Into the Heart of Yoga: Patanjali and the Rise of the Tantra
Date: April 9-11
Cost: $165 (early registration: $150, ends 4/2)
All hours of the immersion program will earn credit towards the
requirements of the Anusara Yoga Certification Program and Yoga Alliance Certification.
The practice of yoga in the West and the history of its evolution in India are deeply connected through texts and traditions. In this seminar we'll look deeply into the heart of yoga from its origins and early development in the Yogasutra of Patanjali and see this important resource in light of its history and the relevance it continues to have for us. We'll then move forward into the worlds of Tantra and chart a path from Patanjali and other important figures into the most sophisticated forms of practice and life-transforming thought. We will then create a vision that links Patanjali's classical yoga to the most important contemplative resource of the Tantra, the Sivasutra, introducing both it's teachings and some essential practices. No previous experience is expected or required. Bring an open mind, a willing heart, and yourself!
Dr. Douglas Brooks is among the world’s leading scholars of Hindu Tantrism and the esoteric traditions of the Goddess. After receiving a Masters degree from Harvard Divinity School, he continued his studies in the history of religions, Sanskrit, and Indian studies going on to receive a Masters and Doctorate from Harvard University's Center for the Study of World Religions.
Douglas has held academic positions both in India and the United States and has lectured around the world. Currently, he is Professor of Religion at the University of Rochester in New York.
In addition to his formal Western education, Douglas lived for many years in India in the house of his Teacher according to the traditions of Guru Kulam in which the student is initiated into all facets of the Indian classical Sanskrit education, including philosophy, yoga, ritual, and worship. Douglas' Teacher, Gopala Iyer Sundarmoorthy was not only an eminent scholar of Hinduism, but a Master of the Tantric Goddess tradition known as Auspicious Wisdom, or Shri Vidya.
Douglas is the author of a number of books and scholarly articles on Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion.
His most recent work includes a new commentary on the Bhagavad Gita from a Tantric point of view. This work is a direct collaboration with John Friend, world-renown yoga teacher and the founder of Anusara Yoga.