Sound has been used as a spiritual tool in traditions all over the world and throughout the centuries.  Through its utterance, its felt reverberation and its hidden messages, humans have awoken to the numinous through its extraordinary power.  In this talk, we will explore the practice and the meaning behind mantra (the utterance of sacred sounds) in the context of Ancient Indian traditions.  We will explore the ritual science of preparing a sacred space through the organisation of sound in the Vedic ritual as well as the sacred practice of installing sound syllables onto the body with the Tantric practice of Nyasa.  We will look at the meaning of mantra or bija in the context of Mandala in Tantric and Buddhist traditions and how the phenomena of mantra manifest as lived transcendental experiences in the body and mind. We will look at how we can use mantras as a tool to awaken higher consciousness and explore the different altered states that can arise as a result.  We will take a closer look at different theories from ancient India which unpack the mechanism of speech, sound, thought, and awakening by exploring how sound affects our psychology and what happens when we apply intention to these sounds.

The Kuṇḍalinī experience is a human phenomenon as old as time and is known by many names in many cultures. It is a profound human experience where the body and thought dissolve into an expansive, blissful experience of oneness. 

In this Livestream talk, Ann Mathie will explore what happens during a Kuṇḍalinī awakening through the lens of interviews with experiencers, and of ancient Indian Buddhist and Yogic Texts. She will explore how the Kuṇḍalinī experience is situated on the path to enlightenment through meditation manuals written by Buddhist meditation masters, as well as the latest discoveries in neuroscience. 

Ann will frame these Kuṇḍalinī experiences within the Tantric and Yogic Sāṅkhya worldview to unpack how Universal forces play an intrinsic part in human design. She will also explore how these experiences aid in the eradication of psychological suffering and the devolvement of psychic abilities.

Talk 1

In this talk, we will explore the path laid out by the Buddha and how Kuṇḍalinī energy is used in Samadhi or Jhana type practices for liberation.  We will explore the 16 stages of insight and how the experiences of advanced meditators map on to the experience of a Kuṇḍalinī rising.  We will discuss how the Buddhists navigate some of the more challenging aspects which can arise as a result of this awakening.

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Practice 1

We will start with gentle Yoga postures and light pranayama to relax and stretch the body to prepare for comfortable seated meditation.  We will then practice loving-kindness meditation to lighten applying the mind followed by mindfulness of the breath.  We will use techniques for withdrawal of the senses before we practice concentration on the breath.  We will then start to concentrate our minds on the breath to cultivate access concentration (a preparatory state before jhana, Buddhist samadhi).  We will end with an investigation of the phenomena arising as passing through the body.

All the practices are drawn from a rich range of text relevant to the traditions discussed in the talk before the practice.  

In this talk, we will discuss the different states of consciousness that can arise with Kundalini experiences and how they are situated Buddhist and Tantric paths to awakening.  Through the lens of phenomenological research, manuals written by advanced meditation teachers and ancient Buddhist and Tantric texts, we will put into context some of the more challenging altered states and how one might navigate these experiences towards greater freedom.  For more context, we will touch on the subtle body and biological mechanisms at play during a Kundalini awakening.

This talk will explore the physical and metaphysical experience of Kuṇḍalinī that can arise spontaneously or as a result of spiritual practice. These experiences will be framed within the Tantric and Yogic worldview to understand how Universal forces play an intrinsic part in human design. Viewed through the lens of Sāṅkhya Philosophy; the metaphysics which underpins most of India’s traditions in Yoga and Tantra, Ann will examine how these forces are the modus operandi of our psychology and the means to transcend mundane existence. To unpack the Kuṇḍalinī phenomena further, she will investigate yogic texts which describe the subtle body model of the sun and moon and how this amṛita inducing phenomenon occurs. She will also point at theories in current science that mirror these ancient insights.

This talk will explore the physical and metaphysical experience of Kuṇḍalinī that can arise spontaneously or as a result of spiritual practice. These experiences will be framed within the Tantric and Yogic worldview to understand how Universal forces play an intrinsic part in human design. Viewed through the lens of Sāṅkhya Philosophy; the metaphysics which underpins most of India’s traditions in Yoga and Tantra, Ann will examine how these forces are the modus operandi of our psychology and the means to transcend mundane existence. To unpack the Kuṇḍalinī phenomena further, she will investigate yogic texts which describe the subtle body model of the sun and moon and how this amṛita inducing phenomenon occurs. She will also point at theories in current science that mirror these ancient insights.

In this talk, we will explore the meaning of yoga according to the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali and Sāṅkhya philosophy.  We will discuss the nature of consciousness and the manifestation of our perceived reality according to Patañjali.  We will look at how our reality is comprised of the 3 gunas (subtle and gross matter) and how the practice of the eight limbs of yoga has a direct effect on our perception of reality.  We will unpack how and why certain practices provide us with a clear path towards different stages of samadhi or deep absorption resulting in our final liberation or kaivalya.

We will look at examples of how one might apply certain aspect of the yoga sutras in a skilful and personalised way to benefit from this precious teaching.  At the end of the talk, we will practice meditation techniques described in the Bhysa or early commentaries on the Yoga Sutras.  These practices are designed to cultivate the right attitudes, poise and intentions which allow deeper absorption and happier states of mind as well as alleviate mental and physical hindrances which obstruct clear seeing. 

