Transitioning to the Inner (Antar) Yoga of the Ancient Sages

Name: Transitioning to the Inner (Antar) Yoga of the Ancient Sages
Rating: 4.9 (154 reviews)

Integrating Modern Postural Yoga with Traditional Inner (Antar) Yoga

Created byAbhyasa Ashram, Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

Last updated 10/2019

English

What you'll learn

Whether new to Yoga or already practicing some aspect of Yoga, you will gain confidence to pursue the historical approach to Yoga that is just right for you.
Learn more about historical Yoga.
Go beyond the merely physical aspects of modern Yoga.
Find the inner joy of Antar (Inner) Yoga

Course content

6 sections • 64 lectures • 7h 20m total length

Introduction2:52
Join a guided journey toward the yoga of the ancient sages and personalize its aspects. Explore yoga history, the unity of one yoga, and the wave of bliss.
Play...not work2:17
Join a conversational journey that invites you to play rather than work, watching the lecture like a calm television show and embracing leisurely, relaxed engagement.
The Wave and the Ocean4:13
Observe the wave and the ocean as one and the same, a central yoga principle from the ancient sages guiding your realization of unity with infinity toward samadhi.
Encountering a Book or a Person4:13
Transitioning to the inner yoga of the ancient sages begins when a book, a person, or a video catches your attention and awakens curiosity, launching the search inward.
The Call to Search for Yoga3:27
Experience the inner call to search for yoga as an emotional pull from the heart, inviting you to follow the inner surge toward the richer yoga of the ancient sages.
Intuition as a Child2:28
Be a child and follow that inner intuition, honoring its insatiable curiosity as a path to the subtler depths of ancient yoga.
Opposition to the word "Yoga"3:35
Navigate the journey from postural yoga to the yoga of the ancient sages while facing opposition from friends and family, and stay at peace with pursuing the subtler aspects.
Conviction, Virya, or Sankalpa4:42
Cultivate conviction, virya, and sankalpa shakti to energize your pursuit of the subtler yoga and transition into the inner yoga of the ancient sages, building perseverance to overcome obstacles.
Googling styles or types of Yoga6:28
Google styles of yoga to see that most did not exist centuries ago, then trace yoga back to the ancient sages and its unity within change.
Respecting modern Yoga3:14
Respect the modern yoga movement while guiding learners toward the yoga of the ancient sages, embracing diverse styles and their skilled practitioners in unity.
Both modern and traditional Yoga take a lot of time10:02
Commit to a long-term practice. Both modern and traditional yoga demand thousands of hours and daily self-awareness, not a quick 200-hour certification.
Being a Student or a Teacher3:20
Embrace the journey to the yoga of the ancient sages as a perpetual student for life, balancing student and teacher roles with child-like curiosity.
Leaving the Center of the Bell Curve12:19
Transitioning to the inner yoga of the ancient sages invites you to move from the bell curve center into a minority path, following your heart toward deeper practice.
Yoga as a Homonym7:14
Explore yoga as a homonym with two meanings—modern physical yoga and the yoga of the ancient sages—and urge transitioning toward the latter, guided by Ahimsa.
Yoga is a Whole Life process, not just Body or Books6:40
Embrace yoga as a whole life process, integrating body, breath, meditation, and mindful service across daily life, waking and sleep, not just body or books.
Yoga is not traditionally "branded"8:37
Avoid branding traditional yoga; branding reduces infinity to a label. Return to the yoga of the ancient sages, where yoga remains simply yoga, not a brand.
Yoga is not merely "philosophy"6:42
Move beyond mere philosophy by studying yoga as a whole life process and applying its principles daily. Drive the car called me toward the true self.
The phrases "Traditional Yoga" or "Classical Yoga"8:20
Explore why we use traditional yoga and classical yoga as referential terms, clarifying how yoga became a modern homonym and why the original yoga terminology matters.
The crucible of Yoga (is inside, not in a building)7:30
The crucible of yoga is internal, the container inside you, not a studio or kitchen; practice the yoga of the ancient sages with inner mindfulness.
Tangible and Intangible7:45
Experience the yoga of ancient sages as primarily intangible inner work, moving beyond tangible postures to explore the internal realm from memory traces to thoughts.
Udemy: Health & Fitness / Personal Development6:04
Explore transitioning to the yoga of the ancient sages and how Udemy frames yoga within health or personal development. Embrace a personal development journey toward a wave of consciousness.

