Yoga Arudam

Two great texts on yoga are the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita. Whereas the Yoga Sutras are written as a pithy scientific treatise, the Bhagavad Gita is written as a poem ( It means the Lord's song) and is designed especially to appeal to the heart (and melt it). Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita, titled Dhyana Yoga, the science of dhyana or meditation, is a quintessential chapter on yoga and the description and destination of a yogi. Here, Bhagavan Krishna picks up where he left in the second and third chapters on yoga, and goes in to describe in detail who a yogi is, the yogi's lifestyle, the glories of a yogi and their destiny across lifetimes. 

Why is this class offered ?

There are tens of thousands of studios around the world that teach basic yoga asanas, which provide stretching and relaxation. However, this is a small portion of Yoga as enunciated in the ancient yogic scriptures. Whichever path one finds yoga through, be it meditation, asana practice or the study of scriptures, a yogic life involves certain aspects of self control. This is how yoga was taught traditionally. The purpose of this series, is therefore, to give the practitioner a feel for the dimensions of yoga enunciated in the ancient texts through asanas. This is a sequel series to "The Subtler Dimensions of Asana Practice". We will use asanas as a tool to help find these subtler dimensions of yoga by working with the mind and using the prana and the bandhas.

Format :

75 minute of asana practice with focus on the bandhas, the prana and the breath

35 minutes of the study of Bhagavad Gita, chapter 6, and other yogic scriptures

Video recording will be provided to all participants.

If you have missed part-1, I can send you the recordings for the theory portion of part-1 upon registration.

Open practice hours and asana specifics classes:

In addition there will be (optional) open practice hours during weekday mornings via video conf. and a couple of (optional) in-person/zoom classes on a few Sunday mornings, in a self practice fashion, with questions and assistance in poses that the participants would like help on.

Location: Online and in-person at a large rental Yoga studio in San Jose

Dates: 6 Saturdays, from May 6 to June 10. 

Time : 2pm-4pm Pacific time. 

Registration form

Cost : $140 for 6 classes. It is suggested that you register for the full workshop. The number of participants will be limited. (If you have financial difficulty or wish to pay a different amount because you are from another country, you may contact me with a well thought through email explaining why you are interested and I will be able to help you)

Slides

Target audience: Any one interested in the spiritual and mystical aspects of yoga from the ancient scriptures. People with an established asana practice will benefit a lot from this dimension of yoga which is not taught in yoga classes.

Reference:

1)  Creating space for the scriptures to do their work through asana practice

2) Once a Yogi, always a yogi

3) Prowess in Poses: The secrets that they do not tell you

4) "The Subtle aspects of Hatha Yoga" Workshop -video and slides