Date: February 24 - 27, 2009 (Feb 25 - day off)
Time: 10:00am - 1:00pm, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Venue: Vaisnava Academy Classroom 2
No service charges

(this course is for men only)

Course description

This course will give students an understanding of the principles underlying the maintenance of good health. It will also provide students with practical, hands-on experience that will equip them with the skills to live a healthy, balanced life in the mode of goodness and thus increase their service to Srila Prabhupada’s movement.

Devotees attending this course will learn how to achieve very quick results in dealing with colds, cough, nasal allergy, indigestion, loss of appetite or hunger or tastelessness , back pain(lumbar spondylitis), neck pain(cervical spondylitis), sinusitis, migrane headaches, constipation, acidity, obesity, stress related problems, and insomnia.

Those having high blood pressure, low blood pressure, diabetes, bronchial ashtma, gastic ulcers, arthritis, poor vision, weakness, loss of memory, and piles will get good results, but not as quickly as treating the ailments above.

The facilitators will cover the following subjects in this course (a more detailed description follows):

1. Self-sufficiency in Health
2. Basis of Yoga Therapy: A Holistic Approach
3. Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda
4. Yoga Therapy Practices for Hare Krsna Devotees
5. Yoga: Good Medium for Preaching Krsna Consciousness
6. Yoga Therapy Practices: Sukma Vyama, Surya Namaskara, Kriyas, Asana and Pranayama

There will be two sessions daily in which the essential knowledge and skills will be presented. The first class will run from 9:15 to 11:45 am. Students are encouraged to come on an empty stomach, but should consider having a glass of milk in Govinda’s Restaurant around 7:30 am. The second class will run from 3:30 to 6pm. Much of the five hours / day of classes will cover the theory and principles behind good health, and the level of yoga asanas will be tailored to the capacity of each student.

Also students will attend daily sessions enabling them to fine-tune their skills and receive individualized instructions catering to their specific health needs and challenges.

Detailed Course Outline:

I. Self sufficiency in Health

1. Zero budget and self-dependence in health care with all aspects of preventive, curative and promotion of proper food, proper sleep and yoga therapy.
2. Most useful for bramacaries and vanaprasthas.
3. Yogic diet-concept
   • Pathya (food that is supportive for spiritual practices),
   • Apathya (food that disturbes the spiritual practices),
   • Mitahara (proper quantity of prasadam to honor).

II. Basis of Yoga Therapy: A Holistic Approach

1. Pancakosha Understanding, or 5 levels of human existence:
   • Annamaya kosha or physical body,
   • Pranamaya kosha or pranic(life energy) body,
   • Manomaya kosha or body consisting of mind and ego,
   • Vijnanamaya kosha or intellectual body, and
   • Anandamaya kosha or body consisting of atma and paramatma.
2. Tri-dosha Understanding: 3 constituents of the body - vata, pitta and kapha,
3. Sankhya Understanding: super-soul, soul, intellect, mind, 5 knowledge acquiring senses, 5 working senses , 5 tanmatras (sense objects), panca-maha-bhutas, etc.

III. Yoga and Ayurveda

1. Importance of satkarmas or yogic body cleansing techniques
2. Relationship between pancakarma in Ayurveda and satkarma in hatha yoga.
3. Importace of dinacharya (daily regime), rutu charya (seasonal regimen) and yogic lifestyle.

IV. Yoga Therapy practices for Hare Krsna Devotees

Yoga therapy provides an ideal preparation for chanting by cleansing and energizing the body and prana.

V. Yoga: Good Medium for Preaching Krsna Consciousness

As most of the people are in bodily conception of life, yoga can attract a large number of people. When they get health through yoga, they are ready to listen about becoming spiritually healthy.

VI.Practices:

1. Sukhma Vyayama - subtle exercises to release the pranic blockages,
2. Suyra Namaskara or sun salutation - a combination of body movements, proper breathing, concentration and awareness.
3. Kriyas - yogic body cleansing process like neti or nasal cleaning,
   • Hrid dhouti or cleansing the excess pitta and kapha from chest and stomach region,
   • Basti or cleansing the colon,
   • Mulashodhana or cleaning the rectum,
   • Practices for overcoming eye disorders and improving the vision,
   • Kapalabhati or cleansing the sinuses and senses, ear cleaning etc.
4. Asanas - Both general and therapeutical postures
5. Pranayama - For expanding the dimension of prana shakti or life force
6. Applying oil to the body and bathing (abhyanga), oiling the nose (nasya) and ears (karnapurana), Applying colerium (anjana) to the eyes etc.

Prananatha dasa is the Director of the Sahyadri Yoga Institute and Yoga Therapy Center, Sahyadri Sri Krsna Balarama Ksetra, Hebri, South India, which is running under the guidance of Bhakti Raghava Swami.

He received basic knowledge in yoga from his family background. His father is a practitioner of yoga and his great-grandfather was a well-known Ayurvedic scholar. He completed his Masters of Science in Yogic Science, a post-graduation course in yoga therapy from Mangalore University.

He has done his Diploma in Nature Cure from Chaithanya Naturopathy Academy, Kerala, which is affiliated with the All India Nature Cure Federation, Delhi. He has served the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mangalore as a lecturer and yoga therapist. He has conducted many courses on yogic lifestyle, food system, and yoga therapy for different government and public sectors like D.R.D.O (Defense Research and Development Organization), N.M.P.T (New Mangalore Port Trust), Central Board of School Teachers, and IJC (Indian Junior Chamber).. He has treated hundreds of people with his holistic approach on health, and he has taught yoga for many students from India and abroad. Many of his articles have been published in newspapers and magazines. He is the Member of All India Yoga Practitioners Association, an association of yoga therapists.

At present he is undergoing studies for a Ph.D. in yoga from Mysore University. He is also learning advance techniques of yoga under the guidance of Yogacharya Sri Pattabhi Jois of Mysore.