CIIS Public Programs

This workshop is Sold Out

Wednesdays, November 1, 8, and 15
7–9pm

Location: CIIS Main Building

$100/$90 preregister by October 25

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Sanskrit Mantra: Theory and Practice

Jim Ryan with Stuart Sovatsky

Sanskrit has been called the Indian language of the gods, and is understood to have always existed. The nature of the universe is said to be the language of Sanskrit congealed into form. When one chants or simply speaks Sanskrit, one is understood to be making a direct connection to all of reality, both what is here and what lies beyond. In this way, the chanting of Sanskrit is seen as a path of liberation or salvation in and of itself.

This workshop will introduce students to the Sanskrit alphabet and its proper pronunciation, as well as the primary theories of language and mantra that underlie the practices of Sanskrit chanting. Sanskrit chanting will be a central part of this workshop.

Jim Ryan has taught Sanskrit and Indian philosophy at CIIS for more than 20 years. He teaches courses on the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Hindu Tantrism. He has a special interest in the Integral Philosophy of Haridas Chaudhuri, and his foci in his teachings on yoga involve the issues of embodiment and the intersection of worldly and transcendental aims in yoga.

Stuart Sovatsky, PhD, has practiced intensive Kundalini yoga for 30 years, and has presented extensively on the subject at universities in the United States, Europe, and India. He is copresident of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, a member of CIIS’s board of trustees, and the author of Words from the Soul: Time, East/ West Spirituality, and Psychotherapeutic Narrative; Eros, Consciousness, and Kundalini; and Your Perfect Lips, as well as three CDs.