Tantra Yoga Foundations // Workshop Series // Melbourne

The Philosophy and Practice of Classical Tantrik Yoga

Are you ready to explore a more authentic experience of Tantra?

Tantra is a complete system of human development that improves and enhances all aspects of life. The practice of Tantrik Yoga makes it possible to attain an expanded state of consciousness, a more pure sense of perception, a new way of thinking, feeling and living. The purpose of spiritual practice is to generate a profound shift in the default state of your lived experience so that you can experience the beauty, the bliss, the unity and the joy of being alive.

You’re invited to explore the foundations of Classical Tantra Yoga in this 12-week introductory workshop series.

This workshop series offers 12 weekly drop-in classes

Attend only the ones that resonate with you the most, or join us for the entire series

The Tantra Yoga Foundations workshop series has been designed so that each one builds on the one(s) before it. It is recommended to attend all of them. However, if that doesn’t work for you, it is ok to attend as many or as few as you want to:

• Weekly drop-in class: $40.
• Second Story Studios community pricing // Weekly drop-in class: $35 (apply discount code from SSS when booking).
• Purchase a 12 class pass for the discounted price of $420.
• Second Story Studios community // 12 class pass: $390 (apply discount code from SSS when booking).

Spaces are limited, so bookings are essential.

Āsana // The physical pillar

Tantra yoga āsana is an integrated style of practice that incorporates postures (āsana), breathing (prāṇāyāma), and mediation (dhyāna) into the one experience. This is an accessible āsana practice that lays the foundation for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual transformation. Āsana, prāṇāyāma and mantra form the foundation of transformation on the physical, subtle and causal levels and are meant to practised together, not in isolation from each other. Integrating these three practices into your life can create profoundly transformative effects for the benefit of all. If you're ready to access a higher octave of experience through your āsana practice, then please join us.

Prāṇāyāma // The subtle pillar

Prāṇāyāma is the practice of breath, or life-force regulation. Prāṇāyāma practices are about fine-tuning your energy giving essence and learning how to regulate it to your benefit. Through practice, you concentrate prāṇa in the body so as to halt the projection of your psyche to the periphery of your being, where it is easy to get stuck seeking fulfilment in sensory stimulation and spiritual highs. If you are able to embody the unity the underlies all reality, the result is a whole and integrated human being. If you're ready to recalibrate and reorient your whole being through prāṇāyāma practice, then please join us.

Mantra // The causal pillar

Mantras offer an important method of internalising our energy so that the mind has an opportunity to turn within. As āsana balances the body and prāṇāyāma harmonises the breath, mantra recalibrates the mind. In Eastern traditions, there are sounds that can awaken the higher potentials of the brain and change the flow of energy in the nervous system. The practice of mantra provides a conduit via which sound, word and speech can be used to harmonise ourselves with cosmic intelligence. Mantra is one of the best tools available for creating psychological wellbeing. Perhaps the easiest way to grasp mantra is to view it as a kind of subtle āsana for the mind. The practice of mantra has the capacity to put the mind into energetic postures through which it can become a conduit for a higher flow of energy that produces more beneficial thoughts and words.

Philosophy and Sanskrit // The base that supports the three pillars of āsana, prāṇāyāma and mantra

To really benefit from Yoga and Tantra, traditionally one would have been required to study both the what (theory) and the how (practice). That is, the philosophical (or View) teachings and their application. These are two sides of the same coin. They are essentially inseparable from each other, and to fully realise the potential for awakening and transformation available through one, requires the simultaneous understanding and integration of the other.

Practice is only fully effective when it is conjoined with the relevant nature of reality, through the sharing of the wisdom and teachings of those who have come before you on the path. That is, when you know the view or philosophy of the tradition within which you practice and through which those practices were born. A view that aligns with practice that empowers that practice.

It is not uncommon in the West to find the theory and practices of different (sometimes opposing) traditions mixed in together, which can have the effect of creating hindrance and confusion instead of clarity and progress. To study and contemplate both the philosophy and the practice is to explore an inspirational map for the potential and possibility of realisation, for the recognition of the true nature of your own being.

Even a little knowledge of Sanskrit and the different perspectives and traditions can go a long way in deepening your personal practice. Study of the philosophical view and the basics of Sanskrit provides an opportunity to correct misconceptions and peel back the layers of assumptions we often (unconsciously) hold about Eastern spiritual traditions. You will also gain greater clarity about which spiritual path is right for you and a deeper understanding about the tools for transformation that are right for your progress on the path.

What will you experience?

Here’s the low down on what to expect:

• Participate in a weekly 2-hour class that includes theory and practice.
• Discover the difference that an integrated and aligned practice (the what and the how) can make to your progress on the spiritual path.
• Explore the foundations of Tantrik Yoga in a supportive environment where you can ask questions (even the ones you might be unsure of or embarrassed about).
• Examine the possible assumptions, pre-conceptions, misunderstandings and issues around cultural appropriation that as Westerners, we may carry.
• Join a community of other curious, like-minded souls.
• Enjoy a series of introductory classes that build on each other to enhance your quality of life, empower your personal practice and transform the way you think, feel and live.
  
