Online Courses
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LIVE
YS 137 | The Dawn of Physical Yoga: New Discoveries in Tibetan Haáčhayoga
This course explores the early history of physical yoga through a close study of Tibetan Buddhist tantric sources related to the Amáčtasiddhi. This remarkable text can be identified as the earliest known manual of physical yoga and offers a unique ...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 114 | TheravÄda Buddhism
This course offers a dynamic introduction to TheravÄda Buddhism, the only living Buddhist tradition that preserves and transmits the earliest strata of Buddhist thought in an unbroken lineage. Join Dr. Aleix Ruiz-FalquĂ©s to explore the doctrinal, ...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 218 | The YogavÄsiáčŁáčha
The YogavÄsiáčŁáčha (11-14th century CE) is one of the most influential philosophical-literary works in the history of Yoga in South Asia. Told as an extended dialogue between the young prince RÄma and the sage VasiáčŁáčha, its teachings revolve around ...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 113 | MahÄyÄna Buddhism
Join Dr. Ralph H. Craig III for an in-depth exploration of MahÄyÄna Buddhism through its formative texts, doctrines, and practices. The MahÄyÄna (or âGreat Vehicleâ) was a significant movement within Indian Buddhism that began in approximately the...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 136 | Straps, Mats, and Huts: A Visual and Material History of Yoga
Much of the study of yogaâs historyâlike the study of religion in South Asia more broadlyâhas been carried out primarily through the investigation of key doctrines, philosophy, practices, and a history of ideas as understood from authoritative tex...
$95 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 135 | BÄuls, Fakirs, and Yoga
For students of yoga studies and Indic cultures, this course offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore the vibrant, often-unseen intersection of musical tradition and profound spiritual practice in the two Bengals. Primarily rooted in Banglade...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 134 | Yoga, Power, and Politics
Most people think of yoga as a philosophy or mind-body practice or perhaps a meditative exercise. But what if ideas of yoga also have something to say about politics and power? This course will introduce students to a novel history of yoga as a th...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 217 | The GorakáčŁaĆataka: Hundred Verses of GorakhnÄth
The GorakáčŁaĆataka is a Sanskrit text in a hundred verses that was written around 1200 CE, probably somewhere in the Deccan region of India. As its name indicates, its teachings are attributed to the famous yogi Goraážłsa. It was written by an unname...
$190 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 133 | ĆrÄ«vidya: Tantric Wisdom of the Goddess
ĆrÄ«vidyÄ is a Hindu Tantric Goddess tradition centered on the worship of the goddess TripurasundarÄ«, also known as the Beauty of the Three Cities. TripurÄ, who is also referred to as RÄjarÄjeĆvarÄ« (the Ruler of Kings) and LalitÄ (the Playful One),...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 132 | KuáčážalinÄ«: In Body, Text, and Context
KuáčážalinÄ« is often described as a snake-like energy that lies coiled, sleeping at the base of the human body. Practices of yoga are intended to awaken kuáčážalinÄ«, either to remove her blocking the central channel, or cause her to rise up through it...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 216 | MÄáčážĆ«kya UpaniáčŁad
Join Dr. Varun Khanna for a journey into UpaniáčŁadic philosophy, asking the questions that are central to the UpaniáčŁads: Who am I? Why am I here? What is my goal in life? Is there a way to transcend death, and achieve immortality? These fundamental...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 131 | The Yoga of Sabhapati Swami
This course studies the fascinating and lesser-known yoga of the "JñÄna YogÄ«" Sri Sabhapati Swami (1828â1923/4). Sabhapati's work in English and Sanskrit attracted global attention in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and helped op...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 215 | Yoga and VedÄnta: The AparokáčŁÄnubhĆ«ti
This course offers a close reading of the AparokáčŁÄnubhĆ«ti, whose 144 verses provide a concise and accessible entry into nondual Advaita philosophy while incorporating dualistic Yoga teachings into the VedÄntic system.
$200 USD
UPCOMING
YS 501 | YSACP Graduate Seminar
The Graduate Seminar is the capstone of the Yogic Studies Advanced Certificate Program. It is designed to solidify and integrate this vast learning, as an opportunity to develop and carry out a personalized research project, to prepare graduates f...
