Facing the Shadow
Unify the dark and light aspects of your inner being
SELF-PACED ONLINE COURSE: 2 modules, 30 lessons, 16 Integration Exercises, 2 meditations (1 master), 8 CPD points
This unique study with Big Shakti is a rare opportunity to learn from two wonderful and highly experienced teachers in the comfort of your home.
Dr Swami Shankardev is a medical doctor, yoga therapist, psychotherapist, and yoga master.
Jayne Stevenson is a teacher, healer, and dream worker dedicated to guiding others through Jungian psychology and dream analysis, meditation, and embodied awareness.
Our 'Facing the Shadow ' course is not just a learning experience but a transformative journey into the depths of your psyche. It combines Western and yoga psychology to create an effective, authentic, holistic approach to shadow work.
The combined perspectives reveal, examine, and integrate your psychological shadow. The course is designed to help you uncover, examine, and integrate your shadow, the hidden and baffling aspects of your personality, to achieve greater self-awareness and wholeness.
The course takes you on an inward journey, providing a comprehensive understanding of the shadow and practical ongoing tools for increasing self-knowledge. It's a journey from limited consciousness to blazing self-awareness.
What You'll Learn
- The force that separates you from wholeness
- How the shadow operates within the self, relationships and society
- How the shadow forms from both Eastern and Western perspectives
- The shadow in relation to ego, identity and higher consciousness
- The ways an unexplored shadow hides your true nature
- The tools and techniques to remedy this
You'll discover how to:
- Engage with the disowned parts of yourself
- Manage negative feelings like shame, resentment, and anger
- Understand the mechanism of shadow projection
- Establish a positive relationship with your shadow
- Integrate the shadow into your higher self
Facing The Shadow Teachings Cover
Western Psychology and the Shadow
The course introduces key psychological concepts such as consciousness, the unconscious, ego, self, identity, and the shadow. You will learn Carl Jung's theories on the shadow and its relationship with the ego and the spirit.
You'll explore how the shadow naturally forms from childhood and throughout your life and how the repression of unacceptable traits manifests in various aspects of life. You will learn how to apply this knowledge for shadow integration, and managing its influence.
Formation and Function: The shadow forms through socialization and disapproval, leading to suppression of both negative and positive traits, behaviours and impulses.
Impact: The less embodied the shadow is in conscious life, the blacker and denser it becomes. This unacknowledged shadow can drive us to think, feel, and act in destructive ways.
Yoga Psychology and the Shadow
The Eastern approach complements the Western perspective by introducing concepts from yoga philosophy, such as the mahā gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas) and the four organs of the mind (manas, buddhi, chitta, ahamkara). In Yoga Psychology, the shadow refers to the psychic sheath (vijnanamaya kosha) which connects the ego to the universal self.
Practices: Specific yoga and meditation techniques help to illuminate this psychic sheath and integrate the shadow into conscious awareness. You'll learn several techniques for managing the shadow, including relaxation, grounding, and self-awareness meditations.
Integration: The course integrates the practices into a single daily yoga-tantra master practice. The techniques help you recognize your hidden thoughts and emotions in daily life. They empower you to develop the psychological maturity. This is required to transform from an ignorant, fragmented state, to one that is self-aware and unified.
Course Modules
Part 1: Unveiling the Shadow - A Journey into the Depths of Your Soul
14 LESSONS, 1 MEDITATION
As you embark on this journey, you'll first delve into the fundamentals of the shadow, as conceptualized by Carl Jung. You'll gain a comprehensive understanding of the dual nature of the shadow—both its dark and golden aspects. You'll also grasp how the shadow takes shape and operates within your psyche, laying the groundwork for integrating these elements into your conscious self. Part one also includes a potent meditation to cultivate relaxation, grounding, and witnessing skills, which are crucial for self-transformation.
Overview: Introduction to Carl Jung’s theories on the shadow and its formation.
Golden vs. Dark Shadow: Explore both positive (golden) and negative (dark) aspects.
Meditation: Develop relaxation, grounding, and witnessing skills to support shadow work.
Part 2: Illuminating the Path - The Power of Self-Awareness
13 LESSONS, 1 MEDITATION
Building on Part 1, Part 2 focuses on self-awareness as the primary tool for shadow work. You'll learn to navigate the challenges posed by the shadow's resistance to change and the ego's defense mechanisms. Through structured approaches and daily rituals, including a specific meditation technique, you'll cultivate the resilience needed to face your shadow. This section emphasizes the integration of self-awareness into daily life, guiding you toward a balanced and fulfilled existence.
Self-Awareness: Shine the light of awareness on the hidden aspects of yourself.
Overcoming Obstacles: Manage the shadow’s resistance, including inertia and restlessness.
Meditation Technique: The Ritual to Face the Shadow builds psychic and spiritual muscles, helping you to confront the shadow head-on.
Why This Format of Shadow Exploration Works
Many spiritual paths focus solely on transcendence and light, inadvertently causing seekers to repress or reject their shadows. This fuels an inner division, suffering, and the tendency to "spiritually bypass" unresolved psychological material.
By contrast, the Facing the Shadow course recognizes the shadow as an integral part of the spiritual journey. It offers a safe, gradual approach to shadow work and equips participants with both Eastern and Western tools to face shadow content with compassion and presence.
As you progressively reclaim and integrate your shadow, you will start to experience the profound wholeness and freedom that comes from no longer abandoning parts of yourself. This releases enormous energy reserves that have been bound up in rejecting vital aspects of yourself.
Benefits of Shadow Work
Exploring your shadow offers numerous benefits including:
Self-Knowledge: Gain deep insights into the hidden aspects of your psyche and uncover repressed thoughts, feelings, and potentials.
