Living the Yoga Sutras
Practical Steps to Higher Awareness
Online: OCT 4 – NOV 18, 2023
Be a channel of higher consciousness for those in need
Experience the very essence of Yoga with Ananda’s unique approach to the Yoga Sutras. Under the expert guidance of Nayaswami Gyandev and Nayaswami Diksha, you’ll go beyond philosophy to understand more deeply how to access the higher realms of consciousness—and begin to do it. Paramhansa Yogananda’s action-oriented teachings will give you the practical tools to get there.
This course offers both a Regular track and a Teachers’ track. Both offer an empowering blend of step-by-step methods, deep insights, clear direction, and support from both faculty and classmates.
Anyone is welcome to participate in the Regular track. The Teachers’ track is for certified Ananda Yoga and Ananda Meditation teachers who will do additional coursework to earn credit toward Level 2 teacher certification: more coursework, more interaction with classmates and faculty, and special assignments in teaching elements of the Yoga Sutras.
Students in both tracks engage in course activities together, although those in the Regular track can proceed at a slower pace if they like. See the FAQs below for more information.
6-Week Online, In-depth Course
Regular track: $350 ($299 early bird)
Teachers’ track: $450 ($399 early bird)
Early bird discount: apply by Sept 18, pay in full by Sept 20
- 11 hours of live webinars, available to watch anytime
- 10 hours of on-demand video
- 15 hours of on-demand guided practices
- Wide variety of interactive experiences
- Extensive written & audio resources
- Personal feedback from faculty
- Lifetime access to course materials
“Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are a stirring cry to us to transcend all religious differences. Their basic message is, ‘Here are methods that can be tested and proved. You can know what God is from personal experience.’”
“Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are a stirring cry to us to transcend all religious differences. Their basic message is, ‘Here are methods that can be tested and proved. You can know what God is from personal experience.’”
— Demystifying Patanjali, by Swami Kriyananda
— Demystifying Patanjali, by Swami Kriyananda
You Will Learn How To:
- Take steps toward a direct experience of the highest states of awareness: Samadhi, Oneness, Divine Union.
- Get beyond the kleshas: the five causes of suffering and spiritual stagnation.
- Unlock the subtle keys of successful living—and successful spiritual striving—within Ashtanga Yoga, the Eightfold Path.
- Overcome the nine obstructing distractions and traps that plague the mind and hold you back.
You’ll begin to live this deep scripture as you explore, not only Ashtanga Yoga (“eight-limbed union,” symbolized here), but also many other powerful—and less well known—Sutras teachings.
- Experience directly the truths of Patanjali through meditation and pranayama (energy-control) techniques taught by Paramhansa Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda.
- Understand the subtler dimensions of “feeling” — some impede your progress, some help you, and some are blissful beyond words.
- Integrate the essence of Yoga into your daily life in ways that are profound and powerful, yet down-to-earth and practical.
- Take your practice of meditation to a deeper-than-ever level.
- Develop the attitudes—some will be familiar, some might not—that are essential for success in the spiritual life.
“People talk about calming the mind in order to meditate. Although that’s true, it’s not the main thing. It’s the heart that needs to be calmed in order to meditate. It’s the desires of the heart that agitate the mind.”
“People talk about calming the mind in order to meditate. Although that’s true, it’s not the main thing. It’s the heart that needs to be calmed in order to meditate. It’s the desires of the heart that agitate the mind.”
— Swami Kriyananda
— Swami Kriyananda
Course Activities
- Deepen your understanding via many mini-class videos with Gyandev & Diksha, as well as with Swami Kriyananda
- Connect with faculty and classmates through weekly “live” webinars (recorded for those who cannot attend)
- Interact with classmates to explore more deeply how to apply Patanjali’s teachings in your outer life as well as your inner life
- Experience the wisdom of Patanjali on ever-deeper levels through guided Sutra meditations
- Apply — and test! — Patanjali’s teachings via a variety of weekly experiments in living the Sutras
- Enjoy special Ananda Yoga video classes that help you develop the essential skills and qualities that Patanjali emphasizes
- Solidify your understanding of each lesson via review exercises
- Further explore key topics through supplemental materials, including audios by Swami Kriyananda
- Take advantage of opportunities for a private meeting with Diksha or Gyandev
Although Patanjali was a man, artists often portray him with a snake-like lower body. This represents the Kundalini energy, which you must raise in order to attain the high states described in the Yoga Sutras.
