Gāyatrī Prāṇāyāma: a daily Vedic upāsana (live workshop)
€49,00
Date and time
Monday 21 September
10am NY | 4pm Brussels | 7.30pm India
2 hour workshop
Live Zoom + Recording & self-paced material + ongoing practice
Course level
This workshop is at intermediate level. Live Foundation course is required to take this workshop. We will not be teaching the invocation mantras – this is already taught in the live Foundation course.
Homework
There is no homework evaluation in this workshop, but all students will be offered ongoing practice on Zoom during weekdays.
Introduction
For countless generations in India, the Gāyatrī, the mantra of Ṛṣi Viśvāmitra, has been repeated every day with great conviction in its sacred origin and its effect. It sits at the heart of the daily practice performed at dawn, midday and dusk, which the tradition regards as the one essential discipline of a lifetime.
What we learn together in this workshop is the contemplative heart of that tradition: an upāsana. The word comes from upa (near) and √ās (to sit): to sit near, to attend upon, to dwell steadily on a chosen sound or form. In this upāsana the breath, the Gāyatrī and a clearly formed intention are held together in a single, ordered sequence.
My teachers advise that the fullest form of this daily rite, performed with Nyāsa, requires a formal initiation ceremony. Its core, however, is open to every sincere seeker. That core has three parts:
- Saṅkalpa: forming a clear intention or vow for the practice.
- Prāṇāyāma: breath practice with the mental recitation of an extended form of the Gāyatrī.
- Japa: repetition of the mantra for a set count.
The only qualification asked of you is Śraddhā, devoted commitment.
In this two hour workshop I teach this practice in full, step by step, exactly as I received it from my teacher. The complete steps are included in your workbook, so you can see clearly what the practice is. Students who complete the workshop are warmly invited to join our ongoing practice on Zoom during the week, part of our endeavour to build a global community of Gāyatrī prāṇāyāma practitioners.
I’m very happy to bring you this special 2 hour workshop to learn the Gāyatrī Prāṇāyāma practice, complete with all the steps of this core Vedic practice. Students completing this workshop will be able to join us for ongoing practice offered on weekdays online on Zoom as part of our endeavour to build a global community of Gāyatrī prāṇāyāma practitioners.
Course objectives:
At the end of this course, the student will:
- All the steps to practice samantrika (with mantra) Gāyatrī prāṇāyāma.
- An extended invocation mantra to start the practice.
- Express your Saṅkalpa (your determination/goal) for the practice.
- Learn Gāyatrī mantra correctly along with the Vyāhṛti-s for Prāṇāyāma.
Please note: This is not the practice of Sandhyāvandanam with Nyāsa – this would require a formal initiation and ceremony. I am simply teaching my own daily practice which is the core part of the Sandhyāvandana open to all practitioners without a formal initiation ceremony and as instructed by my teacher (Sri M.S.Sreenivasan of The Challakere Brothers).
Course fee (includes self-paced course with practice material & ongoing practice):
€49
(For students facing financial constraints, please write to us at [email protected] for a donation based participation, we will help if possible)
Included in this course:
- Text with steps of practice.
- Self-paced course on the Veda Studies platform with resources to continue practice after workshop.
- Full recording of the Zoom workshop will be made available on your course material on Veda Studies.
- Possibility to join ongoing practice of this Gāyatrī upāsana offered on weekdays at different times.
Frequently asked questions
I have already taken this workshop previously, can I join this one too?
If you have already taken this workshop before, you can simply join this workshop if you like. The Zoom link will be in your course area. No need to register again unless you wish to make a contribution for our efforts (totally voluntary).
I have already taken the free Essentials course, is this workshop different?
This workshop is entirely different, even though we use the Gāyatrī mantra from the Essentials course also. This is a full meditative practice that is not taught in any other course.
Is this an initiation to the Vedic ritual practiced by Hindus?
No, this is the core part of the elaborate Vedic ritual called Sandhyāvandanam. This core practice is open to all practitioners without an initiation ceremony. Therefore, this workshop does not cover the practice of Nyāsa.
I have absolutely no chanting background, will I still be able to follow this course?
You should not join this workshop if you have not already taken our LIVE Foundation course. We will not teach parts of the practice covered in the Foundation.
Are there any scholarships or discounts offered on this course?
For students facing financial constraints, please write to us at [email protected] and we will help if feasible.
Can I follow this course through recordings as I’m unable to be there during this time (or time-zone inconvenient)?
Yes, absolutely, you can follow the course through recordings. It is advisable to keep up with the recordings and not allow them to pile up! You can always revisit the recordings for a more thorough watch. Please note – there is no homework in this course!
If there is no homework, how I can measure my progress?
It is not feasible to accept recordings for this course due to the nature of the practice. You can however receive feedback on most of the mantra-s used in this practice in the Foundation course.
Are there any practice opportunities after the course ends?
DAILY PRACTICE GROUP
We are offering ongoing practice online on Zoom on weekdays. It is a 20 minutes practice.
Gāyatrī prāṇāyāma
Pay in FULL
€49,00