91Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¡¯s Spring Contemplative Exercise Immersion into Yoga and Yog¨¡c¨¡ra
From March 10¨C13, 2025, 91Ï㽶ÊÓƵ students, staff, and faculty set aside textbooks and regular duties to immerse themselves in the eight limbs of Pata?jali¡¯s yoga alongside parallel Yog¨¡c¨¡ra practices. The university-wide Contemplative Exercise Immersion (CEI), hosted in the Earth Store Hall at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, offered participants a rare opportunity to explore the connections between these complementary traditions through both theory and practice.
¡°Perform actions while established in yoga! Abandon attachment, Arjuna, and be equanimous in success and failure. Yoga is said to be equanimity,¡± reads a quote from the µþ³ó²¹²µ²¹±¹²¹»å²µ¨©³Ù¨¡ offered to students as a guiding principle encapsulating the spirit of this spring¡¯s CEI.
Led by 91Ï㽶ÊÓƵ staff member and yogin¨© Sandy Lamerson, along with faculty members Doug Powers, Lauren Bausch, Franklyn Wu, Huali Yuan, and Sue Rounds, the yoga-based program guided participants through Pata?jali’s comprehensive path¡ªfrom ethical practices (yama) and observances (niyama), through posture (¨¡sana) and breath control (pr¨¡?¨¡y¨¡ma), to the internal practices of fixation, meditation, and sam¨¡dhi.
The program also explored how Yog¨¡c¨¡ra’s teachings on consciousness complement yoga practice by revealing how the mind constructs what is perceived and how liberation comes through nongrasping awareness.
91Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¡¯s semesterly CEI reflects the university¡¯s commitment to educating the whole person, balancing intellectual study with self-discovery and providing what the university calls a crucial ¡°laboratory experience¡± for direct experiential learning.
Participants of this semester¡¯s CEI reported profound experiences during the optional evening sessions, where the quieter atmosphere allowed for deeper contemplative practice. Many students noted how the immersion helped them understand theoretical concepts they had previously encountered only in texts. “Experiencing yoga? citta-v?tti-nirodha?¡ªthe cessation of the turnings of mind¡ªeven momentarily brought the ancient teachings to life in ways that reading alone never could,” shared one student. Faculty observed that this temporary departure from academic routines fostered a unique sense of community, as everyone worked together toward deeper awareness and understanding of these transformative practices.
