Like
many schools of yoga, Dru Yoga has gained a cult following in the West. But
what are the origins of Dru Yoga?
‘Dru’
is the Sanskrit name for the North Star, and the origins of Dru Yoga can be
found in the ancient Indian text called the Srimad Bhagavatam, written around
3,000years ago by Veda Vyasa. Vyasa also authored the Mahabharata (which
contains another yoga philosophy classic, the Bhagavad Gita). The Bhagavatam
includes the story of a young prince Dhruva (shortened to Dru) who sought a
place of permanent peace where he could find true happiness. He searched in the
forest looking for Narayaan (the creator) and was taught a mantra by Narad
muni, a great teacher. The child Dru practised his mantra along with yoga poses
including the Tree posture, and pranayama (breath control) with so much focus
that the whole world was affected. The strength of the child’s spiritual
practice was so great that the creator appeared to Dru, and gave him a
permanent resting place – the North star (Dhruva Nakshatra).
The
North star is a fixed point in the heavens, around which all the other starts
and planets revolve. The Dru star represents the still point within each one of
us. Despite our busy lives, Dru Yoga gives us the tools to remain in this still
point of awareness, so they we do not get stressed by the busyness of life all
around us. Dru Yoga’s poses, meditations and relaxations all help to remind us
of this still point during the day and enable us to lead peaceful yet efficient
lives.
Dru
was first taught in the West by a small group of colleages at Bangor University, North Wales, UK from
the late 1970s and early 1980s. Mansukh Patel, John Jones, Rita Goswami, Annie
Jones and Chris Barrington developed Dru Yoga which in the last 30 years has
gained a cult status across the globe, due to its powerful yoga classes,
calming meditations and effective relaxations. Dru Yoga’s origins in India thousands of years ago have indeed
found a receptive audience in the stressed out modern world!
