चले वाते चलं चित्तं निश्चले निश्चलं भवेत् ।
योगि स्थाणुत्वं आप्नोति ततो वायुं निरोधयेत् ॥
cale vāte calaṃ cittaṃ niścale niścalaṃ bhavet ।
yogi sthāṇutvam āpnoti tato vāyuṃ nirodhayet ॥ Haṭhapradīpikā 2.2
When the breath is unsteady, the mind is unsteady. When the breath is steady, the mind is steady, and the yogi becomes steady. Therefore one should restrain the breath.[1]
Mysore Self-Practice
Caroline and Ruth will work closely with you, exploring the richness of Ashtanga self-practice in the tradition of Śri K Pattabhis Jois.
Theory and Philosophy Workshop
In this workshop we will chant, explore the history, ideas and practices of haṭha yoga through the lens of the Haṭhapradīpikā. We will play with ideas through lecture, contemplation and getting our tongues around thoughts.
This workshop is open to all and no prior knowledge is required. Sections of the text will be provided. All you need to bring is inquisitiveness. If you would like to look at the full text before the session please get hold of Brian Dana Aker’s The Hatha Yoga Pradipika published in 2002 by YogaVidya.com.
The Haṭhapradīpikā
The Haṭhapradīpikā is a watershed text in the history of yoga. Compiled around the 15th century it gives an account of the theory and practice of yoga as we understand it today. It enriches classical meditative practices and severe physical mortifications with tantic ideas. It teaches calming the mind through stabilizing the breath or life-force, prāṇa. It details recommendations for diet, posture, breath work, cleansing techniques, energy locks and visualizations. These transformative technologies generate heat and pressure. They purify liquid to distil the nectar of immortality. The Haṭhapradīpikā describes sublime meditations of dissolving into sound.
[1] Akers, B. D., 2002, The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, YogaVidya.com
The eleventh century Amṛtasiddhi teaches, for the first time, bodily practices that become central to haṭha yoga. The startling teachings are explained systematically, in terms of the nature of the body, the practices, and the results of the practice in this tantric Buddhist source text. In this course we will read the Sanskrit and discuss in English the section on ‘the body’ as set out in the first four chapters of the Amṛtasiddhi. The course comprises four online sessions and one in-person workshop in London.