$375 USD
SELF-STUDY
YogavidyÄ Conference
Join 28 of the world's leading yoga scholars online for YogavidyÄâa 3 day conference featuring the latest research in Yoga Studies. Recordings now available!
$95 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 130 | Yoga and Psychedelics
This online course explores the historical development, philosophical contexts, and practices of Indian and global yoga traditions and their relationship to the use of psychoactive substances, especially psychedelics.
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 129 | Abhinavagupta: The Art of Nonduality
This course is an introduction to the great tantric master and towering intellectual figure from Kashmir, Abhinavagupta.
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 214 | The YogayÄjñavalkya
This course offers an in-depth study of the YogayÄjñavalkya, a Sanskrit text on yoga ascribed to the famous Vedic sage YÄjñavalkya.
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 112 | Yoga in Buddhism
The primary aim of this course is to demonstrate the wide valency of the term âyogaâ in a Buddhist context. Students will encounter a wide variety of practices that are termed yoga in a traditional context, but that are often distinct in appearanc...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 128 | KalÌŁarippayaṟṟË: Embodying the Cosmic Wind
In this course, we will learn about kaáž·arippayaáčáčË, a ritually transmitted martial art with an allied medical system which originated in South India in the Malabar region of present-day Kerala. We will explore how the tradition understands and def...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 213 | The ĆivayogapradÄ«pikÄ: Lamp on Ćiva Yoga
This course offers an in-depth study of the ĆivayogapradÄ«pikÄ, or the âLamp on Ćiva Yogaââits historical context, significance, theory, and praxisâthrough a careful line by line study of the text in Sanskrit and English.
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 127 | Embodying Transnational Yoga
In this course, we will explore the ways yoga practitioners engage in the practice of eating, singing, and breathing. We will learn about these three transformative, yet understudied embodied yoga practices: yogic diet, music, and breathing techni...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 111 | Buddhist Medicine
This class provides an introduction to the many ways that Buddhism has intersected with health and medicine throughout history and today. Across cultures, Buddhism has always had a lot to say about mental and physical wellbeing. Most Buddhist trad...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 126 | Theosophy and Yoga
In this course we will examine the oft-neglected yet important connections between Theosophy and modern yoga. While the roots of Theosophy go even in deeper, we begin with the founding of the Theosophical Society by prominent authors and travelers...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 212 | The RÄmÄyaáča
This course is an introduction to one of the most important traditions of Hinduism, The RÄmÄyaáča. The RÄmÄyaáča is more than a workâor even a corpusâof literature; it is a phenomenon, a lived tradition, the source and inspiration for much art and c...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 110 | Pilgrimage and Buddhism
In the 2,500 years since the Buddhaâs death, Buddhist communities have developed a diverse array of practices of traveling to holy places. In this course, we will explore a variety of Buddhist pilgrimage traditions from a variety of perspectives.
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 125 | Intro to Advaita VedÄnta
This course serves as an introduction to Advaita VedÄnta philosophy. It is a blend between traditional and academic material, seeking to bridge the gap between the practice of Advaita VedÄnta and its academic study.
