of Vedic ritual, yogic meditation, and indigenous goddess worship. Purely world-denying approaches were seen as impractical for many, while Tantra offered a path for householders — a spiritual practice woven into daily life, relationships, and even sexuality.

In this new context, the word Maya — which in Advaita Vedanta was understood as “illusion” — came to be reinterpreted as Shakti, Creative Power. The senses and the material world were recognized as giving us a relative and subjective view of reality, yet instead of being dismissed, they became tools. Tantra sought to explore directly through yogic experimentation with the senses, breath, the subtle body (nāḍīs, cakras, kuṇḍalinī), and even our physical existence itself became a gateway to altered states of consciousness.

From this integration, Hatha Yoga was developed as a blend of Classical Yoga and Tantra. Yet it was the Tantric movement that most deeply shaped yogic practice in practical terms. The body was no longer regarded as an obstacle to spiritual life but was embraced as an instrument of awakening and expanded awareness. It is through the influence of Tantra that we can meaningfully speak of the concept of Embodied Beingness.

There is profound wisdom in every cell of our being, waiting to be touched through a conscious breath, the alignment of an asana, or the flow of spontaneous movement. Healing through yoga often unfolds naturally when we create space—healing in the body, as it releases and softens and strenghtens; and healing in the mind, as we learn to witness its fluctuations from the stillness of Pure Awareness.

This is the medicine we hold space for in our retreats and courses.