Sadhana School - Rasa Theory: The Aesthetic Imagination in Meditation & Self-Realization

The Art of Spiritual Experience

In classical Indian thought, rasa—literally "juice" or "liquid"—is the ultimate goal of any literary, poetic, or dramatic work. While the origins of Rasa Theory extend back to the ancient Nāṭya-śāstra (the so-called "Fifth Veda"), its evolution within the Tantric and philosophical traditions of Kashmir emphasize a deeper truth: aesthetic experience is not merely about beauty or entertainment, but about the cultivation of a refined, heightened mode of perception.

For Abhinavagupta, the great Śaiva philosopher-aesthete, rasa is a fundamentally spiritual experience; it is a gateway to the Self through a heightened and refined sensitivity to the meaning spoken through our emotions. To experience rasa is to enter into an intimate, contemplative attunement with both self and world—a state that mirrors the ultimate aim of yogic and meditative practice. Just as the spectator becomes absorbed in a drama, similarly does the yogin become absorbed into the tranquil source of life's eternal dance.

Rasa Theory: The Aesthetic Imagination in Meditation & Self-Realization (April 22 - June 10, 2025)

The Imagination as a Yogic Faculty

Meditative experience is often described as a kind of formless stillness, yet Rasa Theory teaches us that profound contemplation arises through a refined engagement with the emotions evoked through poetry, imagery, theatre, and the stories we live within ourselves. In this sādhana, we will cultivate bhāvanā, the imaginative capacity that deepens meditation through inner and outer visualization. We will explore how rasa functions as a bridge between what we watch and the emotions it engenders. We will shift our understanding of art, music, and theatre as "entertainment" toward an embrace of these creative expressions as pathways from passive perception to mystical absorption.

Aesthetic Contemplation as Yogic Practice

Throughout this journey, we will study ideas from figures like Bhoja, Ānandavardhana, Bhaṭṭa-nāyaka and Abhinavagupta, illuminating the relationship between art, language, and spiritual practice. We will examine the eight classical rasas and their contemplative significance, considering how each emotional and aesthetic state can be harnessed as a vehicle for meditative insight. Through an engagement with examples from mythology, literature, and the performing arts, we will trace how meditation doesn't have to be process of staring into a dark void but instead a rapturous relationship with the infinite expressions of divine creativity.

Each sādhana session will last 2.5 hours and will integrate study, practice, and community engagement. Together, we will chant and contemplate the sonic potency of Sanskrit poetry, cultivate aesthetic sensitivity through guided meditation, and engage in deep discussion of rasa as a vehicle for expanding consciousness. This approach reflects the core vision of Sādhana School: that rigorous scholarship and embodied practice are not separate disciplines, but mutually illuminating pathways toward a fully integrated yogic life.

Before we can explore the individual rasas, we must first understand the foundations of rasa theory. What does it mean to “relish” (āsvāda) an aesthetic experience? How does rasa transform perception? Drawing from the Nāṭyaśāstra, Ānandavardhana, and Abhinavagupta, we will establish the framework for rasa as a bridge between aesthetic experience and meditative realization. Through guided visualization and contemplation, we will begin to cultivate the refined perception necessary for engaging with rasa as a transformative practice.

(The Erotic, the Delightful, the Expansive)

Śṛṅgāra is the rasa of attraction, desire, and love. While traditionally associated with romantic and devotional love, in meditation, it can be aproached as the longing for union with the Self. This week, we will explore śṛṅgāra through poetry, contemplative visualization, and devotional chanting. As with all the 8 primary rasas, we will discuss how śṛṅgāra draws us toward śānta rasa (the rasa of equanimity, or peace), since love is one way that the boundaries of Self and other can dissolve into an experience of fullness.

(The Comic, the Lighthearted, the Expansive Joy)

Laughter opens us to spontaneity, disarms rigidity, and dissolves egoic seriousness. In this session, we explore how humor and play (līlā) are integral to spiritual life. We will consider how humor can be an antidote to spiritual seriousness. Through meditative practices that engage a subtle movement and attunement toward joy, we will cultivate an embodied experience of hāsya as a rasa that lightens the heart and reveals the spacious tranquility of śānta rasa.

(The Furious, the Fierce, the Catalytic)

Anger, when unexamined, leads to suffering—but when transmuted, it becomes fierce clarity. This session explores raudra rasa, the energy of wrathful deities, the fiery rhetoric of devotional poets, and the yogic harnessing of raw emotional power into spiritual vigor. Through visualization, mantra recitation, and meditative confrontation with inner resistance, we will explore how raudra dissolves into the vast stillness of śānta rasa, where anger transforms from something reactive to a resource for contemplative integration.

(The Pathetic, the Tender, the Healing)

Karuṇa, the rasa of compassion, is essential to the path of self-realization. In aesthetic experience, it allows the heart to open through the recognition of shared suffering. In meditation, it leads to deep, expansive sensitivity to the suffering of others and oneself, dissolving barriers to realization. Through a consideration of art and poetry that evokes longing and pathos, meditations on impermanence, and compassion practices, we will explore karuṇa as an entry into śānta rasa, where compassion transforms into the boundless peace of an expanded awareness.