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 124 | The Yogic Body
This online course explores the concept of the body in pre-modern yoga traditions. We will examine different approaches to the body in various South Asian religious traditions, beginning with the Vedic religion, the tantric milieu, and in yoga tex...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 203 | Philosophy of the Middle Way: CandrakÄ«rtiâs MadhyamakÄvatÄra
This course offers a close reading of CandrakÄ«rtiâs MadhyamakÄvatÄra (Introduction to the Middle Way), exploring his views about ethics, causality, emptiness, the two truths, and the status of persons in the conventional world. We will address his...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 211 | UpaniáčŁads: ÄȘĆa, PraĆna, Muáčážaka
In this course, we will read selections from the ÄȘĆÄ UpaniáčŁad, PraĆna UpaniáčŁad, and Muáčážaka UpaniáčŁad. We will discuss the fundamental questions "Who am I? Why am I here? What is my goal in life? Is there a way to transcend death, and achieve immor...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 210 | The DattÄtreyayogaĆÄstra
This course will begin with an overview of the DattÄtreyayogaĆÄstra ("DattÄtreya's Discourse on Yoga"), which was written in about 1200 CE. It is the first text to teach both the eightfold yoga system of Patañjali and the physical methods of haáčha...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 123 | Sufism and Yoga
This online course explores the history of encounters of Muslims with the teachings of yoga over more than a thousand years. Contrary to common expectations, Muslims have engaged with yoga both intellectually and in terms of practice, often expres...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 209 | The MahÄbhÄrata
This online course is designed to be a first foray into an enduring work of world literature, the great Sanskrit epic, the MahÄbhÄrata. One of the beloved cradle tales of Hinduism, the MahÄbhÄrata tells the famous story of a war fought by two side...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 103 | Yoga e Ascetismo Hindu, Dal Passato al Presente
Questo corso online esplora il legame secolare tra yoga e ascetismo in India attraverso il mondo dei sÄdhu. Analizzeremo lo sviluppo dell'ascetismo hindu da un punto di vista sia storico che etnografico. Particolare attenzione sarĂ data alla prati...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 122 | Ayurveda, Yoga, and Alchemy
This online course examines the histories of all three disciplines. It will reveal their historical entanglements and trace the trajectories of their evolution as components of today's global healthcare and personal development industries.
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 109 | Introduction to Buddhist Art
This course introduces some of the major figures, forms, ideas, and issues that define the history of Buddhist art through the close examination of exemplary artworks and important landmarks. Drawing on religious and artistic traditions from acros...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 121 | 8 Limbs of Yoga: History, Theory, and Practice of AáčŁáčÄáč gayoga
This online course explores the historical development, philosophical contexts, and pragmatic structures of what is perhaps the most influential pan-Indian, and now global, framework of yogaâAáčŁáčÄáč
gayoga, the "Eight Limbs of Yoga."
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 108 | Buddhism and Compassion
Compassion is one of the most precious, but also misunderstood, ideals in Buddhist thought. This course examines how early Buddhist texts present compassion and ask what this means for our understanding of compassion today. We will also examine th...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 120 | Women and Gender in Hindu Tantra
This course examines the status of women and the category of gender within in the contemporary world of Hindu ĆÄkta Tantra (esoteric goddess traditions). We will challenge normative assumptions and categories of female practitioners and teachers b...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 107 | Buddhism and Climate Change
This course will focus on ways that Buddhism might contribute to changing minds and actions, by countering mistaken views, modeling ethical behavior, and promoting social resilience. We will survey the great range of issues involved with climate c...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 208 | DevÄ«mÄhÄtmya: Greatness of the Goddess
This course offers an in-depth study of the DevÄ«mÄhÄtmya, the foundational Sanskrit text of Indian Great Goddess worship. Composed some fifteen centuries ago, it signals the Brahmanical sanctification and crystallization of indigenous Great Goddes...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 106 | Buddhism and Animals
In this course, we will take a look at some of the ways that the Buddhist tradition has approached non-human animals. We will explore how Buddhist communities throughout history thought about animals.
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 105 | Women and Buddhism
This course brings attention to the stories, ideas, and practices about and by women in various Buddhist traditions, from its beginnings in the northern Indian subcontinent to its modern emanations across the globe.
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 207 | UpaniáčŁads: Kaáčha, ChÄndogya, Keáča
In this course, we will read selections from the ChÄndogya UpaniáčŁad, Kaáčha UpaniáčŁad, and Kena UpaniáčŁad. We will discuss the fundamental questions "Who am I? Why am I here? What is my goal in life? Is there a way to transcend death, and achieve imm...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 104 | Tibetan Buddhism
This course offers an introduction to Buddhism in Tibet, its historical development, various schools and institutions, and its continued spread around the globe within the last century. Along the way we'll explore key beliefs and practices related...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 119 | Yoga and Esotericism
In this course we will examine exchanges between South Asia and the rest of the world that had a significant effect on yogaâs history and contemporary life. After setting the stage for how to view such exchanges in as holistic a way as possible, w...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 206 | The Amáčtasiddhi: Haáčha Yoga's Source Text
Join Dr. James Mallinson for a close reading of the Amáčtasiddhi, the "Attainment of Immortality," the first text to teach any of the practices and principles which came to be classified as haáčhayoga.
