Kemetic yoga is rooted in the beliefs and customs of ancient Egypt. One of Egypt’s earliest names was “Kemet.” It includes some of the same poses as Indian yoga, like the warrior pose and child’s pose, which people naturally use to train specific body areas. The positions that ground the sequences are different and are inspired by the stances of Egyptian deities in wall carvings in temples and pyramids. When practitioners of Kemetic yoga hold one of these poses, they receive the physical benefits of the pose and channel the ideals that God embodies.
Kemetic yoga originated in ancient Egyptian history and is sometimes called Smai Tawi, African, or Egyptian yoga. Kemetic yoga sessions frequently resemble other yoga styles in combining meditation, pranayama, or breath exercises with various yoga poses or asanas. However, the philosophical foundations of Kemetic yoga are what make it unique. Kemetic yoga alters the body’s energy flow to promote enlightenment or spiritual awakening.
“Smai Tawi,” which roughly translates to “the union of the upper and lower Kemet,” is the Kemetic word for Kemetic yoga. The deeper meaning of the Kemetic yoga notion of the inner and outer union comes from its association with the Egyptian gods Heru and Sebek, also associated with the spine and lungs. This imagery represents how the union of the breath with physical movement and higher meditation consciousness is how kemetic yoga offers practitioners the feeling of physical and spiritual unification.
Compared to other yoga types, Kemetic yoga classes are frequently performed more slowly. Many kemetic yoga programs emphasize meditation and opening the body’s energy centers, chakras, or aritu. Kemetic yoga has many of the same poses as other yoga styles, but it focuses more on the stances shown in the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt.
The Background of Kemetic Yoga
Though it was once thought that yoga originated primarily in India, there is mounting evidence that the ancient Egyptians also practiced a type of yoga. Hieroglyphic pictures of several Egyptian pharaohs and goddesses in yoga poses discovered in Egyptian temples are the earliest proof of Kemetic yoga.
Kemetic yoga was created in the 1970s by Asar Hapi and Yirser Ra Hotep, who conducted the first study to evaluate these hieroglyphs. When Egypt was at the height of its civilization and spiritual growth, under the reign of the pharaohs, the country was known by the name Kemet, or KMT.
Kemetic yoga is a special kind that caters to the experience of Black and Brown people and allows them to delve further into African spiritual traditions, even though it is open to people of all colors and ethnicities. Kemetic yoga is sometimes cited as another instance of the subjugation of Black and Brown people in the United States, yet many modern yoga studios overlook its significance and history.
It is hardly unexpected that Kemetic yoga is not more well-known or well-liked given this tumultuous past. However, it cannot be disputed that Kemetic yoga has genuine ancient roots and can be highly beneficial for physical and spiritual well-being. For millennia, cultures have been conversing and exchanging knowledge; Kemetic yoga is only one instance of how yoga has spread and changed across cultural boundaries.
An Explanation of Kemetic Yoga’s Advantages
Kemetic yoga is distinct in that it transcends the physical realm, utilizing the subtle body’s potential to facilitate spiritual enlightenment. In its original Indian origins, yoga also strongly emphasized enlightenment and self-development; however, many contemporary yoga varieties have lost this emphasis. With its focus on spiritual development and awakening, Kemetic yoga takes practitioners back to the origins of these practices.
Beyond its spiritual aspects, Kemetic yoga offers other physical and mental health advantages, such as:
- Maintains the spinal column’s balance
- Adjusts the musculoskeletal and neural systems
- Decreases tension
- Promotes better blood circulation
- Facilitates the body’s oxygenation and nourishment
- Accelerate the life force energy flow
- Improves the mobility of cerebral spinal fluid
- Enhances attention and concentration
- Foster’s tranquility within and a spiritual awakening
Promotes Resilience
You can experience a profound oneness of the body, mind, and soul rooted in the ancient teachings of Egyptian spirituality by practicing Kemetic yoga regularly. Those of African origin can enjoy a truly inclusive and accessible yoga practice with Kemetic yoga, which other Indian yoga types frequently cannot offer. Kemetic yoga satisfies their needs and honors their roots.
