Cross-Listed on American Yoga Council.

When:
Tuesday mornings from 10-12. All classes will be on Pacific Standard Time.
11 weekends from starting September 22, with a break for Thanksgiving week.
1. September 22: Welcome! Nāḍī Śodhana. Sanskrit pronunciation. Intention Setting. Chanting. What is Yoga?
2. September 29. Nāḍī Śodhana. Sanskrit pronunciation. Intention Setting. Chanting. Veda, Pre- and Post-Buddhist Upaniṣads. Sound vibration as Source.
3. October 6. Nāḍī Śodhana. Chanting. Bandha Meditation. Early Yogic Body: Upaniṣad. Koshas. Prāṇa. Prāṇavayu. Nāḍī. Bandha.
4. October 13. Nāḍī Śodhana. Chanting. Picking up the sword Meditation. Bhagavad Gītā. Not your basic reading. Politics of BG, history and setting. Subtle body allegory of BG.
5. October 20. Nāḍī Śodhana. Chanting. Bandha Meditation. Nāḍī Śodhana. Chanting. Overview, Guṇa, Samkhya. Yoga Sutra of Patañjali. Samadhi, Distractions to Practice.
6. October 27. Nāḍī Śodhana. Chanting. Meditation. Yoga Sutra of Patañjali. Yama Niyama.
7. November 3. Nāḍī Śodhana. Chanting. Tantric body Meditation. Tantra: Early Strata.
8. November 10. Nāḍī Śodhana. Chanting. Tantric Body Meditation. Tantra: Utpaladeva and beyond.
9. November 17. Nāḍī Śodhana. Chanting. Tantric Body Meditation. Tantra: Cakra (chakras) and tantric body. The real story of the cakra.
November 24- NO CLASS (Thanksgiving)
10. December 1. Nāḍī Śodhana. Chanting. Meditation. Spiritual Emergence (Dispassion)
11. December 8. Nāḍī Śodhana. Chanting. Meditation. Early Haṭha Yoga, Amṛtasiddhi, Haṭha Yoga Body.
12. December 15. Modern Postural Yoga: Who are we? Nāḍī Śodhana. Chanting. Meditation. Wrap up.

What:
In this 12-week workshop, available streamed online, we will uncover:

- An overview of the history of yoga. We will start by asking where yoga comes from, what the word means, and where the history of yoga lies in the overall religious landscape of Southeast Asia.
- An overview of the history of sacred sound, including the sound oṃ
Texts: Veda, Upaniṣads, Bhagavad Gītā
3 weekends

- A look at the early subtle body of yoga from the Upaniṣads: what is prāṇa? How does it move? Where does the concept originate? What are the kośas?
Texts: Upaniṣads
1 weekend

- A look at what people today call “Classical Yoga,” including a deep analysis of the Yoga Sutra of Patañjali (Pātañjalayogaśāstra)
Texts: Yoga Sutras of Patañjali
2 weeks

- A brief history of tantra, with a focus on the Goddess traditions. Who is She? Where in the yoga literature and traditions is She developed? What are her key stories and texts? This historic element helps to give a solid grounding for some of the more overlooked aspects of the Goddess traditions. It is through Her own textual sources that She must be understood. We will read some of these texts to unpack very specific key passages. Each “Embodying the Goddess” workshop will focus on a specific passage.
- A history of the yogic body from tantra: what is the origin of the cakras?
Texts: Śivastotrāvali, Pratyabhijñā Hṛdayam, Vijñānabhairavatantra, and several more.
3 weeks

-Spiritual Crisis/Emergence (Dispassion). What happens when all sense of reality… disappears? What is spiritual emergence? What can the sacred texts say about the spiritual experience, the passing through the Gateless Gate of the Void? We will look at the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha, with a focus on Rāma’s crisis, the story of the mind, and the story of Queen Chudala.
Text: Yoga Vāsiṣṭha
1 week

-Haṭha Yoga and Modern Postural Yoga. What is Haṭha yoga, and what are the earliest sources? Where does it originate, and what was the purpose in the earliest stratum? How did that get moved into our modern times? Where, when, and why? Are we practicing “yoga” today? Do we have a right? What is appropriation?
2 weeks

- In each module we will include: Chanting, Meditation Practices that include embodied awareness, including breathing practices (pranayama), elemental meditation, and awareness of the energetic/yogic body.

- Connection and lateral story sharing. This element is crucial in Embodying the Goddess. The hierarchal model of “I teach, you listen,” must end. We must learn to sit with one another in honesty, kindness, creativity, and reverence for what-is. As we build community we also claim agency, accessing the deep inner Heart of vibration and pulsation that is Her very form.


Where:
Streamed online. Monday mornings from 10-12 PST. Link sent upon registration.

Must pay for all classes, no discounts or accommodations for sessions missed.
Payment plans accepted.
Cost: $950 early bird (August 1).
$1150 after August 1.
Last day to sign up: Sept 22 at 9am PST.
Please email: Cynthia.Abulafia@gmail.com if interested.