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PATANJALI'S ZEN: COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST SIX APHORISMS OF THE YOGA SUTRA

In this podcast, we comment on the first six aphorisms of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra. The podcast stands alone but is also intended to supply the background to a practical weekend to be held at The Parkdale Yoga Centre, Wolverhampton on October 22nd - 23rd 2016. This weekend is ideal for yoga teachers, dedicated practitioners and open-minded beginners in Yoga. 

The section of the Yoga Sutra we concern ourselves with here is very direct, un-ornamented, non-technical and revelatory, if only you look in the direction it points in. [Free. 1 hour 16 minutes.]

ENERGY MEDITATION

Energy meditation outlined: as the anti-dote to dogmatism, as the revelation of the dance of things, as the loosening of identity, as the revelation of our perspectival condition. It's role in giving sparkle to letting-be, mind meditation is considered. Focused awareness is compared with spacious awareness. The koan of non-doing is encountered and the passion of life becomes the fuel for easeful meditation. The use of bardos of any kind (including those between moments) to leap into freedom is hinted at. [Free. 52 minutes.]

IMAGINATION, SKEPTICISM & WONDER

This is an account of the philosophical imagination and how it is both freed and rendered circumspect by skepticism. [Free. 42 minutes.]

GETTING INFORMED IN THE INFORMATION AGE

In his podcast, we consider the problems of negotiating the unprecedented access to information that characterises the modern age. We note that too much information becomes no information unless we have the means to evaluate what is relevant to our questions, to discern what is reliable and what not, and unless we have some grasp of interpretation and how it relates to states of affairs in the world. We go on to consider the struggle for the internet and the broad shape of the power which tries to determine and exploit our lives. [Free. 60 minutes.]

TURBULENCE: TURKEY, BREXIT, THE STRUGGLE FOR THE INTERNET

This podcast starts with a discussion of flux which I characterize here as 'turbulence' and 'fragmentation'. The turbulence in Turkey [where there was an attempted military coup the day before this was recorded], the fragmentation in UK politics post Brexit, and the struggle for control of the internet are then considered. [Free. 36 minutes.]

RE BREXIT [PART TWO]

Further comment as things move on. I entertain a conspiracy theory or two: looks like the corporations will do well, less so workers unless they resist, network and build. [Free. 34 minutes.]

RE BREXIT [PART ONE]

I recorded this podcast a couple of days after the UK Referendum on EU membership and the people's decision to leave. In tend to follow up shortly with further reflections as things have moved on. [Free. 22 minutes.]

LETTING BE [PART ONE]: INTRODUCTION TO WU WEI AND ISHVARAPRANIDHANA

This podcast introduces wu wei and ishvarapranidhana with a view to opening up future discussions on the matter of 'letting be' in life and meditation. 'Letting be' is not to be construed as fatalism or passivity.  [Free. 19 minutes.]

INSPIRATION

In this podcast, we bounce off Nietzsche's account of his inspiration given in Ecce Homo (1888). This should be of interest to meditators, artists, yogis and other folks with time on their hands :) [Free. 28 minutes.]

YOGA AND ANATOMY

This squib questions the relevance of anatomical study to the practice of Hatha Yoga and the training of 'yoga teachers'. Warning: lots of swearing. [Free. 33 minutes.]