Kemetic Yoga — It’s not the yoga you’re thinking of!

The practice of Kemetic Yoga is to achieve the highest level of consciousness.

The West has colonized and popularized yoga to promote a “feel-good moment”. However the yoga you know today isn’t the Yoga our ancestors were practicing.

Yoga is the practice of mental and spiritual disciplines which lead to self-control and self-discovery by purifying the mind, body and spirit, so as to discover the deeper spiritual essence which lies within every human being in the Universe.

In essence, the goal of yoga is to reunite the lower self with the Higher Self; reunite the soul with its true and original source, God: The Universal Consciousness.

In a broad, sense Yoga is any process which helps one to achieve liberation or freedom from the bondage to human pain and spiritual ignorance. So whenever you engage in any activity with the goal of promoting the discovery if your true Self, be it studying the wisdom teachings, exercice, fasting, meditation, breath control, rituals, chanting, prayer, etc, you are practicing yoga. If the goal is to help you to discover your essential nature as one with God or the Supreme Being or Consciousness, then it is Yoga.

In broad terms, any spiritual movement or discipline that brings one closer to self-knowledge is a “Yogic” movement.

The main recognized forms of Yoga disciplines are:

Yoga of Wisdom
Yoga of Devotional Love
Yoga of Meditation (physical postures Yoga)
Yoga of Selfless Action
Tantric Yoga (Serpent Power Yoga)

If you study, rationalize and reflect upon the teachings — you are practicing Yoga of Wisdom.

If you meditate upon the teachings and your Higher Self — you are practicing Yoga of Meditation.

If you develop your physical nature and psychic energy centres — you are practicing Tantric Yoga (Serpent Power).

If you practice living according to the teachings of ethical behaviour and selflessness — you are practicing Yoga of Action (Maat) in daily life.

If you practice turning your attention towards the Devine by developing love for the Divine — then you are practicing Devotional Yoga (Yoga of Divine Love).

If you practice rituals which identify you with your spiritual nature — you are practicing Yoga of Ritual Identification (which is part of the yoga of wisdom and the yoga of devotional love of the Devine).

Yoga of Wisdom

Yoga of wisdom is imparted in three stages:

Listening — To the wisdom teachings on the nature of reality (creation) and the nature of the Self.
Reflecting — On those teachings and incorporating them into your life.
Meditating — On the meaning of the teachings

Yoga of Selfless Action

Learn Ethics and Law of Cause and Effect — (42 percepts of MAAT)
Practice cultivation of the higher virtues (selfness service) to purify mind and intellect from subtle impurities.
Devotion to the Devine — See the maatian actions as offerings to the Devine
See oneself as one with MAAT — Union with the cosmic order which is the Transcendental Supreme Self.

Yoga of Devotional Love

Get to know Divinity
Offerings to Divinity — Offering Oneself to God.
Chant the name of the Divinity
Commune with the Divinity — Become One with God.

Yoga of Meditation (physical postures Yoga)

In Ancient Egypt the practice of the postures, called Tjef Sema Paut Neteru which means “Movements to promote union with the gods and goddesses” were part of the ritual aspect of the spiritual myth, which when practiced, served to harmonize the energies and promote the physical health of the body and direct the mind in a meditative capacity to discover and cultivate divine consciousness.

Tantric Yoga (Serpent Power Yoga)

Tantra means to create a bridge between the opposites. The union of the male and female principles may be effected by two individuals who worship God through God’s manifestation in each other or by an individual who seeks union with God trough uniting with his or her male or female spiritual partner.

In tantrism, sexual symbolism is used frequently because these are the most powerful images denoting the opposites of Creation and the urge to unify and become whole. For sexuality is the urge for unity and self-discovery albeit limited to physical intercourse by most people. If this force is understood, harnessed and sublimated it will lead to unity of the highest order that is unity with the Divine Self.

Yoga, in all of its forms and disciplines of spiritual development, was practiced in Egypt “Kemet” earlier than anywhere else in history. This unique perspective from the highest philosophical system which developed in Africa over seven thousand years ago provides a new way to look at life, religion, the discipline of psychology and the way to spiritual development leading to spiritual Enlightenment.

Kemetics mythology, when understood as a system of yoga (union of the individual soul with the Universal Soul or Supreme Consciousness) gives every individual insight into their own divine nature.

This article is inspired by Meditation: The Ancient Egyptian Path to Enlightenment by Dr. Muata Ashby.

If you want to learn more and be inspired to live by your highest spiritual ambitions, I highly recommend the Dr. Muata Ashby series of books. His teachings are very helpful for understanding some hidden truths that affect people’s human existence and what matters to the soul.