Smai Tawi is a more than 7000 years old spiritual African practice from the Nile valley. It is all about leaving limitations behind and becoming one with the divine; in short, it is all about unity and harmony. The goal is to merge the personal lower self and the higher self, to dissolve dualities in order to (re)connect with the universal, the divine. This is achieved through breathing exercises, physical exercises, a special Code of Conduct (the 42 laws of Maat), and meditation.
Nowadays Smai Tawi it is better known as Kemetic Yoga. The term “Kemetic“ refers to ancient Egypt and most people are familiar with the word “Yoga” meaning, as well as Smai Tawi “union”. Other modern names for this ancient practical training system are African Yoga, Egyptian Yoga and Pharaonic Yoga.
While practicing Smai Tawi it is most important to unify alleged opposites and ultimately the lower and higher self.
Symbols for the lower self are Lower Kemet (the north of Egypt), the deity Set and the papyrus plant. On a mental level it is everything wich is negative and uncontrolled in the human mind including egoism and ignorance.
The symbols for the higher self are Upper Kemet (the south of Egypt), the deity Heru and the lotus plant. On a mental and emotional level it is everything that is above temptations and is good in the human heart.
Smai Tawi features a complete set of original postures with a strong emphasis on verticality, spinal axis correction and concentration development. Smai Tawi is revealed as a discipline of dynamic self-manipulation of the spine facilitating the progressive straightening of the spinal column and of the shoulders. As a result, optimal pulmonary capacity is retrieved, which, in turn, leads to improved internal organ function. If you are familiar with Yoga you might recognize poses like Nefertem (Lotus), Wadjet (Cobra), Shen (Bridge) and Geb pose (Plough). While being accurate and precise, the postures of Smai Tawi have an inherent simplicity that surprises anyone who associates Smai Tawi with Yoga and its contortionism and acrobatics.
So what do I need to practice Smai Tawi? The answer is super easy: the only requirement is complete presence during each movement. That’s it.
“External factors are of little importance. The true temple is inside, the true posture is the inner-posture.” – Babacar Khane
In this spirit: Enjoy your very own Smai Tawi practice!
What is Smai Tawi?
What is Smai Tawi?
Smai Tawi is a more than 7000 years old spiritual African practice from the Nile valley. It is all about leaving limitations behind and becoming one with the divine; in short, it is all about unity and harmony. The goal is to merge the personal lower self and the higher self, to dissolve dualities in order to (re)connect with the universal, the divine. This is achieved through breathing exercises, physical exercises, a special Code of Conduct (the 42 laws of Maat), and meditation.
Nowadays Smai Tawi it is better known as Kemetic Yoga. The term “Kemetic“ refers to ancient Egypt and most people are familiar with the word “Yoga” meaning, as well as Smai Tawi “union”. Other modern names for this ancient practical training system are African Yoga, Egyptian Yoga and Pharaonic Yoga.
While practicing Smai Tawi it is most important to unify alleged opposites and ultimately the lower and higher self.
Symbols for the lower self are Lower Kemet (the north of Egypt), the deity Set and the papyrus plant. On a mental level it is everything wich is negative and uncontrolled in the human mind including egoism and ignorance.
The symbols for the higher self are Upper Kemet (the south of Egypt), the deity Heru and the lotus plant. On a mental and emotional level it is everything that is above temptations and is good in the human heart.
Smai Tawi features a complete set of original postures with a strong emphasis on verticality, spinal axis correction and concentration development. Smai Tawi is revealed as a discipline of dynamic self-manipulation of the spine facilitating the progressive straightening of the spinal column and of the shoulders. As a result, optimal pulmonary capacity is retrieved, which, in turn, leads to improved internal organ function. If you are familiar with Yoga you might recognize poses like Nefertem (Lotus), Wadjet (Cobra), Shen (Bridge) and Geb pose (Plough). While being accurate and precise, the postures of Smai Tawi have an inherent simplicity that surprises anyone who associates Smai Tawi with Yoga and its contortionism and acrobatics.
So what do I need to practice Smai Tawi? The answer is super easy: the only requirement is complete presence during each movement. That’s it.
In this spirit: Enjoy your very own Smai Tawi practice!