You can engage in most course activities at times of day that are convenient for you. Only the webinars take place at fixed times (see FAQs below), and those are recorded for the benefit of those who cannot participate at those times.
Those in the Teachers’ track will also practice teaching each other various aspects of the Sutras in conjunction with asana or meditation, after which they will present a short class to a non-classmate. All of this entails making and posting videos online.
Course Materials
Main Textbook
Your main textbook is Demystifying Patanjali, by Swami Kriyananda, who is Ananda’s founder and a close, direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. You’ll also receive special articles, audios, and videos by Paramhansa Yogananda, Swami Kriyananda, and other Ananda teachers.
Demystifying Patanjali is highly readable: clear, concise, practical, and deep. It will give you new insights into the universal truths that underlie all spiritual traditions, and how to experience them through the nonsectarian tools of Yoga.
We recommend that you buy Demystifying Patanjali before the course begins (the book is not included in the course tuition), and read as much of it in advance as time allows. With this link , you’ll receive a 30% discount on your preferred version: ebook or paperback.
“Patanjali was an enlightened master, writing from a state of realization as well as practical knowledge. Far more than mere philosophical speculation, the Sutras come from revealed knowledge and serve as a road map for those who would explore the realm of Self-realization.”
“Patanjali was an enlightened master, writing from a state of realization as well as practical knowledge. Far more than mere philosophical speculation, the Sutras come from revealed knowledge and serve as a road map for those who would explore the realm of Self-realization.”
— Nayaswami Jyotish, How to Meditate
— Nayaswami Jyotish, How to Meditate
Meet Your Instructors
Nayaswami Gyandev, PhD, E-RYT 500
Gyandev is director of the Ananda School of Yoga & Meditation. A Certified Online Instructor, he has been teaching online for more than 10 years. He is also director of Ananda Yoga worldwide and co-directs the Ananda Meditation Teacher Training programs (online and in person). He has been training teachers of yoga and meditation for more than 25 years.
Gyandev is a Kriyacharya (teacher of Kriya Yoga), and he is known for his clarity of presentation, deep insights, high energy, kindness, and humor. He has shared the yoga teachings for more than 35 years with people from all walks of life, and from all over the world. Swami Kriyananda asked Gyandev to write the forward for this course’s textbook, Demystifying Patanjali.
A co-founder of Yoga Alliance, Gyandev has authored five books (including Spiritual Yoga: Awakening to Higher Awareness) as well as numerous video and audio products. From his base at The Expanding Light Retreat in Northern California, he also teaches across the U.S., and in Canada, India, and Europe.
Nayaswami Diksha, E-RYT 500
Diksha is a senior faculty member of the Ananda School of Yoga & Meditation and E-RYT 500. An experienced online instructor, she directs both the online and the in-person versions of Ananda Spiritual Counseling Training, and she co-direct Ananda Meditation Teacher Training.
Diksha has been practicing and sharing the yoga teachings for more than 30 years, and training meditation and yoga teachers for more than 20 years. A powerful and dynamic woman of great warmth and humor, she is gifted in both intelligence and intuition. In addition to teaching online and at The Expanding Light Retreat in Northern California, she has shared yogic teachings across the U.S., and in Canada, India, and Europe.
A native Israeli, Diksha moved to the U.S. in 1990. She brings a broad background to her teaching—from physical wellness to Ayurveda to profound spiritual understanding. Above all, she awakens in her students their own inner wisdom and the will and clarity to make positive changes in their lives.
Special Guest Instructors
Nayaswami Pranaba & Nayaswami Parvati
Two of Ananda’s most widely travelled and experienced teachers, Pranaba and Parvati will each present briefly on a Yoga Sutras topic that they find particularly helpful or inspiring. They taught the in-person version of this Yoga Sutras course for a number of years, and we’re delighted that they will also share some of their penetrating insights in this online version.
FAQs
Regular track: Open to everyone; no prior experience with the Yoga Sutras is required. If you have some meditation background, you will get more out of the course.
Teachers’ track: Open only to certified Ananda Yoga and Ananda Meditation teachers who wish to earn credit toward Level 2 certification.
