Yoga Tantra Advanced Study Group 2020

The Yoga Tantra Advanced Study Group is designed to support intermediate and advanced students of yoga, tantra and meditation, deepening their understanding of the philosophies and techniques from Yoga, Tantra, Sāmkhya, and Vedanta.

It is designed to enable spiritual seekers and those interested in Indian philosophy and psychology to penetrate deeper into the unconscious areas of their being and to access authentic inner experience. The whole aim of this study is the unification of the conscious and unconscious parts of us.

Chakras, mantras, yantras

To achieve this goal, these classes will focus on:

Chakras, psychic centers located in the spinal cord
Mantras, sacred sounds
Yantras and other sacred symbols
Mantras are used to pierce awareness into the unconscious to awaken the chakras and to open the gates to the powerful forces in the psyche. Specific mantras are initially used to calm, purify, and strengthen your mind. By focusing on the mantra, you enter into a higher vibration, the vibration that is natural to the mantra. As a result, your thinking mind is silenced (for a period of time).

Once this has been accomplished, mantras are the keys to unlock the psycho-spiritual forces within. Just as words are used to point to objects in the world, mantras are used to point our consciousness to internal forces.

Yantras are sacred diagrams that enable you to focus on and form a benevolent relationship with the vast forces within you. We employ them to enable you to bring order out of the chaos of the psyche and to intentionally direct your psychic energy towards your inner goal. Of course, this has a benefit for your worldly life as well.

Awaken your subtle body

The aim of this study will be to develop a solid, conscious relationship with the subtle body, which is the springboard into higher consciousness. The subtle body consists of vital life force, the prānamaya kosha, the mind, the manomaya kosha, and the psyche, the vijnānamaya kosha.

A relationship with the subtle body occurs when you can connect with and access the power within the elemental forces around which everything in life, including your body, mind, and spirit are formed.

One of the most effective and authentic ways to connect with the elemental forces is via chakra meditation, which includes mantra and yantra practice.

Topics

You will learn principles from both Eastern and Western psychological approaches to self-development and self-realization.

Topics in these classes include consciousness, energy/shakti, light, mind; mantras, yantras, tattwas (elemental forces), psychic symbols (Ishta devatā), initiation; karma and mantras as karmic remedies; spiritual practice (sādhana), the transformation of mind (parināma); Jungian psychology, archetypes, and libido.

You will have the opportunity to clarify and discuss issues in health, mental strength, and spiritual life. This does not include personal medical advice.

Expert guidance and training

Dr. Swami Shankardev Saraswati and Jayne Stevenson provide expert, safe guidance to purify, balance, and illuminate your mind.

Dr. Swami Shankardev is a master of yoga and meditation (Yoga Acharya), a medical doctor, and a psychotherapist.

Jayne Stevenson is a dream worker and a highly gifted, intuitive, spiritual counselor, trained in Daoist and yogic meditation and philosophy.

Study Components

• 6 x 2 hr-recorded classes
• Presentation
• Guided Meditation
• Q&A (Satsang)
  

Continuing Professional Development

Earns CPD 12 contact hrs with Yoga Alliance USA, Yoga Australia, & SYTA

Publisher Info

• Title: Yoga Tantra Advanced Study Group – Chakras Mantra Yantra
• Authors: Dr. Swami Shankardev Saraswati and Jayne Stevenson
• Publisher: Big Shakti
• Media: Recordings of Online Classes