FOUNDATIONS OF BHAKTI PRACTICE

date:

• september 23 & 30th, october 7th via zoom
•  weekend immersion october 10th &11th

time:

• online sessions 7:00pm – 8:30pm
• weekend immersion – 10:30am – 6 :00pm saturday  & 10:30am – 1:00pm sunday

(lunch included)

teachers :

•  Sri Prahlad, Vasudeva and Yamuna Jaya

admission:

• sliding scale between $50 – $108

contact Vasudeva with any questions [email protected]

Note: This course is for those who have explored the teachings of bhakti through our various offerings, and want to start a daily bhakti practice

This course equips students with the basic knowledge and skills to start a profound and deeply transformative bhakti practice. Through 3 on-line sessions students will gather basic knowledge about the science of bhakti. What is bhakti exactly, as defined by sacred texts and realized teachers? Who is object of our love and devotion, and how can we practice this science in our day-to-day life. We will especially focus and 3 pillars of bhakti: 

1. Sadhana – a daily spiritual practice, centered on chanting the Hare Krishna mantra
2. Sanga – spiritual association with like-minded people 
3. Seva – serving Krishna at home, in community, and in the world

During the weekend immersion, we will dive deeply in practical and immersive application of these three principles.  There will be workshops about 

1. chanting japa and kirtan with Sri Prahlad
2. doing puja (worship) at home with Vasudeva
3. hearing and studying sacred texts with Yamuna Jaya and Vasudeva
4. principles of spiritual association with devotees with Yamuna Jaya 
5. hands on service in community 

• What to expect

1. 1. knowledgeable teachers experienced in bhakti-yoga
   2. on-line and in person learning
   3. experiential workshops of bhakti-yoga practices 
   4. community of spiritual seekers 
   5. warm and open learning environment 
   6. personal reflections and group discussions 
   7. delicious vegan lunch included

Vasudeva Das, originally from the Netherlands, started his journey on the path of bhakti in 1997 Since then, he has lived as a monk for 16 years in various ashrams in India and Europe, engaged in intensive practice of bhakti-yoga and study of Sanskrit and Vedic bhakti texts such as the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. He received initiation in the bhakti lineage of Sri Caitanya in 2003 from his guru, HH Kadamba Kanana Swami. In 2016 he earned a BA in Vaishnava Bhakti Theology with honors from the University of Chester, UK. Vasudeva currently lives with his wife in the East Village, New York City, where he serves as the head priest and senior educator at the Bhakti Center. As a scholar of Sanskrit, he is engaged in various translation projects and also tutors individual students. Vausdeva’s main aspiration in life, however, is to constantly serve Krishna (God) and his devotees with a selfless and humble heart.

Jamuna Jaya is a senior yoga teacher at Bhakti Center. After her very first yoga class, she instantly connected with yoga’s synthesis of movement and contemplation on the divine. As a life-long spiritual seeker, she quickly “got” it. Eventually her yoga journey led her to the path of Bhakti – practices that inform not just her teaching, but her entire life. Beyond the yoga studio, Jamuna studies under senior wisdom teachers in the Bhakti Center community and shares this same wisdom with fellow seekers.

Sri Prahlada is an Australian bhakti-yoga practitioner and teacher, famous for his kirtan, who recently moved to New York. Sri Prahlada was practically born into bhakti and been teaching and singing across the globe since childhood. He developed his initial fascination with bhakti when attending school at ashrams in Australia and India. At age 12 Sri Prahlada led an Australian campaign to free Krishna devotees persecuted in the USSR. A natural musical talent, Sri Prahlada recorded a song requesting Gorbachev to Free the Soviet Hare Krishnas from religious persecution that gained widespread media attention. He was offered a contract with global record label EMI to release the song as a single, which was followed by an album titled “Through the Eyes of a Child”. In 1988 Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawk delivered a letter from Sri Prahlada to Soviet President Michael Gorbachev. Within days of Hawk’s visit Krishna devotees were freed. From age 15 onwards for about 18 years Sri Prahlada was mentored by the renowned bhakti-yoga master Indradyumna Swami, traveling as his assistant, secretary, and lead kirtan singer. Sri Prahlada has a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney. He has also authored and co-authored several books with academic publishers. Some of his recent publications explore leadership insights from the Bhagavad Gita. Sri Prahlada has performed kirtan in traditional and contemporary styles before audiences of tens of thousands, including on the main stage at the annual Polish Woodstock festival. Along with the likes of Krishna Das and Jai Uttal, he features in Steven Rosen’s book ‘The Yoga of Kirtan’ which contains in-depth interviews with 20 western kirtan artists. Since 2020 he has been visiting Cyprus, where he has helped to form and continues to support a small but growing community of bhakti-yogis.

• knowledgeable teachers experienced in bhakti-yoga
• experiential workshops of bhakti-yoga practices 
• community of spiritual seekers 
• warm and open learning environment 
• personal reflections and group discussions

Refund window closes 3 weeks prior to training start date; all monies forfeited thereafter. Credit card processing fees apply.