About this Event
OVERVIEW: Yoga philosophy isn’t just abstract ideas—it’s a roadmap to a more complete understanding of ourselves and our world. Studying yoga philosophy allows you to implement its wisdom, not just think about it. This module is designed to provide serious yoga practitioners with a clear understanding of how the yoga tradition has developed over time and support yoga teachers who want to infuse their classes with yoga philosophy's timeless wisdom.
FRIDAY, 12:00 - 3:00 PM: Yoga from a Historical Perspective — The historical development of Vedic schools of thought and yogic practices on the Indian subcontinent, Vedic culture and Buddhism, an overview of the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, the Vedanta-sutra, and later Hatha and Tantric texts, Vedic epistemology (how to know what is worthy of belief), and the three categories of knowledge in the Vedic system.
FRIDAY, 3:30 - 6:30 PM: Yoga from a Transcendental Perspective — The origins of yoga according to the tradition itself, the underlying metaphysics and creation theory of Vedic yoga philosophy, how the basic philosophical premises of yoga compare with conventional modern wisdom, the five functions of yoga philosophy, and the way to understand yoga philosophy according to yoga philosophy itself.
SATURDAY, 12:00 - 3:00 PM: The Yoga-sutras of Patanjali — The underlying philosophical assumptions and literary structure of the Yoga-sutras, its definition of yoga, its conceptions of personhood, psychology, divinity, the afflictions that prevent us from experiencing our true nature, the attainment of mystic powers, and the experience of pure consciousness.
SATURDAY, 3:30 - 6:30 PM: The Yamas and Niyamas — The five ethical directives and the five principles of self-care, how they put values based on yoga’s worldview into practice, their true purpose as parts of the yoga system, and their implications for a modern yogic lifestyle.
SUNDAY, 1:30 - 4:00 PM: The Bhagavad Gita — The overarching theme of the Gita and its significance, the “Yoga Ladder,” the concept of Krishna, the relationship between yoga and Hinduism, the ethical paradox of the Gita, duality and non-duality, and how the Gita’s path to transcendence runs through the world rather than away from it.
SUNDAY, 4:30 - 6:30 PM: Integrating Yoga Philosophy into Classes and Workshops — How to read yoga wisdom texts, how to know when you’re ready to share what you’re learning, strategies for choosing themes for your classes, a simple system for delivering great “Dharma Talks,” how to connect philosophical ideas to poses in your sequences, how to know if you should talk about politics, and how to lead meaningful conversations about the intersection of yoga and religion in secular settings.
This 3-day training is part of Radiance Yoga's 300-hour teacher training program, however, it is open to all - you do not have to be enrolled in the program to attend. For more information on the 300-hour program please visit our website at www.radiance-yoga.net/300.
Event venue & nearby stays
Radiance Yoga, 532 North Washington Street, Alexandria, United States
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