(The Heroic, the Steadfast, the Majestic)

The vīra rasa is the rasa of heroism, courage, and spiritual determination. Just as the warrior must overcome fear to act with unwavering clarity, the seeker must cultivate inner strength to remain steadfast on the path of realization. Drawing from texts and materials that draw out the significance of the "hero's journey", we will explore the role of vīrya (spiritual vigor) in Tantric practice, engaging in meditations on strength, endurance, and perseverence. Ultimately, we will see how true vīra arises from the unwavering stillness of śānta rasa—the fearlessness that arises from knowing one’s true Self.

(The Terrifying, the Mysterious, the Threshold Experience)

Fear is one of the most powerful obstacles to realization, yet it also holds the key to deep insight. The bhayānaka rasa, associated with darkness and the unknown, is particularly relevant to meditation. Through texts describing encounters with the void, the terrifying, and the ungraspable, we will examine the role of fear in the yogic journey. Through specific breath practices and a study of the "dark night of the soul", we will learn to hold fear without rejection or grasping, allowing it to dissolve into the ultimate spaciousness of śānta rasa.

(The Revolting, the Grotesque, the Disruptive)

Why do we turn away from certain aspects of life? The bībhatsa rasa challenges our conditioned aversions, revealing the social constructs of purity and impurity that typically shape our perception. In Tantra, even the seemingly repulsive holds the potential for awakening. Through the study of radical aesthetic expressions, contemplation of bodily functions and practices we keep hidden, and practices that confront aversion, we will explore how freedom arises when nothing is excluded. As we integrate even bībhatsa, we return to śānta rasa — the peace that embraces it all, warts and all.

(Awe, Astonishment)

Adbhuta rasa is the rasa of wonder—the experience of being utterly arrested by the sublime. It is the moment of suspension where the world appears luminous, fresh, and impossibly vast. In this final module, we explore how the aesthetic of wonder (camatkāra) is the very foundation of reality itself. We will explore the wondrous expressions of life all around us, deepen our ecstatic vision with passages from the Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra, and highlight those tantric practices that cultivate an ever-deepening openness to the mysterious wonder at the heart of everything. Through meditative absorption and practices directed toward a radical astonishment, we will step into adbhuta as a rasa that makes life worth living, and reminds us that a contemplative life is one that always replenishes itself in the wellspring of infinite wonder.

Meditators seeking to refine their contemplative practice through a rare process of emotional expansion.
Yoga practitioners interested in deepening their understanding of imagination and creativity as the origin and destination of yogic discovery.
Artists, writers, and musicians who seek a spiritual and philosophical context through which to describe and understand the deeper significance of their work.
Scholars and seekers interested in the history and philosophy of rasa theory, and how it can connect to the lived experience of the modern world.

Sādhana is a Sanskrit word that literally translates as "means" or "instrument". Often understood by yoga practitioners simply as "practice," sādhana is an "instrument" for embodying the path of yoga that includes both study and subtle practice. Many yoga trainings and platforms often neglect the transformative foundation of deep sādhana, which can often lead to confusion and misunderstanding. You can reconnect more deeply with that spark of creativity within by nourishing a foundation of deep study and practice. Join us for an entire year — three eight-week periods of study, plus an annual virtual seven-day virtual retreat –– providing an opportunity for deep immersion and community. If you join us, you will receive immediate on-demand access to the Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 study recordings, and be able to join the Spring and Summer programming is live.

Learn more about the year-long 2024-2025 programming

Unlike other individualized self-help programs or yoga teacher trainings that provide superficial or limited solutions, Embodied Philosophy uses scholar-practitioner Jacob Kyle’s deep understanding of original yogic source materials – some of which are many centuries old – as he makes available to the wise and the curious, in easily digestible bites, that which until now have been relatively unknown teachings of the yogic wisdom universe. In addition, students learn from other famous yogic scholar-practitioners from around the world in a thriving and vibrant online community, where compelling discussions are had, connections are made, and friendships are formed.

What is the Sādhana School (SS)?

The Sādhana School (SS) is a comprehensive curriculum for those who are seeking wisdom and awakening. It is a learning laboratory that harnesses the deeper principles and philosophies of the yoga tradition for sustainable change at the personal, professional, and community levels.

The SS curriculum varies year to year. Attendees can elect to do a single 8-week sādhana, or sign up for the full-year’s curriculum. A full year includes three 8-week periods of study & the Summer virtual retreat. Participants engage in an immersive study of yoga's diverse traditions, commit to daily practice, and join guided discussions that explore the application of ancient wisdom to modern life.

Who should participate in the Sādhana School?

Is the Sādhana School live and is attendance mandatory?

Can I receive continuing education credits through the Sādhana School?

