The first year is the beginning of a multi-year program of study in the Sanatana Dharma tradition. The academic year is divided into 24 weeks: during this time, the student covers the foundations of the tradition—from the meaning of Refuge and the role of the Guru to the first steps in the six classical paths of yoga, the teachings on karma, and contemplation techniques. There is a great deal of material, and during the first few weeks it may feel like a stream of unfamiliar names and Sanskrit terms—this is normal: the program is structured so that over the course of the year these terms become part of the student’s familiar vocabulary.
What the Student Will Learn
By the end of the first year, the student develops a coherent understanding of the tradition. The student understands what Refuge is and what constitutes the Triratna, knows why a Guru is needed, and how the relationship between the student and the Teacher is built. The student is familiar with the lineage of succession—the guru-parampara—and its two branches, southern and northern. The student can perform basic daily practices: Namaste Kriya, prostrations, altar worship, practice with the Om mantra, and pancha-nitya-sadhana. The student knows the history and worldview of Sanatana Dharma—the four branches of Hinduism, Vedic culture, and the system of varnas and ashramas of life. The student gains an initial systematic understanding of the six paths of yoga—bhakti, karma, mantra, kundalini, jnana, and laya yoga—and of the law of karma: what punya, papa, and the gunas are. The student also takes the first steps in Raja Yoga—mastering yama and niyama, learning concentration and simple forms of meditation, and understanding the ethics of life in the sangha.
Foundations of Daily Sadhana
In addition to theory, the course provides a foundation for daily practice. It explores the meaning of the altar and worship, the seven ways of consecrating food and the sacrament of partaking of prasada, prayer to the Refuge through prostrations, the practice of externally taking Refuge, and nitya-sadhana. The structure of the ashram is covered separately: its goals and objectives, the schedule of worship services, and statuses within the community—as well as the ethics of relationships within the sangha: rules for communicating with the Teacher, correspondence, and individual confession.
The Six Paths of Yoga
Bhakti Yoga is revealed through the stages of devotion and the practice of bhava—the heartfelt feeling experienced in worship and mental puja.
Karma Yoga is explored through nishkamya karma, the qualities of a karma yogi, and the essence of service.
Mantra Yoga provides rules for reciting mantras, methods of pronunciation, and the teaching of the mantra as the name of a deity.
Kundalini Yoga introduces the kundalini energy, prana, subtle bodies, and the nadi channels—sushumna, ida, and pingala—as well as the first set of asanas and the pranayama of Laya Yoga.
Jnana Yoga and Laya Yoga are examined through the teaching on the ground, path, and fruit of practice, the five bodies of the human being, and the two paths to liberation—gradual and instantaneous.
Concentration, Meditation, and the Tree of the Teaching
By the middle of the year, the course moves on to the practice of contemplation: the eight limbs of Raja Yoga, the ten principles of yama and niyama, the nine obstacles in yoga according to Patanjali, concentration techniques, and common mistakes and experiences in meditation. A separate module is devoted to the Tree of the Teaching: the hierarchy of the tradition’s methods, from root practices to branch methods, flower methods, and leaf methods. This also includes analytical meditations—on the impermanence of samsara, the suffering of beings, the law of karma and reincarnation, and the preciousness of human birth—as well as the meditation of repentance and the first instructions on Mahashanti meditation.
Upon completing the first year, the student acquires the foundation needed to proceed to a deeper study of the six paths of yoga and sadhana at the subsequent stages.
