BWY Module on:Integrating “Philosophy” into class teaching

By Angela Ashwin:

Venue: Bristol, Clifton, Theosophical Society building (in easy reach with public transport)

Dates: 31st October 2020 1st November 2020 6th December 2020 24th January 2021 6th February 2021 27th March 2021

Cost: £600

This course is for yoga teachers or teachers in training from BWY or other traditions. One does not need to be a BWY member, but interested in the spiritual side of yoga.

Yoga is more and more taught as exercise. Those of you who love the transformational and spiritual side and are not very sure and confident to bring it into the classes without falling into clichés or bewildering students, might want to consider the module.Yoga can give us purpose in life, transform us as a whole person, helps us to come to terms with challenges and fear, shows us the way to go forward and makes us experience how much more beauty there is in all of existence then we assumed. Who would not want that?

I have always felt the necessity to be on a spiritual path, studied Philosophy and Theology at University, which gave me concepts but not a path. Yoga offers that path. For the last 35 years I am using the India Yoga tradition as a guide for all there is in life. I feel I have transformed a lot and hope for much more transformation in the time to come. I share this with my students, and they love it and report of important changes in life and outlook to life. When this sharing is done well, they all benefit immensely from the spiritual as well as the physical transformation yoga can give us.

Those of you who have visited my workshops or taken part in an IST day on “integrating philosophy” have seen how I do bring the deeper meaning of yoga across, through the practice of asanas, pranayama, mudras, bandhas and samyama.

The module will differ from workshops and IST days as the emphasis is more on how to teach the spiritual side.

We will work on: Exploring the meaning of yoga in our practice with the use of our set texts (Patanjali, Gita, Upanishad, and Hatha Yoga Pradipika). Understanding the esoteric language of the old texts and explore the truth of them. Seeing that all the texts are instructions to apply in our practice and life. Exploring how the practices change our bodies, expand prana, quieten the mind, bring us insights…It is possible to experience all that

what the old yogis tell us, and you will on the module, and learn how to pass it on to students. Formulating our newly gained experience and practice teaching it in the peer group, and making plans to teach these experiences in

our classes.

Asanas: show us where in these bodies we are blocking and resisting. We lock away, issues, attachments, fear in our bodies and the bodies become dense, tight and unaware as a result. By learning to release in asanas our issues, we become free, light, transparent, enlightened. “By the practice of asana the Infinite within is reached” Patanjali 2,47We realise that there is much more to discover in our inner world.“Within us are planes of existence, areas or consciousness, which are in absolute dark. These planes are much more beautiful and creative than the ones we live on now.” Swami Satyananda SaraswatiAsanas help to clear impurities in the nadis, prana can flow and expand, into areas we have blocked up and into dormant areas.“Matsyendrasana…aroses the kundalini…” HYP 1.27, “Pashimotanasana makes prana flow through sushumna”. HYP 1.29.

Sirshasana: “This asana is very powerful for awakening sahasrara chakra and, therefore it is considered to be the greatest of all asanas.” APMB, 282The posture opens the crown and when pranic forces rise up, our awareness can link into realms beyond the normally experienced world.“There are 101 channels of the heart. One of these passes up to the crown of the head. Going up by it, one goes to immortality.” Kathaka Upoanishad 6,16

Pranayama: The common habit to instruct pranayama and telling the students the benefits of it, is what we will learn to break in the module. Firstly: The pranayama techniques are there to explore and set up a breathing freedom, that is then applied in our posture work and meditation. We are not doing it for 5 minutes per class and ignoring the quality of the breath the rest of the time. We learn to use the breath as a tool to transform in the asanas.Secondly: Pranayama is not the improvement of the respiration, it is : ”ayama” expansion of ”prana” aliveness. We are not finding explanations what prana is, but use the techniques to feel it. It is easy to feel prana when we are instructed rightly. Then we see how prana can be expanded.“When all the nadis are full of impurities, prana does not go into sushumna. How can then there be unmaniavastha?” HYP 2,4What are these impurities, how can they be felt and how can breath move them? How can we teach it? Those questions we will erxplore.

Mudras: “Making every effort, the various mudras should be practised to awaken the powerful goddess Kundalini.” HYP 3,.5Mudras are like pranayama practices which work on the energetic body, pranamaya kosha. They unblock, so that the pranic forces can expand, which moves us onwards on the path of human evolution. Kundalini is neither a myth, nor is it an experience which is reserved for enlightened masters. According to Gopi Krishna (see his book: “Living with Kundalini”) kundalini is in the process of awakening in all people who have the sense that developing and moving on a path is important. All of you who read this will therefore have a moving Kundalini as you are interested to develop on the yogic path. Kundalini rise is usually a slow process of transformation, that leads us to higher insight.How these mudras move us on that path, how it can be felt, experienced and taught will do done on the module.

