Savita yoga is a unique yoga system, consisting of ancient yogic bodily practices, breath re-education (pranayama), energy work, mantra and nada yoga, relaxation and meditation, all this framed and supported by specially designed live Savita music.

The origin of Savita yoga is hidden in the Gayatri mantra and in the relevant Upanishads. The Gayatri speaks about Savitur, the spiritual Sun, the Creator, that illuminates everything. It also speaks about the 7 levels of existence from the Bhúlóka to Satyalóka.

One thing is to know that these levels are open to humans, but the other thing is the question, how to get there and how to get Illumined or how to reach the various forms of samadhi.

We know that yoga is a system that has the keys to samadhi and offers various paths to experience the various levels of existence. Savita yoga is a system that helps to achieve the goal of yoga through the unique combination of classical ashtanga yoga and music.

The music is a vital part of the system. Why has it become an important part of Savita Yoga ? It is due to the fact, that our whole being is able to resonate and re-attune under the profound influence of music and that it can make the way to self-discovery far more intense and in a way easier than through the usual yoga types.

Apart from the depth of self-discovery and opening to the higher levels of existence, the techniques of Savita Yoga aim to harmonically bring balance to body, prana and mind and have a profound purifying and revitalizing effect on the whole human energy system.

Savita Music
How was the Savita music developed?

It all started when in the mid-eighties (in connection with his intensive yoga practice) one of us (Ivo) commenced musical discoveries far beyond the usual classical music boundaries. Though music is used for curative and uplifting purpose since time immemorial and though Nada Brahman is one form of creative vibration played by Brahman on the strings of the universe, it had to be discovered how to create and play music that is cross-cultural, original, spiritual, healing and conductive to spiritual development.

There is a wealth of studies that have shown that some of the composers like Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart and many others from those times developed music that has a very well definable effect on the mind and its capabilities. The spectrum and range of effects of existing musical pieces by the mentioned composers and other beneficiary styles (like Gregorian chants, Greek Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and other religious chants) is however limited.

Indian music has also a vast array of tools for positively affecting the performance of mind, but their adaptability to practical training in yoga has also considerable limits. Thus the task remained for Ivo to develop a musical style and structure that can be best used not only for intensifying yoga training, but also for complex harmonising the body and mind through a direct musical interaction and for opening the mind towards the realm of deep self-discovery and meditation.

During the large number of courses they had been conducting together since early 80's, Geza and Ivo experimented a lot and have discovered and developed many new ways in connecting different yoga techniques with a special live music, which considerably intensified their effects on the human body and mind. When they had the frame well developed, they asked also the opinion and advice of one of the living yoga masters of South India, Mahaswi Tathata. This was the re-birth of Savita Yoga.

The live music is always at the core of the Savita Yoga seminars. The key is hidden not only in the instrumental mastery and deep musical experience but also in the return to music that flows directly from the heart through the direct synergy of musicians with time, space and needs of the audience. Each session thus becomes unique and unrepeatable. Once the imprints and associative connections are formed in the mind, the recorded Savita music can also evoke responses analogous to the live music, although the impact of live music can never be fully substituted ...

THE SAVITA YOGA PRACTICES

In Savita yoga we use the following practices:
1. Asanas
Asanas are used for preparing the body and mind as well as for training attention. The style of doing asanas is classical (as defined e.g. by the Bihar School of Yoga). Savita yoga uses namaskars , Kala natyam , pavanamuktásanas, makarásanas, ásanas. Both easy and difficult asanas are used.

2. Mudras, bandhas
Mudras and bandhas (uddiyana bandha, jalandhara bandha, múla bandha, vajroli mudra, etc.) are used for more precise work with chakras and energies and for enhancing the energy system. They are also used for increasing the perceptional range of the practitioners.

3. Pranayama
Most frequently the nádi sódhan, ujjayi, kapálabháti and bhástrika type pránáyámas are used. Pranayama is used for purification, energy balancing and for work with attention. In certain cases visualisation as well as mudras and bandhas are also used in pranayama training. In case of pranayama, the practice is usually accompanied by Savita music. In case of chakra breathing, or special breathing accompanied by mantras, the music containing very intensive rythmical elements is often used.

4. Chakra and kosha work
The concept of chakras and koshas are used to make it possible to perceive the levels of existence that are linked to chakras and koshas. At the beginning work with them includes visualisation practices.

5. Relaxation
Relaxation is nearly always accompanied by "upwards moving" and then "downward moving" ("rebirth") music. It prepares for any yoga practice or facilitates grounding after yoga practices. A number of relaxation types are used (including yoga nidra), but the most effective relaxation is through music.

6. Meditation
Meditation in yoga is done in a number of ways and on a number of levels of subtlety or complexity. Meditation in Savita yoga comprises pratyahara, dharana and dhyana. As we know, samadhi occurs, when all the energies and nadis are balanced and when the individual boundaries are transcended.

a. Mantra
Mantras used in Savita yoga range from Aum to complex Sanskrit mantras. Mantras are often used in "pairs" - upgoing and downgoing are combined for the best results. The upgoing mantras take the attention and mind to higher areas, the downgoing ones are taking the mind back to earthly integration. Very often visualizations are used to intensify the effect of the mantras. The mantras used in Savita Yoga come from the depths of the original Yogic and Vedic traditions, are used in their rare original forms and are often the outcome of the long term association with living spiritual Indian masters. The greatest amount of new inspiration came from Tapovarishtashtam in S. India In principle three types of mantra chanting are used:

• i. Classical complex Sanskrit mantras chanted in classical metres
  

• ii. Short traditional mantras coming from the yoga tradition
  

• iii. Melodic mantras that may come from any spiritual tradition and that are chanted in a way adapted to European musical feelings.
  

b. Guided meditation
Here usually techniques similar to ajapa japa, antar mauna or mental kriyas (sensu Satyananda and Gitananda) are used. In some cases guided meditation with special visualisations are used.

c. Silent meditation
Here the classical pratyahara and dhyana are practised as given by Patanjali.

7. Sharing and mandala drawing

After longer Savita workshops sharing is very vital as it gives a feedback and enables the participants to link the often subconscious experience to a conscious level. Mandala drawing helps to bring out all the inner feelings and the experienced spiritual materials.

How to start?
It is strongly recommended to start Savita yoga practices by attending several workshops or a week long course in Savita yoga. Only in this way can the initial experience and the necessary techniques be properly grounded, with the support of the live Savita music .

Savita Yoga session usually consists of several interlinked parts:
1) Harmonisation of the body and mind through Savita music and Savita Nada
2) AUM chanting
3) Mantra chanting with visualisations, for example:
a) Mantra Traya (purification through the Spiritual Fire, rain of Nectar and Spiritual Light, or
b) Harmonisation of Shiva-Shakti energies through Shiva-Shakti mantras
4) A special selection of Asanas, Mudras and Bandhas, always in relation with a following intensive Savita technique
5) Introduction to Savita Pranayama
6) One of the intensive Savita techniques with music, for example:
a) Savita Kapalabhati
b) Rudra-Shakti Pranayama
c) Savita Chakra Breathing of a particular type

This is a culmination of a Savita Yoga session.

Then come the following parts:

7) Complex Integration through relaxation with Savita music
8) Sharing, mandala drawing
9) Group chanting of the integrative melodic mantras from the world spiritual traditions.

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