Instructors at Saraswati River Yoga in New Hope, Pa., meld spiritual pursuits with artistic talent in a yantra painting workshop March 7-9.
By: Amy Brummer
In the beginning, there was nothing and everything. According to Indian legend, this moment before time is represented by the bindu, a center of undifferentiated consciousness from which the universe springs forth.
For the wise ones, who could see the continuity of birth, life and the transcendent, this energy of creation manifested itself in the form of sacred geometry. It formed a blueprint of how we understand ourselves and our place in the universe. The physical manifestation of it is called a yantra, which means machine. It is a device for meditation and visualization as well as a tool for harnessing those energies.
On March 7-9, Saraswati River Yoga in New Hope, Pa., will hold a three-day workshop devoted to this sacred art. Led by Kirin Mishra and Sandy Hill, it will begin on Friday evening with an introduction to the history and mythology of the yantra, continue with a creation of a yantra Saturday and conclude Sunday with a ceremony to worship and meditate on the creation.
"The yantras are sacred art," says Ms. Mishra, who teaches yoga at Saraswati River Yoga. "Of course, intrinsically, everything is sacred, but the point in distinguishing it is that (the yantra) has the ability to draw us into that spiritual consciousness. And it is art, so like all of art it has a history, it has stories behind it.
"You know how every picture tells a story? All the paintings tell a story, and all of the stories are linked to legends and mythologies. These mythologies in particular talk to us about levels of mind and consciousness, they talk to us about energies that move through the universe and move through us, and they have stories. A yantra has a story, and that is why we are focusing on one yantra. And of course being Saraswati River Yoga, it will be the Saraswati yantra."
While there are several different forms of yantra that correlate to individual deities, they all begin with the bindu at the center. Then they open into a triangle, a sacred geometry that reflects the emergence of a thing, its opposite and its reconciliation. From there they take on different forms and reflect the color energy of the god or goddess they invoke.
As Ms. Mishra explains, the first thing that emanated from the bindu was a sound vibration, then light, and ultimately Vac, the sacred word which is pure vibration.
"Once you have that you can have material objects," she says. "(Vac) is inherently sentient, intelligent and has a feminine aspect because it is going to move, and that is Saraswati the goddess. Through her creativity, because that is what takes the unknown and makes it known, she brings forth the universe in a flood, a river. She is considered a river of wisdom because in order to be creative in the world you must have wisdom.
"Saraswati, the great goddess in the dawn of time, brings forth the sacred word. From the sacred word she makes the Sanskrit alphabet, from the Sanskrit alphabet she makes gods and godesses, and from the gods and godesses she makes all of us. And it is all from the descent of pure vibration of divine energy."
While the idea of trying to harness divine energy may seem intimidating to the uninitiated, it has more to do with receptivity than with artistic skill or training. Sandy Hill, who will lead the class through the process of creating the yantra, began her training without any prior artistic studies.
"I had never done any painting before I started painting yantras," says Ms. Hill, a massage therapist and yoga instructor. "I never took a drawing class or a painting class and I took to it right away. People don’t need any experience. I think they do need to have some interest in meditation or some sort of interest in focusing their mind that way because that is what it requires. Meditation is essential. Focusing the mind is the first and most important thing. To do that we use mantras that are specific to the yantra we are painting and carry that energy. So meditating on that mantra, we clear the space, just like clearing the ground before building a temple."
The mantra is a sacred phrase that helps the mind and body achieve the unity that is necessary to do the work. By clearing the mind and moving the energy through the body, an artist can focus on the intricate process. Ms. Hill, who has studied with masters of the discipline such as Mavis Gewant, recognizes how powerful the mantra is because she has seen her own body achieve things that seem impossible.
"My hand was actually shaking," she recalls. "You would think that I would not get a straight line from that, but I’m so focused on the mantra that I was amazed to see that even though my hand was shaking it was a straight line that was coming out. I’ll hold my hand there and give myself completely to the mantra. That is how it works."
Working either on canvas or watercolor paper, Ms. Hill honors the space through meditation, clearing it for the yantra. Then she finds the center point and draws the diagram using a ruler, compass and pencil to achieve perfect proportions. As this is particularly difficult, she will provide students in the workshop with a canvas that has been drawn out, but is open to teaching this skill to students who are interested at a later time.
Even though students are working with the same basic blueprint and colors, the results are surprisingly varied.
"It is wonderful to do it in a group," Ms. Hill says, "like a group yoga class because the group energy supports you. So we’ll meditate and chant together and it will help everyone let go of everything else to be able to really focus. We’ll all basically use the same colors, but what everyone comes up with will be uniquely their own. It is because you are putting your own energy and your own focus into it, so your energy comes through in a different way, each hand, each mind comes through differently."
While the creation of the yantra is a moving meditation, it can also be used for sitting meditation upon completion. As opposed to being a depiction of a deity, the yantra is a spiritual manifestation in and of itself, having received the energy of the creator through the artist. It is a powerful relationship that becomes even more profound through being involved in the process.
"One of the things I realized when I first started painting yantras," Ms. Hill says, "is that I think I am the one painting the yantra, but really the yantra is doing me, and the mantra is doing me. As soon as you start working with the mantra, as soon as you start working with the geometries and the colors, they have an effect on your whole being. So by Sunday afternoon, everyone will already be having an amazing experience."
Sacred Yantra Painting Workshop will take place at Saraswati River Yoga, 415 S. York Road, New Hope, Pa., March 7-9. The three-day workshop begins Fri., 6:30-8:30 p.m., and continues Sat.-Sun., noon-5:30 p.m. The cost, including vegetarian snacks, is $225 before March 1, and $250 afterward, with a registration deadline of March 5. For information, call (215) 862-4520. On the Web: www.saraswatiriveryoga.com

