Samavesha Faculty

DARSHANA (Spiritual Insight)

Yoga activated primarily on the level of MIND)

Christopher is the co-creator and director for the University of California's (at Berkeley) renowned class, "Meditation, Mysticism, and the Mind" (meditate.berkeley.edu). Chris and his team of instructors have now taught over 2,500 students the practice of meditation and mystical philosophy. Chris has been studying and practicing Yoga for 20 years. He has three degrees in Religion, including a Master's Degree from Harvard and a Master's in Sanskrit from UC Berkeley. His dissertation is on the Tantric origins of Hatha Yoga. Chris has taught seminars on Yoga philosophy and practice throughout the country in Universities and at numerous Yoga schools/centers. He is the co-founder of the recently inaugurated Yoga Foundation (www.yogasthana.org) a teaching center committed to encouraging instructors to offer Yoga philosophy and meditation as part of their curriculum in adherence to the true teachings of Yoga.

Also known as Hareesh, Chris been exposed to Indian spirituality from the age of six and was initiated into the practice of meditation and yoga at the age of 16. Six years later, while traveling through Europe and India, he felt called to study, teach, and practice Indian philosophy and meditation full-time. He now has 18 years of practice, 10 years of academic study, and 11 years of teaching experience. His degrees include a B.A. in Religion from the University of Rochester, an M.A. in Sanskrit from U.C. Berkeley, and an M.Phil. in Classical Indian Religions from the University of Oxford. He is currently earning a third masters from U.C. Santa Barbara, as well as doing doctoral research at Berkeley on the traditions of Tantric Shaivism. He received traditional education at yoga ashramas in upstate New York and India in kirtan, mantra-science, asana, karma-yoga, and more. He currently teaches meditation, yoga philosophy, Sanskrit, chanting, and offers spiritual life-coaching. His goal in teaching is to balance accuracy with accessibility, profundity with clarity, and intellectual integrity with heart-expanding inspiration. His students have commented that his combination of rigorous and thorough knowledge with profound love for the tradition is rare and delightful.

Christopher and Hareesh offer philosophy and wisdom teachings in the Samavesha Immersion, drawing on the primary Sanskrit source texts of the Yoga and Tantra traditions. They extend to students empowering insights into the meaning and purpose of Yoga practice and the yogic life in fresh and accessible ways. As scholars at the forefront of groundbreaking research into the scriptures of the Tantric tradition, they have a rare ability to unveil life-transforming methods of re-envisioning our relationship to our highest Self and to our practice. The specific topics, and related texts, that they will cover in Samavesha programs include:

• Overview of the History of Yoga (from the Upanishads and the Buddha through modern Hatha-based yoga)
• Key foundational elements of the Yoga-sutras of Patanjali
• A profound examination of the core tenets of Tantra and Tantric Yoga, the root traditions of modern yoga, focusing especially on the notions of:
  • Spanda--the doctrine of the universal pulsation of Consciousness in all things)
  • Pratyabhijna--the teaching that recognition of the nature of your own being as Divine is the cause of ultimate liberation
  • Upaya--the doctrine of utilizing appropriate means for each individual on the levels of mind, heart, and body)
  • Lila--experiencing the entire universe as a divine play of consciousness.
  • KundaliniÑthe Supreme (Serpent) Power (Shakti) of Cosmic Manifestation and Dissolution; Samavesha uniquely offers new translations of source Tantrik teachings on Kundalini, which wholly redefine our understanding of this mysterious Goddess energy.
  • Some of the key texts of Shaiva Tantra drawn upon are the Spanda-karikas, the Pratyabhijna-hrdayam, the Tantrasara and the Vijnana-bhairava respectively.
• An overview of the teachings and practices of the Hatha-yoga tradition, with special reference to their connection to modern yoga, drawing on the Goraksha Shataka, the source for most Hatha Yoga texts, the Sharngadhara Paddhati, the Gheranda-samhita, and the Hatha-yoga pradipika.