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 202 | Visuddhimagga: The Path of Purification
This course offers a close reading of the "The Path of Purification" (Pali: Visuddhimagga), composed by BhadantÄcariya Buddhaghosa (5th century), the foremost commentator in the Theravada tradition. As we read, we will learn to think with Buddhagh...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 118 | Yoga in Latin America
This course seeks to make incursion into the fascinating history of how yoga entered different parts of Latin America, whose yogic community is unquestionably large and fast-growing. While some cases simply continued other yogic trends in North Am...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 201 | BodhicaryÄvatÄra: How to Lead an Awakened Life
In this course, we will read closely the BodhicaryÄvatÄra, composed by the Buddhist monk and scholar ĆÄntideva (c. 8th century). Chapter by chapter, we will follow ĆÄntideva's extraordinary account of moral transformation.
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 117 | Karma, Rebirth, and Liberation
After a brief historical overview of teachings of rebirth in the worldâs religions and throughout history, this course addresses different hypotheses concerning the origin of teachings of karma rebirth in ancient India. It will introduce a range o...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 103 | Indian Buddhist Philosophy
This course charts the philosophical territory from the Buddha's first discourses through the development of distinctive schools of Buddhist philosophy: Abhidharma ("Higher Dharma"), Madhyamaka ("Middle Way"), YogÄcÄra/CittamÄtra ("Yogic Practice/...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 205 | Bhakti Yoga: The BhÄgavatapurÄáča
This course will consist of a close-reading of a selection of the most famous bhakti yoga stories and teachings from the BhÄgavatapurÄáča, focusing on the amazing lives of some of the best known yogis of yore and their astonishing yoga practices. T...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 102 | Buddhist Meditation in Theory and Practice
This course provides an exploration of how Buddhist contemplative traditions emerged in early South Asia, and the ways in which they evolved and transformed as they spread to Central, East, and Southeast Asia.
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 116 | Sikhism and Yoga
This course will explore the historical emergence of the Sikh traditionâallowing for a unique look at the practice of Yoga during the medieval and Mughal period in India, where there were significant interactions and philosophical discussions betw...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
BS 101 | Intro to Buddhism: History, Philosophy, and Practice
This course provides an in-depth introduction to the diverse ideals, practices, and traditions of Buddhism from their origins in South Asia to their various expressions across time and place in modernity.
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 115 | A History of Yoga and Devotion
This course explores the rich and shifting historical relationship between yoga and devotion (bhakti) from ancient India up to the present-day. Advancing beyond preconceived modern notions of what yoga and devotion are, we will examine the body of...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 204 | The SÄáč khyakÄrikÄ: Stanzas on All-Embracing Insight
The course will introduce you to the fascinating world view of SÄáč
khya as it was codified in the SÄáč
khyakÄrikÄ. This enigmatic Sanskrit text, consisting of about 70 stanzas, is the foundational work of Classical SÄáč
khya philosophy
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 114 | RÄja Yoga: History, Theory, and Practice
This course will delve into premodern traditions of RÄjayogaâthe practice of meditative absorption that became an inseparable counterpart to physical yoga, more generally known as Haáčhayoga. Yogis learned physical yoga to accomplish meditative abs...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 113 | Yoga's Past, Present, and Future
This course examines the state of yoga immediately prior to the the "modern yoga renaissance" of the late-nineteenth century, and continuing with a reassessment of the history of Äsana. What has been lost, and what gained, by yoga's popularisation...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 112 | Yoga and Hindu Mythology
This course explores the role of Hindu Mythology in perpetuating yogic themes. Students will receive a thorough grounding in Hindu mythological traditions and an appreciation for the pivotal place of Hindu myths in encoding and preserving the Hind...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 203 | The HaáčhapradÄ«pikÄ: Lamp on Haáčha Yoga
In this course, you will be guided through a close reading of the entire text, line by lineâbased on the original Sanskrit and an accessible English translation. We will study and discuss the various methods of practice including...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 111 | Women and Yoga: A History of Female Practitioners
