Ananda Shakti Yoga

What Does Ananda Shakti Yoga Mean?

Ananda Shakti yoga is a western style of Kundalini yoga and Tantra yoga developed by Swamini Ma Shakti Devi, a Utah-based yoga instructor. The name comes from the Sanskrit ananda, which means “pure bliss” or “happiness,” and shakti, which refers to feminine divine creative energy. The terms translates as “energy of joy.”

The Swamini Ma Shakti Devi created Ananda Shakti yoga in 2014 with its own Self-realization philosophy and a set of 33 mudras, postures and mantras. Visualizations and samyama are also part of the practice.

Yogapedia Explains Ananda Shakti Yoga

Yoga philosophy typically talks about balancing, but Ananda Shakti yoga focuses on alternating opposites or polarities as the true spiritual path. The “back door enlightenment system” is the traditional yoga method of quieting the mind. That is paired with the “front door enlightenment system,” which focuses on getting in touch with the analytical mind and ego in order to work with them.

Ananda Shakti yoga consists of 24 angas, or “steps,” starting with the asanas and culminating with ananda and shakti. In order, they are:

• Asana, or “pose”
• Padavi, or “posture”
• Bandha, or “lock”
• Mudra, or “seal/gesture”
• Sambadha, or “movement”
• Dristhi, or “the gaze”
• Swara, or “the breath”
• Sama, or “calmness”
• Diksha, or “initiation”
• Pranayama, or “breath control”
• Shanti, or “peace”
• Dhyana, or “meditation”
• Purna, or “integration”
• Yama, or “attitude”
• Nyama, or “observance”
• Bhavana, or “passion”
• Prem, or “love”
• Karma, or “action”
• Samadhi, or “absorption”
• Dharana, or “concentration”
• Pratiahara, or “introspection and what is called outro-spection”
• Samyama, or “mental processes”
• Ananda, or “joy”
• Shakti, defined by ananda shakti yoga as “power”