Regular track: You can participate at any pace or level that you prefer. Each discussion forum, however, is active only during the week in which it opens.
Teachers’ track: You must stay current, week by week, throughout the course.
Regular track: You can participate as much or as little as you like, and at any pace that you like. Full participation is likely to take 3–5 hours per week.
Teachers’ track: Expect to spend 7–8 hours per week; some of that time is guided sadhana practice.
No, the course is always open. The only “live” events are webinars, which will take place 10:00–11:30 AM, Pacific Time on the following Saturdays: October 7, 14, 21, 28; November 4, 11, 18. Also, one webinar is on Sunday, October 8, 10:00–11:30 AM.
Webinars will be recorded for the benefit of those who cannot participate “live.”
Absolutely! Plentiful interaction is a best practice in online learning, and this course is built upon best practices. Everyone can become part of the supportive learning community that forms while enjoying discussions, weekly “Sutras experiments” in practical spiritual living, a Q&A forum, and webinars.
Those in the Teachers’ Course will also have special small-team discussions, receive faculty feedback on their weekly “Sutras experiments,” practice teaching classmates about the Yoga Sutras online, and receive faculty feedback on their final video in which they teach a non-classmate.
Yes, and we recommend it! The course website will open two weeks before the official start of the course. You can also buy your textbook, Demystifying Patanjali, by Swami Kriyananda (see “Course materials” above), and read as much of it as you can before the course begins. Pre-course reading is not required, but you’ll be happy that you did it.
All participants get lifetime access to a Review Course that includes all of the recorded audios and videos, as well as any supplemental materials.
The course website is easy to use, plus it offers “how to” instructions to help you. You can participate via computer, tablet, or mobile phone.
Only those in the Teachers’ track need to make and upload videos, including Zoom videos in Gallery view. That’s not difficult, but it might take some practice to get it right. So we recommend that, prior to the course, you practice making and uploading a Zoom video (in Gallery view) to YouTube, and/or find someone who will help you.
No, not unless you are in the Teachers’ track and have no computer (only a tablet or mobile phone). A “Basic Plus” Zoom account costs only $7/month, and it would be needed during only one month of the course.
Yes. Those in the Teachers’ track can receive 30 hours of continuing education credit with Yoga Alliance. Other RYTs can receive fewer credit hours, and should discuss details in advance with Gyandev (see “More Questions?” below).
More Questions? Please email us.
“Just as a pure crystal reflects the true shape and color of objects that are placed before it, so the yogi’s mind, upon the neutralization of his vortices of emotion (in the heart), attains complete inner balance.”
“Just as a pure crystal reflects the true shape and color of objects that are placed before it, so the yogi’s mind, upon the neutralization of his vortices of emotion (in the heart), attains complete inner balance.”
— Yoga Sutra 1:41
— Yoga Sutra 1:41
What Our Graduates Say
Take Your Spiritual Life to the Next Level
Vrittis of chitta—whirlpools of your “feeling” nature—keep you tied to lower awareness, says Patanjali. Yogananda gives you tools to neutralize them, and thereby experience your true Self.
Credit toward Certification and Continuing Education
- Through this course, Ananda Yoga® and Ananda Meditation® teachers can earn credit toward Level 2 certification.
Yoga Alliance RYTs can receive up to 30 hours of continuing education credit. See final FAQ above.
Special Discounts
Couple’s discount: If one person enrolls in either of these two tracks, their partner can enroll in the Regular track at a 50% discount. Please indicate this on your application.
- Past attendees of The Essence of the Yoga Sutras at The Expanding Light Retreat can receive a 50% discount.
Living the Yoga Sutras
6-Week Online, In-depth Course
Dates: Oct 4 – Nov 18, 2023
Regular Track: $350 ($299 early bird)
Teachers’ Track: $450 ($399 early bird)
Early bird discount: apply by Sept 18, pay in full by Sept 20
Keys to the Yoga Sutras: A Different Approach
Available anytime • Self-paced
“Keys to the Yoga Sutras” is primarily a self-study course, so you can proceed at your own pace.
It differs from “Living the Yoga Sutras” in that it has no guided practices, interactive group activities, or weekly practical experiments; it offers fewer resources; and it does not offer credit toward advanced certification for Ananda Yoga and Ananda Meditation teachers.
