Ayurveda Basics

   with James Bailey

Meditation Courses

    with James Bailey

Copyright © 2007 Sevanti Wellness. All rights reserved.

Hari Om Tat Sat

It would be true to say that yoga would not be yoga without meditation, and yet few practitioners of yoga are practicing traditional vedic techniques of meditation, and too few schools and teachers of yoga today have the training to provide meditation as a part of their daily instruction. Even fewer practitioners and teachers are practicing the traditional pratyahara practices considered the actual doorway into the deep subconscious mind and the realm of the inner silence.

Meditation begins where hatha yoga ends. This is not a hierarchical statement, but simply means to say that asana (physical development) and pranayama (breath development) were traditionally used as preparations for the meditative state. It’s a matter of sequence. One can practice asana in a

meditative manner, but meditation as dhyana requires a deep stillness and inner listening. Asana and pranayama work to create that state of stillness. The euphoria that comes from asana practice is the doorway into the practices of pratyahara (sensory control), dharana (contemplation and mental development) and dhyana, or pure meditation. Distinguishing these practices and the experiences and obstacles that arise are essential to the growth and development of the yogi on the yogic path.

Here are a few of the courses and guided meditation practices taught on both retreat and in studio workshops.

Yama  -->  Niyama  -->  Asana  -->  Pranayama  -->  Pratyahara  -->  Dharana  -->  Dhyana  -->  Samadhi

Patanjali’s Ashtanga (Eight Limbs) of Classical Yoga

Dhyana:   The Yogic Path of Meditation

Course hours:  3 hrs

This course is an introduction to meditation (dhyana) as yoga from the Classical Yoga traditions of Patanjali’s Asthanga Yoga and the Yoga Tantra tradition. Here the big view of meditation is articulated and experienced. Doubts and misconceptions are discussed and dispelled, and a fresh understanding and motivation to practice is realized. Meditation is studied and explored within the philosophical context of Patanjali’s Classical Yoga and Tantra Yoga. This is the ideal course for the absolute beginner or for those who derive their meditation practices from Buddhist lineages and desire to explore the traditional meditations of Classical Yoga (Raja Yoga) and Yoga Tantra. A few basic techniques will be experienced and time for discussion and dialogue about the nature of the mind will be included.

Dharana are a group of yogic practices that yield enhanced mental concentration. Without concentration we can not meditate. Dharana contemplative practices are used to develop and train the mind in order to gain greater control over the myriad of conditioned mental behaviors. Mantra practices, mala techniques, visualizations, chanting, etc are all forms of dharana practice allowing the practitioner to focus on a single point of focus, a single sound or image, repetitively until all mental conditionings and sensory awareness dissolve.

Of the dharana practices, the Pancha Maya Kosha Dharana is unique. The Pancha Maya Kosha are commonly taught in two dimensional theory in yoga teacher trainings, but rarely taught in an experiential form. Here the practitioner, through inner visualization, explores and experiences each of the Pancha Maya Kosha (Five Layers of Illusion) that trap the mind into a perpetual self identification with the expressions and experiences of the current body and mind. According to yogic teachings, the true self is eternal and divine. We have yet to experience and realize it. A core teaching of yoga states that the “union” between the individual soul (jivatman) and the source (god, paramatman) is possible. We need only know who we truly are, where we are going, and practice. In this practice we learn to release ourselves from the limiting bounds of the Pancha Maya Kosha, freeing ourselves to experience our true essence. But where is the soul located? Can it be experienced? Pancha Maya Kosha Dharana is said to be the roadmap to the soul and can, with practice, illuminate the essence of our true ecstatic nature. A single drop of this nectar can change a life forever.

Pancha Maya Kosha Dharana:    Roadmap to the Soul

Course hours:  3 hrs

Antar Mouna is a rare jewel among Yoga Tantra meditation practices. Actually a pratyahara practice, Antar Mouna translates as Inner Silence. Antar Mouna instructs us in the fundamental experiences of sensory witnessing and control. In modern life, the greatest obstacle to meditation is sensory hypersensitivity and over-stimulation. The mind has become a databank of excess, and most often useless, sensory information. As we attempt to become quiet during meditation practice, the mind resists. In this age, stillness is counterintuitive. In the conventional sense, the mind was designed to engage the world of sensory information, but on the yogic path meditation requires the opposite - inner silence. How do we turn off the mind? How do we turn off the constant inner chatting? Why do outer sounds disturb our meditation? Why do we overreact to life events? These questions and more will be explored and revealed as we penetrate the heart of pratyahara with the techniques of Antar Mouna.

Antar Mouna:    A Pratyahara Practice of Inner Silence

Course hours:  3 hrs

Ajapa japa is a class of meditation practices unique to Yoga Tantra. Japa is the constant repetition of a mantra and commonly involves the use of a mala (108 beaded rosary) to count and give tangibility to an otherwise subtle practice. Ajapa japa uses no mala, and emphasizes the breath, mantra, and sometimes inner visualization. It is said that japa comes from the mouth, while ajapa japa comes from the heart.

This course offers several ajapa japa practices that explore the inner subtle realms of the mind-body connection. Learn to integrate internal pranayama, breathing into the psychic channels (nadis), with mantra and exquisite visualizations that will steady the nervous system, uplift the spirit, and remove the root cause of most stress related physical and mental ailments.

Ajapa Japa Meditation

Course hours:  3 hrs

The Tantric Meditation Series is a comprehensive exploration of all of the meditation practices listed above, and more. This course is usually taught over a weekend workshop, or while on retreat during morning sessions before breakfast and morning asana practice.

Tantric Meditation Series

Course hours:  6 hrs

For more information contact James, at 310-393-4124, or email him at james@sevanti.com.