  

This workshop series is perfect for you if:

• You're trying to find the right spiritual path to explore.
• You want to expand your yoga practice to incorporate a deeper, more expansive experience.
• You’ve explored Neotantra (sex and relationships) and you’re ready to discover a more authentic experience of the foundations of Classical Tantra.
• You've felt intimidated by exploring Eastern philosophy or Sanskrit, but you really want to discover more.
• You're curious about Eastern spiritual traditions, but you're not sure where to start.
• You've been searching for an introduction to Tantrik philosophy where theory is explained and illustrated in a way that you can understand.
• You're searching for a spiritual path that is world-embracing, body-positive, and offers tools for managing the challenges of modern life.
  
  

This 12-week workshop series offers an introduction to the foundations of Classical Tantra Yoga

Each week we will explore the basics of what (theory) and how (practice), so that you leave with knowledge and tools to integrate what you learn into your lived experience.

Tantra yoga āsana provides the physical pillar, prāṇāyāma provides the subtle pillar, and mantra provides the causal pillar of the foundation upon which you can build a balanced, prosperous spiritual life. An understanding of Tantrik philosophy and Sanskrit create a base that supports the three pillars of āsana, prāṇāyāma and mantra.

Integrating the theory and practice into your life can create profoundly transformative effects for the benefit of all.

The schedule for this 12-week foundations series is as follows:

• Wednesday 15th April: Āsana
• Wednesday 22nd April: Prāṇāyāma
• Wednesday 29th April: Mantra
• Wednesday 6th May: Philosophy & Sanskrit
• Wednesday 13th May: Āsana
• Wednesday 20th May: Prāṇāyāma
• Wednesday 27th May: Mantra
• Wednesday 3rd June: Philosophy & Sanskrit
• Wednesday 10th June: Āsana
• Wednesday 17th June: Prāṇāyāma
• Wednesday 24th June: Mantra
• Wednesday 1st July: Philosophy & Sanskrit

PLEASE NOTE: There are only 10 places for each āsana class due to space limitations. For all other classes, there are 15 places available.

About your guide

Yolanda French is a student and practitioner of Tantra, Yoga and Sanskrit and she has spent her entire adult life chasing the tail of consciousness. She’s studied in yoga studios and ashrams, sitting by dhunis and on pilgrimages, as well as in tertiary academic institutions. In her experience, the most transformative tools for personal evolution are Tantra, Yoga and Sanskrit (yes, Sanskrit). She also happens to love mung beans and makes a mean vegan tea cake.

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What others have to say about their experience with Yolanda

‘Yolanda’s workshop was engaging, informative and inclusive. Yolanda’s knowledge is extensive. The practice was enjoyable and suitable for everyone regardless of past experience and knowledge of yoga.’ Kerry

'Deepening my Tantra practice with Yolanda was possible based on the grace, ease, and joy that she brings to the transmission of this timeless knowledge. Her ability to guide me through the āsanas in a deeply relaxing way, as well as explaining conceptual ideas in a such a holistic manner, always puts my mind and body into alignment while cutting through the clatter of modern life. Whether in a private or class setting, the core teachings of Tantra are always received as the gift of renewal they were meant to be, leaving me grateful for our connection.' Michael

‘After attending Yolanda’s Tantra Intro Workshop, it’s like I’ve become a more positive person. I opened up and cast off my cynical, jaded self for a time. It was so revealing to be that other beautiful me that I know is there, but find it hard to connect to with all the stresses and pressures of the daily grind. I was safe, I was me, it was good. I just need to continue the practices that can keep me in that place more often than not.’ Sarah

‘Yolanda has a great depth of knowledge not only of Sanskrit specifically but of the areas surrounding the language. She is able to share her knowledge in a way that keeps you moving forward in an engaged and enthusiastic way.’ Peter

‘During my time with Yolanda I was impressed with her knowledge of Sanskrit, Yoga and Eastern Philosophy. She has a skill for allowing the Sanskrit language to become more accessible to those with little to no prior knowledge, with a simple and interesting way of explaining the language structure and concepts. I loved the smatterings of eastern philosophy throughout the lessons that gave life and meaning to Sanskrit itself, and always left me with an even deeper curiosity about philosophy and my approach to life.’ Gemma

'I found Yolanda's Tantra Yoga classes very suitable for an older person who had not previously practised Yoga. Her clear instruction and guidance made attaining the impossible possible. I found a Yogic breathing exercise that Yolanda taught me, practised in the early morning, energised me for the whole day. A very pleasant and beneficial experience.' Judy

PLEASE NOTE

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