Day 1: THE CHALLENGE: Fear and Depression in the Context of the Polycrisis: clarifying the personal embarkment, and & the context of yoga cosmology
9.00am Welcome: Embarking on the Mythic Journey
9:15-10:15 Opening Practice - first and second Brains Practice
Grounding breathwork, and reflecting on a sense of presence.
10:15-10:30 Discover your 7 Brian Archetype Game
10:30-10:45 The meaning of the Hero's Journey for you right now. Small group work
10:45-11:00 Break
11:00-11:30 Presentation: Explore the polycrisis — social fragmentation, chronic disease, mental illness and ecological destruction — as symptoms of avidya - crisis of perception and disconnection.
Examine psychological responses: uncertainty, fear, depression, grief, and nihilism as coping mechanisms which can be transformed. What are the nervous system responses?
11:30-11:50 Small groups (stay the same all weekend): How do the collective crises impact, affect what you are already carrying? What is the journey you wish to embark on? Self compassion meditation?
11:50-12:00 Big group reflection + Q and A
12:00-12:30 Presentation: The Bigger Journey, the 7 Brain Journey. Situating the polycrisis within the yoga worldview. Understanding the yogic worldview of cycles of creation and the movement between centrifugal (outer) and centripetal (inner) forces.
Begin reframing crisis as initiation and transformation, an invitation to be co-creators of the change and revealers of a deeper truth, to slow down and understand deeper personal and cosmic flows.
Understand the relationship between human suffering and the breakdown of shared meaning systems.
Contextualize current world events through yoga’s holistic worldview and develop a deep trust based on ancient wisdom and personal empowerment.
12.30-2:00 Lunch
THE INITIATION: The Nature of the Path from Avidya to Vidya - Responsibility and obstacles that move us forward
2:00-2:15 Integrating practice - Journaling: What is your key challenge?
2:15-2:30 Small group discussion: Sharing your key challenge
2:30-2:45 Big Group: Discuss your ideas about overcoming challenge - avoidance, patterns, denial, fear, etc.
2.45-3:00 Commitment ritual
3.00-3:30 Presentation: (a) Moving along the path from avidya (materialistic/mundane knowledge) to vidya (spiritual knowledge) and dealing with obstacles along the way that naturally arise with forward movement, the importance of struggle in life, using obstacles to transform oneself by refining the mind.
(b) A part of the dynamic of forward movement is integrating reactions from past actions in our lives, understanding rules of cause and effect or samskaras, fate and free will, individually and collectively
3.30-3:45 Break
3.45-4:45 Third Brain practice
4.45-4:55 Journaling/Reflection
4.55-5:00 Closing ritual/commitment to your journey ceremony
Day 2
THE RETURN: Developing power and direction
9.00-9:15 Check in
9.15-10:15 4th Brain Practice
10.00-10.45 Presentation: Yogic framing of the foundations for transformation, defining the inner sanctum and the methodologies for harnessing power. •Spiritual philosophy and practices provide an internal locus of control, self empowerment, hope, meaning and purpose. Eight limbs are other practices.
Self realization and service are two essential goals of human existence and yoga is a system of healing and ultimate health oriented to these goals.
10.45-11.00 Break
11.00-11.30 Discussion: Defining your sense of self, worldview, resources, practices, your power!
11.30-11.45 Satsaunga partners: Accountability for self empowerment
11.45-12.00 Journaling
12.00-12.20 Pranayama practice for empowerment
12.20-12.30 Reflective dialogue
12.30-1.30 Lunch
THE RECONNECTION: The elixir of love and awe, creating new relationship & re-grounding in new commitments
1.30-1.45 Integrating practice - A poem
1.45-2.15 Presentation: (a) Aesthetics are a way of connecting spiritually, including through music, beauty and truth are one, awe is pinnacle beauty. Love is the subjective experience of relationship and spirituality is about an ever expanding capacity to relate, and experience love, as this evolves into spiritual relationship it is called devotion and it is in the realm of bhakti yoga.
(b) The neuroscience of resilience, Human flourishing is about fully embracing challenges, realizing ones potential, the opposite of languishing, salutogenesis. One for all and all for one, the yoga of social justice, one human society, healing collective trauma, service/karma yoga, sacred activism, making your life wide rather than long.
2.15-2.45 5-7 Brain practice
2.45-3.15 Discussion: What is your vision, a new narrative, of a new spiral of life including an empowered orientation to new challenges?
3.15-3.30 Follow-up discussion, closing ritual/Chanting
FOLLOW-UP SESSIONS
Three Monthly 1.5-hr Sessions
Session 1 (7.00pm - 8.30pm) — Integrating
7.00 - 7.05 Brief grounding exercise
7..05 - 7.15pm Presentation - Reviewing the principles of the Journey
7.15 - 7.35pm Collective discussion - Reviewing particpant's personal and clincal experiences since the Retreat - successes and challenges
7.35 - 8.00pm Small group reflective dialogue - Thresholds: recognizing where you are now, integrating current challenges and strengths - clarify your unfolding vision
8.00 - 8.25 Collective discussion of grounding visions prior over the next two months and the resources needed.
8.25 - 8.30pm Closing
Session 2 (10.00am - 11.30am) — Deepening
10.00 - 10.05am Brief grounding exercise
10.05 - 10.35am Collective discussion - Reviewing particpant's personal and clinical experiences since April 7 - successes and challenges
10.35 - 11.00am Collective discussion - Identifying themes/patterns in participant's journey's in the context of the 7 Brain psycho-physical and archetypal maps.
11.00 - 11.15am Small group reflective dialogue - Refining visions and resources
11.15 - 11.25am Collective discussion - Clarifying goals before next meeting (June 6)
11.25 - 11.30am Closing
Session 3 (5.00pm - 6.30pm) — Expanding
5.00 - 5.05pm Brief grounding exercise
5.05 - 5.35pm Collective discussion - Reviewing particpant's personal and clinical experiences since May 23 - successes and challenges
5.35 - 5.45pm Presentation - (i) Re-authoring your role in humanity’s evolving story - Leadership and Social Justice
(ii) How the mythic journey is unfolding in your daily life
5.45 - 5.10pm Small group reflective dialogue - Identifying the core of your personal and professional empowerment
5.10 - 5.25pm Collective discussion - Final sharing and clarifying commitments for next steps of the journey
5.25 - 5.30pm Closing