An Evening of Kirtan with Russill Paul
Friday July 24, 7-10 PM
Brady Educational Center
University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus
$25 in advance $30 at the door
Sounds of Yoga Workshop With Russill Paul
(scroll down for details and to view full scedule)
Brady Educational Center
Saturday July 25, 10:00-5:00 PM
University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus
$75
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Russill Paul has been educating and entertaining the American yoga community for twenty years. The author of The Yoga of Sound: Tapping the Hidden Power of Sound and Music, he is also the producer of many well received music chant CDs. Having lived the unusual combination of a being both a Benedictine monk and a yogi under the direction of the renowned sage and mystic, Bede Griffiths in India, Russill is dedicated to interspirituality: living two traditions.His recent book is Jesus in the Lotus: The Mystical Doorway between Christianity and Yogic Spirituality.
His website is www.russillpaul.com
OVERVIEW OF THE YOGA OF SOUND WORKSHOP
Yoga and music, two powerful approaches to optimal health, have garnered enormous credibility in the western world in the last two decades. Health, we are fast realizing, is not simply the absence of disease: it is a condition of soul that invigorates our being, enabling us to derive the most from life. The Yoga of Sound is a powerful spiritual system that unifies the key principles of healing found in yoga and music into an effective practice.
The observable universe – now understood in terms of frequency, mass and energy – are all terms that can be associated with the phenomenon of "sound", whether or not our physical ears can "hear" them. In relationship to life, we now understand that sound can be configured to "energize" or "de-energize", or in the case of inanimate objects, sound can "harmonically configure" or distort or destroy their structures. The Yoga of Sound is a platform to understand not only the physical, psychological and spiritual properties of sound, but how such understanding can improve our lives, our world and our societies.
The Yoga of Sound, through the Indian tradition of Nada Yoga, is grounded in the millennia old comprehension of the role and value of sound in the personal as well as cosmic dimensions of our existence. This is not fanciful language: a vast quantity of hard scientific data now corroborates traditional, even esoteric understandings of the transformative power of sound as it relates to the physical and psychological dimensions of human life. In the Yoga of Sound, the word “sound” embraces everyday speech and communication, the development of listening skills and the enjoyment of music, all of which are integral to the experience of human life and community.
The word yoga implies “connectedness”. Through the Yoga of Sound, as a spiritual path, we can grow in our understanding of how sound connects us, and all of nature, in an inseparable web of life, and through this understanding, we learn how to channel and direct our energy toward greater fulfillment. The practitioner is not required to sing or have a good voice, or have any knowledge or skill in music. However, the use of exercises that involve sound production (internal as well as external), the employment of listening techniques, and the use of supportive music, all serve to enhance this experience. Participants learn to release toxic emotions, calm their mind and discover the joy of connecting to “source energy”. This is the essence of all Yoga and the heart of The Yoga of Sound!
Health and well-being requires many components: proper nutrition, exercise, relaxation, mental attitude, and so on. The Yoga of Sound cannot take the place or substitute for any of these. However, through the wisdom of ancient traditions related to sound as yogic path, we seek to address a crucial dimension to the spiritual life -- the sacredness of sound -- one that is often overshadowed by other demands. The Yoga of Sound combines the use of sacred speech, music, chant, movement, breath and meditation in a holistic approach to the joy of vibrant health, spiritual awakening, personal empowerment. This is accomplished through the combination of understanding and applying how sound relates to our sense of health and well being and then applying relevant practices to implement this understanding in our daily life.
ALL-DAY WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Morning Session: 2.5 hours
(Each segment, including breaks, will extend slightly)
Opening: Invocation and Musical Meditation – 20 minutes
Orientation Lecture: Introducing “sound” as a spiritual and healing tool - 30 minutes
Break: 10 minutes
Experiential Session: 45 minutes – a guided session involving sound, movement and meditation
Break: 10 minutes
Discussion Period: 30 minutes
Lunch – 1 hour
Afternoon session: 2.5 hours
(Each segment, including breaks, may extend slightly)
Discussion continues: 25 minutes
Lecture on Practice and Techniques: 25 minutes
Break: 10 minutes
Experiential Session: 45 minutes – a guided session involving sound, movement and breath
Break: 10 minutes
Discussion Final questions and comments: 20 minutes
Closure: 10 minutes
Note: Participants will receive URL for special web page that will feature any notes, reminders, informational links, recommended resources and post workshop handouts
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