Being Yoga: Through Breath and Meditation

Yoga philosophy and practice is founded upon two very different approaches to practice, based on two traditions with very different ideas of the goal of practice. If you really want to understand yoga philosophy and benefit from its practices, the best way to start is from this perspective.

One is the ‘Prana’ tradition, which has its roots in the earlier Vedas and Upanishads, and which provides the foundation for the hatha yoga tradition and its practices that most of us follow today. Its emphasis was upon an experiential spiritual connection through the Prana, as well as upon personal well-being and a full life.

The other is the tradition of the ‘Mind’ that is familiar to most of us from Patanjali’s emphasis on calming the ‘citta-vritti’ or fluctuations of the mind, which began to appear in the later Upanishads.

What we call the Classical tradition — the tradition of the ‘Mind’ — emphasizes directly quieting this activity of the mind through concentration, and ultimately eliminating it in the state of samadhi. 

That is hard and austere, and doesn’t fit easily into our lives.

‘Yoga’ has of course attempted to merge these two, but it is an uneasy merger that has led to a lot of confusion and dispute over just what yoga — or the ‘real’ yoga — is.

Hatha Yoga and the philosophical tradition of tantra blossomed in the time after the ‘Classical’ period of yoga philosophy, with its concepts firmly rooted in the Prana tradition.

This course will focus on the evolution of the Prana tradition from its earliest roots to its elaboration in hatha yoga and tantra through pranayama and meditation practices.

Live Online Sessions

Session 1: The Two Rivers of Yoga Philosophy

This session introduces the two main influences on thought about yoga, and the three periods, from the Vedic and Classical periods to the Tantric or ‘Post-Classical’ period in which hatha yoga emerged.

Our main emphasis will be on understanding the ideas of Prana as the foundation for spiritual connection and personal well-being, and their relevance to yoga practice today as well as their relevance to modern understanding of health.

We’ll also come to understand the sources and influences that led to the earliest definition of ‘yoga’ in the Katha Upanishad, and the beginnings of the tradition of the ‘Mind’ and concern for liberation through ‘purification’ of the mind.

This session is ideal for teachers or practitioners who want to understand where yoga’s philosophical ideas come from and how they relate to practice today.

Session 2: Prana and Elaboration of the ‘Vayus:’ Foundations for the Future

This session goes deeper into the development of the understanding of Prana in terms of the ‘Vayus’, powers or functions of Prana, which are most productively understood as representing the five functions of the Autonomic Nervous system.

This will lead us into accessible teaching of pranayama practices and their relationship to these Vayus, from the Natural and Full Yogic Breath onward.

This session is ideal for teachers or practitioners who want a clearer understanding of the Vayus and their relationship to pranayama, beginning with the Natural and Full Yogic Breath.

Session 3: Practical Value and Health Benefits from a Modern Perspective

The previous session sets the foundation for understanding the value of pranayama practices from a modern perspective on healthy breathing - including the mechanics of breathing, as well as breathing pattern disorders. The framework of the Vayus is helpful for understanding the nature of these disorders, their impact upon health, and how they can be addressed through practice.

This session is ideal for teachers or practitioners who want to understand the mechanics of healthy breathing, breathing pattern disorders and the role of pranayama practice.

Session 4: Patanjali and the Introduction of the Specifics of Pranayama

Patanjali introduces some specifics into pranayama practice. We will place his approach in the context of the ‘Classical’ approach to defining yoga that began in the later Upanishads, and contrast this approach, and Patanjali’s description of pranayama, with the approach of hatha yoga that follows after him. Specifically, we’ll take a deeper look at the value and role of ‘kumbhak’ or breath retention and its value, both from a modern health perspective, and its role in hatha yoga practices of pranayama, which will be further elaborated in the next session.

This session is ideal for teachers or practitioners who want to explore why breath retention is used in pranayama and how its role is understood across different yoga traditions.

