Tuesdays, October 12, 19 & 26 | 7–8:30pm ET | $20 a session

Spanda, OM, Nada, Logos, Pranava: these terms denote the vibrational source energy that is pursued, lauded and extolled in diverse wisdom traditions.

In three sessions, explore the significance of vibration, sound and word as a central tenet of world contemplative practices, and experiment with Tantric methods of Kashmiri Shaivism that use vibration as a vehicle for entering unitive awareness.

Session 1 (Oct. 12): Listening with the Whole Body

• Survey the role of vibration and sound in global origin stories and in contemporary science-based cosmology.
• Utilize simple seated postures and Yoga breathing processes to fine tune sensitivity to subtle vibration.
• Connect with the primal power of vocalization and sound described in Vedic, Buddhist and Tantric texts & learn how to apply it in your meditation practice.
• Understand the physiologic underpinnings of the capacity of vibration to transform mental and emotional affect.

Session 2 (Oct. 19): Mind and Mantra

• Speech, language and Meaning: a primer on the linguistic mysticism of Kashmiri Shaivism.
• Mantra - what it is and how to use it effectively.
• Remove deep seated conceptual obstacles and amplify personal power by exploring the seed mantras attributed to the chakras.

Session 3 (Oct. 26): The Ocean of Vibration

• Learn to recognize and relax into the pervasive vibratory Spanda.
• Practice radically simple awareness techniques suggested in the texts of Kashmiri Shaivism: The Vijnana Bhiarava Tantra, The Pratyavhijna Hrdayam and The Shiva Sutras.
• Explore the profound teachings of the Kularnava Tantra, “the Oceanic Teachings,” of the Ham Sah mantra.
• Use the breath to refresh your connection to universal energy.

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Mary Reilly Nichols, Director of Nalanda Institute’s Yoga, Mind & Spirit, has been teaching meditation and yoga philosophy for over 3 decades. She spent ten years teaching a breath based therapy in the treatment of stuttering and now teaches breathing, mindful practices and stress management in corporate and medical settings. Mary holds a BA in anthropology from Harvard University, and completed five years of residency in the meditation ashrams of Swami Muktananda both in India and in the US.