Foundational study of the Śākta-Śaiva non-dual Tantric tradition of spiritual theory and practice- the yoga tradition of practitioners who steep in spirit while being engaged with the world.

About the course

The Heart of Consciousness is the source and essence of everything. As the deepest level of being, it pulses into all other layers and levels of existence, including our own individual mind and body.  In the non-dual Śākta-Śaiva teachings offered to us by the great Tantric Masters of Kashmir, one of the ways Consciousness is described is as Light.  

This course is an exploration of the Light of Consciousness, its nature, its function and how it is explained in the many exquisite texts of the non-dual Tantric lineage, such as Abhinavagupta’s Tantrāloka and Tantrasāra, the foundational text of the Śiva Sūtras ,and Kṣemarāja’s Pratyabhijñā-hṛdayam.

While Classical Yoga and Sāṃkhya provide us important foundational notions of reality and consciousness that serve us as a basis, Śākta-Śaiva Tantra expands the light of those teachings, such as the principles of reality, knowledge, identity and Consciousness itself, and elevates them to a quintessential understanding of non-duality. 

Throughout the course we consider the relationship between the great Light of Consciousness and our relative individual awareness and experience of reality, and how the perspective of these teachings supports the vision of the householder path. 

EHS- Light of the Heart studies include Abhinavagupta’s Argument of the Light, the Primordial Forms for the Goddess Potencies, and the process of opening of our awareness into progressively more expanded states of Consciousness that lead us into a life lived directly in and from the Heart of Consciousness.

This course is offered over 2 weekends: May 15-17 & June 13-14, for a total of 13.5 hours of teaching.

Entering the Heart of Śiva (EHS)

Entering the Heart of Shiva (EHS) is the foundational course of study in Blue Throat Yoga.  It invites students into a profound process of understanding the deeper elements of Sādhanā, or spiritual practice, through the study of the ancient, time-honored texts, practices, and teachings of the non-dual Śākta-Śaiva Tantric tradition. This transformational course is designed to enliven and uplift your experience of life from the inside out

Entering the Heart of Shiva is comprised of three separate sub-courses, taken in any order:

  • Light of the Heart,

  • Language of the Heart

  • Wisdom of the Heart. (will be offered in Sept)

 

 

Our EHS Course

Explore some of the details of our study together.

  • We’ll meet on Zoom during two weekends:

    • Friday, May 15 : 5:30 to 7pm (90 min)

    • Saturday, May 16 : 1pm to 4pm (3 hours)

    • Sunday, May 17 : 1pm to 4pm (3 hours)

    • Saturday, June 13 : 1pm to 4pm (3 hours)

    • Sunday, June 14 : 1pm to 4pm (3 hours) 

    Seminars are recorded and will be available for download.

  • Interactive Curriculum Platform & Library

    Original Translations & Expert Teachings

    Guided Study & Practice Support

    Community Forum

  • The course is $399.

    Limited partial scholarships are available.

    People repeating the course, please inquire about special pricing.

  • Have questions about this EHS: Light of the Heart course?

    Feel free to reach out to us at ehs26lightoftheheart@gmail.com

REGISTER HERE

Your Teachers

Eliot Acuña

Eliot has been practicing and studying yoga since 2006. She practices, studies and teaches Iyengar Yoga, yoga philosophy and Neelakantha Meditation at her studio in Aylmer, Québec and abroad, and offers instruction in English, French and Spanish.

She has been deeply touched and moved by the teachings and practices of the non-dual Śākta-Śaiva Tantric lineage, and Paul’s exquisite way of articulating them, since she first heard him speak in 2009. She is drawn by the depth and vastness of the teachings, but also by the applicability of them to daily life.  She is an authorized teacher of Neelakantha Meditation and has been teaching for several of Blue Throat Yoga’s courses for many years, and serves in many other ways, such as transcribing, translating and offering guidance and assistance to students and practitioners.  Having taught EHS several times, she is very happy to offer the newly restructured EHS course Language of the Heart.

 

Sara Davidson Flanders

Sara began her meditation and yoga study in 1992. She first learned Neelakantha Meditation in 2007. Hearing the teachings of this tradition at that time, was an eye-opening expansion of her understanding of the meaning and practice of yoga.

Since that time she has served in numerous supportive roles in Blue Throat Yoga’s meditation school: as a mentor coordinator, a member of the transcription team, a guiding group mentor for newly initiated meditation students, a mentor for aspiring Neelakantha Meditation teachers in their last year of training, and as a co-teacher of Entering the Heart of Shiva. She has been an Authorized Teacher of Neelakantha Meditation since 2018.

She participated in the very first EHS course with Paul Muller Ortega, and is thrilled and deeply honored to be co-teaching this essential course again, in its newest iteration. A meditation practitioner for over 30 years, she is also a teacher of yoga asana, owns a yoga studio, and lives in Rhode Island with her family.

REGISTER HERE

Since I have been studying and practicing with Blue Throat Yoga, my life has changed so profoundly in such a sweet, natural, effortless way. Practicing in this way feels like coming home. Parts of me that I thought would be stuck forever melted. Now I catch myself feeling vibrantly alive and childishly happy for no reason. And being a part of this community of scholarly, heartfelt spiritual finders has been one of the few places where I’ve found people just like me.”

—EHS Student