Hello Yoginis and Yogis,

Update on the Level II Course.

We have been busy preparing a center in Thailand that will be very conducive to the practice of Yoga, as some of you are quite aware. In this setting, you will find the course to be a challenging and exciting adventure to both the inner world and outer world. We will be including beach classes, snorkeling tours and trekking through the jungle

With the Hatha yoga section we will be going over the old postures (Man, are they ever old), but with an update on alignment and form for many of them. As this has become rather important in Western yoga practice, it is significant for you as teachers to be aware of what the standards are, and why. We will also go into more detail an the cautions and possible injuries that can come from practicing the more delicate or advanced poses without adequate preparation.
Our practices will be involving some of the more advanced poses, like headstands, Oli Mudras, Peacock and such, yes even the Scorpion (since there are a few around here – we need to be prepared). These and many stretches will be taken further than before, with a little help from partnership yoga where we can assist each other in moving beyond our resistances. Many of our morning routines will be series of positions and movements that flow together in an Egyptian style that is sometimes called vinyasa. We hope you are all well practiced in your level I material.
As we move into the Dandhals it will be with flowing grace, rhythm and synchronicity of breath body and music. Special routines are being prepared to introduce the Dances of Savitri. She is the Goddess of rhythm in Muladhara Chakra and just loves to dance with Dandhal yogis. Our daily dance with Savitri will keep you out of the clutches of Dakini the otherwise seductive witch that likes to keep your energy asleep. (To be discussed in the Jnana Yoga section.) Water Dandhals will be part of our beach classes – this develops into a very effective means of therapy for those with disabilities.
More of the toning and sounds will be added to our Chakra Yoga routines, using Bija Mantras to integrate posture with the mind through the Fifth chakra.

Jnana Yoga is #2 yoga, fitting for Level II; it is the path of mind wisdom. The relaxation techniques used in Jnana yoga are designed to pull us out of the external world so as to explore the inner workings of the mind. (No it does not mean we will be doing six hours of relaxation every day), but we shall do these more in depth, using special sound journeys that are conducive to that exploration. These journeys will be discussed in conjunction with the mythological side of the charkas, when we talk about the Hakinis, the witches who dwell in each energy vortex to keep us out. The cross-cultural symbolism of these myths will take us to a more enlightened understanding of the forces that work within the human psyche to keep us normal. For instance Dakini who has a thorn in one hand with which she pricked the Goddess Kundalini and put her to sleep – sounds a lot like Sleeping Beauty, do you know who the seven dwarves are, those who are waiting for her to wake up? (Chakras) And what of the Prince (consciousness) who will come and wake her with a kiss….
Ohhh life could become like an exciting fairy tale once again, as we grow younger.
These inhibiting forces (Hakinis) are to be balanced with the inspiration of the deities in each Chakra. These mythological relations between the deities and witches represent the conflicts within us and the qualities of the energies at each level of our being. The path to awakening is ours to tread and Level II surely will take us along that path.
In these discussions of ours, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras play a significant role, as he had so much to say about just how the mind deludes us for lifetimes. He speaks of the obstacles along the path, the things that come up and keep us busy elsewhere; the distractions and blockages we face are all part of the human journey. By comparing this with what we have seen in our own experiences we might come with some good ideas on how to proceed with our evolution.
The Serpent Power is another text that brings a lot of insight on our journey, so we will be looking at many excerpts on how to deal with the Grunthies. (remember them?)

Pranayama Yoga means we will be breathing again. The air here in the jungle is rather rich with both oxygen and prana. You can feel the effectiveness of each breath, and you will get to notice that with the sessions we have at various times of day. There will be a refinement and expansion of some of the earlier techniques. They will become a bit more complex as we expand the times for parts of the breath. Mantra sounds in the form of Japa are substituted for the counting. As well, we shall be working more intensely with the bandhas, and adding visualizations. In other words, synchronizing several things into one technique. Our breathing practice times will increase, and there are several choice meditation pods on the land where one can go for private practice.
It may be a good idea to brush up on the practices we used to do; the vigorous ones like Nasargha Bhastrika, the rapid breath, and Kapalabhati. You should be able to do these without strain when you arrive for the course. Savitri breath should be done easily to a 12X6 count. If we are proficient with the old methods we will find it easy to gain the benefits they bring, then we can work with a couple of new techniques. Then there will also be the Laya Yoga Kriyas – done to the breath.

