YOGA OF VERTICALITY

The Greek historian Herodotus of Halicarnassus recorded that in Egypt medical knowledge was so profound that there was a specialty for each organ. And the heart, of great importance to this culture, was no exception. It was said that there are vessels in the heart for all the members, in addition to distinguishing the pulse-heart relationship and the double circulation of the blood.

As the doctor and researcher Guillermo Calvo explains, "in the etiology of diseases, the movement of organic fluids was important. It refers to the fact that it was done through a network or system of vessels that originated from the heart. The alteration of such flow was the cause of fevers and pulse disorders. Blood, air, and water circulated through the veins, as well as tendons and nerves. In the heart, they located understanding and intelligence, and it was the only organ that returned to the body after mummification, as the others were deposited in the canopic vessels."

Hence, the importance of returning to the correct position of the vertebral column that Yoga provides, promoting the circulation of both fluids and the energy contained in the body:

"The action of Egyptian Yoga on the vertebral axis and on the other segments of the musculoskeletal system affects the functioning of the various organs, thanks to the nerve connections and the circuits that serve as intermediaries."

Imhotep, Prime Minister of Pharaoh Djoser, of the Third Dynasty (2664 BC), was also High Priest and an eminent doctor. His fame was such that it was said that he not only cured the sick but also resurrected them. A thousand years after his death, he was deified.

And it was precisely the priests, mainly of the goddesses Selket and Neith, who bore the designation of doctor or Sunnu, the one who corrects or heals. Their main centers were the temples of Atem-Ra in Heliopolis, Neith in Sais, Anubis in Letopolis, and Bubastis, indicating the religious and magical nature of the early times of the medical profession.

THREE POSTURES OF EGYPTIAN YOGA

• Tadasana or the Mountain pose of Hindu yoga is found in standing positions, of the pharaonic colossi, and other sculptures of all sizes, expressing the yogic attitudes of concentration and bodily control. The pharaonic statues, sitting or standing, express intense presence "here and now." Their faces are enlightened by self-awareness.

• Chakrasana or the Wheel pose is represented by the dancing woman depicted in the Ostracon that is kept in the museum of Turin, and there are also several represented in the reliefs of the Red Chapel of Hatshepsut, XVIII Dynasty. Some yoga teachers claim that the yoga poses performed in harmonious and beautiful sequences are truly meditative dance. The yoga asanas could well have been the warm-ups for the practice of ritual dance.

• The Candlestick pose is the Ka (=double) greeting of ancient Egypt. Ka is vital energy, it is the energetic double of the physical body. In the practice of Egyptian yoga, the candlestick gesture is commonly performed with different body postures. This gesture, when performed with proper breathing, helps raise vital tone and enhances concentration. It also unlocks the main energy centers if the mental attention is used appropriately. Its practice helps to achieve the connection between body-energy or earth-sky. The KA greeting or candlestick pose can be found represented in different places and cultures around the world.

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