The traditional texts are "cookbooks" on Yoga3:52
Explore how traditional texts function as cookbooks for yoga, offering recipes from the yoga sutras to guide living practice in the kitchen of life.
Upanishads7:12
Delve into the Upanishads, ancient Vedas’ wisdom told as succinct stories and sutras, exploring creation, the nature of reality, consciousness, and the unity of existence.
Bhagavad Gita11:37
Explore the Bhagavad Gita as the yoga of the ancient sages, a 700-verse guide from the Mahabharata, highlighting psychology, self-transformation, equanimity, and practical yoga.
Yoga Sutras12:25
Explore the yoga sutras as a practical cookbook that treats sutra as thread, uniting 196 threads toward a mind-regulating path to self-realization.
Tripura Rahasya7:08
Explore Tripura Rahasya, revealing one consciousness permeating the waking, dreaming, and deep dreamless sleep states, and the practical yoga of transcending personal identities to turiya.
Yoga Vashishta7:11
Discover Yoga Vasishta, where Rama reincarnates, learns from Vishesh, and awakens to infinite consciousness through stories within stories and the monkey mind.
Hatha Yoga Pradipika9:06
Delve into hot yoga as the science of purification in hatha yoga pradipika, detailing six purification types and four chapters, culminating in samadhi.
Gheranda Samhita6:01
Explores the Gheranda Samhita as a hot yoga text bridging modern postural yoga with ancient sage practices, detailing seven limbs—from purification and pratyahara to pranayama, dhyana, and samadhi.
Shiva Samhita6:17
Explore the Shiva Samhita, a core classical yoga text, detailing philosophy and practice and the path to samadhi through asana, pranayama, and pratyahara, within the microcosm–macrocosm view.

The Yoga Tradition by Georg Feuerstein8:10
The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice

This is a work of impeccable scholarship by a person who has dedicated his life to the understanding and practice of yoga. The book offers a complete overview of every Yogic tradition, from the familiar to the lesser-known forms.
The Deeper Dimensions of Yoga by Georg Feuerstein5:55
Explore the deeper dimensions of yoga as a 5000-year tradition that goes beyond postures to breath control, mental techniques, and moral practices guiding self transformation, wisdom, balance, and inner freedom.
Yoga Body by Mark Singleton6:57
Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice

In this groundbreaking book, Mark Singleton calls into question many commonly held beliefs about the nature and origins of postural yoga (asana) and suggests a radically new way of understanding the meaning of yoga as it is practiced by millions of people across the world today. Singleton shows that, contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence in the Indian tradition for the kind of health and fitness-oriented asana practice that dominates the global yoga scene of the twenty-first century. Singleton's surprising--and surely controversial--thesis is that yoga as it is popularly practiced today owes a greater debt to modern Indian nationalism and, even more surprisingly, to the spiritual aspirations of European bodybuilding and early 20th-century women's gymnastic movements of Europe and America, than it does to any ancient Indian yoga tradition.
Original Yoga by Richard Rosen6:23
Original Yoga: Rediscovering Traditional Practices of Hatha Yoga

Part history, part philosophy, part yoga instruction manual, this book clears up some of the confusion and misconceptions about the development of yoga, both traditional and modern. Richard Rosen draws from ancient yoga manuals, which combine philosophy with postures and meditations, to show how traditional practice compares with what we do today.
The Science of Yoga by William Broad10:22
The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards

A lead science writer for The New York Times—and lifelong yoga practitioner—examines centuries of history and research to scrutinize the claims made about yoga for health, fitness, emotional wellbeing, sex, weight loss, healing, and creativity. He reveals what is real and what is illusory, in the process exposing moves that can harm or even kill.... He shatters myths, lays out unexpected benefits, and offers a compelling vision of how the ancient practice can be improved.
The Spiritual Roots of Yoga by Ravi Ravindra5:54
Ravi Ravindra explores the spiritual roots of yoga, linking the yoga sutra and Bhagavad Gita to a universal quest for oneness, body–mind–heart integration, and cosmic harmony.
A History of Modern Yoga by Elizabeth De Michelis5:58
Explore a history of modern yoga by Elizabeth De Michelis, tracing Bengal roots, Vivekananda’s 1896 reform of the sutras, and a fourfold typology that includes modern postural yoga.

