Shiva Samhita
Starting Friday June 2nd and continuing weekly for 7 months
Please join us with 2 of Mysore’s most inspiring and engaging yogic scholars, Dr. M.A. Jayashree and M.A. Narasimhan - for a deep study of one of the most profound Yoga scriptures in the world - The Shiva Samhita.
This is our most ambitious and in-depth course with Jayashree and Narasimhan yet! Over the course of 7 months, June thru December 2023, we will undertake a comprehensive study of this stunning work of Yoga Philosophy, which is known as the most comprehensive surviving text of Hatha Yoga that exists.
The Shiva Samhita is one of the most celebrated root texts of Hatha Yoga. Containing vast and beautiful teachings found nowhere else, The Shiva Samhita is a conversation between Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati, or Shakti, as he gives a profound series of teachings on the vast wisdom of Yoga- including Asana, Pranayama, Meditation, Kundalini, Mudras, the Chakras, Mantra Yoga, Nondualist philosophy, the Vayus, Karma, Rebirth, and the essence of the soul.
The Shiva Samhita is listed in the bibliography of Krishnamacharya’s Yoga Makaranda as one of the great yogic texts that informed his teaching. Thus, the practices and philosophies found in Shiva Samhita exert a great influence on the yoga we are practicing around the world today.
In each lesson, we will chant a small number of verses from the text in the call and response method with Jayashree. This call and response method of chanting, known as Shruti Parampara, is a very traditional method of learning, and a powerful form of Yoga in itself by which knowledge has been passed down from teacher to student for thousand of years.
After the chanting section, Prof. Narasimhan will explain the philosophical meaning of the verses. In this way, we will proceed through the entire text in an interactive manner, with time to digest the meaning of each set of verses before moving on to the next. This program aims to achieve a deep, experiential understanding of the text throughout our time together in this course.
Learn the powerful practice of chanting and philosophy and experience the traditional method of learning from experienced senior teachers with a group of students from all around the world, live from the birthplace of modern yoga - Mysore, India. This is the next best thing from traveling to India to study in person!
If you can’t participate in all of the live Zoom sessions, don’t worry- Recordings of every class will be sent to all participants each week during the course, so you can follow the course at your own pace.
Each lesson will be a minimum of 90 minutes, totaling over 45 hours of direct instruction from Jayashree and Narasimhan as we unravel this precious yogic scripture verse by verse. There are 5 padas (chapters) containing about 460 verses in total.
To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive online course that has been offered on this profound Yogic scripture to date.
This is an unparalleled opportunity to learn this highly revered Hatha Yoga text directly from 2 of Mysore’s elder scholars. You will gain deep insight into one of the key Hatha Yoga texts which influenced Sri Krishnamacharya’s teaching, in turn helping to shape the practice of yoga as we know it today.
COURSE STRUCTURE
(Classes will take place Fridays at 6am USA Pacific time / 3pm Central Europe time / 6:30pm India time)
Module 1 - 1st Pada: June 2022
Lord Shiva declares the true knowledge of Yoga
Lesson 1: June 2
Lesson 2: June 9
Lesson 3: June 16
Lesson 4: June 23
Lesson 5: June 30
Module 2: 1st Pada, continued: July 2022
The Law of Karma & Rebirth
Lesson 6: July 7
Lesson 7: July 14
Lesson 8: July 21
Lesson 9: July 28
Module 3: 2nd Pada
The Body as a Microcosm of the Universe; The Nadis; Prana
Lesson 10: August 4
Lesson 11: August 11
Lesson 12: August 18
Lesson 13: August 25
Module 4 - 3rd Pada:
The 5 Vayus; The Guru; Asanas
Lesson 14: September 1
Lesson 15: September 8
Lesson 16: September 15
Lesson 17: September 22
Lesson 18: September 29
Module 5 - 4th Pada:
Mudras-The Great Seals
Lesson 19: October 6
Lesson 20: October 13
Lesson 21: October 20
Lesson 22: October 27
Module 6 - 5th Pada, pt. 1
Shadow gazing; The Unstruck Sound; Obstacles to Liberation
Lesson 23: November 3
Lesson 24: November 10
Lesson 25: November 17
Lesson 26: November 24
Module 7: 5th Pada, pt. 2
The Secrets of Kundalini; The Chakras, Mantra Yoga
Lesson 27: December 1
Lesson 28: December 8
Lesson 29: December 15
Lesson 30: December 22
(Please note that this schedule is subject to change according to the speed that we progress through the chapters, as well as Jayashree and Narasimhan’s judgment while teaching the course. It is possible that we will spend more time on certain subjects of interest. Please remember that it is necessary to be flexible and welcome all possibilities when studying great philosophical works with great scholars).
