previous talks and workshops
Meditation, Our Human Potential and the Mind-Body Connection
MEDITATION AND OUR HUMAN POTENTIAL
@
BRIGHTON CHIROPRACTIC
03/06/21
This talk is an exploration of meditation and the relationship between the mind and the body through the Buddhist and Yogic lens. For the past 2000 years, the Indian Continent is a culture that has practised the art of meditation as a means to directly experience the deepest nature of reality and the mind-body connection. As a result of such refined meditation techniques, meditation masters have discovered truly profound insights and radical psychological transformations which can remove the causes of mental and physical suffering. 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 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.
Kuṇḍalinī: The Lived Experience, Psychology and Eastern Metaphysics
KUNDALINI
Kundalini Yoga Global Conference 2021- US/CDT
SATURDAY MAY 1st 2021
https://upfna.org/kygc2021/conference-schedule-us-cdt/
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 world view 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. To unpack this phenomenon further, we will examine the yogic body model of the sun and the moon from a scriptural perspective to understand the full potential that Kuṇḍalinī can bestow.
The second talk will explore the lived experience of this phenomena 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. We will touch on emerging psychological frameworks such as transpersonal psychology as a means to support this experience in the west.
The Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali
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.
YOGA SUTRAS OF
PATANJALI
@ ABOUT BALANCE
02/02/20
The Buddist Matrix
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.
THE BUDDHIST MATRIX
@ EXPLORERS CLUB
6/11/19
The Subtle Body
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.
SUBTLE BODY
@ ABOUT BALANCE
30/6/18
Buddhism and Meditation
This talk is about the practices within early Buddhism. We will explore the path to enlightenment that was presented by the Gotama Buddha as described in the Pali Canon. We will discuss the importance of developing deep penetrating concentration (samatha) before accessing insight into the nature of reality. We will also explore the nature of dependent origination - the very essence of mind.
BUDDHISM AND
MEDITATION
@ ABOUT BALANCE
2/6/19
Loving Kindness and Compassion in Buddhism Talk and Workshop
This talk is about the practice of Metta Bhavana and how it is situated in the Buddhist meditation traditions. We will discuss the importance of cultivating a loving heart before accessing deeper states of meditation as a means of protection and as a way to remove mental hindrances. We will reference Buddhist texts such as the Nikaya Suttas and the Visudhimagga.
Kundalini Shakti and Initiation
