Svatantra
*Sva: One’s own, belonging to oneself, innate, inherent, natural, individuality, soul
*Tantra: a loom, a thread, a network of interconnected threads, a framework, a science. From the root *tan: to extend, spread, spin out, diffuse, continue, shine, extend towards, reach to, to stretch, lengthen, grant, bestow, shed
*Svatantra: Independence, freedom, uncontrolled, original, subject to one's will, self-strong, inherently powerful, valiant, of one's own accord, by nature
Svatantra in Yoga Practice
“Yoga practice evolves from an external ‘other cooked restaurant’ experience to an internal ‘self cooked home’ experience via the stages of:
1. Dependence on an outside teacher and external ambient venue.
2. Interdependence where we add the beginnings of a home practice to our outside support.
3. Independence where we have refined the skill to rely on and be primarily nourished by our home practice.
This is Svatantra.”
– TKV Desikachar