Hilaritas is a Latin word used by Dutch Philosopher Baruch Spinoza to describe a psychophysical state of uniform activation, in which body, heart and mind are at ease but also fully engaged and energized in a balanced way. Through the integration of yoga, meditation and ecstatic movement, we will be able to open, listen and express ourselves, creating a new context for understanding and facing our lives. In this workshop we will explore how to cultivate this state.

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A full session lasts about 3 hours. We begin with Samasthiti Krama, an accessible sequence of yoga postures designed to integrate the breath rhythm within the whole-body structure and explore the sense of embodied balance and equanimity. We use this practice to tune in, open and release our bodies. We then practice Uccāra to activate key points in the body through the resonance of an intoned syllable, and finally to be able to listen to and melt into the silence from which the sound emerges. This leads us to Madhya, where we use the natural rhythm of the breath and its pulsation to bring us to our core, where the finite and the infinite touch and merge. From there we move into Naṭa, our natural embodied expression of joy and aliveness, first allowing rhythms and movements to arise naturally from the stillness within, and finally opening our whole experience to everything in an ecstatic dance.

 

This workshop is suitable for all, no prior experience with yoga or meditation is required.