The Sādhana School will provide you with a deeply orientating encounter with yoga’s profound traditions of meaning and truth. Over the course of this experience, it is natural to feel inspired to become a vessel for the dissemination of yogic wisdom. Embodied Philosophy has until now hesitated to launch a Yoga Alliance-certified Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) program, but the state of affairs in the world and a newfound transformation of our cultural and spiritual awareness means that now is the time.

This optional deepening of the Sādhana School will provide you with all the Yoga Alliance certified skills to launch (or expand) your yoga teaching practice. We will equip you with little-known practices, techniques, and technologies, and we will train you to teach not just the physical postures of yoga (āsana), but (perhaps more importantly) the subtle yogic practices of breath, meditation, chanting, and visualization. The yoga teacher as we understand it at Embodied Philosophy honors the present paradigm of modern postural yoga, but expands and deepens the possibilities of yogic teaching by grounding this teacher training process in the practices, traditions, and sacred texts that are very often either unknown or largely ignored by the majority of yoga teacher trainings available today.

Over six immersive weekends scheduled over six months (January - June 2025), you will learn how to teach foundational āsanas (postures), learn about functional anatomy and physiology, principles and approaches to teaching methodology, and develop skills to thrive in a modern yoga business climate – both online and offline.

How does the Sādhana School count toward my Yoga Teacher Training?

What does it mean to be Yoga Alliance certified?

Do I need previous yoga experience to enroll in the 200-hour YTT?

Will I be qualified to teach yoga after completing the 200-hour training?

What certification will I receive upon completion of the 200-hour YTT?

Many yoga teachers operate in a bubble, with very little expert advice or support to help make the most of their offerings. Is it time to take stock of your existing business and to reIMAGINE the path that your yoga business is on? Do you need to think in fresh & innovative ways based on the current market environment in order to move your platform forward, or keep your business afloat? Do you have pressing business concerns or difficult questions that need to be answered? Or important, exciting decisions to make about your yoga business? Are you negotiating contracts, offers or opportunities on your own? If so, yoga business coaching is for you.

By joining Ava Taylor, you'll tap into over 15 years of experience negotiating, vetting and creating opportunities as well as launching, maintaining, and leveling up over a 1000 yoga businesses worldwide.

Is the coaching tailored to my specific personal and professional goals?

Who is yoga business coaching for?

How long is a typical coaching package?

Jacob Kyle is a meditation teacher, writer, philosophy educator, and the Founding Director of Embodied Philosophy. His guiding mission is to re-imagine the modern function of the yoga teacher in alignment with the teachings, texts, and traditions of yoga's profound history. He believes that by building a network of teachers who share a commitment to disseminating the deeper teachings and practices of yoga, we can build a world based on wisdom rather than ideology and divisiveness.

Jacob is a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, researching Abhinavagupta's Philosophy of Language and Meditation with advisor Diwakar Acharya. He holds an MPhil in Classical Indian Religions from Oxford (2023), an MA in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research (2017), and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics (2007). Jacob is a passionate advocate of Kashmir Śaivism and a devoted practitioner of the Śaiva-Śākta Darśana.

Integrating somatics, spirituality, and postural yoga in a unique multi-disciplinary offering
Becoming a therapeutic guide grounded and informed by philosophical wisdom teachings
Public speaking for community, corporate, or spiritual settings
Training future teachers to become embodied philosophers themselves
Developing curricula for use in childhood and adult contemplative education
Offering retreats that combine the rigours of philosophical knowledge with the depth of contemplative practices
Writing books and resources for the next generation of contemplative seekers and guides

Many yoga teacher trainings prepare you to facilitate a simple yoga class, but most will fail to help trainees craft a holistic vision for the future that extends beyond the modern yoga studio. The Sādhana School is where this journey begins, by transforming you into a vessel of yogic wisdom. By becoming intimate with yoga's diverse traditions and perspectives, you will locate and become knowledgeable about those niche areas of yogic truth that eventually will situate you to become an agent of contemplative change.

IAYT Approved Professional Development (APD) CREDIT You can easily submit the 36 CE credits for this certificate by locating the listing here and clicking on the course Verify Credits link. You will answer a few questions about your satisfaction with the course, upload your certificate of completion, and the CE credits will be posted to your profile. (Your course input is private. Any data shared with course leaders and Embodied Philosophy from IAYT will be de-identified and provided only in aggregate.)

Yoga Alliance This certificate program can be registered for continuing education credits with Yoga Alliance.

Students can expect around 4 - 6 hours per week of work throughout the program. Each week will have 2 courses, with 2 hours per session. Courses will include suggested & required readings, which will be provided ahead of time. In addition, there will be 3 separate, 90-minute Integration Sessions over the duration of the program. Integration Sessions will be a time to reconsider the material presented in the general lectures through conversation with a faculty member and through small group discussions with fellow students. Students are required to keep a private written journal of reflections (not submitted) responding to question on the course syllabi.

Rasa Theory: Emotions and Imagination for Meditation & Self-Realization