Autobiography of a Yogi by Swami Paramahansa Yogananda4:21

Autobiography of a Yogi (Swami Paramahansa Yogananda Giri)

Autobiography of a Yogi is at once a beautifully written account of an exceptional life and a profound introduction to the ancient science of Yoga and its time-honored tradition of meditation. Profoundly inspiring, it is at the same time vastly entertaining, warmly humorous and filled with extraordinary personages.
Living with the Himalayan Masters by Swami Rama6:08
Living with the Himalayan Masters: Spiritual Experiences of Swami Rama

Ordained a monk at a young age by a great sage of the Himalayas, Swami Rama was involved in a learning journey from monasteries to caves, studying and living with more than a hundred sages in the solitude of the Himalaya Mountains and the plains of India. Among those with whom he studied were Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, and Ramana Maharshi. In this collection of stories, Swami Rama relates his experiences with the great teachers who guided his life.
Play of Consciousness by Swami Muktananda5:50
Play of Consciousness

This spiritual autobiography of Swami Muktananda tells the story of his journey to self-realization under the guidance of Bhagawan Nityananda, candidly describing his extraordinary experiences. Beginning with his spiritual initiation on August 15, 1947, and continuing through his enlightenment nine years later, this is a guide for seekers moving toward the same goal.
Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba4:58
Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba
From the back cover: "There can be no biography of him. Facts are few, stories many. He seems to have been known by different names in many parts of India, appearing and disappearing through the years."
The Essential Sri Anandamayi Ma by Alexander Lipski6:50
Explore the life and wisdom of Sri Anandamayi Ma and her teachings on meditation, asana, mantra, and dhyana that reveal duality does not exist and the eternal truth.

Principles of Yoga in the World Religions12:40
Explore how yoga principles appear in world religions, while yoga itself stays non-religious, and embark on a personal journey to study sacred texts and discover aligned wisdom.
Theistic or Monistic Perspectives4:09
Explore theistic and monistic views in yoga, showing that theism and monism offer complementary paths to one ultimate reality or truth, and that you decide.
Traditional Categories of Yoga9:05
Explore how one yoga encompasses many aspects—karma, bhakti, jnana, raja, kundalini, tantra, and mantra—and learn to integrate meditation, contemplation, and prayer across practices.
What is a Tradition?9:16
Discover that tradition in the yoga of the ancient sages is an oral, personal teacher–student lineage, not institutional, usually spanning three generations, diverse yet united toward a common goal.
Cups and Yoga7:27
Explore a playful, symbolic cups metaphor that reveals the progression from the physical body through life force and mind to the ultimate light of consciousness.
Om Mantra: The Heart of Yoga11:18
Explore the heart of yoga through the om mantra, tracing levels of being from body and breath to the inner flashlight. See how ancient sages teach awakening in daily life.

