Raja Yoga (the yoga of meditation), Jnana Yoga (the yoga of contemplation), and Tantra Yoga (the yoga of the primal energy known as Shakti) are well known paths of Yoga.Theyare often seen as three separate paths, and one chooses only one of the three. However, some traditions such as our Himalayan tradition view these as complementary. Here, in this course, we will explore how these blend with one another, as they are from the same one root.

Some Yogaaspirants are unwilling to settle for the shallow waters commonlysought in our modern world of yoga. The most dedicatedseekers want the principles and practices of the advanced sages and yogis of the various traditions of the Himalayan masters. Such exceptional aspirants want nothing less than a blending, a convergence of the highest of principles and practices. Emphasizing this pinnacle is the orientation of this course.

Yoga here refers to the systematic process of meditation as outlined in the Yoga Sutras; it is not modern postural yoga, as beneficial as that may be (actually being preparation). Vedanta here is primarily about contemplation as described in the subtlest aspects of the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita; it fathoms the depths of the knowledge of direct experience, not the mere dance of intellectual study. In our tradition, tantra refers to Samaya Tantra, which is a purely internal process of devotion to pursuing Shakti, the creative source of Consciousness, sometimes referred to symbolically as Divine Feminine.

Whether you are a student of Yoga or a teacher, or both, if you will settle for nothing less than the highest goals of the adepts, the sages, the masters, then this course will lead you toward a greater depth for which you have been longing. The course is presented in four major sections, one each for Yoga, Vedanta, and Tantra, and then a section on Integrating the three.