Course Introduction
Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. The study of mind and behaviour (encompassing mental health) has evolved under the prescript of ‘Psychology’ which has increasingly delved into these dimensions with a predominantly positivist and anthropocentric view. This has led to the utter neglect of the inner world, self-awareness, experiential realities and insights from the Indic Knowledge Systems (such as yoga, vedānta, āyurveda etc.).
The prevailing human sufferance, causing an impoverished perspective on the human potential demands an expansion of the scope of psychological discourse. The conversation must accord space for due recognition of ‘Consciousness’ and an in-depth understanding of ‘Mind’ in building an enabling paradigm. Patañjali’s yoga sūtras encompassing universal ideas on ‘Mind’ and ‘Mental Health’ in terms of its nature, characteristics, function, etc. is also called the science of mental discipline.
The yoga sūtras lay down a step-by-step methodology (practice) towards raised levels of awareness, gaining deeper wisdom and natural state of peace, by unleashing the power and knowledge contained within the mind and transcending the same. This short introductory course will deep dive into a few aphorisms (sūtras) from the yoga sūtras of Patañjali with the goal of exploring some of the universal ideas on ‘Mind, Mental Health & Beyond the Mind’ by virtue of its philosophy and practice.
Course Contents
अध्ययन # 1
Svādhyāya:
-Prelude, Planes of our Existence & Key Concepts
-Philosophical Presuppositions of yoga
Abhyāsa:
-Chanting of sūtras, āsana, dhyāna
अध्ययन # 2
Svādhyāya:
-Obscuration & Emergence of Pure Experience
-The Effects of Ignorance
-The Process of Right Cognition
Abhyāsa:
-Chanting of sūtras, āsana, dhyāna
अध्ययन # 3
Svādhyāya:
-The Stages of Concentration
-Obstacles to Concentration
Abhyāsa:
-Chanting of sūtras, āsana, dhyāna
अध्ययन # 4
Svādhyāya:
– The Aids to Concentration
– The Cardinal Virtues & the Sublime Meditations
Abhyāsa:
-Chanting of sūtras, āsana, dhyāna
अध्ययन # 5
Svādhyāya:
-Yogic lifestyle: miāhāra vihāra (sāttvika diet and lifestyle); dinacaryā, ṛtucaryā,
jīvanacaryā (exercise, rest, relaxation, desires, goals of life, concept of dharma etc.
विवेचना:
-Guest Faculty Prof. Joy Sen, Chairperson, Centre of Excellence for Indian Knowledge Systems & Pravrajika Divyanandaprana, Sri Sarada Math
Abhyāsa:
-Chanting of sūtras, āsana, dhyāna
Who is the Course For
Inquirers of all classes with or without any belief
AND
Above the age of 16 years
Learner Takeaways
Universal Ideas from Patanjali’s Yoga Sütra on Mind & Mental Health
Deepen the understanding of philosophical and psychological knowledge & the practice of yoga and meditation, linking them with the ideas of holistic health and well-being.
Understanding positive aspects of human experience and their impact on health from yogic perspectives.
Gaining insights into the spiritual dimensions pertaining to health and positive emotions (awareness).
Timeless wisdom on holistic living.
Dr Richa Chopra
Dr. Richa Chopra, in her former role as the Founding Head-In charge, Dept. of Contemplative and Behavioural Sciences (DCBS), Sri Sri University, synthesized an ecosystem, permeating multiple traditions to infiltrate and gradually weave psychological mindedness into theories of the esoteric combining ‘Orient – Occident’ wisdom. The undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in ‘Psychology and Contemplative Studies’, thus, offered under DCBS sought to bring in a new vision of behavioural sciences to the world with ‘Consciousness’ as the centre-piece of study – the teaching methodology balancing traditional ‘third-person’ with the ‘critical first- person’ perspectives.
Dr. Chopra has been a forerunner in ideating, executing and establishing a plethora of departments and global initiatives. She has steered over forty-six collaborative projects with various UN & Govt Agencies.
She has been a ‘Core Working Member’ for NAAC (an autonomous body under UGC) towards developing the ‘yoga Accreditation Framework’ for HEIs, launched at the UN Headquarters in April, 2019. Dr. Chopra has curated and organized the annual series of “Ātmanirbhara Bhar̄ata: Faculty Development Programme on Indian Knowledge Systems (November 2020, 2021 &; 2022)”, in collaboration with CPDHE, UGC-HRDC (University of Delhi), ICSSR, CoE-IKS, IIT Kharagpur and AICTE. She has also conceptualized and directed a thirteen-episode TV series on yoga ‘Sparkling Within’ for Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation, launched on June 21st 2015.
DATES
June 30, 2023
July 1, 2, 7 & 8, 2023
TIME
8 to 9:30 PM IST / 4:30 to 6:00 PM CET
- This course can be booked by clicking the link above and making the payment choosing your convenient payment method.
- The registered participants will receive the link to join the course by email from the organiser of the course, Brhat, India, shortly before the start of the course.
- This course will be delivered by through the online learning platform of Brhat.