Workshops by Tantrik Yoga Acharya, Dharmanidhi Sarasvati.

Folks--

--My primary Yoga teacher, Dharmanidhi Sarasvati, will be in town in March, and will teach a series of workshops.

--He is a very knowledgeable and entertaining speaker, and his workshops are well-attended. It appears that many of the workshops this year have been specifically scheduled to be short and low-cost, in deference to the recent budget troubles.

--Some of you have expressed interest in aspects of my practice, or
specifically in teachings from the Tantrik lineage I study in. This
is a fantastic opportunity to learn directly from an Acharya, a
lineage-holder actually authorized to transmit the knowledge. He
sometimes shares teachings that never make it into books, or are
extremely hard to find. He's also generous about answering questions
in a very direct and precise manner. I'm both student, fan, and impressed client.

---Below are the official listings. Unless you are familiar with the terminology, the simple listings may seem a bit dry or even indecipherable. So at the very bottom (past the double dotted line) are a few of my personal descriptions/opinions about past versions of the workshops. Please be aware that the workshops are often very different each time they are presented!

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Dharmanidhi's Bay Area Schedule Spring 2009
www.trikainstitute.org/
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We are happy to welcome Dharmanidhi back to the Bay Area this Spring. We highly recommend pre-registeration as these courses are liable to fill up early. Special discounted package available - Click Here for details.

*All courses taught by Dharmanidhi unless otherwise specified. Clicking on a link takes you to our online registration service through Yoga Mandala.

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History & Theory of Tantrik Sexual Practice
March 7, 6-9pm (Sat.)
$25

Tattva Shuddhi: Transforming the 5 Elements
March 9 & 10, 7-9 pm (Mon. & Tues.)
Mon night pasu and vira practices
Tues night divya practice
$40 ($20 for one night)

Tantraloka Pt. 1*
March 11, 7-9pm (Wed.)
w/Manomani, Omkarnath, Sasisekhara & Sruti
$30 (includes Pt. 2 on 3/25)

Tantrik Relationship Series:
1st of 3: Identifying and Resolving Karmic Relationship Patterns
March 12, 7-9pm (Thur.)
Dharmanidhi w/ Sumanasa
$20 or $54 full series (3/12, 3/19 and 3/26)

Lakshmi Abhiseka
March 13, 7pm sharp, seated by 6:30pm (Fri.)
$5 suggested minimum donation (towards food and ceremony supplies)

Transforming Ignorance to Enlightenment:
The 12 Stage Tantrik Journey
March 14 & 15, 9am-5pm (Sat. and Sun.)
$130/pre-reg or $150/door

Yoga Nidra: Practice and Theory
March 17, 7-9pm (Tues.)
$20

Life, Works and Teachings of Adi Shankaracarya
March 18, 7-9pm (Wed.)
w/Swami Maheshananda Sarasvati
$20

Tantrik Relationship Series:
2nd of 3: Picking Compatible Partners for Dual Cultivation
March 19, 7-9pm (Thur.)
$20 or $54 full series (3/12, 3/19 and 3/26)

Kali Abisheka
March 21, 1pm sharp, seated by 12:30pm (Sat.)
$5 suggested minimum donation (towards food and ceremony supplies)

Consort, Mother, Witch
March 21, 7-9pm (Sat.)
$10

The Kriya Yoga System of Swami Rudrananda
March 23 & 24, 7-9pm (Mon. and Tues.)
$40

Tantraloka Pt. 2*
You must attend Pt. 1 to attend Pt. 2
March 25, 7-9pm (Wed.)
w/Manomani, Omkarnath, Sasisekhara & Sruti
Cost covered with payment of Tantraloka Pt. 1

Tantrik Relationship Series:
3 of 3: Parvati & Shiva as a Model for Spiritual Cultivation
March 26th, 7-9pm (Thur.)
$20 or $54 full series (3/12, 3/19 and 3/26)

