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Who is this program best suited for?
YOGIS: This program is ideally suited yoga practitioners and yoga teachers who wish to enhance and expand their yoga practice and understand the philosophy and spirituality of yoga more deeply. To the greater extent, we will focus on purity and depth of the Yogic tradition.
HEALERS: Reiki practitioners and energy healers who wish to understand more deeply the relationship between sound and consciousness and employ such an understanding in your practice will benefit greatly from this program as as you learn to incorporate the use of mantra, both mentally and subliminally, as you work on others to produce powerful results.
ARTISTS: Musicians seeking a spiritual dimension to your art, and visual artists seeking a sonic dimension to feed your artistic and spiritual lives will benefit from all three tracks. Obviously, musicians will gain much from the music track and visual artists from the mantra track which brings together both sound and vision t(through the Devanagiri script). However, all artists will benefit immensely from the meditation track.
BUSY PROFESSIONALS: Those who live exceptionally busy lives and have little time to attend seminars or retreats can use this program to deepen and nourish their spiritual lives on their own time. Just carve out an hour once a week for this program and then implement the practices you learn throughout the rest of the week, whenever you find time. You will certainly have access to a lot of tools through the meditation track.
THERAPISTS: Psychologists and psychotherapists are often seeking effective spiritual practices and methodologies to feed their own inner lives and to transform the negative energy that is a routine occupational hazard. You will, additionally, discover new tools that might serve some of your clients. All three tracks can offer you valuable insights and opportunities.
CAREGIVERS: Nurses, hospice workers and doctors seeking for ways to nourish their inner lives can connect to a sense of the sacred and sustain more energy at work. Take the DVDs or Audio CDs to work and plug in when you have a moment, or use the tools to unwind when you come back home from a busy day.
PROGRESSIVE HINDUS: This program is also for those who are of Hindu descent and are trying to find their way into Hinduism, especially young Hindus living in the west. You will find a deeper understanding and appreciation of our rich heritage and learn to develop a practical and viable spirituality through revisiting known themes in fresh language.
PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANS: Christians who wish to expand and deepen their mystical experience through incorporating Eastern spiritual practices will truly enjoy this program.
SPIRITUAL SEEKERS: Those of you who are without any formal affiliation with a church or religious group can explore the depth of the mystical life and discover a meaningful spiritual practice through this program. The power of the yogic path is that it is steeped in spiritual tradition and is yet non-denominational at the same time.
Note: If you do not see your profession here, please inquire and we will let you know if this program would benefit you.
What is the time required for studying each module?
The program recommends that you spend between 1 and 3 hours a week on the program. This time can be distributed between viewing and practicing the lessons presented on DVD and Audio CD, engaging in discussion through the Internet and keeping a journal of your experiences and insights. In short, you can benefit from this program by spending about 10 hours a month. Here’s how it breaks down:
How many modules are there?
If you use Mantra Module 1 as a reference, then Level 1, (the first year of beginner training) involves approximately 9 modules (includes sub-modules) in all three tracks. There is sufficient time built into how the content is distributed along with the support period and space in between to absorb the lessons effectively.
Level 2, intermediate, has a different module structure. Again, it is well spaced out, taking into consideration that you have a life, and a profession and relationships to attend to as well.
Level 3, the advanced level, will combine elements of Level 1 and 2 in its pedagogy.
What is the cost of each subsequent module?
The first module costs between $180 - $220, depending on how early you register and you location. (Canada is slightly higher because of the special mail delivery service that has to be used. However, the actual program, if taken through the whole level 1 training works out to about $62 to $75 per month for the remaining 9-months. Total Level 1 is 11 months.
After the first module, the remaining modules are combined to be cost effective. At present, the entire first year of training (11-month program) after the first module can be completed for between $600 - $750. This covers about 9 modules (including sub-modules) comparable to Mantra 1 and includes a one-on-one private consultation that evaluates the student's learning process. It is this that amount to $62 - $75 per month.
The tuition includes internet support for three program seasons that also involve informative online tutorials, interactive discussion boards, direct access to the instructor by email 6 days a week during the program seasons, mailing costs, and special study materials on Audio CD, DVD and printed matter. The actual details on how this is constructed is provided to the student after completing the opening module, which serves as a trial run to see whether the program is a fit for you and your needs.
We estimate the full, three-year program -- beginner, intermediate and advanced levels -- costing around $2500 or less. This includes all costs of tuition, all learning materials, comprehensive internet based support as well as a certain number of one-on-one private sessions. However, Level 3, the advanced level, is optional. You will learn a tremendous lot in Levels 1 and 2. The cost, approximately $1500 for 2 years.
Additionally, students who qualify for our Program Associate certification program, will be able to recoup their tuition costs through their efforts and, additionally, be able to generate income for themselves. Details on how this works will be provided upon completion of certification, which requires Level 1 completion, that is, one year of training.
Can I balance a busy work life and kids with this program?