Karma Yoga becomes a reality of the course as there are many chores and things to be done around the grounds. But we will do these as an actual form of yoga, breathing deep with the movements and keeping the mind on track. In this way Karma yoga becomes an active practice where we are applying the methods we know.
Discussions on the cause and effect side of life should become more interesting since we have expanded out into the world as teachers, sowing good seeds here and there. What have we observed about how life is unfolding for us?

Raja Yoga, is the royal road that uses the mind as the directing vehicle for getting us where we want to go. This aspect of yoga requires a calm mind, practice and some good techniques. In our discussions we will be covering the subjects of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Of these Dharana is the ability to concentrate, holding the focus for as long as it takes to achieve results. Dhyana, contemplation, will include Swadhyaya – with early morning guided exploration of the mind in its four directions. We began with simple mandala cards in Level I. Hopefully some of you have been practicing some of these visual concentration techniques, it will make it easier to proceed. These are also called Yantras. For this course we are going to use more elaborate symbols, some of them designed in the Yantra yoga classes, and utilize these in our night classes with special lighting, as well as during daytime. The special lighting involves alternating colors so as to bring more movement to the inner vision. Within the Pyramid yoga studio, such things are being set up so that sound and light concentrations can be accessed most of the time. There will also be special times and sessions.

With Yantra yoga we are going to elaborate on the karmic cycles and take the next step into the Karmic reactive cycles, an area we have not explored yet. When that is understood we take another step in to the Dharmic or Rita Cycles. Dharmic cycles have to do with our spiritual path rather than our karmic path, for those of us out the in the teaching world these can be helpful in shedding some light on our evolutionary process. Synchronizing the Yantra calendar with the Gregorian can be a bit of a trick but we will supply forms that make it easy. Learning to work with it all may take a little digesting time.
Yantras and Mandalas I mentioned in the Raja Yoga practice will be developed in these sessions. To go in to the structure of yantra requires an understanding of some basic geometric symbols like the triangle and square, angles and curves so that we can put them together in a meaningful way. From these basics we can take a persons birth path and start to design a mandala that encodes the essential energy that person has access to; using this mandala as a concentration chart then unleashes greater amounts of energy and insight. Speaking of insight, these are the tools to develop that vision. Just the basic mandala designing is a potent form of concentration highly effective in centering and focusing the mind. Observe how things develop.
Learning about sacred geometry creates an awareness of the mystic symbolism that has been used in the geometric structures of temples, shrines, pyramids and cathedrals down through the ages. As we delve into the language of the cosmic mind a new reality may begin to unfold for you.

Now that we have learned some mantras, and about mantras, we can apply the Science of Mantra Yoga. Certain times of day will be reserved for chanting, as they are known to be the most beneficial times. Late evenings for instance, we would be chanting the Mantra Laya, regularly, and then going into the silence. On the subject of Silence, there will be days of silence – of the voice and of the mind.
Each individual will receive a personal mantras Calculated through the yantra system, to be used at a variety of times, including the silent times when they are repeated internally.
Some of the sound chambers will be ready for the advanced practice of chanting, perhaps even the Sound Temple could be ready.

Laya Yoga will lead us deeper into the energy world by working directly with spirals and other forms as we have begun in the Muladhara technique. Several other subsequent techniques will be taught and practiced on a daily basis. These need to be learned one step at a time of course as they are multifaceted procedures that involve breath, sound, visualization and feeling. This is also known as Tantra Yoga, so inevitably we will have discussions on the movements of the masculine and feminine energy flows that are generated through the practice. – How to bring them together in that cosmic union…

Our Satsang discussions on Bhakti Yoga will cover the range of yoga, the oneness of it all, and how science and religion are coming together in the present age. Discussions of comparative religions and the universality of Yoga are sure to be very interesting.

So we hope many of you can make it to this course. If you have any questions about the above, please send them my way.
david@yantrayoga.com

May the sun shine brightly on your summer days,

David