Embodied Philosophy - Cyber Monday Sale

Yoga philosophy offers vast insight, yet its many schools can feel overwhelming. Modern teaching often swings between detached historicizing and narrow claims of “authentic” yoga. Instead, we approach as scholar-practitioners, honoring both rigorous thinking and lived sādhana, as exemplified by Abhinavagupta and Śaṅkarācārya. Embracing a pluralistic, non-dogmatic method rooted in the Jain principle of anekāntavāda, we explore how seemingly opposing views—dualism and non-dualism, permanence and impermanence—can each reveal truth. Within these paradoxes emerges a transformative yogic experience.

In our Winter 2025 Sādhana, we will explore selections from several Sanskrit texts on yoga philosophy and practice. A central focus is the little-known Śivasvarodaya, which teaches svara yoga—understanding breath as sound, vibration, and the essence of life. Rooted in the Śaiva-Śākta Tantric tradition, our study draws from Kashmir Śaivism, engaging passages on prāṇa and prāṇāyāma from the Vijñāna Bhairava, Netra Tantra, Śivasvarodaya, and Abhinavagupta’s works. We will also examine later haṭha yoga texts through a non-dual Tantric lens.

In this sādhana, we explore Rasa Theory as a pathway into spiritual experience. Rooted in Indian aesthetics and refined by Abhinavagupta, rasa becomes a contemplative mode of perception in which reality reveals its luminous depth. We cultivate bhāvanā, the yogic imagination, engaging poetry, imagery, sound, and emotion as gateways into insight. Drawing from Bhoja, Ānandavardhana, and Abhinavagupta, we examine the classical rasas and the stotra tradition to understand how aesthetic experience becomes a transformative, meditative practice.

Over seven days, you will engage with some of the core texts that explore the kuṇḍalinī-śakti – the creative power of spiritual awakening, while engaging with a unique adaptation of "kuṇḍạlinī-informed" haṭha-yoga practice. The concept of “Kuṇḍalinī Awakening” is very well known in the modern spiritual world, but very few people understand the mechanisms of consciousness by means of which this experience can arise. By becoming more familiar with the teachings and theories of the kuṇḍalinī-śakti, you will have a context and vocabulary through which to recognize experiences that might arise for you in the context of your sādhana, as well as develop the tools to build a unique home haṭha-yoga practice unknown to the modern postural yoga world.

"There are endless thoughts and feelings that I could be describing. Apart from the huge learning, that I can be in a relationship with this life and its source in a profound intimate way… All of this has been made possible through your work, and I want to thank you again for that. You have created an incredible space, filled with so much authenticity - a word much overused, but absolutely necessary in this context. I loved the mixture between the intense practices and the rich theoretical knowledge! I soaked up every word and am excited for more."

Save more than 50% when you bundle all four seasons of Sādhana School 2024-2025. Across all four, you’ll journey through immersive, text-rooted contemplative studies. You’ll explore Buddhist models of the mind and healing; dive into the pluralistic landscape of yoga philosophy; study subtle-body teachings on breath, svara, and prāṇa through Tantric sources; and awaken the yogic imagination through Rasa Theory and aesthetic contemplation.

Together, these four Sādhanas offer a coherent, transformative path of study and practice grounded in wisdom traditions, subtle-body awareness, and experiential inquiry..

The role of the theory of active development (karma) in illness and healing
The nature of healing insight and the positive psychological qualities it yields
The logic of purifying stress reactions, uprooting instincts and cultivating qualities
How dualistic consciousness is constructed based on unconscious instincts
How Buddhist depth-psychology compares with the similar models of psychoanalysis
How cultivating positive emotions and compassionate action impacts self and world
How de-reifying insight promotes self-transcendence and personal freedom
How awakened beings embody non-dual compassion and wisdom, positive development and transcendence

Identify the transformative capacities of depth psychologies and embodied healing traditions from ancient philosophies to contemporary somatic healing models
Engage with contemplative mindbody techniques, holistic personal inquiry methods, embodied relational mindfulness skills, and somatic movement practices
Learn internal and external processes for improved relational attunement and connection with self and others through relational, social, ecological, and spiritual psychologies
Develop an intersectional lens for working within a liberation model of mental health promotion
Deconstruct the psychophysiological, and contemporary psychoanalytic theories in multidisciplinary mindbody healing practices
Identify methods of personal transformation and liberation

Understand yoga history, from ancient to modernEngage key texts from the yoga tradition
Distinguish between the various lineages of the yoga tradition
Explore the subtle practices of yoga
Relate yoga to the new contemplative science movement
Develop Sanskrit language skills that prepare you for basic translation of yogic texts
Differentiate between the different yogas as they are expressed within and between various texts and traditions
Implement these texts and teachings into your personal practice
Develop skills of articulating yoga philosophy for a modern world
Dive deep and explore a specific topic, theme or concept from the yoga tradition

Gain knowledge in yoga therapy and in the healing practices of Ayurveda and Tibetan Buddhism.
Acquire practical skills in applying yoga as a form of healing for various health conditions including chronic pain, traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and more.
Link the historical lineages of both Ayurvedic-informed practices and Tibetan Yogic practices with their relevance to contemporary yoga therapies.
Develop the ability to apply therapeutic yoga sequences tailored to individual needs and health concerns.
Cultivate a deepened awareness of the mind-body connection and its impact on psychological well-being through practicing research-informed breathing techniques and movement practices.
Enhance personal and professional growth through self-reflection, self-care practices, and ethical considerations.

"This program has given me the vocabulary and education of what I knew deep in my soul of how incredibly powerful and healing the body is but before could not articulate it. It affirms the reason I believe with every inch of my being, that the body is the healer and when we give it time, space and permission to be, there is so much infinite wisdom. I have absolutely LOVED the diversity of the teachers, the topics and pace of the course. I would highly recommend this course for any practitioner or wisdom seeker that is looking to heal and understand the role of the body in the healing journey."

Save 50% when you bundle Buddhist Psychology, Awakened Body, and Yoga Philosophy, and the Embodied Yoga Therapy Certificate Program (approved for 36 Continuing Education Units through the International Association for Yoga Therapists (IAYT)).

The Embodied Yoga Therapy Certificate Program is 40+ hours of on demand training with leading experts in the field of Ayurvedic Medicine and contemporary Yoga Therapy with this somatic-contemplative method for healing professionals. Learn more about Embodied Yoga Therapy below.