Absolutely! This is the whole idea of the DVD in hand approach. The lessons are designed so that if you spend a few hours each week over an 8 week period, you can absorb the content of the opening module rather well. Furthermore, the content on the DVD is broken down to easy-to-achieve objectives laid out week after week. You have a whole week to study these objectives as well as ask questions or discuss your learning process and you do this at whatever time of the day or night you are available. Additionally, supplemental content is offered through the web through audio and video so that you can pause, rewind and forward all of this extra content on your own time cycle. You can ask your questions or post your discussions any time of the day or night and receive a response within 24 to 48 hours, usually a lot sooner. Later modules are a bit more demanding, but there is time built into the structure of how it develops so that you can assimilate the content without stress.
Does this program qualify for Yoga Alliance credit?
We are working on this and intend qualify for credit through Yoga Alliance. This program without doubt offers a tremendous lot that Yoga Teachers are required to study, especially with Sanskrit and The Yoga Sutras, but also meditation. Please be patient while we pursue the necessary documentation for all of this. Our energy, presently, is focused on module preparation, which is rather laborious and time consuming.
What are the benefits to a Voice Teacher?
We'd say that the benefits are many, becuase of how the three tracks combine to inform one another, i.e., music together with mediation and mantra. It is quite amazing the sort of vocal textures that mantra practice can produce.
How does the program work on the Internet?
Only the support system functions through the Internet. You receive a package in the mail consisting of DVDs, Audio CDs and Text Materials (actual combination will vary by module). Once you receive the package, you start to work with it during the program season, logging onto the internet mainly to review the objectives for each week that refer to the CDs and DVDs and printed matter in your hand. Secondly, the internet pages allow you to ask your questions and to read up on the discussions evolving as your peers apply themselves along with you. Finally, the internet pages provide supplementary content of audio, video and text to expand upon the learning materials that you have in hand.
On the internet, you can view video clips and listen to audio without downloading any software. The audio and video players are built into the website. All you need is a reasonably fast computer and a broadband internet connection. The rest is just pointing and clicking your mouse. Students have been deeply impressed with how the program content is organized and how personal the process turns out to be. We repeatedly hear this, group after group.
How does the on-line aspect compare with live teaching?
Live teaching is always available through my live presentations around the country. Additionally, you can seek to start or join a local study group around the program. However, the difficulty with “live personal training”, which is uniquely different from the group dynamic, is that it requires a good foundational training and this takes time, meaning, a lot of one-on-one private lessons, which can be expensive for the student as well as time consuming and repetitious for the instructor. I speak from more than 20 years of teaching and learning experience. Furthermore, even with live private sessions, a student requires effective learning resources to help develop their foundational skills when practicing on their own, unless they actually live and practice with the teacher in the ancient way, which is no longer practical in most cases. It is for this reason that I have created this program.
Now I do understand that this new medium of technology may feel “distant” but I have put a lot of energy into the special resources you receive for each of the modules that are live and personal as I am speaking directly to you, the student, and you control the presentation at the touch of a button. Isn’t it amazing that you can pause or rewind or forward the information I am communicating any number of times you want to? Additionally, you get to ask your questions and receive intelligent responses through the web which is also a sort of live dynamic, and that too, is quite remarkable. Furthermore, once you get started, you have many live options available to you, such as scheduling live sessions through video camera. This may not capture the power of physical proximity, but it is invaluable for the time, energy and money that it saves.
What will I get out of this program as a Yoga Practitioner?
Most importantly, the type of energy and consciousness you experience in yoga practice will be greatly enhanced leading to more powerful spiritual experiences and transformations. Additionally, you will learn so much more about the heart of the yoga tradition, its deeper goals of expanded consciousness, and methods of accessing yogic states through meditation techniques. Finally, you will learn about energy movement and stimulation in the chakras, gain a better grasp of key yogic texts -- such as the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanisads -- and enter consciously into the experience of spiritual enlightenment.
Should I take all 3 tracks of the program?
Yes, all three tracks are required for the program. The tracks are separated in the first year and first level. However, in the second year they are integrated. They will be partially separated in the third year. The system method is cross disciplinary with each track feeding off the other, especially as we take on involved practices in the intermediate and advanced levels.
What does the music track cover?
The opening module of the music track helps bring out your voice and teaches you the most elemental aspects of vocal expression that can help you chant effectively. You do not need to have any prior musical knowledge to benefit from this module. As the track progresses, you will learn the devotional singing of mantras and develop your knowledge of ragas (musical scales) that will help you sing and chant more confidently as well as appreciate music more deeply. You will also experience powerful spiritual changes in consciousness through learning to land on the correct intervals.
Does the music track cover kirtans?
Yes. However, first you will learn the underlying musical forms that will enable you to chant or lead kirtan more effectively. As your vocal and interval range increase, you will be able to lead evocative kirtans through recognizing the power of the musical intervals behind the chants. Additionally, the proper pronunciation of Sanskrit mantras and knowledge of meditation states will greatly enhance your ability to affect group dynamics powerfully.
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