Instructor

Yoga Philosophy

James Boag

My practice and teaching are rooted in ‘classical’ yoga teachings of Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra-s, the Bhagavad Gītā, and the Purāṇa-s/Indian Mythology. This is all also through the lens of what is sometimes referred to as the Yoga of Kashmir Shaivism, in the lineage of Abhinavagupta, as taught by Swami Lakshmanjoo last century.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Yoga Philosophy with James Boag

    • What is Yoga? Evenness and Skilfulness

    • What is Yoga? What's in a word?

    • What is Yoga? The Medistate

    • Yoga and joining 1

    • Yoga and joining 2

    • Yoga and joining 3 - The Sāṅkhya-Yoga model of reality - introduction

    • Yoga and joining 4 - The Sānkhya-Yoga model of reality - 5 great elements - the pañcamahābhūtāḥ

    • Yoga and joining 5 - The Sāṅkhya model of reality - the tanmātrāḥ

    • Yoga and joining 6 - The Sāṅkhya-Yoga model of reality - The Indriyāḥ

    • Yoga and joining 7 The Sāṅkhya-Yoga model of reality - the antaḥ karaṇa

    • Yoga and joining 8 - The Sāṅkhya-Yoga model of reality - gaṇeśa śaraṇam

    • Where does yoga come from? 1 - Consciousness

    • Where does yoga come from? 2 - India

    • Where does yoga come from? 3 - Veda

    • Where does yoga come from? 4 - Veda-s and Vedic Tradition

    • Where does yoga come from 5? Yoga, the Veda, The Upaniṣad-s and the Gītā

    • Indic Context - The Puruṣārthāḥ - the Aims of Life

    • Vedic context - Two Upaniṣadic definitions of reality: saccidānanda and satya-ṛta-bṛhat
  • 2

    Bhagavad Gītā

    • Bhagavad Gītā - Introduction and opening verse
  • 3

    Practical Patañjali

    • Patañjali's Yoga Sūtra - Introduction and Overview

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.1-1.3

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.4-1.6

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.7-1.11

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.12-1.14

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.15-16 Vairāgya

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.17-18 Samprajñātaḥ and Asamprajñātaḥ samādhi

    • YS1. 19-20 essential qualities for practice

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.21-22

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.23-28 īśvarapraṇidhāna

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.29-31

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.32-33

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.33 The essential practice

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.34-39

    • Yoga Sūtra 1.40-51

    • Yoga Sūtra 2.1

    • Yoga Sūtra 2.2-9 The kleśa-s

    • Yoga Sūtra 2.10-27 summary

    • Yoga Sūtra 2. 28-32 aṣṭāṅga introduction and yama-niyama

    • Yoga Sūtra 2 33-40 pratipakṣabhāvana

    • Yoga Sūtra 2 46-48 āsana

    • Yoga Sūtra 2.49-50

    • Yoga Sūtra 2. 51-52

    • Yoga Sūtra 2.53-55

    • Yoga Sūtra Chapter 3. 1-3 dhāraṇa-dhyāna-samādhi
  • 4

    Additional Resources

    • Yoga Sūtra recitation