Yoga and the Living Matrix:

   Integrating Science, Spirituality and Practice

         in personal  and societal transformation

a center for
personal and planetary
awakening

Mystic River Yoga
214 Crosby St.

Arlington, MA 02474

781-643-0117
info@MysticRiverYoga.com

12 Principles of Awakening

Spiritual Foundation

Scientific Foundation

Embodying the Practice

Collective Awakening

                              Introduction

                                 atha yoganushasanam

                              yogash citta-vrtti nirodhah 

                         tada drashtuh sva-rupe'vasthanam

                                vrtti saryupyam itaratra   

                         Now begins the exposition of yoga. 

       Yoga is the dissolution of the (dysfunctional) mind states.

                         Then "I am Wholeness" awakens

                   and this knowing remains as a stable state. 

                  At other times, (in dysfunctional mind states),

          the self sense, con-fused with transient phenomena,

                     (believes itself to be limited and suffers.) 

                             Patanjali Yoga Sutra, I-1,2,3,4

    Atha, the opening word of Patanjali's seminal work, the Yoga Sutras, carries many layers of meaning. Now, at this very auspicious moment;  now, that the preparatory studies and training have been done; now, here and always now, this moment, the only moment, the holy moment, in a state of open, non-judgmental, spacious awareness, yoga unfolds within and without us.

  What is yoga? Yoga referes to both the process of awakening and the state of being continuously awakening. The yoga process involves the transformation from a life dominated by dysfunctional states of mind and a dysfunctional self sense, to living a life with a mature and integrated self sense in direct perception of the infinite depths of our being and the infinite possibilities of our life's unfolding. The culmination of this yogic awakening, igniting the fullness of the human potential, is known as enlightenment or moksha. Here, life flows as the masculine wisdom of the mind, clearly seeing/knowing the infinite, the absolute as Self, united with the the feminine compassion of the heart, feeling / knowing that all forms throughout time, space and eternity are Self, in the non-dual realization of wholeness and oneness.

  Our 'Now' is a unique and auspicious moment in history. We are blessed to be living at a time of an unprecedented accelerating of awakening, as the depths of human consciousness are being stirred by the cosmic evolutionary forces responding to the devastating effects unconscious human activity is having on the life forms and life supporting systems of the planet. The great wisdom teachings and traditions of human spiritual practice, carefully preserved and handed down through history, are now intermingling with the emerging revelations of modern science in an unprecedented cross-pollinating of insight and practices, helping mobilize the awakening process and opening up the possibility of radically changing our social structures, belief systems, and our relationships to each other planet earth and the universe. Although as humans we experience this awakening directly, the awakening is not limited to the human. Rather what is awakening is an emergent new expression or dimension of universe power or universe intelligence expressing itself through the human. Our spiritual ancestors have been pioneers in discovering, exploring and nurturing this process. It is up to us in this historical moment to accelerate the process by unfolding deeper dimensions of our own awakening and by initiating more and more people into the flow.

  As auspicious as our moment is, it is also one fraught with great dangers. As we enter the new millennium, the need for a major transformation in human consciousness has become essential for survival. The individual and collective insanity of the human mind has always created suffering for ourselves, fellow humans and other life forms. Today this madness, combined with modern technology, adds a new level of suffering; the very conditions that allowed life on Earth to come into being and flourish are being seriously threatened. The destruction of the rain forests and other natural habitats, global warming, air, water and topsoil pollution are all accelerating under the onslaught of the human. The threats of nuclear and chemical weapons, of terrorism, of viral pandemics strike fear in the collective heart/mind of humanity.

  The possibility of awakening from this dysfunctional mind state has been the foundation teaching of the great spiritual teachers and traditions in human history. With the integration of modern understandings, the possibility of millions of people awakening from the madness of the conditioned mind is vibrating right now in the collective consciousness. This is the Great Awakening and the core process of this course. 

  In modern terminology, in awakening, we begin to recognize ourselves as emergent beings in a mysteriously evolving and awakening universe, with the infinite timeless absolute pouring forth as our universe of time, space and forms, as our bodies, minds communities and ecosystems. As our own awakening process deepens, we become more able to fully participate in the process of collective awakening rippling through the layers of human consciousness and cultures.

  The ancient art of yoga, revitalized in a modern context, is a powerful vehicle of the cosmos to help move the evolutionary journey along. The physically demanding aspects of yoga are well known and appreciated these days, but the integral dimensions of yoga, the aspects that explore mind, emotions, relationships and wholeness, as well as the body, are less well articulated in the modern culture. This course is offered as a guide for yoga students, yoga teachers and anyone ready for awakening to help broaden and deepen their understanding and experience of the yogic path of meditation, transformation, and liberation (moksha), and thus more fully participate in the transformation of human culture so urgently needed in our time.

  We will weave together classical spiritual teachings on unity, discipline and practice with modern scientific perspectives on the emergent evolution of forms. These will include the anatomy, physiology and neurobiology of the living organism, a look at how both personal and societal transformations arise, and some of the fundamental aspects of physics that underlie the emerging universe as a whole. Join us as we awaken to the unfolding mystery of the present moment as it emerges within us, within the various societies and communities of the planet, and the cosmos/Kosmos as a whole.