introduction jnani raja hatha tantric kundalini laya mantra karma bhakti sufism vajrayana zen taoist
Laya Yoga
This term literally means "mergence". It is often considered to be almost identical with Kundalini Yoga with considerable emphasis on meditation on the chakras. But Vivian Worthington says of it: "The principle object of Laya Yoga is to use meditative techniques to cleanse and activate [the] energy system, and bring it into balance." He describes a method which relies on the same psycho-physical anatomy as all Tantric methods but which differs from Kundalini in that the energy descends into the meditator, entering at the crown and suffusing the body from above.
Alain Danielou, on the other hand, speaks of Kundalini rising and piercing the chakras in ascending order as being central to Laya Yoga. The main method he takes to be one of merging one's self with the inner sound (nada) understood as the sonic-vibrational aspect of the divinity. The connection between this method and the chakra model is that this the "unstruck" sound that emanates from the heart chakra, which appropriately is called anahata chakra - literally the unstruck centre.
Clearly, the term "Laya" covers a number of practices. The notion of mergence with the primordial sound coincides with the melting of the subject-object distinction emphasised by Patanjali's Raja Yoga.
introduction jnani raja hatha tantric kundalini laya mantra karma bhakti sufism vajrayana zen taoist