First Contact
For many people, Trika is the fulfillment of a long-awaited dream. People of rational orientation have always waited for a scientific presentation of metaphysical and spiritual truths, which do not lose their mysterious, magical, and sacred flavor and yet remain common sense-based and grounded. Many seekers have sought a system of practice and evolution that is clear and coherent, but also truly transcendent and compassionate. We feel that this is precisely what we can offer to the modern world. Trika has had thousands of international students since its inception in 1998. Our Integral Yoga courses have been our most popular offerings; they begin with an intensive one-month introduction to Kundalini, Laya, and Tantra Yoga, and evolve into a multi-year program entailing the deep and gradual revelation of these teachings. Advanced teachings are offered in Thailand at Trika.
Trika is unique in the world. We teach some of the most esoteric and potent forms of Yoga that India and Tibet have given to world spirituality. Our system reveals the actual mechanisms behind Yoga; wonderful results have been obtained, leading to a wider fame for the courses, mostly by word of mouth. By using previously little-known techniques that have been adapted for the 21st century, the student has a very special opportunity to learn and experience all that 5,000 years of Yoga tradition can offer. Together with regular practical classes, workshops, lectures, and group meditations, we ensure that an understanding of a genuine spiritual path can be gained here.
We offer a synthesis between the rational thinking of the West and the mystical traditions of the East, incorporating many spiritual methods and systems of personal development. Our teachings generally concern spiritual evolution and Self-realization, although we also gladly touch on subjects as down-to-earth as healing, physical development, and quality of life. We use Yoga as a very strong instrument, among many other genuine spiritual techniques, to create a powerful and comprehensive program.
A Revolutionary Approach: The Law of Resonance
Our Yoga courses take a careful approach to building for our students the rational basis of this scientific system; we start by revealing the "law of resonance." This is the law of direct correspondence between the human and the Universe, and its use in spirituality is a novel revelation of the 20th century. The Trika system is thus perfectly adapted to the Western mentality with its sense of personal freedom, but without losing any of Yoga’s original efficiency and power. We give you the clear answers of not only the "how," but also the "why" of the spiritual path.
Spiritual Dimensions
Authentic Yoga is a system of personal development and spiritual growth. "Spiritual" refers to the discovery through personal experimentation of an essential "identity" of each person, that the East calls "spirit" (atman). This identity goes far beyond what we believe we are, and what others see in us; it is our true "center." This discovery is not intellectual, and is independent of any religious beliefs. We always challenge our students to personally experience these teachings and to judge for themselves, not to take anything in blind faith.
Health
Generally Yoga works from the holistic idea that when you improve your physical health, it directly influences your emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being, and vice versa. All illnesses are energy imbalances of the body, emotions, and mind. This balance can be naturally adjusted if one has the necessary know-how. Tantrics say that a healthy, strong body is the foundation for true spiritual development.
Working with Energy
As confirmed today by quantum physics, Yoga has always stated that the basis of life and the Universe is energy. Energy in the body follows pathways created by one's power of concentration. In tantric Yoga, we work with energy according to precise techniques. It can be directly perceived, controlled, and stored in various areas of the body. This is why Yoga is an extremely powerful tool of personal development. Working with energy is the basis of any real inner transformation.
Polarity and Erotic Tantra
In Tantra Yoga, it is well known that a major characteristic of energy is polarity - i.e., that all energy is made of two poles, plus (+) and minus (-). In particular, the feminine element is called Shakti and manifests mostly in women. Shakti is analogous to the yin of the Taoist system and, metaphorically speaking, corresponds to the night, the Moon, and the state of receptivity. The male element is called Shiva and manifests mostly in men. Shiva is analogous to the yang of the Taoist system and, metaphorically speaking, corresponds to the day, the Sun, and the state of being active. Tantra Yoga works to strengthen, refine, and especially balance these polarities in each individual. It uses physical postures, breathing techniques, relaxation, visualizations, meditations, etc. A wonderful way to work with these polarities within a loving couple is through a rare spiritual method that we also teach: erotic Tantra.
Universal Dimension
True yogis honor the spiritual teachings presented in the Vedas, the Bible, the Koran, the Upanishads, the Kabbalah, Indian and Tibetan Tantras, Buddhist texts, and many other spiritual scriptures, as contributions to the unveiling of the One Truth. Yogis endeavor to tackle these teachings in a rational, goal-oriented way, which is very meaningful today for the Western mind. This explains why so many seekers have been thrilled to discover that we teach an integrated form of spirituality, in which Sufi mystical methods can be practiced together with hardcore tantric techniques, Christian prayer with down-to-earth Hatha Yoga work, and some refined aspects of the occult sciences together with Gurdjieff's methods for Self-realization.
We believe that once the fundamental keys of spiritual knowledge are given, the pieces of the great puzzle start fitting together and a coherent image of life and the Universe emerges. For us, a true yogi is someone who can easily find his or her way through metaphysics as well as world politics, through diet and health issues, or through sexuality, magic, and mystery. A "real" human (in the Gurdjieff sense) is someone who has reached lucidity, allowing himself or herself to penetrate all great truths. In this way, we can truly understand and use any spiritual method for Self-development, be it Zen Buddhism, the fathers of the desert, Tibetan Yoga, or music meditation.