About the instructors:
Jayashree and Narasimhan are 2 of Mysore’s most well-known and beloved teachers. For many years they have offered their expertise for the greater peace of mind and happiness of all. Their wonderful teachings represent a unique opportunity for all yoga students (and teachers of yoga) to gain deeper insights into the wisdom and teachings of yoga.
Dr. M.A. Jayashree, Professor of Sanskrit and beloved chanting teacher in Mysore, has been teaching all aspects of Sanskrit for the last 30 years. She holds a doctorate in Sanskrit from Bangalore University on the topic, "Concept of Mind in Indian Philosophy." She teaches using the traditional call-and-response style of ‘Sruti Parampara’, which dates back to Vedic times as the most direct and effective means of preserving and transferring the knowledge acquired by sages and scholars.
She has authored many books in the fields of Sanskrit, Ancient Sciences, Indian history, Indian culture and music. As a proponent of the 'Srutiparampara', method of teaching she has produced many audio recordings in the field of Sanskrit learning along with the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali and Bhagavad Gita. Her material is designed as teaching aids to help people learn the chanting and memorization of the important Sanskrit texts of ancient Indian culture.
She has a large following of overseas students engaged in studies of ancient lore of India mainly Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Bhagavad Gita and the Sanskrit language.
She has presented a paper on a music topic at the 13th World Sanskrit Conference held at Edinburgh. She has been awarded as a ‘South East Asian scholar’ of merit by the American Academy of Religions, and to participate and present a paper in their Annual Meet Nov.2008 in Chicago.
Prof. M. A. Narasimhan is a world renowned scholar and profound Yoga philosopher. He is the director of the Anantha Research Foundation in Mysore, is a science graduate holding Masters in Education with specialization in advanced psychology and research methodology, and also in Sanskrit.
He has specialized in the Indian philosophical systems and the various practices of yoga. As a disciple of His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, he is a teacher of Transcendental Meditation, having taught the TM technique to more than 20,000 people and trained more than 1,000 teachers of Transcendental Meditation.
In addition, he is a research scholar specializing in the fields of Indian culture and the Sciences of ancient India. With a considerable number of books, monographs, and papers in the fields of Indian history, science, Sanskrit and philosophy to his credit, he is also the editor of journals such as Ithihasa samachar & Ithihasa Rashmi.
Your host for this course, Joey Paz, has been a student of Jayashree and Narasimhan since 2015 and studies chanting and philosophy with them regularly in Mysore, India. He currently teaches Ashtanga Yoga and manages the online studies program for Om Shala Yoga, as well as co-hosting the annual Mysore Yoga Conference, returning to Mysore each year to maintain close ties to his teachers.
Course Fees:
$54 per 1 month module, or $270 for complete 7-month course (30 lessons / 45 hours of lecture and direct instruction). Price will go up to $299 on May 29. Register in advance to get the early bird price for the full course.
You will save $108 USD by registering for the full course by May 29 rather than paying for each module separately- this is equivalent to receiving 2 modules free. This is a deep education in Yoga philosophy and a unique investment that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.
We have a limited number of scholarships available. If you live in an economy that does not support this price but wish to participate in the course, please contact andrew@ashtangayogastudio.com or WhatsApp +1 4055037779 to request a scholarship discount price. We believe these teachings should be accessible to everyone.
Indian citizens may contact Andrew on WhatsApp for instructions on how to register by paying directly into an Indian account to register for the course.
Yoga teachers may claim 40 hours of CE continuing Education credits with Yoga Alliance upon completion of this course.
Due to the interactive nature of the chanting and time constraints, we can only accept 25 students for the live Zoom sessions of this course. Please register in advance to make sure you have a space!
To join the course please submit tuition and fill out the form below