Atman Dharana: Roadmap to the Soul

• Format: YTT Short Course
• Chose four Short Courses to create an Eclectic Weekend Module
• Instruction Time: 3 hours

Atman Dharana is the practice of gazing into one’s soul (atman), also known as “Soul Gazing”. It has been practiced in various forms by yogis for centuries as a means of direct access to our true core self. Atman Dharana practice is an inner roadmap to the divine within and an essential tool on the yogic path. Though the practice is not difficult, there are many obstacles. Specifically, the Pancha Maya Koshas, or the Five Layers of Illusion: the physical body, the energetic body, the instinctual mind, the witnessing mind, and bliss itself. These layers or sheaths of the body-mind surround and envelope the soul (atman, jivatman), and while they provide the matrix of our living existance, they also obscure and divert our attention from the eternal soul within (atman).

In yoga, the soul, or atman, is considered an individuated drop of the transcedent divine within us. In all schools of yoga, the yogi aspires to discover and unite one’s personal soul (atman, jivatman) with that of the one great soul (paramatman,  God). When this union is done, when the two souls are consciously reunited, the journey is complete for the yogi and one is liberated by the grace and love of an actualized divine within.

Classically, the koshas were not taught as 2 dimensional theory, but as a body-mind reality to be explored. Here the practitioner, through inner visualization (dharana), will explore and experience each kosha layer in sequence – from the gross physical to the deepest subtle realms – as a roadmap to the soul itself. It is the koshas that trap the mind into a perpetual self identification with the expressions and experiences of the soul rather than the soul itself directly. In this practice participants will learn to identify and release themselves from the limiting bounds of the Pancha Maya Kosha, freeing themselves to explore, discover and surrender into the one true essence, the divine living soul within.

Students will spend some time learning the dynamics of the practice, transitions from kosha layer to kosha layer, experiencing each layer seperately and in sequence. James will guide the group through the dharana process leading the students towards the true soul. What happens there is unique to each practitioner, but surrender is key. All that remains to be seen is the soul (atman) itself. Gazing into the light of the divine, or soul gazing, is the practice. One can only describe the experience as sacred, ecstatic, and vibrant with the bliss of the divine.

Testimonial:
The meditation was extraordinary for me. I experienced something incredibly special, and I’ll try to describe it. As you guided us into the Anandamaya Kosha I felt almost a jolt- as if I’d crossed a boundary – and then a fairly strong tingling all over my body. At the same time, I was surrounded by an orange light, and felt a sense of awe and deep joy. I didn’t want to leave. As I gradually slipped out, I realized that I’d reached a part of me that I had never accessed before – I’d been in ‘unknown territory’, and felt incredibly blessed. I still feel different (I shared this with a friend last night, and she said I actually looked different.) You made this possible, and I’m so grateful to you.  – JD

Yoga Alliance: This program satisfies Yoga Alliance requirements for anatomy and physiology, philosophy, lifestyle and ethics, and elective hours.

Course Outline (3 hrs)

• ATMAN JNANA: Self Knowledge
• Definition of Atman
• Etymology of the Term Atman
• Schools of Thought
• Vedanta
• Yoga
• Jivatman (Jiva)
• Jivan Mukta
• Paramatma
• DHARANA: The Yoga of Mental Training
• Definition of Dharana
• Dharana as a Practice
• Common Dharana Practices
• Atman Dharana as a Dharana Practice
• ANTAR: The Journey Within
• Patanjali’s Ashtanga (Eight Limbs) of Classical Yoga
• The Pancha Maya Koshas
• SAMADHI: The Practice and Experience of Union
• Definition of Samadhi
• Two Types of Samadhi
• Nirvikalpa Samadhi
• Salvikalpa Samadhi
• THE PRACTICE OF ATMAN DHARANA: The Roadmap
• Definition of Atman Dharana
• Navigating the Pancha Maya Koshas
• Creating a Sankalpa
• The Practice of Atman Dharana
• Exploring the Koshas
• Layering and Transitioning
• Bliss in Yoga: Goal or Means
• Approaching the Soul
• The Practice of Surrender
• The Emerging Kundalini
• The Six Stages of Atman Dharana