Dominant and Complementary faces of the one Yoga10:57
Explore how one yoga offers dominant and complementary paths, including bhakti, karma, raja, and contemplation, so you identify your personal focus while embracing the others.
Institution, Lineage, or Independent4:57
Choose between institutions, lineage, or independent path as you explore the traditional yoga of the sages, aligning with a trusted path or following your own heart.
With or Without Deities (superheroes)7:42
Personalize your yoga path by following your inclination toward or away from deities, honoring unity beneath diversity within the ancient sages.
With or Without Rituals5:54
Explore how rituals and daily habits anchor inner yoga, weaving unity behind diversity through meditation, mantras, and mindful water rituals that honor lineage and simple, joyful practice.
Staying Home or Traveling4:56
Decide whether to stay at home or travel, noting that travel can illuminate how to practice at home. Personalize your path to your inner desires while keeping the same goal.
Family or Monastic Life8:31
Explore how to blend family life and monastic life, practice karma yoga and sadhana in daily living, and plan for future stages of life.
Fitness, Religion, Philosophy, Psychology5:07
Which orientation of Yoga is most fitting for you personally? Is Yoga most related to Fitness, Religion, Philosophy, Psychology, or some other Category? Or does Yoga stand alone as a Category unto itself? We each get to decide.
Science, Religion, Atheism, and Yoga7:09
Explore how science, atheism, religion, and yoga intersect as modern minds navigate inner self-awareness, breath, and mind through the ancient sages’ practices, emphasizing nonattachment and peace of mind.
Certificate or No Certificate6:24
Choose whether to pursue a certificate or not; certification is optional, not essential, and ancient sages practiced without it, encouraging you to personalize your yoga path.
Your concept of Guru (part 1)15:03
Explore the guru as a stream of wisdom or a person, and how sincere practice invites help and light dispelling ignorance through nature's examples.
Your concept of Guru (part 2)10:27
Choose your word for guru—guru, teacher, coach, or guide—and align with a living relationship rather than a dead lineage; assess accessibility, fees, and geography to personalize your inner yoga.
Multiple paths up the one Mountain of Yoga3:53
Explore how the one yoga unfolds along many paths up the same mountain, with karma yoga, raja yoga, bhakti yoga, and laya yoga guiding toward antar yoga.
Choosing your Keyword as a Goal9:49
Choose a keyword that excites you as the goal of your inner yoga and follow one of many paths up the mountain toward awakening, freedom, or joy.
Find and Follow your Heart4:04
Find and follow your heart as the inner wisdom guiding you up the mountain of self, tapping the guru within to stay on the path of the one yoga.
Finding Satsang3:39
Find satsang by connecting with a like-minded community on the journey up the yoga of the sages, sharing truth, companionship, and the spirit of higher meaning.
Living beyond the conflict of the manifesting One7:52
See how waves emerge from the ocean of oneness, transcending conflict by living from the top of the mountain—awake, free, and joyful through the yoga of the sages.

Requirements

You have an active curiosity about traditional Yoga practices coming from the ancient sages.
You have some background in any of the faces of modern postural yoga.

Description

*******Over 4,000 students are enrolled in this course*******

This course is designed to be an aid to the millions of people who have been exposed to modern yoga, which has become predominantly focused on physical postures and exercises. Our journey in this course is to introduce ways of transitioning from those approaches into the more traditional principles and practices as systematized and taught by the ancient sages of Yoga, without being opposed to what you are already doing. This is a process of blending in with your current practices, not merely replacing yours with the ours.

We will extensively draw upon the yogic wisdom of the Yoga Sutras, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, as well as a few of the traditional Hatha Yoga texts. We will also review some of the more modern resources and teachers, which focus on these more traditional approaches. Please note that we are not trying to recruit you into any particular tradition or lineage. We come from a specific lineage or tradition, but attempt to keep the perspective very broad, so that you can apply the principles to your own life in your own way.

There are three major reasons you may find this course to be useful:

First: You are already practicing and/or teaching any version of modern, postural Yoga, and have come to see that there is more to Yoga than postures.. You would like to begin the process of transitioning into the traditional Yoga of the ancient sages.
Second: You are already practicing both modern, postural Yoga, and one of the many faces of traditional Yoga of the ancient sages. For your personal growth, you would like some added suggestions about how to expand your practices of traditional Yoga.
Third: You would like to increasingly be able to teach or share with others (students or friends) some of the subtler, deeper, traditional perspectives of the Yoga of the sages, and help them know where to start. In this course, you will gain some tips that you can share with others.

The transition to traditional Yoga is an extremely exciting journey, and I hope you will enjoy being together with us.

In loving service,

Swami Jnaneshvara (Swami J)

Who this course is for:

This course has been created for those who already have some exposure to any of the modern faces of Yoga, but wish to explore the breadth and depth of the more traditional practices.

Transitioning to the Inner (Antar) Yoga of the Ancient Sages

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction to Yoga as Meditation and Contemplation21 lectures • 2hr 2min

Traditional Texts9 lectures • 1hr 11min

Books on the History of Yoga7 lectures • 50min

Biographies and Autobiographies5 lectures • 28min

Faces of Yoga6 lectures • 54min

Personalizing your path16 lectures • 1hr 56min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: