The ''Vimānārcanākalpa'' is a 10th to 11th century text on

Hatha yoga Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga which uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel the vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ ''haṭha'' literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some haṭha ...

, attributed to the sage

Marichi Marichi ( sa, मरीचि, Marīci, lit=ray of light) or Mareechi or Marishi is the mind-born son of Brahma, and one of the Saptarishi in Hindu mythology. He is also the father of Kashyapa, and the grandfather of the ''devas'' and the '' ...

Text

The ''Vimanarcanakalpa'' is a 10th to 11th century prose text on

, attributed to the sage

. revised from American Academy of Religions conference, San Francisco, 19 November 2011. It states that

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

is the union of the individual with the supreme self. It is one of the earliest texts to describe a non-seated

asana An asana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga ...

and to call such postures asanas (the term originally and literally meaning a seat), namely

Mayurasana Mayūrāsana ( sa, मयूरासन) or Peacock pose is a hand-balancing asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise with the body held horizontal over the hands. It is one of the oldest non-seated asanas. Etymology and origins The ...

the peacock pose. In chapter 96 it describes nine asanas in all (Brahmasana,

Svastikasana Siddhasana ( sa, सिद्धासन; ) or Accomplished Pose, is an ancient seated asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise suitable for meditation. The names Muktasana (Sanskrit: मुक्तासन, Liberated Pose) and Burmes ...

, Padmasana,

Gomukhasana Gomukhasana ( sa, गौमुखासन; IAST: ''Gomukhāsana'') or Cow Face Pose is a seated asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, sometimes used for meditation. Etymology and origins The name comes from the Sanskrit गौ ''g ...

Simhasana Simhasana ( sa, सिंहासन; IAST: ''Siṁhāsana'') or Lion Pose is an asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise. Etymology and origins The name comes from the Sanskrit words ''simha'' (सिंह), meaning "lion", and '' ...

Muktasana Siddhasana ( sa, सिद्धासन; ) or Accomplished Pose, is an ancient seated asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise suitable for meditation. The names Muktasana (Sanskrit: मुक्तासन, Liberated Pose) and Burmese ...

, Virasana,

Bhadrasana Baddha Konasana ( sa, बद्धकोणासन ; IAST: ''baddhakoṇāsana''), Bound Angle Pose, Butterfly Pose, or Cobbler's Pose (after the typical sitting position of Indian cobblers when they work), and historically called Bhadrasana, Th ...

, and Mayurasana), some 500 years before the ''

Hatha Yoga Pradipika The ''Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā'' ( or Light on Hatha Yoga) is a classic fifteenth-century Sanskrit manual on haṭha yoga, written by Svātmārāma, who connects the teaching's lineage to Matsyendranath of the Nathas. It is among the most inf ...

''. Its account of Mayurasana, in

James Mallinson James Mallinson (1943 – 24 August 2018) was a British record producer. He was the first winner of the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Classical category, and won a total of 16 Grammy Awards in his career. He won his first three Grammy aw ...

's translation, is: The text teaches a method of

pratyahara Pratyahara () or the 'gathering towards' is the fifth element among the Eight stages of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, as mentioned in his classical work, ''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'' composed in the 2nd century BCE. It is also the first stage of the ...

, withdrawal using the breath, which is raised through 18 stages called marmans, vital points. The ''Vimanarcanakalpa'' describes other topics, such as the practice of burying sacred bronze objects to protect them in times of trouble.

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