GIS Yoga 2023

  MODERN GURUS!-FALLEN GURUS? Ramm Das... False Gurus and Scandals Yoga: A State of Mind????? Yogic Values: Do they Transfer into the Real World of Activism? interdependence nonviolence community QUESTIONS: Can we transition from a personal practice to a collective form of social change? Should we? Is this yoga? Should yoga be "in the world"? does yoga make us more intuitive and therefore empathetic? Is Yoga about "articulating another way of viewing the world"?  Does yoga see a difference between what you are doing and how you are doing it? (BG/p.166) Connections: Is our "freedom" tethered to the freedom of others? is "non-attachment" the key to intimacy and "engagement"? Karma (effect in all actions) is a metaphor for what we are doing to the environment (great for Earth day!!)  Is non-attachment the ability to shift viewpoints? Happiness comes from the "service of others"? Or from "inside our selves"? self-centere...

  Epic Truths & Practice Essay #4 DUE  As you approach this final essay, please consider the THREE texts we have recently read and discussed. (Question) The  Baghavad Gita  ,  Yoga Sutras of Patanjali  and the  Hatha Yoga Pradipika  are considered revolutionary texts, departing from earlier traditions by proposing many approaches to enlightenment. For this essay, COMPARE and CONTRAST these texts according to the following features: HOW IS YOGA DEFINED? each text defines yoga in different ways. Look for these definitions within the text. As the Gita defines yoga in a number of ways, pick the definition(s) that you believe best illustrate the goal of the Gita.  WHO may practice yoga? Some systems are more inclusive and others are limited to those with certain qualifications, whether they be caste or the extent to which one has "sacrificed". Who are the practitrioners in each of the three texts and why is this significant? How is it PRA...

    The Vajroli. 82. Even if one who lives a wayward life, without observing any rules of Yoga, but performs Vajroli, deserves success and is a Yogi. 83. Two things are necessary for this, and these are difficult to get for the ordinary people -- (1) milk and (2) a woman behaving, as desired. 84. By practicing to draw in the  bindu , discharged during cohabitation, whether one be a man or a woman, one obtains success in the practice of Vajroli. 85. By means of a pipe, one should blow air slowly into the passage in the male organ. [Urethra.] 86. By practice, the discharged  bindu  is drawn out. One can draw back and preserve one's own discharged  bindu . 87. The Yogi who can protect his  bindu  thus, overcomes death; because death comes by discharging  bindu , and life is prolonged by its preservation. 88. By preserving  bindu , the body of the Yogi emits a pleasing smell. There is no fear of death, so long as the  bindu  is wel...

  Mudra Mudra is a Sanskrit term that describes the category of hand gestures used,especially during on, to facilitate the balancing of a person's vital energy. The mudra is a gentle form of self-energy balancing or self-pranic healing. The positions of the hand digits direct the life energy (vital energy, prana).So the subtle pressure from the digits balances the body as does self. As you practice with mudras, you will sense the energy flow. Usually it will feel like buzzing from your fingers. It may be a sensation of numbness, hot, or cold as well.You may also think of mudra as a hand gesture version of positive mental affirmation. So you may use the mudra with your meditation practice to increase the effectiveness of your meditation. You may, as well, practice the mudra throughout the day to balance your energy flow, thereby working to improve your total wellbeing. In summary, the performance of mudras is an alternative wellness energy balancing methodology that has no ill effec...