5-Day Chakras Challenge

Learn Why there have been So Many Chakra Systems, and what this means for the "reality" of the chakras.
Connect with the Five Elements through an ancient chakra system that has received very little attention in the modern spiritual world.
Harness a Set of Practices that you can take home with you and practice again and again, long after the challenge is over.
Engage with a community of like-minded seekers committed to learning about an ancient text that has been very little studied.
Discover New Modes of Creativity, Reduce Stress, and explore untapped channels of self-expression.
Cultivate a Deeper Sense of Connection leading to a more cohesive and interconnected sense of self.
Embrace a Knowledge of the History and Philosophy behind the Chakra systems, so you can be a responsible thought-leader and encourage greater understanding about yoga's complex history.

Kubjikā means "coiled one," or "crooked one," and refers to the awakening energy of kuṇḍalinī. Those familiar with the chakras will recognize kuṇḍalinī as that power, force, or energy that "rises" from the base of the spine upward, piercing through the chakras and in turn animating the experience of yogic enlightenment.

The Kubjikāmata Tantra (and another text from the Kaubjika tradition) is thus a fascinating textual resource through which to ground our understanding of the theory and practice of kuṇḍalinī-yoga — and to connect with one of its chakra systems.

Kubjikā is a goddess depicted as both fierce and compassionate and thus for anyone inspired by the wisdom of the divine feminine, studying even a portion of this text is a unique opportunity.

DAY 3: FIRE - Enflame Awareness of the Cosmic Self in Your Heart

Tantric traditions of yoga are uniquely concerned with mapping the cosmos onto the human body and in turn integrating our experience with a more expansive perception of reality itself. Traditionally, the element of fire is uniquely described as an element of transformation. After studying the logic of this transformation, we will engage with a meditation practice that places our awareness on the element of fire situated in the space of the heart.

DAY 5: ETHER or SPACE - Fly in the Sky of Consciousness

A traditional yoga practice would not be complete without a conception of spirit. In the Indian philosophical traditions, a central power is given to the idea of vibration, or sound, which is one of the forms through which "spirit", or consciousness, manifests itself. In our study portion of this final challenge day, we will discuss the philosophy of kuṇḍalinī and how it transmits this vibrational potency, according to yoga philosophy. We will then practice with this fifth, and most esoteric element, visualizing it on or just above the crown of the head.

Jacob Kyle is a yoga and meditation teacher, writer, philosophy educator and the Founder of Embodied Philosophy, an online educational platform for wisdom studies and contemplative practices. Jacob holds three Masters Degrees: an MPhil in Sanskrit & Indian Philosophy and Religions from the University of Oxford (2023), an MA in the History of Philosophy from the New School for Social Research (2013), and an MSc in Political Philosophy from the London School of Economics and Political Science (2007). Jacob received dīkṣā into a Tantric form of meditation in 2015, and has since that time been studying and practicing with Kashmir Shaivism scholar-practitioner Paul Muller-Ortega. In 2020, he was initiated as an Acharya (authorized teacher) of Neelakantha meditation and continues to dedicate his life to studying deeply the texts and traditions of the Śaiva-Śākta Darśana, as well as making available through the Embodied Philosophy platform transformative wisdom teachings, practices and perspectives.