SEMINAR with teacher PAVLOS K. HASSANAGAS

YOGA-Progressing from Theory to Practice

on behalf of the 20^th Anniversary of Bitola Yoga Society

 

By practicing yoga, the human being is given the opportunity to experience and realize its own real nature. It is an incredible thing how we are able to look within ourselves and recognize our Real Nature in the background.

 

Such an opportunity was given to the citizens of Bitola 20 years ago, or at the end of year 1987, when the founding meeting of the Yoga Society- Bitola took place. Soon after this event, the very first beginners’ course in yoga started. In such a way, every other activity in this society was also initiated. Many beginners’, mid-level and advanced courses took place, along with specialized courses targeting children and pregnant women. Other activities included many introductory lessons, forums, seminars and photography exhibitions…

 

In the past, the teacher Pavlos Hassanagas conducted several seminars in the society, and for this anniversary, on the 14^th of October he conducted a one-day seminar on the topic “Yoga—progressing from theory to practice—our lives through the prism of spirituality”. In a very pleasant and relaxing setting, once more we had the opportunity to get closer to the teachings of our teacher. During these 5 hours, we had the opportunity to pause and look at life from a different perspective. He taught us about yoga beyond asanas and meditation, about fear and how to face it, about acceptance and compassion… The teacher emphasized the importance of facing the kleshas (the obstacles on the yogi’s way), especially the fear of death which is the root of all other fears. He also presented the elements of ashtanga yoga of Patanjali as simply being various kinds of techniques for facing our own selves. The seminar caused a lot of interest among the participants, especially those who met the teacher for the very first time.

 

The seminar took place in the university library “St. Kliment Ohridski”and was attended by approximately 70 practitioners from all over Macedonia.  

30^th International Yoga Seminar with teacher P. K.HASSANAGAS

WISDOM OF THE UPANISHADS

 

One of the most important moments in yoga is the one when the disciple meets with the teacher, listens to his/her teachings and discusses important topics for his/her own spiritual practice and individual growth. This act gains in significance when such a meeting represents a continuation of millenniums-old tradition in which all yogis from different parts of the world have participated, in different periods of the history of yoga: the conveyance of the ancient knowledge in the Upanishads. The gravity of the moment became bigger when our acquaintance with the wisdom of the Upanishads happened during the 30^th International Yoga Seminar. This absolutely corresponds to the need for previous long-term practice and achievement of a certain level of spiritual maturity as a prerequisite for studying and understanding the Upanishad. 

 

Teacher Pavlos K. Hassanagas presented the Upanishads, their structure and content in four lectures. Then, he explained their role as writings that carry on and convey the spiritual knowledge accumulated throughout thousands of years, at the same time pointing out the applicability and adjustability of the Upanishads in the spiritual practice of the contemporary yoga practicioners. Many quotations from the main Upanishads enchanted the hearts of both old and new practitioners.

 

The programme was enriched with two workshops conducted by the senior teaching staff of the Yoga Federation. The topics were in different ways connected to the basic topic of the seminar. The first workshop on the topic “OM Meditation” was an excellent opportunity for the practitioners to get acquainted with this technique, its effects and the way it is practiced. The practitioners could upgrade this experience during the meditation sessions with the teacher Pavlos. During the second workshop “The Unity of Theory and Practice”, the participants applied their knowledge acquired from seminars, literature and individual practice. Several questions that appeared during the conversations were later on discussed on the satsang with the teacher.

 

The topic of the instructors’ lecture was “Problematics of the Upanishads as a teaching subject”, at which teacher Pavlos talked about the importance of matching theory with practice and the specific ways in which the teachings of the Upanishads should continue in the future.

Lecture by the Teacher

Spirituality and the dormant powers of man

 

On June 27 in Skopje City Museum teacher Pavlos K. Hassanagas held a public lecture on the topic “Spirituality and the Dormant Powers of Man” for an audience of 150 visitors. The lecture represented one of the events with which the Federation noted 35 years of teaching yoga in our country.

 

The teacher spoke about the human nature and the human psychophysical capabilities, as well as their role in our spiritual growth. Such phenomena can impress almost everybody, and among ordinary people they usually cause awe and fear since they are perceived to be a result of an advanced spiritual development. However, on this lecture, the teacher explained the real approach that yoga has in respect to this issue and made some parallels with other spiritual traditions such as buddhism, hesychasm, and sufism. Besides that, some scientific researches on these phenomena were presented.

 

For the teacher, this topic is just a segment from a wider spiritual culture that is based on a more holistic understanding of man and his capacities, as well as the responsibilities that come along with such a realization. According to this, the aim of this speech was to map these capabilities and their representation as one more aspect of the unity called a human being.