In this talk, we will discuss what the Buddha discovered under the Bodhi tree which led to his radical freedom from suffering.  We will explore the different types of deep absorption or Jhanic states and how these phenomena are experienced in the mind-body, based on the direct experience of long-term meditators and Buddhist monks. We will look at how these Jhanic states lead to insight and the workings of this mind matrix.  We will detail the fruits of this practice and how one can begin to develop this profound state of deep absorption.  We will look at practices from the ‘Four Foundations of Mindfulness' from the Satipatthana Sutta as well as preparatory practices from early Buddhist literature which support a more wholesome and steadier mind for deeper states of absorption.

There will be a practice a guided meditation starting with loving-kindness and then move into the concentration of breath, weaving in the ‘seven factors of awakening’, inspired by the teachings from the Pali Suttas and the early Buddhist text, the Visuddhimagga. This meditation is to prepare the mind for ‘access concentration’ or deep absorption to enable insight into the nature of reality.

In this talk, I will discuss my phenomenological research with advanced meditators and monks.  We will also look at scientific studies which provide evidence of a greater potential for the human mind and body. We will look at the neurobiology of Samadhi states and draw comparisons of the subtle body with the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

We will look at some of the meditation techniques in the Buddhist path and discuss how these techniques transform the human psyche and to what end.  There will be an open discussion at the end of the talk to further explore any of the topics touched on during the talk.

This is a series of two talks that explore the physical, emotional and metaphysical experience of Kuṇḍalinī that can arise spontaneously or as a result of spiritual practice/devotion. The first talk will frame this experience within the Tantric and Yogic worldview to understand the mechanism of Kuṇḍalinī and its purpose. We will look at the scriptural evolution of ideas from the Indian continent which points at this divine occurrence. 

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The second talk will explore the lived experience of this phenomenon and how it can manifest in the body and mind.  We will look at how this mysterious occurrence can be viewed by modern psychiatry as mania, schizophrenia or psychosis. We will explore some ideas which differentiate transcendence from psychosis and how we have a growing need to re-examine older psychiatric models of a healthy mind. 

In this talk we will explore how Yoga influenced the Buddha and how early Buddhism shaped yoga.  We will explore the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and highlight parts of the text which were a nod to the teachings of Buddha from the Pali Canon.  We will draw comparisons between the world view of Buddhism where there is no-self and the Yogic Purusha or Pure Consciousness of Samkhya philosophy.  To unpack this further, we will explore the 8-fold noble path of Buddhism and how this path structure lays important conditions for awakening. Similarly, we will examine how the 8 limbs of Yoga prepare the psyche and subtle body for Samadhi states.

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This talk is for the Yoga Teacher Trainers for Vajrasati Yoga.  It is tailored to support a firm foundation of philosophy behind guided yoga and meditation practice.  We will look at how the texts (the Pali Canon and The Patanjaliyogasatra) provide practical application of yoga and meditation techniques as means to refine and purify the mind in a grounded and supportive fashion.

In a time of uncertainty and insecurity for many people, this practice is one which serves as a protector against negative feelings which cause fear and anxiety as well as mistrusts and anger towards others. 

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In the first 30 minutes, we will discuss how the practice of loving kindness and compassion is situated in early Theravada Buddhism as well as in Mahayana Buddhism.  We will briefly look at Buddhist psychology and the jhanas or deep absorptions on the path to liberation. We will also look at the meaning of loving kindness and compassion in the Buddhist context and how this acts as a support and protection on the path to greater freedom and happiness. 

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For the guided meditation we will refer to early Buddhist texts the Visuddhimagga and the Pali Canon (Nikayas) in order to reflect in more detailed on how one should cultivate loving kindness and compassion.  The path laid out by the early Buddhists have been tried and tested and are carefully designed to suit the needs of our human psychology.

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This workshop is a look at the metaphysical framework of the mind according to Sāṅkhya philosophy.  We will discuss the nature of the mind and matter and how this relates to the yoga sutras and the eight limbs of yoga.  After the talk, will work through a series of Asana or yoga postures to relax the muscles and soothe the nervous system followed by pranayama to awaken more subtle awareness as described in the Vyasabhasya (early commentary on the yoga sutras).  We will then explore a series of guided meditations.

Is this reality we live in an illusion?  If so, is there a way out of this mind matrix? 

In this talk we will be looking at what the Buddha discovered under the Bodhi tree which lead to his radical freedom from suffering.  We will be exploring the different types of deep absorption or Jhanic states and how these states are experienced in the mind-body.  To frame these phenomena, we will look at the direct experiences of long term meditators and Buddhist monks. We will look at how the Buddhas’ different states of absorption lead to insight into the workings of this mind matrix.  As a result of this insight he found a way out of suffering.

This talk will explore the metaphysical relationship between mind and matter in the Buddhist context based on Abhidharma manuscripts.  We will look at techniques of freedom discovered by the Buddha in detail based on the Pali Cannon and early Buddhist literature.  Most importantly we will be exploring the meaning of freedom from suffering and how to attain it. 

That which could not be seen with the physical eye was declared ever-present by the Ṛshis, Munis and wandering ascetics who devoted themselves to awakening. To understand the relationship between mind and matter, one had to transcend the self. Only then could one 'see’ the true nature of reality.  The vehicle through which this is made possible is the yogic body; a subtle body that vibrates beyond our normal sense perception yet governs every aspect of our being.  This talk explores the mechanics behind consciousness and how this manifest as a subtle body.