Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome! Start here!

    • Course Description and Learning Objectives

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Welcome video!

    • Logistics: Sessions and Connecting

    • Community Standards and Commitments

    • Written Assignments, Reflections, and Final Project

    • Texts and Readings (updated)

    • Outline of Readings and Sessions (updated)

    • Discussion Sign Up
  • 2

    Module 1: Foundations

    • Session 1: July 1 : What is Yoga?

    • David Gordon White, "Yoga, Brief History of an Idea"

    • Ian Whicher, "The Term Yoga"

    • Session 1 Video

    • Session 2: July 9: What is Yoga con't

    • Roots of Yoga (Mallinson and Singleton) Intro and Ch. 1

    • Flood Intro, Chs 1 and 2

    • Session 2 Video

    • Additional Resources mentioned (session 2)
  • 3

    Module 2: Establishing the Historical and Philosophical Context

    • Session 3 (July 27): Sāṃkhya Darśana Readings/Watching

    • "Samkhya" in An Introduction to Hinduism (Flood) PDF

    • Session 3 Video

    • Session 4 (Aug 6): Sāṃkhya: The Sister Sciences of Yoga and Ayurveda

    • Session 4: Video

    • Samkhya Chart

    • Ayurveda: A Brief Introduction And Guide (Vasant Lad)

    • "The Path to Liberation...Ayurveda" Dominik Wjastyk (PDF) Session 4

    • Ayurvedic Constitution

    • Ayurvedic Vikruti (Current State)

    • Session 5 (Aug 17): The śramana movement, The Buddha, Mahāvīra Jaina

    • Session 5 (Aug 17): Video

    • Session 5 (aug 17): Audio

    • Session 5: “The origins of Buddhist and Jaina orders” from Origins of Yoga and Tantra (Samuel) PDF
  • 4

    Module 3: Yoga in The Upaniṣad-s

    • Session 6 (Aug 27): The Upaniṣad-s, Vedanta, Nāda Yoga

    • Session 6: Video

    • “Yoga in the Yoga Upaniṣads: Disciplines of the Mystical OM Sound” (Jeffrey Clark Ruff )

    • Intro to Upaniṣads (Olivelle)

    • Session 7: Video (OM)

    • Nada Yoga book Link
  • 5

    Module 4: Yoga in the Bhagavad Gītā

    • Session 8: Intro to The Bhagavad Gītā

    • Session 8: Video (9/24) Intro to Gita

    • Session 8: Audio Only

    • Session 9: Gita Con't

    • Session 9: Video (10/8) Gita Con't
  • 6

    Module 5: Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali

    • Intro to Yoga Sutra (video)

    • Yoga Sutra Part 2: Nov 20 (video)

    • Session 10: (Nov 5)

    • Sutra Excerpts

    • Intro to "Yoga: Discipline of Freedom" by Barbara Stoller Miller

    • Edwin Bryant Intro

  • 7

    Tantrika

    • Intro To Tantra (Dec 7) ONLINE ONLY

    • Intro to Tantra (video)

    • Tantra in Practice: Mapping a Tradition (White)

    • Wallis: Orientation to Tantra, What's in a Name?

    • Subtle Bodies, Longevity and Internal Alchemy (Samuel)

    • The Yogic Body (Roots of Yoga Ch 5)

    • Session 12 (Dec 28): Right Alignment: View, Practice, and Fruit

    • “Modern Yoga and Tantra” (Williamson) from Hinduism in the Modern World

    • The Recognition Sutras: Preface, Intro, Prologue (Wallis)

    • "Tantra and the Wild Goddesses" from The Origins of Yoga and Tantra

    • Session 12: Video

  • 8

    Haṭha Yoga

    • Session 13: Haṭha Yoga

    • Haṭhayoga's Philosophy: A Fortuitous Union of Non-Dualities (Mallinson)

    • The Meaning of haṭha in Early Haṭhayoga (Birch)

    • Session 13 Video

  • 9

    Tracing Practices: Moving from Pre-Modern to Modern Yoga

    • Session 14 Video (tracing practices)

    • Session 15: Yoga Goes "West" (video)

    • Some Resources Mentioned (and a note to consider)

    • Yoga Reconsiders the Role of the Guru in the Age of #MeToo

    • Review of Premka