Somatic Psychology of Yoga

For thousands of years yoga and related meditative traditions have offered the tools to master our deeply conditioned minds, and have described the alluring possibility of becoming content, compassionate, and resilient. Now neuroscience can help us understand how and why the yoga tradition is so powerful and so necessary in our search for fulfillment. Negative states of mind may be part of our biological inheritance, but they don’t have to be chronic afflictions. Embracing embodiment is the secret power of yoga and the key to equanimity.

Drawing from hatha yoga tradition, the Yoga Sutra, and decades of immersion in the oral tradition, Sandra and Dr. Carrie will share yoga’s wisdom and practices in a modern frame to bolster your confidence and strength, and help you find the most effective approaches to a balanced and happy life.

You’ll find time for reflection and contemplation while enjoying the beauty of our campus in the company of our like-minded community. Breakfast on the terrace, chat with fellow students over lunch or in the cafe, visit the Sri Vidya shrine, hike our forest trails, tour Moka Origins and sample their chocolate and coffee, browse our bookstore, or simply savor quiet time.

Discussion and practice topics include:

• Afflicted states of mind (kleshas) from the yogic and neuroscience point of view

• How specific yoga practices work in the context of the polyvagal theory to manage anxiety, stress, anger, greed and selfishness
• Narrative and experiential modes of identity, present moment awareness, the negativity bias, and how yoga helps

• Asana for self-acceptance and present-moment awareness

• Energetic alignment and integration with the practice of asana and meditation
• How and why meditation can integrate somatic awareness and the thinking mind, and why this is important

• Yogic techniques to interrupt self-centered thinking associated with unhappiness, including behavior modifications from the Yoga Sutra, inner focus, and concentration

Schedule

• Thursday
  • 7:30-9:00 Perspectives on the Body and Mind, and a Body/Mind Practice
• Friday
• • 6:45-8:00 Yoga Practice: Catching the Thread of Prana
  • 10:00-11:30 How Your Neurology Supports Your Obstacles or Your Fulfillment
  • Afternoon Free Time and Personal Appointments
  • 3:30-5:00 Uniting Mind, Body, and Prana
  • 7:30-8:30 Satsanga and Discussion
• Saturday
• • 6:45-8:00 Yoga Practice: Catching the Thread of Prana
  • 10:00-11:30 How Your Actions Can Change Your Mind and Why It Matters
  • Afternoon Free Time and Personal Appointments
  • 3:30-5:00 Uniting Mind, Body, and Prana
  • 7:30-8:30 Satsanga and Discussion
• Sunday
• • 6:45-8:00 Yoga Practice: Catching the Thread of Prana
  • 10:00-11:30 The Mystery of Self, and Refining Ego