The History of Dragon Yoga

It was the Year of the Dragon and I had spent the better two thirds of my lifetime in the pursuit of martial, yogic and spiritual knowledge. This endeavor had taken me upon a journey across the globe only to lead me right back to my beginnings. In my studies I had learned more than 30 martial arts forms and hundreds of training practices from various systems. I was also knowledgeable in hundreds of yogic asanas, familiar with many kriyas (cleansing practices), and studied in the higher forms of yoga.

Three years previous my daily practice was 5 hours long, consisting of yoga, kung fu and chi kung. I had collected arts from around the world and polished my skills every day til they glowed. I had adjusted my practice along the way as I found practices with wider applications or more diverse training possibilities. I remember when I first learned the ashtanga vinyasa yoga primary series, it was like a yang yoga or a martial version of yoga. The primary series flowed as a form, each move connecting into the next, always practiced the same way, drilling itself into my consciousness just like kung fu. After incorporating Ashtanga into my daily rite I was able to only need 3 hours a morning to train in rather than 5.

After 3 years of daily ashtanga practice, and continued cultivation of kung fu and chi kung I had come to a unifying understanding. There werent separate systems, just different perspectives on the body and its varied application thru postures, practices and ponient displays of power. I had learned the history of yoga and saw where chi kung and kung fu had been birthed from. I had found the crossover point where the martial met the mystic and the yogi became the warrior. I had found the alchemy of the east and I was ready to crack the egg open and release the dragon.

At first I wondered if the world would accept the teaching I had to share in a more excited and curious way if I shrouded it in mystery. I thought that maybe I could say I was hiking in the mountains and found these ancient pictures carved into the wall. I imagined that if I had some way to legitimize my dragon yoga teaching that it would become more “real”. I contemplated it for a few days and decided against the elaborate story and instead to go for a true expression of my talents (thru diligent practice) and studies of all those many years. I told the story as it truly was, I had learned yoga, kung fu and chi kung and eventually unified the three into my own system Dragon Yoga.

Dragon Yoga is a fusion of the essential training techniques and internal arts of shaolin kung fu and the eight limbs of the ashtanga. It bridges the gaps in eastern asian philosophy and integrates aruvedic and chinese physical rejuvination practices by uniting the core concepts of both yoga and martial arts. The 5 element theory, chakra system, meridians and microcosmic meditation all play crucial roles in the understanding and application of this powerful practice.

Dragon Yoga is a system that works to train the individual using the practices and techniques gathered from many diverse arts. This system focuses on helping people learn from objects and nature and especially from themselves. Experiential learning allows each person to develop at their own pace and within their own natural style. Each person is often taught differently, similar to the tradition of many martial arts where each persons’ path to self mastery is unique and so are the practices and process required.

There are some basic practices that everyone does as warm ups and cultivation arts but the advanced training is always personalized. The Dragon Yoga set draws from chi kung its cultivating, circulating, and concentrating of energy while using the movements and flow patterns from kung fu in combination with yogic postures and breathing. The foundational 5 elemental dragons act as both a basic level practice and as a key to higher levels of martial and yogic arts. The many animals styles of Shaolin help add flare and finesse to the traditional poses of yoga. The integration of movement and flow between the postures and stances bridges the yogic and martial flawlessly. Those who cultivate a diligent and dedicated practice of Dragon Yoga will provide themselves with untold benefits and will continually condition and strengthen the body while increasing strength, flexibility, agility, coordination and endurance.

The dragon is a universal symbol of union, it combines the different aspects of many creatures, the wings of the birds, the scales of the lizard, the body of the beasts, and the tail of the serpents. The Dragon is the synthesis of all animals just as Dragon Yoga is the fusion of the eastern arts.

Jeremy Safron