Kumar

Workshop for June 10, 2012 in Hampton, NH on Raja Yoga - principles and practices with A. L. V. Kumar - email or call if you are interested. Space is limited.

A.L.V. Kumar, the founder of Traditional Yoga, is widely recognized as an inspirational leader and accomplished yoga master. His lectures and courses on internal and external yoga covers all aspects of yoga with illuminating perspectives on yama, niyama, all levels of asanas, pranayamas; including vibhaga mudras, bandanas, bastrikas, kapalabhathi, and kriya practices. He leads intensive meditation training that incorporates Raja yoga, Yoga Darshana, Sanathana Dharma theory and practice as described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.

Since the age of 12, Kumar began his studies with India’s most acclaimed teachers attending 37 ashrams and yoga schools. He has thorough knowledge of the Vedas and other Indian spiritual scriptures and is fluent in Sanskrit, Pali, English, and numerous Hindi dialects. His extensive training and mastery of Hatha Yoga and meditation includes Bhakti, Karma, Jnana, Kriya, and Raja yoga. His rich personal experiences offers expert guidance in the transcendental stages of Samadhi practice and the path of purification that leads to profound insight, liberation, and enlightenment.

Kumar has taught more than 10,000 people in the U.K., U.S., and India. He is an ERYT-500 Yoga Alliance registered instructor offering RYT-200 and RYT-500 teacher training certification through Traditional Yoga, a non-profit organization. His holistic and scientific approach to health and wellness include consultancy for treatments for life-threatening injuries and systemic diseases. He is only one of three living masters that practice the science of Kaya Chikitsa, an ancient healing system with its roots in original yoga – the source of Ayurveda. Kumar offers a series of free public yoga classes as a community service, to thousands of residents in Hyderabad, India where he also works as a nuclear scientist.

Proposal for Raja Yoga Workshop:

Raja Yoga Theory and Practice: The Science of Mind and Meditation According to the Yoga Sutras

General description:

It is essential that serious Yoga practitioners have a clear understanding of the Eight Limbs of Yoga as described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. This workshop covers the upper four limbs that are commonly known as Raja Yoga or the Royal Road.

Kumar frames the historic origin of the Yoga Sutras amid the diverse and rich spiritual culture that thrived in Northern India in the 3rd Century BC. He conveys Patanjali’s philosophical objectives and methodologies that are the foundation for a complete and successful overall Yoga practice. This presentation frames Raja Yoga within the greater body of traditional Yoga. It compares and contrasts Yoga theories and practice techniques that condition and decondition a yogi’s mental states with an

ultimate goals of perfect bliss and ultimate liberation. There is a strong focus on the four upper Ashtanga Limbs that include pratyahara, dyrana, dhyāna, and samadhi with special attention given to the path of purification for enlightenment. Kumar carefully explains the key concepts for each stage of

practice and offers proven techniques that lead to successful results. The presentation is interactive and

includes theory, techniques, group practice, Q and A, and final summary.

Goals and benefits:

The primary objective of the workshop is to convey practical knowledge and new skills to enrich participants overall Yoga experience with emphasis on Raja Yoga. This includes the principles and practices of Raja Yoga as a scientifically based method that is to be understood intellectually and integrated in practice by direct experience. The presentation focuses on the relationship between internal and external practices as described in the Eight Limbs of Yoga. Participants will learn practical exercises to build competency in pratyahara leading to the development of samadhi. Sharp contrasts are drawn between samadhi (concentration) and pragnya (insight) to dispel confusion and conjecture that often obscures accurate understanding of these practices. Included is an overview that explores the purpose and effectiveness of many types of meditation practices currently being taught in India and the West.

Participants will learn about the kleśas (mental obstacles) and the relationship between samadhi and jnana states (levels of knowledge). This includes neuropsychological affects on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, and the physiological influence of hormones and the endocrine system. Participants gain a fundamental understanding of the philosophical and practical connections between the teachings of the Buddha and that of Patanjali. They learn why samadhi is not the ultimate goal of Yoga but that it is a tool with which to develop pragnya and that is the path to enlightenment. Additionally, they gain a clear understanding that while samadhi is essential to strengthen the conscious mind, pragnya works to purify it.

This session is structured for Yoga students and Yoga teachers with moderate to advanced experience in

asana or meditation practice. Participants will improve their overall understanding and working knowledge with emphasis on Raja Yoga theory and practices that originated in Northern India. An outline of the major points of instruction will be distributed to all participants at the beginning of the session at no additional charge.