Sādhana and Sovereignty - June course announcement

Live Online Course Announcement: June 2024 via zoom
Sādhana, sovereignty and the ocean of yoga practice
Practical yoga philosophy and mythology
Would you like to
- gain deeper, more rounded and refined understanding of practical yoga principles so you can integrate them more reliably into your everyday life?
- Soak in the rich flavour and timeless supports of yogic mythology?
- Support your yoga practice and inquiry with a satsang community and classes that keep the teachings front of our awareness to help support lifelong learning?
Sign up here: jamesboagyoga.thinkific.com/c...
Course timings
6-8pm UK time June 4, 11, 18, 25
•All sessions are recorded so it is possible to join the course even if you cannot make the live sessions. Participants will have access to all recordings as well as additional notes.
•The 6-8pm Tuesday sessions will also be preceded by an optional 30 minute Sanskṛt recitation practice (5:30-6:00pm). During these weeks this will focus on chapter four of Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra.
Further information
Sādhana, sovereignty and the ocean of yoga practice
Yoga offers us a practical, time-tested method to cultivate true sovereignty as an individual human being, a person no longer so prone to fragmentation or partiality.
The path is one of long-term commitment, over many seasons - perhaps lifetimes - of practice.
One of the tremendous beauties of the yoga tradition is the way it conveys its perennially practical and supportive teachings in different, complementary ways, from the ultra-distilled mnemonic tapestry of the yoga sūtra, the glorious, resonant poetry of the Bhagavad Gītā and rich, archetypal mythology.
In this four-week, eight hour course, we will explore the practical principles of lifelong yoga sādhana with reference to archetypal story and these mutually complementary supports.
Session overview
Session One June 4th
The royal path of yoga - aṣṭāṅga yoga is rāja yoga
With reference to the Yoga Sūtra, Rāmāyaṇa, and drawing especially from the Bhagavad Gītā, this session will introduce the broad, inclusive path of rāja yoga/aṣṭāṅga yoga and how this includes and integrates the mutually supportive paths of karma - action, jñāna - knowledge, wisdom and discernment, and bhakti - devotion and reverence for life.
Deepen your understanding of how to include your whole being in your practice, cultivate your strengths and address your weaknesses in practical, sustainable and motivating ways.
Session Two June 11th
Sādhana - Three is a magic number
Continuing the exploration of karma yoga, jñāna yoga and bhakti yoga as essential aspects of the royal path. With reference to Yoga Sūtra, Bhagavad Gītā, Rāmāyaṇa, with stories to illustrate the real nature of the yogic path and how we can infuse the practical gifts of yoga into all aspects of our lives.
Session Three June 18th
Leaping over the ocean of samsāra
Focusing on Rāmāyaṇa and Hanuman - the crest-jewel of yogis - who is great in karma, jñana and bhakti. The beautiful stories of Hanuman’s exploits and service invite us into deeper understanding of what it means to practice yoga in service of our own inner sovereign for the sake of reconciliation and lasting peace.
Session Four June 25th
Churning the Ocean of Milk
Building on the previous sessions, telling and exploring the myth of the churning of the milky ocean that encodes the process of yoga practice, including key challenges and opportunities along the way.
Enrol here now: jamesboagyoga.thinkific.com/c...
The path of yoga practice, or sādhana, is ‘intense’, challenging and sometimes intimidating. It is also empowering, revelatory and its own glorious reward. These days however, yoga is often presented in a somewhat superficial way. Of course, yoga techniques and methodologies can be used with great efficacy to help harmonise the superficial layers of our psyche. But once the harmonisation process begins, we will be called to deeper work that can sometimes seem forbidding. However, the time-proven process of yoga fortifies us for the deepening work and its rich texts and stories offer us a reliable map and compass for this immensely rewarding journey.
This course, like all James’ online offerings, is a great opportunity to soak deeply in the teachings in clear relation to your own life and practice.