Foundational study of the Śākta-Śaiva non-dual Tantric tradition of spiritual theory and practice- the yoga tradition of practitioners who steep in spirit while being engaged with the world.

About the course

Entering the Heart of Shiva (EHS) is the foundational course of study in Blue Throat Yoga.  It invites students into a profound process of understanding the deeper elements of Sādhanā, or spiritual practice, through the study of the ancient, time-honored texts, practices, and teachings of the non-dual Śākta-Śaiva Tantric tradition. This transformational course is designed to enliven and uplift your experience of life from the inside out

Entering the Heart of Shiva is comprised of three separate sub-courses, taken in any order:

  • Light of the Heart,

  • Language of the Heart

  • Wisdom of the Heart.

This subcourse offered by Sara and Eliot, is  Language of the Heart.  The Heart as Ultimate Consciousness is the pulsational source of all sound and language. It is in the void-depth of the heart that the utterance of potential sound arises, which develops into the emanational unfolding of all sounds, all phonemes, all words and narratives of all possible realities. Absolute Consciousness speaks in particular ways to become form and in subtle ways to reveal its free formless Self back to itself.

During this course, we learn about the Śākta-Śaiva distinctions between āgama, the divine revelatory scriptures that were written down, and śastra, systems of organized wisdom and knowledge that have been developed by great masters to transmit the teachings and practices of highest wisdom. We explore how the Language of the Heart is explained in the revealed text called the Śiva Sūtras and other important texts, such as Kṣemarāja's Pratyabhijñāna-hṛdayam, And Abhinavagupta's Tantrasāra and Tantrāloka.  

We will meet Fridays 12pm-1:30pm, February 6th-April 10th, on Zoom. No class Friday February 20th. Recordings will be available after each call. Students will have a vast array of audio and textual materials as well as study and practice guidance for each seminar. .

EHS- Language of the Heart

The studies and practices in "EHS - Language of the Heart," serve to guide us to locate our own wisdom voice from the deepest layers of the Self. It explores the central themes of the course with special focus on:

Tantric sādhanā: Tantric Sādhanā appeals to a key teaching referred to as the “Highest First.” Explore what is meant by that teaching and its application in a coherent body of authentic practice according to the Śākta-Śaiva lineage. Discover why Tantra emphasizes mantra śāstra and initiation and why it is important to develop a theoretical understanding of the purpose and function of the practices we learn.

The Śiva Sūtras: Explore this beautiful root text of the Śākta-Śaiva nondual Tantra, along with its enticing myth of origin, the Story of Vasugupta. We will overview the entire text according to Kṣemarāja’s perspective, related to Abhinavagupta’s teachings of the three means of realization, the upāyas. And then take time to dive more deeply into a series of select sūtras that will serve to guide us in the reflection about our sādhanā and a deeper understanding of the Language of the Heart.

Mātṛkā śakti:

This profound, esoteric and multi-layered teaching, central to Śākta-Śaiva Tantra, is based on the perception of the great masters who, looking into the heart of Consciousness, discerned the very matrix from which everything arises, including conceptual knowledge and language as the form of human expression. Studying the mātṛkā-śakti, is to study the underlying structure which cohesively holds together all the parts of the quintessentially non-dual vision of the Śākta-Śaiva Tantrikas. It is to enter into the womb that gives birth to all possible creation.  For each one of us, Mātṛkā-Śakti serves to explain our own narrative of reality and how it transforms through mantric sādhanā.

 

 

Our EHS Course

Explore some of the details of our study together.

  • We’ll meet on Zoom Fridays 12pm-1:30pm.

    Starting February 6th-April 10th.

    No class February20th.

    Seminars are recorded and will be available for download.

  • Interactive Curriculum Platform & Library

    Original Translations & Expert Teachings

    Guided Study & Practice Support

  • This 9 seminar course is $399.

    Limited partial scholarships are available.

    People repeating the course, please inquire about special pricing.

  • Have questions about this EHS: Language of the Heart course?

    Feel free to reach out to us at EHS26LOH@gmail.com

REGISTER HERE
COURSE POSTCARD

Your Teachers

Eliot Acuña

Eliot has been practicing and studying yoga since 2006. She practices, studies and teaches Iyengar Yoga, yoga philosophy and Neelakantha Meditation at her studio in Aylmer, Québec and abroad, and offers instruction in English, French and Spanish.

She has been deeply touched and moved by the teachings and practices of the non-dual Śākta-Śaiva Tantric lineage, and Paul’s exquisite way of articulating them, since she first heard him speak in 2009. She is drawn by the depth and vastness of the teachings, but also by the applicability of them to daily life.  She is an authorized teacher of Neelakantha Meditation and has been teaching for several of Blue Throat Yoga’s courses for many years, and serves in many other ways, such as transcribing, translating and offering guidance and assistance to students and practitioners.  Having taught EHS several times, she is very happy to offer the newly restructured EHS course Language of the Heart.

 

Sara Davidson Flanders

Sara began her meditation and yoga study in 1992. She first learned Neelakantha Meditation in 2007. Hearing the teachings of this tradition at that time, was an eye-opening expansion of her understanding of the meaning and practice of yoga.

Since that time she has served in numerous supportive roles in Blue Throat Yoga’s meditation school: as a mentor coordinator, a member of the transcription team, a guiding group mentor for newly initiated meditation students, a mentor for aspiring Neelakantha Meditation teachers in their last year of training, and as a co-teacher of Entering the Heart of Shiva. She has been an Authorized Teacher of Neelakantha Meditation since 2018.

She participated in the very first EHS course with Paul Muller Ortega, and is thrilled and deeply honored to be co-teaching this essential course again, in its newest iteration. A meditation practitioner for over 30 years, she is also a teacher of yoga asana, owns a yoga studio, and lives in Rhode Island with her family.

REGISTER HERE

Since I have been studying and practicing with Blue Throat Yoga, my life has changed so profoundly in such a sweet, natural, effortless way. Practicing in this way feels like coming home. Parts of me that I thought would be stuck forever melted. Now I catch myself feeling vibrantly alive and childishly happy for no reason. And being a part of this community of scholarly, heartfelt spiritual finders has been one of the few places where I’ve found people just like me.”

—EHS Student