The Many Pathways of Meditation:
Explore the profound practices of the Vijñāna Bhairava and the journey of inner recognition with Bill Mahony
Online + In Studio at Yoga Kula
Two offerings
Meditation Immersion: Sat, December 5 - 11:30 AM–1:30 PM + 2:30–4:30 PM PDT (online + in-studio)
Study Group Monday Mondays December 7, 14, 21, Jan 4, 11 6:00pm-7:00pm PDT (online)
The immersion gives us an opportunity to get a broader overview of meditation and practice techniques and the study group is an opportunity to explore practices more deeply together. You could choose to do either the immersion, or the study group, or you may wish to do both.
Meditation is much more than relaxation or learning how to quiet the mind. It is a journey of discovering how awareness works, learning to recognize our deeper nature, and developing the capacity to meet our experience with greater clarity, steadiness, and presence.
In this immersion with Bill Mahony, we will explore the Vijñāna Bhairava, one of the great meditation texts of the Tantric tradition. Presented as a dialogue between Shiva and Devi, the text offers 112 dhāraṇās—meditative contemplations and practices— that provide remarkably diverse doorways into deeper awareness.
Rather than approaching meditation as a single technique, the Vijñāna Bhairava invites us to discover the many ways ordinary experience can become a gateway to awareness. We will explore practices involving the breath, sound, sensation, visualization, concentration, mantra, subtle energy, and moments of stillness, while considering how these practices can transform our relationship to the mind and to everyday experience.
Through practice, reflection, and discussion, we will deepen our understanding of the meditation journey itself: how different techniques affect our internal state, how attention becomes more refined, and how meditation can move beyond the cushion to influence the way we live, respond, relate, and navigate the complexities of daily life.
This immersion offers an opportunity to experience meditation from multiple perspectives rather than simply learning about it. We will investigate what makes a practice effective, what we are actually cultivating through meditation, and how sustained practice can help us recognize and rest in a deeper dimension of awareness.
The Vijñāna Bhairava remains especially relevant today because it does not require us to withdraw from life. Instead, it offers practices for discovering awareness within breath, sensation, thought, emotion, and ordinary experience—helping us develop greater presence and freedom in the midst of life as it is.
Open to all levels of meditation experience. No previous study of the Vijñāna Bhairava is required.
Recommended Reading
Vijñāna Bhairava — Lakshman Joo
Vijñāna Bhairava — Jaideva Singh
Bill Mahony is an internationally respected scholar, yoga teacher, and longtime practitioner of yoga philosophy, meditation, and Sanskrit. Known for his warmth, clarity, and engaging teaching style, Bill has spent decades helping students understand how ancient yogic teachings can enrich modern life. His ability to make profound spiritual teachings accessible and relevant has inspired practitioners around the world. Bill is a professor of Religious Studies at Davidson College. As a professor, he teaches courses on contemplative and devotional sensibilities of religions originating in India, with an emphasis on the philosophies of yoga. Bill is the author of Exquisite Love: Reflections on the Spiritual Life based on Nārada’s Bhakti Sūtra and The Artful Universe.
For more information, visit his website www.billmahony.com
PRICES:
Immersion $65 before November 15 / $75 after
Study Group $70 before November 15/ $80 after
Both Immersion + Study Group - $125 before November 15 / $130 after
Location: Online or Yogakula 1666 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley - please arrive 15 minutes before the event begins
Online: For those joining online we will forward the zoom link.
Future access: We will make the workshop recording available to you after the event, for 6 months.