About the Dimensions of Yoga
The Dimensions of Yoga are all about making yoga a part of living. They are structured to help integrate yoga into daily routine, while developing capacity and self-understanding.
- Daily practice builds and evolves over the three months of each module. This includes:
- Guided by experienced senior teachers each with over 25 years of experience.
- Tailored and reflective daily practice develops the capacity to manage in life, to stand on one’s own two feet..
- Informed lived personal experience of the practices.
- Enhanced reflective awareness in every day experiences.
- Practices, concepts and strategies taken directly from classic texts on Yoga, informed by a living tradition,
- Foster positive approaches to manage physical capacity, energy, thoughts and actions.
- Develop foundations for improved health and wellbeing, habits for living a balanced life, and foster self-understanding, acceptance, and transformation. Take control of your life.
The combination of residential and home practice is set up so there is a dynamic mix of concepts, practices, and integration in daily life. Together, with regular practice and reflection through the lens of traditional concepts, knowledge becomes embedded in experience and personal understanding.
“The combination of
theory and practice was beautiful and allowed us to get inside the concepts, to breathe life into them.”
There are two Dimensions of Yoga modules that may be taken in either order.
Although Hatha Yoga is traditionally emphasized as occurring prior to Raja Yoga, it is possible to take these modules in either order because of the approach taken. It is necessary to manage both energy and mind, and these aspects are addressed in a balanced way across both modules.
Each module will consist of a week long residential followed by 11-16 weeks of guided home study and practice followed by a final residential weekend. Options are available to help facilitate students travelling from a distance.
Home practice is multi-layered so students to take responsibility to establish the practices that best suit their situation and capacity, and incrementally develop from there. Someone with a high level of physical capacity will find challenges as will someone whose body will thrive on simpler practices.
A “yoga capsule” approach is incorporated in the home practice. For example, Pawanmuktasana 1, 2, and 3 and Surya Namaskara will occur in both modules but the priorities and themes will reflect the priorities of the module (Hatha Yoga or Raja Yoga). The emphasis in these modules is on personal sadhana.
Similarly, each module incorporates a “yoga with attitude”, “living consciously” type strand in the home practice. For example, the Hatha Yoga module explores the seven attainments of Gheranda Samhita and the Raja Yoga module takes its focuses from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Key concepts from the texts studied become integrated into, and reflected upon, in everyday life. Practice is integrated with understanding of the tradition.
SADHANA
A practical exploration and development of personal practice is encouraged as part of daily life. This process is traditionally referred to as Sadhana, the subtle discipline of a lifestyle adopted to reach one’s deeper goals. Each module takes a branch of yoga (Hatha Yoga, which can be thought of as related to body, breath and energy and Raja Yoga: which can be thought of developing stillness, a quiet mind and self understanding). Practical techniques are closely engaged with the study of classic texts.
BALANCE
Each module includes an integrated and balanced mix of asana, pranayama, and meditation, stories and ideas directly linked to practice and sadhana, with a range of strategies for managing life’s challenges in a way that allows one’s true potential to emerge. Together the modules offer a substantial and unique package to satisfy the hunger of the serious yoga seeker who aims, with purushartha (effort) and abhyasa (constant practice) and swadhyaya (self reflection), to establish themselves in yoga through the development of practical, reflective and systematic yoga tools to accompany them on their journey through life.
Take up the challenge
Develop a personal yoga practice and lifestyle in alignment with one’s goals in life. Fuelled by each participant’s own intention and commitment, grounded in a living tradition, the new Dimensions of Yoga courses support a personal journey towards yoga as a way of life.
Foundations for becoming a yoga Instructor
Each module stands on its own, but is also designed to be a complementary component in the Dimensions of Yoga series.They form the prerequisite foundation for the Yoga Instructor module. Together all three modules make up the new qualification Yoga Instructor in the Satyananda Tradition.
