A 4-Module Course with Tias Little
Darshan:
Yoga & the Art of Seeing
Wednesdays, January 20, 27, February 3, 10 (7 - 9 pm ET)
Course Description
In yoga seeing is equated with knowing. Yet this seeing is not merely to see with the eyes but involves another kind of seeing. In this course, we explore the art of seeing. We consider the third verse of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras that suggests that the very essence of yoga is seeing. In the practice of yoga postures, we focus the gaze called drsti in order to concentrate awareness. In rituals of devotion throughout India, yoga requires being “seen” by the deity. To be seen by a force greater than ourselves is critical to yogic revelation. This involves not only being seen but seeing the power of the divine. In this class, we explore darshan as instrumental to the path of yoga and how yogic seeing leads to a state of profound union.
Participants in this course will learn how to:
-
Explore how image is critical for spiritual revelation
- Practice drsti: the eyes as a means to harness meditative awareness
- Gain insight into Tantra as a way of seeing the divine
- Read verses from the Upanisad and Yoga Sutra that describe yoga as seeing
- Learn the difference between vidya and avidya, seeing and not-seeing
- Explore yantras from the yoga traditions that enhance the power of seeing
- Learn about Avalokitesvara, the deity with 1,000 eyes
- Learn the subtle body connections to the third eye, the brainstem and the spine
- Explore icons of the Hindu and Buddhist traditions that enhance the power of seeing
COURSE INCLUDES:
4 Live, Interactive Zoom Sessions
4 Downloadable Videos & MP3s
Course Readings
10 Embodied Philosophy Credits
10 Yoga Alliance Cont. Ed. Credits
Private Pop-Up Facebook Group
Course Outline
For centuries humankind has rendered images (cave painting, stone monoliths, sacred geometry) to connect to a great mystery beyond ourselves. How does image connect us to the divine? In yoga, knowledge comes through witnessing or seeing (vidya). How can we learn to see and in what ways, if any, does god become visible? In this module, we will explore how awareness itself is like a mirror, a lens, or an eye with a capacity to see.
In the iconography of India and Tibet, psychological states such as anger, fear, bliss, or enlightenment get personified as demonic or divine figures. In this module, we investigate how archetypal energies incarnate in the forms (murti) of peaceful and wrathful entities and that seeing the image is necessary for transformation.
In this module, we investigate the powerful influence that the eyes assert over the brain and body. Tias shows slides of the eye-brain connection along with the cranial bones, brainstem, and pituitary gland. Practice includes meditation using the third eye (the Ajna chakra) and how it is an opening to the subtle body.
In order to heal the subtle body, we must not only see but allow ourselves to be seen. While imperative for healing, being seen can evoke real fear and terror. In this module, we look at the emotional and psychological challenges around seeing and being seen, especially in light of the proliferation of the screen in today’s society.
Tias Little’s unique and skillful approach enables students to find greater depth of understanding and awareness in their practice, both on and off the mat. His approach to the practice is inter-disciplinary, passionate, intelligent, innovative and full of insight. Tias synthesizes years of study in classical yoga, Sanskrit, Buddhist studies, anatomy, massage and trauma healing. Tias began studying the work of B.K.S Iyengar in 1984 and lived in Mysore, India in 1989 studying Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga with Pattabhi Jois. Thus his teaching brings together precision of alignment, anatomical detail and a profound meditative experience.
Tias is a licensed massage therapist and his somatic studies include in-depth training in cranial-sacral therapy. His practice and teaching are influenced by the work of Ida Rolf, Moshe Feldenkrais and Thomas Hanna. Tias is a long-time student of the meditative arts and Buddhist studies beginning with Vipassana and continuing in Tibetan Buddhism and Zen. His teaching style is unique in being able to weave together poetic metaphor with clear instruction filled with compassion and humor.
Tias earned a Master’s degree in Eastern Philosophy from St. John’s College Santa Fe in 1998. Tias is the author of four books, The Thread of Breath, Meditations on a Dewdrop, Yoga of the Subtle Body, and The Practice is the Path.
Tuition Options
MONTHLY
$97
PER MONTH
This Course, plus:
Unlimited Access to Over 40 On-Demand Courses
2+ New Courses Every Month
Access to EPTV: Over 200 Hours of On-Demand Video Content
New weekly talk curated from our most recent live event
New Yoga Seminar talk every month
New MindBody Seminar talk every month
***Minimum 3-Month Commitment
QUARTERLY
$249
AUTO-DEBITED EVERY 3 MONTHS
This Course, plus:
Unlimited Access to Over 40 On-Demand Courses
2+ New Courses Every Month
Access to EPTV: Over 200 Hours of On-Demand Video Content
New weekly talk curated from our most recent live event
New Yoga Seminar talk every month
New MindBody Seminar talk every month
*** SAVE 15% OFF the Monthly Option