This course offers a broad survey of the history of female yoga practitioners drawing on rich narrative and visual accounts of practitioners. We will bring this historical material into conversation via key themes and analytical approaches. The co...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 110 | Tibetan Yoga: Histories, Practices, Transformations
This course offers a four-part, illustrated lecture series exploring the historical development and scientific interrogation of mind-body practices in Tibetâs VajrayaÌna Buddhist tradition of âhighest yoga tantraâ (Anuttarayoga Tantra), postulated...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 109 | Classical Yoga and Buddhism
This course will introduce students to the interconnections between the classical Yoga of Patañjali and the systems of mind-body practice that are described in Buddhist texts of the same period. In particular, we will consider early Buddhist expre...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 108 | Roots of Haáčha Yoga
This course will chart the history of physical yoga practice in India from the first-millennium BCE up to the 15th century CE, at which point it became classified under the catchall term "haáčha yoga." It will show how until about a thousand years ...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 107 | Yoga and Ćaiva Tantra: An Uncharted History
This course, based on original Sanskrit scholarship and a coherent synthesis of the best existing scholarship on tantric traditions, provides a solid grounding in the origins, development, and essential features of classical tantra. This understan...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 106 | ĆÄkta Tantra: Yoga and Hindu Goddess Traditions
This online course surveys the rich tapestry of Goddesses within the Hindu ĆÄkta traditionsâand uniquely explores their living relationship to the practices of Yoga. We will begin with the ten Great Wisdom Goddesses (daĆa mahÄvidyÄ) of India. Then...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 105 | A Brief History of Äsana
Participants will walk away with a solid foundation in the history of Äsana, a clearer understanding of the traditional role of the body and physical postures in premodern yoga traditions, insight into exciting new yoga scholarship, and a better u...
$95 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 104 | The Story of OMÌŁ: Sacred Sound and the Vedic Roots of Yoga
This course explores the rich history of the sacred syllable in Indian religions, highlighting the significance of mantra meditation in the development of classical Yoga. We will examine the ideologies of sound, speech, and silence
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 202 | The Yogas of the BhagavadgÄ«tÄ
This course provides an in-depth immersion into the history, philosophy, and theology of the BhagavadgÄ«tÄ. It gives special attention to the various teachings on yoga, including three of the earliest definitions of yoga in a Sanskrit text.
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 201 | The Yogasƫtras of Patañjali
This course provides an in-depth study of the history, philosophy, and practice of the Yogasƫtra, drawing on Seth Powell's own Sanskrit-English translation. Immerse in a close and thorough reading of one of yoga's most ancient, important, and mis-...
$200 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 103 | Yoga and Hindu Asceticism, From Past to Present
This course explores the age-old connection between yoga and asceticism in India, through the world of the saÌdhus. We will look at the development of Hindu asceticism from both a historical and ethnographic point of view.
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 102 | Modern Yoga in the West
This course is designed to give students an understanding of the development of modern yoga in the West from the mid-nineteenth century up to the present day in areas including the United States and England, Europe and Australia, Latin America, Ru...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
YS 101 | An Introduction to the History and Philosophy of Yoga
This course offers an overview of the latest and most exciting research in yoga studiesâilluminating yogaâs past and present. Along the way, we will debunk common misperceptions about yogaâs antiquity and uncover the incredible ways yoga has chang...
$175 USD
SELF-STUDY
FREE Audio Lecture | What Would Patañjali Think?
This talk took place on the fifth annual International Day of Yoga, June 21, 2019 at Triyoga Camden in London. Access the audio recording and keynote slides.
FREE
SELF-STUDY
FREE Video Lecture | Visual History of Yoga and Yogis
Learn about the history of yogic postures (Äsana) through material evidence in medieval south India, based on Seth Powell's original research and fieldwork in Hampi.
FREE
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