Personal Growth: Develop the tools to integrate your shadow, for a more balanced and harmonious sense of self.
Emotional Resilience: Build mental and emotional resilience to face your shadow using specific meditations techniques.
Holistic Understanding: Benefit from a program that offers both Western psychological and Eastern philosophical perspectives, offering a comprehensive approach to shadow work.
Enhanced Self-Awareness: Cultivate self-awareness and mindfulness, enabling you to navigate life's challenges with greater ease and clarity.
Authentic Relationships: Improve your relationships by developing insight into your own shadow projection.
Spiritual Awareness: Embrace both light and shadow aspects of your being, fostering grounded, authentic spiritual awareness.
It’s essential to be aware that your shadow exists and that you are driven by both light and dark forces, no matter how much you wish to relate to and project only the light.
“Jayne Stevenson and Swami Shankardev have the unique ability to present and explain what can be complex esoteric topics in simple ways that are relevant to everyday life. Their education programs are thoroughly transformative. Their use of meditation and spiritual awareness techniques from both Eastern and Western systems is so effective that I have moved from a fragmented state to a centered, focused state. ”
Jemina Darke
Sydney, NSW Australia
“In "Facing the Shadow", by its nature, a personally challenging course, participants were supported and loved, and I, for one, was so much braver as a result. Each time, I enjoyed the classes and found them illuminating. The guided meditations have become a vital part of my daily life.”
Margo Harker
Australia
“Dr Swami Shankardev and Jayne Stevenson have an extraordinary ability to transmit deep spiritual truths in a gentle yet rigorous manner. He combines wisdom and a profound knowledge of the "shastra" with a genuine desire to help and heal. The online programs are meticulously designed to promote inner strength, greater connection and deep, authentic knowledge. I am deeply grateful.”
Alka Kapur, Gyanshakti
Indiana, US
MEET YOUR GUIDES
Dr. Swami Shankardev Saraswati and Jayne Stevenson.
We created the Facing the Shadow Course to address a profound and often overlooked aspect of personal development: the shadow. We have both have spent our careers exploring the depths of the human psyche and the barriers to true self-awareness. We recognize that the shadow, the unconscious part of our personality, holds the key to overcoming internal conflicts and achieving a more harmonious and authentic life.
By combining our extensive expertise in Western psychology and Eastern yogic practices, we have developed a course that not only identifies and examines the shadow but also provides practical tools to integrate these hidden aspects into conscious awareness.
Our goal is to empower you to confront and embrace your shadow, leading to personal growth, greater psychological health, and a more unified sense of self.
“Big Shakti's online programs are planned with extreme care and knowledge, and they are valuable tools for self-study. They are easy to follow, and they always make me feel like the teacher is in my mind, knowing my needs and what I want to explore. Whether it is a meditation, a Yoga Nidra, or a program about facing our shadow or discovering our life's purpose, their quality and power are unique. My absolute trust in Big Shakti's team derives from all the benefits I've enjoyed since I started practicing its beautiful methods. It is very comforting to have the possibility of choosing a Grounding Meditation when feeling agitated or Facing the Shadow meditation when having the need to look deep into my soul. What I like most about Big Shakti's work is that they provide knowledge and experience in a structured way, with care, love, and, yes, empathy. It is like having a trusted friend who helps you when needed.”
Chrysa Apostolopoulou
USA
Facing The Shadow
ONLINE COURSE
Course Components
- 2 Modules, 27 Lessons,
- Video & Written Theory
- 16 Integration Exercises
- 2 Meditations (includes 1 Master Meditation)
- Email Support from Guides
- 8 CPD Points
Continuing Professional Development
Earns 8 CPD points with Yoga Alliance USA, Yoga Australia, & SYTA. CPD Certificate provided upon completion.
Cost: USD$97
FAQ
Do I need shadow work even if I haven't faced major traumas?
Yes, everyone has a shadow. Even without major traumas, we all have repressed thoughts, feelings, and aspects of self that need integration for true wholeness.
How much time will I need to commit?
We recommend 2-3 hours per week, but you can go at your own pace. The shift towards awareness and integration of the shadow occurs cumulatively over your lifetime as the shadow is layered. You'll have ongoing access to the course.
What if I uncover something disturbing in my shadow?
It's normal to feel apprehensive about what you might find in shadow. The course is designed to give you a safe, gradual approach and equip you to meet shadow content with compassion. One-to-one (paid) sessions are available if you require support from Jayne or Swami Shankardev.
Why do I need to explore the shadow if I'm focused on spiritual light?
Focusing only on spiritual light alone causes imbalances over time. Just as nature depends on both day and night, wholeness requires integrating light and shadow. Shadow work is essential for authentic spiritual awakening.
Is this course suitable if I'm new to shadow work?
This course is suitable for all levels. You'll gain a rich foundation and practices to catalyze your wholeness.
Is it safe to do shadow work alone?
Yes, the course is designed to be self-paced and provides a safe, gradual approach to shadow work. However, it's important to proceed with self-compassion and patience. The course includes detailed guidance and support to help you navigate this journey. The course teachers respond to questions via email.
SELF-PACED ONLINE COURSE
SELF-PACED ONLINE COURSE
Facing Your Shadow
Uncover the hidden parts of yourself that are holding you back.
If you feel a sincere calling toward wholeness, we invite you to honor that inner wisdom
and join us on this journey.
Enroll in this course and take a step toward a more authentic and balanced life.
COST: US$97
Facing Your Shadow
Uncover the hidden parts of yourself that are holding you back.
If you feel a sincere calling toward wholeness, we invite you to honor that inner wisdom
and join us on this journey.
Enroll in this course and take a step toward a more authentic and balanced life.
COST: US$97