"Calling our way of practice Vijnana is but giving recognition to something that has always been there, something that is at the core of our discipline: practicing, feeling, understanding - from inside.”
Orit Sen-Gupta
Program
m e d i t a t i o n
Meditation has been a recognized yoga method for the last 5000 years. The practice of meditation has a broad range of functions, spiritual or psycho-physiological, from the attaining a higher state of consciousness, creativity, awareness of the self, to simply reaching a quiet and relaxed mind.
We can observe that the mind is always busy with the future or with the past. With meditation we can slow down the speed of the thought and observe the silence of the present.
a n a t o m y
The students should achieve a thorough knowledge of anatomy, concerning body movement and its technique. Also important is the understanding of the mechanics of the body in relation to gravity. Observation of your own body is required but also that of others. This involves study, research, conclusions and possible changes. The body is our instrument and as such it has to be understood.
b r e a t h
Pranayama (breath control) - by its practice we carry the body beyond the mechanical level.
Kriyas (cleansing) - Uddiyana Bandha, Agni Sara, Nauli - yoga practices to cleanse and strengthen.
Bandhas and Vayus - enhance the pranayama and the awareness of body and mind. They help connect the inner with the outer world. We reach a cellular consciousness that enables us to work in harmony with our body instead of against it, changing the quality of body and mind. This needs a well-developed capacity for concentration, a fine intuition and an intense awareness of the breath.
p h i l o s o p h y
Several classical yoga books are studied. Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gueranda and Siva Samhita, and of course the Sutras of Patanjali.
Without these studies there is little understanding of the background of yoga, or notion of its essence.
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras Patanjali describes yoga as the restraining of the fluctuations of the mind/consciousness. What can this mean to us? Why do we practice and are fascinated by it? How and what for can we use it?
Eventually there is Samadhi, illumination, tao, nirvana, or a state of bliss. Each culture and religion gives it a different name.
During these three year the students hopefully will catch a glimpse of what it means to bring the mind to a state of calmness.
Each year a few books concerning the themes mentioned above are selected for reading and discussion.
p r i n c i p l e s
As guiding line to our asana practice and to connect the body, the energy and the mind and make them as one we systematically use the principles as described in the book "Dancing the Body of Light" by Dona Holleman and Orit Sen-Gupta.
Studio Asana Teacher Training
January 2009 - December 2011
A three year teacher training course. Total 900 hours.
This course is concise, direct, intense and practical, focusing the attention of the students in daily yoga practice and lifestyle, so that they will be able to teach with a clear understanding of the subject.
Our lineage of yoga practice ascends to times when a guru had only a handful of disciples during his whole lifetime. They were selected according to an appropriate background, health, religion, and from an early age taught the art of yoga.
One of these gurus was the great master Shri T. Krisnamacharya (1883-1987), the distinguished teacher and guru of Pattabhi Jois (Ashtanga Yoga), B.K.S. Iyengar (Iyengar Yoga) and T.K.V. Desikachar. In our practice we go back to his roots, when these three types of yoga were not yet divided.
In this path there are some essential elements that define the practice we call Vijnana Yoga:
- Meditation
- The Vital Principles
- The study of texts
- Kriyas and vayus
Even though in yoga we cannot speak about objectives, there are several basic steps in the process of learning that must be taken. These do not follow a chronological order but should develop simultaneously.
Dates 2010
The tuition is given in the form of workshops and theory lessons. Click
here
for a PDF with the dates of workshops and theory lessons for 2010.