Gateway to Freedom:
A beginner's guide to getting started on the path of Tantra in the tradition of Jnanagnikula.
March 28 & 29, 9am-5pm (Sat. and Sun.)
9am - 5pm
$130/pre-reg or $150/door

A Yogini's Journey:
Advice from a Tantrik practitioner and consort
March 30, 7-9pm (Mon.)
Kiranamayi Sarasvati
$20

Recognizing the Enlightened Capacity
of our 6 Inner Beings
(Including yoga practice)
May 30 & 31, 8:30am-6pm (Sat. and Sun.)
$150/pre-reg or $175/door

Tantrik Satsang - Open Q & A
June 1, 7-9pm (Mon.)
$5 minimum suggested donation

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General Introduction
Trika Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the classical teachings of Yoga, Tantra, Warrior Traditions, and Ayurveda to the west in a context that is relevant to our modern world. Trika Institute began in 1997, when Dharmanidhi Sarasvati, after 10 years of study, was given the mandate by his Gurus to form a new sect of Kasmiri Shaivite Tantra for westerners, and to teach the classical Tantra and Yoga of India.
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Trika Institute offers classes, courses, workshops and retreats in the practice and philosophy of classical Tantra and its associated traditions. and holds daily, weekly, and monthly pujas and ceremonies.
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Trika Institute’s site, located within the beautiful studios of Yoga Mandala, is a Shiva Mandir – a ritually concecrated temple and place of practice and worship for an international community of Tantrik practitioners known as Jñanagni Kula.
General Teachings
Trika Institute offers a wide variety of teachings related to Tantrik practice and philosophy. Course offings include Understanding Karma, the Tantrik View of Death and Dying, Clarity and Structure in Relationships, Fundamentals of Fire Ceremony, and more. Classes, courses, workshops, retreats, and pilgrimages take place thoughout the year.
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The 6 Ways of Practice
Trika Institute also offers cohesive teachings known as the 6 Ways of Practice. These are complete subsystems or facets of the jewel of nondual Tantra and are foused into categories of aptitude and affinity. Combined with our sincere intention and practice they can each be used to help us discover our Real Nature.

The 6 Ways are:

* The Way of Adi-Yoga
* The Way of Meditation
* The Way of Tantrik Ayurveda
* The Way of the Warrior
* The Way of the Mahasiddhas
* The Way of the Vajra

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Here are some descriptions of the courses, based on my past attendance, to help folks who are unfamiliar with the vocabulary. I recommend all the workshops. Write-ups are to help with clarity, so I did not write about workshops that seem easy to me to understand based on their listing, no matter how worthy.
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-- Tattva Shuddhi is an esoteric practice involving mantra and visualization to work directly with the elements. It’s internal alchemy, more like meditation and less like physical exercise.

--Tantra Loka is a general overview of the practice of Tantrik Yoga,
including references to many traditions. This is a great place to start if you are interested in traditional Tantrik practice, Tantra in general, or a Tantrik perspective on Yoga practice generally.

--Yoga Nidra is an amazing guided meditation practice I do regularly and share in public yoga classes. It is profoundly rejuvenating.

--The most profound teaching I've gotten from any teacher was his workshop on the "Transforming Ignorance to Enlightenment: The 12 Stage Tantrik Journey". This is definitely not a class for the casual curious 'lookieloo', but ideal for anyone who is a serious spiritual practitioner. It's a challenging but immensely rewarding teaching of a model for how a soul evolves.

--He rarely offers public workshops about sexuality and Tantra, so these are of great interest to me.

--I am particularly excited that he will be giving Abhiseka (empowerment) to practice Lakshmi's and Kali's sadhana. Please be mindful this is not cutesy stuff, and Kali’s sadhana in particular is probably best avoided unless you wish to be a committed practitioner IMHO.

--I will be at most of these workshops. Hope to see you there.

Jaya Ma!
ekabhumi