Yoga, Mantra, and Art

The practice of yoga has a centuries-long history in the Himalayas and surrounding regions. While in the West yoga is often presented as a mostly physical practice, the yogic tradition contains a lot more than poses and stretches. Yoga is a system of philosophy and practice that seeks to help people align their body and mind in order to transform their experience. One translation of yoga is “yoke,” the tool used to connect an ox to a plough.

Like yoga, the artworks in the Rubin Museum’s collection, intended for ritual purposes as well as aesthetic ones, seek to link the worldly and the transcendent. Below are a few objects from the collection that explore yoga and its connection to mantra, art, and Buddhist deities.

One yogic practice found extensively in the Himalayas is the use of mantras. Mantras are strings of syllables that invoke the power and presence of a deity. Essentially, the mantra is the deity in sound form. The most common mantra found in the Himalayas is that of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Almost anywhere you go, you’ll find his mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, written or recited again and again, bringing Avalokiteshvara’s compassion into our realm.

There are a variety of yoga poses depicted in the art in the Rubin’s collection. Above is the yogi Jalandhara, who is important in both Hindu and Buddhist yogic traditions. If you’ve ever performed the Jalandhara Bandha, or chin lock, in your yoga class, he is the namesake for the pose.

Need inspiration for your warrior pose? Look no further than the incredible sculpture of the fiercely powerful goddess Durga (top image), one of the jewels of the Rubin’s collection. The pose implies action and movement, two things this static sculpture conveys incredibly well. The sculpture depicts Durga slaying Mahishasura, a demon in the form of a buffalo that has been terrorizing the world. Though it’s no longer in her hand, this sculpture originally depicted Durga holding a spear and stabbing Mahisha in the heart.

 The Rubin has a lot of paintings and sculptures, but what about other forms of art found in the Himalayas? This mask is used for a unique style of dance known as cham performed at many monasteries throughout the Himalayas. Cham is not just a performance but also a religious expression stemming from the tantric yoga tradition. The mask depicts Dorje Drolo, a wrathful form of the great Indian tantric master Padmasambhava. In addition to establishing Buddhism in Tibet, Padmasambhava brought this tradition of ritual dances, which help purify the land and subdue spirits that could cause harm.

To this day cham serves as a way for the community to gather together and enjoy a performance. During these dances, monasteries often put out large tapestries for the public to see, which combine with the music and dance to make a truly multimedia experience. Below is an example of such a tapestry.