 

SADHANA (Practice)

Yoga activated primarily on the level of BODY

Scott Blossom teaches a style of Hatha Yoga Vinyasa and Yoga therapy that is informed by his training as a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and an Ayurvedic consultant. He specializes in teaching about the relationship between Yoga and Ayurveda. He is blessed to have had the expert guidance of his teachers Dr. Robert Svoboda, Zhander Remete, and Erich Schiffamann. In addition to co-hosting retreats and workshops with Dr. Svoboda he is a faculty member of the Kripalu Ayurvedic Training Program and presents on the subject at National Yoga Conferences. He lives in Berkeley, CA with his wife Chandra and their daughter Tara.

Chandra began studying Tibetan Buddhism in 1996, in Dharamsala, North India, at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, founded by H. H. the Dalai Lama. While there, she studied Tibetan language, Buddhist philosophy, and meditation. In 1997, she resumed her studies in the Religious Studies Department at UC Santa Barbara where she worked on the translation of Tibetan Buddhist texts with the Buddhist scholar, B. Alan Wallace. She also taught Tibetan language in the same department, as well as, supervised the cataloguing of the Tibetan Buddhist Canon for Davidson Library at UC Santa Barbara. Chandra has been studying yoga since 1991 and began teaching in 2000 after training with Integrative Yoga Therapy (IYT), as well as Sarah Powers and Paul Grilley. She blends her studies of Vinyasa, Shadow and Yin yoga to create a practice imbued with sensitivity and strength. In her classes, she integrates her background as a translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts into her teaching of both yoga and meditation as a way of facilitating a direct experience of mindfulness, introspection, and compassion in one's practice.

The hatha-yoga based portion of the Immersion will traverse the physical, energetic, and spiritual dimensions of yoga practice. Students will learn karanas (standing forms), asanas (seated forms), bandhas (regulations of the life-force), and pranayamas (breath work) drawn from the core tantric texts on yoga. On the physical level, instruction will focus on alignment, biomechanics, and the physiological benefits of yoga. On the energetic level, practices will focus on balancing the circulation of prana (life-force) as a foundation for meditation. On a spiritual level, we will explore how all hatha yoga practices ultimately lead to meditation, and are meditations in and of themselves.

AYURVEDA

(Yoga expressed through knowing and caring for the body, a temple of God)

Jennifer received her certification as a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist upon completion of her studies at the California College of Ayurveda, and the American Institute of Vedic Studies. She completed her Pancha Karma Therapist certification after studying with Sarita Shresta from Nepal at the Kaya Kalpa Center/Mount Madonna, Watsonville, CA and also from Ragaia Belovarac, Director of Body Therapies at the California College of Ayurveda. She also creates and holds space for personal retreats and Ayurvedic rejuvenation therapies at her office in Berkeley, San Rafael and takes people through deep cleansing through immersion at Blue Sage Sanctuary in Nevada City. She has studied Ayurveda both in India and Nepal and her students/clients enjoy her light motivating style and calming nature.

Ayurveda is the timeless healing system of India. It’s wisdom and longevity was developed in India over 5,000 years ago. Ayurveda can be translated as "the science of life". By understanding the Five Elements or Five States of Matter that comprise all living systems on Earth, one is able to balance the state of our physical body in relation to nature. In turn, one is also able to gain a deeper connection to the Mind, Body, Spirit relationship. When the physical body is in harmony with nature, the emotional body and the spiritual body will also reflect harmony.

Ayurveda is a complete system of viewing the body as it's own unique constitution. Every individual has a combination of elemental factors that influence the expression of who they are. As one assess this unique combination in Ayurvedic terms, one is able to compose a customized approach to the process of healing and restoring balance to the individual.

Within this approach, the practitioner may implement several different modalities of working with the body. Some of these modalities may include:

• dietary guidelines
• customized herbal formulas
• individualized exercise routines
• breathing techniques
• specific Yoga postures
• customized body therapies
• specific cleansing regimenscolor therapy
• aroma therapy
• sound/mantra therapy
  

The process of the Ayurvedic path is one of integration. It cultivates deeper awareness and understanding of one's relationship with how they function in the world. It is a process of self empowerment as well as a process of self compassion. When deeper self awareness and self compassion are achieved, one can bring more love and awareness to the world.

