ABSTRACT
Contemplative yoga is defined as the generative name for the various Indian paths of self-transcendence—the methodical transmutation of consciousness to the point of liberation from the spell of the ego-personality. The spiritual dimension is emphasized to distinguish it from the modern postural forms of yoga now being widely practiced throughout the country and the world. In contrast to Jungian practices that foster individuation, the aim of contemplative yoga is spiritual awakening. Among the most distinctive characteristics of Indian spirituality is the way in which it preserves, synthesizes, and refreshes itself again and again; accordingly, the yoga tradition has great recombinant power. The primary forms of yoga spirituality that have been effectively transmitted to the West are delineated, an unbroken tradition of philosophy and spiritual disciplines undergoing further development as it takes root in the West. The author elucidates core teachings from the Upanishads, Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, and Tantra, and gives special emphasis to Kashmir Shaivism, a tantric tradition that deeply informs the author’s spirituality and is the form of yoga most kindred to Jungian psychology. Individuation and awakening, while distinctly different, are depicted as complementary processes that can be integrated in fulfilling and efficacious ways to open us to the Spirit within.
