Nourish Your Heart, Body & Mind - Yoga/Meditation/Discussion March 16 - April 6, 2013, Karl Erb
Channel: Karl Erb
Date: 2013-02-09

Nourish your Body, Heart and Mind,  
Nourish Your Being:  
Four weeks of asana, meditation and discussion. 
Karl Erb
http://yogaNexus.com

Workshop at the Yoga Loft in SF March 16 - April 6, 2013.
San Francisco
see http://theloftsf.com

Practice conscious presence in asana not only to notice the actions and breath in the body, but to inquire into the very nature of that present consciousness; that sat-cit, and in turn that ananda, or ever-present fullness that is your very essence. Spend time in discussion about the teachings so as to color your asana practice. Learn tools to enrich your practice and daily life for years to come. Last session is Karl's birthday... stay tuned for details.

Have you had some exposure to "yoga philosophy" but it didn't quite click? or it lit you up and you want more? Or you're not sure but are interested in meditation tools and psychological delving?  Want all that and awesome backbends? Then this workshop is for you.

The yogic and Vedic texts propose that much of our striving and disquiet about happiness and fulfillment is due first to a fundamental misunderstanding of our essential nature, our very being, or being-ness. Unfortunately many of us hear these teachings like a garbled game of telephone to mixed results in our personal lives. 

One cannot study the teachings of the Upanisads on self-knowledge in an asana class, nor can one read these texts via books and commentaries. The means to receive the teachings as a means of knowledge about oneself, or pramana, have to come teachers. Drawing on the methods and materials of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, we will interweave time to study the texts, to question and discuss and also time to understand asana practice as a further contemplation on the teachings, asana as meditation, dhyana, and as offering, yajña.

How do we understand and value svadyaya, self-study and self-knowledge?  Why bother? And how does affect my asana practice?

How do we understand and navigate our emotional landscapes?  What does our understanding of our essential nature have to do with daily emotional realities?

What is Bhakti Yoga? What is Karma Yoga? What is Jñana Yoga? Are they distinct? Why should I care? What do they look like in daily life? Isn't bhakti singing? 
Do I have to sing? No.
Will you sing to us? Absolutely.

What is samadhi? savikalpaḥ samadhi? nirvikalpaḥ samadhi?  So what?  Format: Each 2.5 hour class will be one hour asana, one hour lecture (śravana) and one hour Q&A, discussion (manana). Meditation, (nididhyasana) will be included in these segments. 

By the end of the four weeks you will understand how awareness in asana, when informed by strong sravana, and discernment regarding our sense of self (viveka), can help color how we understand ourselves and/in the world. You will have a grasp of key teachings on self-knowledge to color your asana practice for years to come.

You will learn key vedic verses to develop a chanting practice to reinforce the teachings in your daily life.

Terms like mokśa, liberation, satcitananda, being-consciousness-fullness, purnam, wholeness, atma, self, Isvara, divine causeless cause, satyam, the nature of reality, or mithya, dependent reality, will be unfolded in a way as to become meaningful in daily experience; along with the eight limbs or aṣtanga of yoga, the foundational branches of yoga practice.

About Karl Erb: 
Celebrating 30 years of yoga this year Karl has been practicing and teaching for much of his life and will integrate the years of asana practice with the years of study with Swami Dayananda Saraswati to offer a very unique and special series. Karl has worked primarily with Iyengar style teachers while also being informed by many other methods as well as some martial arts. Karl's approach to asana makes it a challenging, immersive and rewarding experience; always challenging our limits while staying in touch with our playful demeanor. One of San Francisco's senior teachers Karl's is know for personal attention instruction, unique and powerful adjustments, and a comprehensive approach that demystifies many of the hurdles in the asana practice. Karl teaches both asana and self-study in teacher training programs. Currently Karl is not teaching public classes, so register today to grow your practice with his unique approach.