Illustrations : Extracts of Sritattvanidhi (an 18th century manuscript)

The Jabala Darshan Upanishad connects Dattatreya, one of the undisputed masters of Yoga philosophy, with his disciple Sankriti to whom he taught the 8 pillars of the Ashtanga Yoga practice in detail.

This Upanishad is a unique text on Yoga from the Sama Veda revealing the techniques and exercises preceding the seminal text of Patanjali. Some scholars consider that this Upanishad could have influenced Patanjali's drafting of the Yoga Sutras.

This series of weekend workshops is based on the study of the text with all the practices that it refers to. This unorthodox Upanishad invites the exploration of deep concepts from yoga generally ignored with a genuine freedom of thought.

Program Content:

• 10 yamas and 10 niyamas (ethical principals which are listed in the text)
• 9 types of asanas (postures)
• the "pilgrimage of prana" or the description of the energy pathways
• the "refinement of the soul" by pranayama related to the syllable OM
• the retraction of the senses through prathyahara
• 5 concentration practices - dharana
• 5 types of meditation practices - dhyana
•  the absorption into a state of unity - samadhi

The 9 asanas that are referred to in the Jabala Darshan Upanishad will be practiced in the context of an exploration of the text and not as in an asana class. They are not difficult and can be done by all.

In this system, the emphasis is placed on attaining a state of deep peace, consciousness and awareness. The asanas are practiced with this sole aim as are the pranayama practices. The prathyahara practices bring our perception deep within. Instead of being attracted and diverted by external activities, we start to become more conscious of our inner life.

The concentration practices reduce the instability of the mind, nervousness and mental fatigue. The meditation practices reduce the sense of being separate, lonely, and insecure. The samadhi practice is to realise this state where we experience full integrity, deep security and bliss.

The physical practices stabilise the body to permit the mental practices to bring us into the more subtle parts of ourselves. It's just simply Yoga!

Workshop Goals:

• To enable teachers and yoga practitioners to discover an entire approach to Patanjali's Yoga through a preceding text, giving a richer meaning to their practice and a deepening of their knowledge.
• To promote access to a traditional transmission of the classical Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali.

Dates

The weekends are progressive, but also work as an independent unit. Therefore, you can participate at weekend 3 even if you did not attend weekends 1 & 2. 

Week-end 3: June 6th & 7th, 2015, Saturday 10:00-Sunday 16:30

The weekends are organised by INFINY asbl and are non-residential at Haus am Becheler, Bereldange, Luxembourg.

Day	Time	Activity
Saturday	10:00 - 13:00	workshop
	13:00 - 14:30	lunch
	14:30 -18:00	workshop
Sunday	07:30 - 08:30	morning practice
	08:30 - 10:00	breakfast
	10:00 - 13:00	workshop
	13:00 - 15:00	lunch
	15:00 - 16:30	workshop