Open AccessMedieval Haṭhayoga Sādhana: An Indigenous South Asian Bio-Therapeutic Model for Health, Healing and Longevity Healing and Longevity
Author(s) -
Ellen M Goldberg
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
acta orientalia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1600-0439
pISSN - 0001-6438
DOI - 10.5617/ao.5340
Subject(s) - longevity , indigenous , embodied cognition , sociology , medicine , gerontology , biology , epistemology , philosophy , ecology
This paper looks at the medieval practice of hahayoga specifically in terms of its contribution to bio-therapeutic paradigms for health and longevity. The canonical or root texts of hahayoga clearly document a complex of embodied strategies that are considered immensely important to indigenous healing practices. An outline of the yogic body and an analysis of two advanced practices called khecari mudra and kevala kumbhaka are provided to show how this specialized path to optimum health culminates in the hahayoga notion of divine body or divya deha.