Kemetic Yoga Poses
Kemetic yoga shares many of the same positions as other kinds of yoga. However, incorporating the yoga poses shown in the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt gives kemetic yoga poses their distinctive qualities. Yoga students can connect to this old tradition and unlock the secret energetic power of these postures for the body, mind, and soul by modifying these identical poses.
Here are some of the most well-liked kemetic yoga poses:
1. The “Mummy Pose”
The Indian yoga stance, the Corpse stance, or savasana, is comparable to this kemetic pose. Yoga practitioners can relate to the idea of spiritual resurrection by doing the mummy posture, which also serves as a reminder of everyone’s inherent spiritual essence.
2. The “Neferterm Pose”
This yoga stance pays homage to the ancient Egyptian god Nefertem, who is seen wearing a lotus flower on his head in Egyptian hieroglyphics. This yoga stance is comparable to the Indian lotus pose or padmasana. Still, it emphasizes the spiritual link to this potent Egyptian deity and the process of rebirth.
3. The “Geb Pose”
This pose, known as djed in Kemetic yoga, is centered around strengthening the spine. The Kemetic yoga concept asserts that we can promote energy flow through the body and spiritual awakening through unified consciousness by strengthening and stabilizing the spine. This pose resembles Ardha Matsyendrasana, the seated spinal twist in Indian yoga.
4. The “Anpu Pose”
The god of the dead from ancient Egypt, Anpu, is a link between material and spiritual worlds. This posture mimics a hieroglyphic depiction of this god found in ancient Egypt, in which he is depicted kneeling with one hand lifted over his heart and the other resting on it. This position symbolizes letting go of the ego and promoting mental and physical cleanliness.
5. The “Selkhet Pose”
Another goddess from ancient Egypt associated with the underworld and the afterlife is Selkhet. By assuming this posture, practitioners of Kemetic yoga can become the goddess’ energy and encourage the flow of life force energy. This yoga stance is comparable to the mountain pose, or tadasana, practiced in Indian yoga.
6. The “Heruamkhet Pose”
The sphinx, a revered ancient Egyptian emblem, is embodied in this yoga stance. This yoga practice, which resembles a cross between the Indian yoga positions of child’s pose (balasana) and sphinx pose (bhujangasana), delves further into the Egyptian yoga philosophy by expressing the might of this extraordinary entity.
7. The “Sobek Pose”
Another ancient Egyptian divinity associated with the Nile or West African crocodile inspires this yoga pose. Though it differs from the Indian crocodile stance, this yoga pose is sometimes called the crocodile pose. Instead, this yoga practice shares a closer physical relationship with the pigeon stance, known as kapotasana.
8. The “Kemetic Breath”
Kemetic yoga frequently places a lot more focus on breathing exercises and meditation than it does on the actual poses. During the Kemetic breath, energy is inhaled up the spine to the center of the third eye, held for a short while, then exhaled down the body to the tips of the toes and held again for a little period. Kemetic yoga’s coordinated breathing technique improves the energetic experience and balances the mind.
Wrap-Up by Doc T Elliott
Kemetic yoga is a very slow-paced and soothing kind of yoga that focuses on releasing tension from the body. However, it shares many mental and physical advantages, such as yoga with Indian roots. The spiritual benefits of Kemetic yoga outweigh the physical ones. Practitioners move and circulate energy throughout the body using a breathing process known as the “Rule of Four Breathing,” ultimately aiming to bring oneself into harmony with the universe.
Attending Kemetic yoga workshops and programs in the United States and elsewhere allows many Black students to reclaim their history via practice. Black Americans’ ancestors were compelled to abandon their names, languages, and religions to live in America. When so many Black people realize and become aware of these facts, they begin to look for something else. African ancestors are the source of Kemetic yoga, which Black people can claim.