Bandhas: Bandhas are nor core stability practices which strengthen muscles. When the focus on the breath has cleared impurities in the nadis, then the breathing especially the exhalation is complete and bandhas occur. “When there is complete mastery of siddhasana (the meditation seat), the three bandhas follow without effort and naturally”. HYP 1,42They are movements arising from the completed exhalation rising pranic force up the central channel (sushumna). “These three bandhas directly act on the three granthis…” knots in sushumna, the biggest of the impurities, which have formed due to human attachment. “The granthis prevent the free flow of prana along sushumna nadi and such impede the awakening of the chakras and th4 rising of kundalini.” Swami Satyananda Saraswati: Asana,pranayama, Mudra, Bandha, page 407.Bandhas can break granthis. How the bandhas are practiced, how to feel their loosening effect, perceiving their relation to our mind state and attachments will be explored.

Samyama: Thjs is the technique of mind control. “Fixing cognition on one object…” Patanjali 3.1This technique then brings us into the different stages of dharana, dhyana and samadhi.The purpose is getting in touch with consciousness within, with the aim of: “Purusha being perceived”, Patanjali 1,16.The recognition of pure, unchanging consciousness underlying all creation can be reached, when the mind is still and freedom and liberation can be attained.

Students receive a certificate, when having attended at least 80% of the course time, having taken part in discussions and in peer group teaching.There are no assignments, but students are given tasks for reading and practiced between the days.

The 6 day course Plan

Name of tutor: Angela AshwinVenue: Bristol Theosophical Society BuildingAims: To demonstrate to the participants the high value of our set texts, show how to practice and teach them and teach how transformative all yoga practises can be if the

teaching of the ancient masters is appliedLearning Outcomes: By the end of the course the participants should know and be able to explain:

How to work with our set texts That those texts are instructions which need to be practiced That the human body is a multi-layered system That all the practices effect all the layers

By the end of the course the participants should be able to: Work with the texts in their own practice Formulate some experience coming from the practice Starting to take small experiences and pass them on to their students Deepen their practice and increase the ability to explore

By the end of the course the participants should sense and feel: That their bodies are not solid matter How the yoga practice can unblock the diferent layers of the physicality That bizarre statements from the ancient texts speak of experience That following the ancient instructions can transform us

Assessment: On each day students are asked to feedback what the main learning experience of the day was and I can monitor their teaching progress by discussion mini lesson planning and teaching with them.

Evaluation: The feedback from student and my observations will feed into an improv3ment of the course planSources: Upanishads, Bhagavat Gita, Patanjali Yoga Sutras and Hatha Yoga PradipikaDates: Nov3mber 2020 till March 2021

Day 1 Introduction and welcome to the course

How to work with classical texts The Kosha system and how asanas effect all layers

Practical: experience to asanas working on all koshas

same “what is the main point you got from this?”Create a plan

Teach the plan

Day 2 Summarise day 1, questions, What is “matter”

Practical: experience blocked pranic body, open it with asanas and feel “pranic surge”

Yoga view and Modern research into energy and matter

“What is the main point you got from this?”Create a plan

Teach it Presentation: gunasPractical: how to transform rajas/tamas into sattva with asanas

“what is the main point you got from this?”Create a plan, teach it

Day 3 Summarise day 1+2, questions

What is pranayama? HYP2 and Patanjali 2.50-52, common misconceptions

Practical: Experience the pranic processes and see how pranayama techniques enhance

The Kosha system, how pranayama effects all layers

”What is the main point you got from this?”

Teach it How to integrate that pranic experience into asana practise

it. Create a planDay 4 Summarise day 1-

3, questions.Any changes in practice, teaching and understanding so far?

Presentation on the bandhas; HYP chapter 3, common misconceptions

Practical: prepare the bandhas with asanas

Practical: Bandhas resulting from pranayama practice

Presentation: granthis with practical maha bandha

“What is the main point you got from this?” Create a plan

Teach it

Day 5 Summarise day 1-4, questions,What are mudras?

Presentation: HYP mudras, chapter 3Practical: HYP mudras other than bandhas

The Kosha system and how mudras effect all layers

The effect of mudras: the rise of Kundalini.What is Kundalini?

Practical: Experience kundalini rise with asana +pranayama + mudras

“What is the main point you got from his?” Create a plan

Teach it

Day 6 Summarise day 1-5, questions.Samyama and parinama Pat chapter 3

Practical: go through the samyama practise and experience parinamas

The Kosha system and how samyama effects all layers

Without asana and pranayama it is difficult to reach into manomaya kosha. Practical

”What is the main point you got from this?”Create a plan

Teach it Feedback on the course, what did you learn? How did practice and teaching change? What else changed? How to move on from here?

Financial Agreement:

Then deposit of half of the course fee £300 is to be paid with applying for the course.This deposit is non-refundable. The rest of the course fee £300 is to be paid latest a month before the beginning, that is latest by the 30th September 2020.

There is no refund for students who are not completing the course

I agree to the above outlined financial conditions:

Signature: Date:

The BWY actively promotes equal opportunities for all. We welcome students from all backgrounds and will support students with special considerations wherever possible.

The is a BWY complaints procedure in place, in case it is needed it can be found on the BWY website.