Pic: © By OlegD shutterstock

Between September and December (starting September 17th!), our Yoga Sūtras study group will explore the teachings of the 3rd and 4th chapters of Patañjali’s seminal work. These last two chapters are more cryptic and difficult to unravel. Through chanting and succinct practical overviews of key concepts, we will learn the most important messages of the chapters that cover yogic accomplishments and freedom.

The 3^rd chapter of Patañjali’s yoga sutras continues with the last three limbs of Aṣtāṅga – Dhāraṇa, Dhyāna & Samādhi, also referred to as antaraṅga or internal limbs. These practices not only culminate in Samādhi but all the mysteries of the yogic life are unraveled and the powers or Siddhis are acquired. This is an important lesson for the aspiring yogī who should avoid confusing these superpowers with the main accomplishments in yoga. Through succinct 5 lessons of this course you will:

• Understand why we study the 3rd chapter.
• Establish your understanding that siddhis are merely a side-effect.
• Learn the real siddhi hidden in this chapter.
• Learn about Siddhis in the popular tradition (purāṇas) through short stories to gain a clear perspective on powers.
• Practice chanting the 55 Sūtras to familiarize yourself with the vocabulary.

We will not be going into detail about each siddhi mentioned in this chapter, instead, we will stay with what is meaningful and practical to the aspiring yogī.

In the 4th and final chapter of the Yoga Sūtras, Patañjali takes the aspiring yogī systematically through some of the theoretical concepts unpinning previous chapters. If some topics seemed disconnected previously, you will discover its flawless line of reasoning in this chapter. Kaivalya, quite literally means absolute aloneless or complete autonomy or Freedom. Your consciousness remaining in its own nature, always beyond time, beyond change. Through 6 lessons you will:

• Understand more deeply the theoretical background of the technique of Yoga.
• Revisit Karma, Saṃskāra & Vāsana and gain a deeper perspective.
• Study the mechanics of Citta
• Learn the steps leading to the final Freedom
• Understand logically what “guṇas return to their origin” means!
• Practice chanting the 34 Sūtras of this chapter

All students will receive access to an online learning platform to support their study, with recordings of chanting, handouts and videos of the discussions and explanations. Therefore, if you miss a lesson or need to revisit, all the class material will be available to catch up.

You can also sign up for an online-only study due to the timings or your work commitments or not being in Brussels! Sign up for the course and send me an email (SanskritBelgium@gmail.com) that you will study online-only. If you have other questions, email me!

DATES & SYLLABUS:

Vibhūti Pāda

1. Sept 17 –  Dhāraṇa, Dhyāna, Samādhi & Saṃyama; chanting sūtras 1-15
2. Sept 24 – Pariṇāma; chanting sūtras -15-30
3. Oct 1 – Powers from Saṃyama; chanting sūtras 30-45
4. Oct 8 – Viveka with Saṃyama; chanting sūtras 45-55
5. Oct 15 – Vibhūti Pāda summary & assignment information

Kaivalya Pāda

6. Oct 22 – Kaivalya – Other ways to attain powers; chanting sūtras 1-10

(Oct 29 & Nov 5 – no class!!)

7. Nov 12– Pariṇāma & Chitta; chanting sūtras 5-15
8. Nov 19 – Karma, Saṃskāra & Vāsana; chanting sūtras 7-20
9. Nov 26 – Mechanics of the citta; chanting sūtras 15-24
10. Dec 3 – Steps leading to Kaivalya; chanting sūtras 25-34
11. Dec 10 – Kaivalya Pada summary & assignment information

Eligibility
This course is only accessible to those who have some understanding of chapters 1 & 2

Assignment and certificate
An optional assignment submission will be available for those who would like to receive a certificate of completion for this course. All assignment submissions will take place online and by the end of Jan 2020.

Course fee:

185EUR for full course including lifetime access to online learning resource.

Contact me directly (SanskritBelgium@gmail.com) if you need payment options.

BTW/TVA #: BE 0833.200.801