JYOTISHA

(Vedic astrology)

Brent BecVar, M. S. is currently Director of the Vedic Counseling Program of the Chopra Center for Well Being in Carlsbad, CA. As an associate of Deepak Chopra, M.D. for over 14 years, Mr. BecVar also served as Director of the Chopra Center Residential Program as well as Certified Instructor of PSM Meditation, Yoga and Ayurvedic Education. Mr. BecVar has practiced astrology and counseling over the past 25 years and has studied with many respected teachers in India and this country, most notably Mr. Hart deFouw. With Marc Boney, M. A., Mr. BecVar structured and coordinated Foundation and Intermediate Courses in Jyotisha, Vedic Astrology, for the Chopra Center in San Diego. He presently enjoys a busy private Vedic Astrology practice and the confidence of an international clientele.

Bette Timm has been a practicing Vedic astrologer for over 17 years, and dedicated to the study of various Vedic traditions for over 30 years. Mentor by Hart deFouw, she organized Mr. deFouw's astrology courses in the Bay for many years and is a board member of the Vedic Vidya Institute. Ms Timm has written numerous articles on Jyotisha, Yoga, Ayurveda and other spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical subjects. Her teachings are lively and insightful, always incorporating the deep wisdom of the Vedas.

All objects in nature are created in time, developed in time, and destroyed in time. With this understanding, we are able to highly value a scientific system that can measure the effects of time. Such a system was developed over 5000 years ago in India and continues to evolve; it is called jyotisha, or Vedic astrology. Like hatha yoga, ayurveda, and various forms of meditation, jyotisha originates from the Vedas, or the spiritual texts of India. It is, in fact, a Vedanga-a limb of the Vedas. The word jyotisha itself roughly translates as "the science of light." Just as we perceive light through the organ of our eyes, jyotisha is the eye of the Vedas through which light, both inner and outer, is understood. Outer light is represented by the planets, the luminary bodies that orbit the earth and shine upon the backdrop of our solar system.

The practice of jyotisha employs both astrology and astronomy, and much of its body of knowledge comes directly from observational astronomy. But jyotisha is equally a reflection of the inner light that shines within an individual. It is the astrologer's job, through horoscope interpretation, to help illuminate a person's sense of their own inner light. Ultimately, at its finest, jyotisha synthesizes these two types of light. It links intuition and scientific calculation, combines the left and right side of the brain, marries the masculine and the feminine. The result is a complete system that speaks to every aspect of life. The supreme aim of jyotisha is to illuminate our lives, creating peace and understanding for ourselves and others. Such illumination is not bounded by cultural context. Jyotisha is as useful a guide to a modern American as it was to an Indian person centuries ago. It bridges the gap of time and space to become readily applicable to any culture.

Program Co-Founder and Host:

Swami Khecaranatha is the in-house resident spiritual teacher of Sacred Space Yoga Sanctuary at Rudramandir. He lives and teaches full time in Berkeley, CA. With a mastery etched from 35 years of disciplined inner practice and selfless service, Khecaranatha provides deep spiritual nourishment and guidance to over 50 students in the Bay Area. He has used his own practice to distill the essence of the teachings of the lineage that he embodies. His teacher was Swami Rudrananda, who was a student of Bhagavan Nityananda.

Guest Speakers and Teachers:

Mark is interested in developing an authentic yoga practice for the individual, based on the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya and his son TKV Desikachar, with whom he enjoyed a relationship for more than twenty years. Mark's teachings clarify the profound passion and relevance of ancient wisdom to contemporary life. Once a resident teacher at Jivamukti in NYC, Mark has taught yoga for over twenty years throughout the US, Australia, and New Zealand. Mark was the editor and contributor to TKV Desikachar's book, The Heart of Yoga as well as the author of Yoga of Heart and Hridayasutra.

The first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda (in 1980) and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. Lived in India 1973-80 and 1982-86. Since 1985 has traveled the world lecturing, consulting, teaching and writing. Serves as Adjunct Faculty at the Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque, NM, and Bastyr University, Kenmore, WA. Books on Ayurveda include The Hidden Secret of Ayurveda, Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution, Ayurveda: Life, Health and Longevity, Ayurveda for Women, and others.