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SEMINAR with teacher PAVLOS K. HASSANAGAS
in Bitola
YOGA- Progressing from Theory to Practice, 14
October 2007 |
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30th International
Yoga Seminar
with teacher P.K. HASSANAGAS
WISDOM OF THE UPANISHADS, 29
June - 1
July 2007, Struga |
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Lecture by the Teacher
in Skopje
Spirituality and the dormant powers of man,
27 July, Skopje City Museum
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SEMINAR with teacher PAVLOS K. HASSANAGAS
YOGA-Progressing from Theory
to Practice
on behalf of the 20th
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 14th
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.

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30th 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 30th 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.

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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.

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