Session 5: The Advent of Hatha Yoga and Its Unique Features

This session examines the emergence of hatha yoga, the unique features of practice that it emphasises (such as the nadis, cleansing techniques, mudra and bandha), and their foundation in the Prana tradition going back to the Vayus.

The natural role of bandha as a support for kumbhak and for healthy breathing, as well as mudra as a profound and practical support for pranayama practice, are brought into the refinements of pranayama practice introduced by the hatha yogis.

This session is ideal for teachers or practitioners who are familiar with terms such as mudra and bandha and want to understand their purpose and place within pranayama practice.

Session 6: Refining the Breath: the Role of the Nadis

While most pranayama courses focus on the mechanics of breathing in the torso, centered around diaphragmatic breathing, the deeper power of pranayama for the hatha yogis lies in refinement of how the breath is directed through the throat, nasal passages, and the nose, starting with the Ujjayi breath, and leading to experiences of dharana or concentration, and ultimately higher forms of meditation.

We’ll explore the modern significance of this emphasis in practical terms, and the more refined breathing practices having to do with the nadis.

This session is ideal for teachers or practitioners who want to explore the subtler aspects of breathing and how they connect pranayama with concentration and meditation.

Session 7: The ‘Yoga Body’ of Hatha Yoga: Chakras and the Path to Samadhi through Prana

The introduction of the chakras as the ‘map’ for the inner journey of spiritual evolution as guided and propelled by the Prana or Kundalini has important foundations in the emphasis upon the Vayus from the Vedas, which is reclaimed by hatha yoga after the Classical Period.

We’ll explore the significance and role of the chakras as tools for deeper meditation, and the role of pranayama coupled with dharana in making this inner journey toward expanding awareness and the meaning of ‘jivan-mukti.’

This will include exploration of the teaching and practice of Yoga Nidra.

This session is ideal for teachers or practitioners who want to explore the chakras as tools for meditation and deepen their understanding of the relationships between Prana, pranayama and Yoga Nidra.

Session 8: The Tantric Context

Hatha yoga emphasises practice and experience over philosophy. Tantric philosophy, which was the environment in which hatha yoga flourished, provided the context for understanding the experience of Prana at the heart of hatha yoga.

We will explore this context of tantric philosophy as the expansion of Consciousness, helping us to understand the state of ‘Being Yoga’ from the perspective of tantra and hatha yoga, with further elaboration on their understanding of ‘samadhi’ and the relationship between ‘Laya Yoga’ (the deeper practices and experiences included in Yoga Nidra) and the yoga of practical life in the world.

This session is ideal for teachers or practitioners who want to understand the Tantric foundations of hatha yoga and how its inner practices relate to everyday life.

In this course you will...

• Understand where these practices come from and how they've changed over the centuries, so you teach with context rather than repeating cues you picked up along the way.
• Explore what current research says about how the inner practices work, so you can explain the why to curious students.
• Deepen your own practice through guided sessions and self-practice. It's much easier to teach what you live. 
• Support students in restorative practice when their mind won't stop wandering.
• Recognise common concerns such as breathlessness, anxiety and depression, and adapt practices safely within your scope as a yoga teacher.

Course Structure

The 50 hours of this course includes: 24 hours live online sessions spread across eight session; 19 hours of pre-recorded content; and 7 hours of self-study

Who is this for?

This course is for anyone with an existing meditation practice and a foundational understanding of relaxation practices. It is a Core element of the Advanced Teacher Training but may be completed independently of that training.

Yogacampus Diversity and Accessibility Bursary

We are offering one bursary (50% off the course price) to a dedicated yoga student with demonstrated financial need and active involvement in a community that could benefit from yoga. This bursary is provided by Yogacampus – Radiant Light Yoga Limited, a not-for-profit educational body committed to sharing knowledge and making yoga accessible to all.

Bursary places will be awarded to a teacher or trainee who has the ability and commitment to take the course teachings into a disadvantaged community and play their part in the drive to increase accessibility to these profoundly healing practices. Priority will be given to those who themselves are from marginalised or vulnerable groups or are from a minority ethnic background.

To apply, please complete our online form.