Tsa lung Trul khor (lit. "magical movement instrument, channels and inner breath currents") known for brevity as
Trul khor (lit. "magical instrument" or "magic circle") is a
Himalayan
tantric discipline which includes
breathwork (or
pranayama), meditative contemplation (or
dhyana) and precise dynamic movements (or
Body work) to centre the practitioner (as
bindu is core to
mandala) and to engender the
body-mind precision of a keened instrument.
Chögyal Namkai Norbu Rinpoche, a prominent exponent of Trul khor, prefers to use the Sanskrit equivalent term,
Yantra Yoga, when writing in English. Trul khor hones the practitioner's faculty and supports the
mindstream re-emergence of natural
body-mind or
primordial awareness or
rigpa (cf.
Dzogchen).
right|108pxTrul khor traditionally consists of
108 movements, including bodily movements (or dynamic
asana), incantations (or
mantra),
breathwork, and
visualizations, all timed to heart rhythms. The flow or
vinyasa (Sanskrit) of movements are enlikened to beads on a
mala. The body postures (or
asanas) of ancient Himalayan yogis are depicted on the walls of the
Dalai Lama's summer temple of
Lukhang. Trul khor is the fruitful distillation of the confluence of centuries of ancient
Bön movements, Indian
yogic traditions, and Chinese movement forms (that developed into disciplines such as
Tai Chi Chuan).
Himalayan physical yogas vary between lineages and the complexity of the practices are not disclosed until a deep level of
samaya is realised by the practitioner.
See also
