Buddhism & Ashtanga Yoga Weekend
September 12 – 14
Join Cory for a transformative weekend exploring the Four Boundless—loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity—through yoga, meditation, and discussion. Learn practical ways to cultivate these qualities on the mat and in daily life for greater peace and connection.
Awakening the Four Boundless: A Meditative Journey into Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity
In Sutra 1.33 of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali beautifully articulates the essence of cultivating the Four Boundless: Maitri (loving-kindness) toward the happy, Karuna (compassion) for those who suffer, Mudita (joy) for the virtuous, and Upekkha (equanimity) toward those who are not. When we embody these qualities, our minds find peace and ease.
In the Buddhist tradition, this teaching is often referred to as “The Four Boundless” or “The Immeasurables,” underscoring their importance as central practices. These qualities invite us to cultivate love and compassion in our daily lives to the fullest extent.
Join Cory for a transformative weekend focused on exploring these great qualities. Through a series of engaging discussions, yoga practices, and meditation sessions, you will learn what these qualities are, how they function, and effective ways to develop them in your life. The Listen – Contemplate – Meditate framework will guide our practice, making these sessions accessible to everyone, regardless of experience level.
About Cory Bryant
Cory Bryant is the Founder of Yoga Shala Nashville – Ashtanga Yoga in East Nashville, TN and The Spiritual Pilgrim – yoga & meditation pilgrimages in Nepal, India and soon, Bhutan. His yoga journey took root at Jivamukti Yoga School in New York City just after 9/11 in 2001 and hasn’t stopped since. A practitioner of Ashtanga for over ten years, he’s been teaching yoga for 16 years and has studied intensively with David Life, Sharon Gannon, David Garrigues and Tim Miller and more recently Tim Feldmann. A PhD scientist and a student of Tibetan Buddhism, he draws from his understanding of the scientific method to explore the intersections between Buddhism and yoga to provide an integrative approach to practice and life. Cory has made 12 trips to Nepal since 2010 where he has taken up extensive study and practice. After a successful career in international food policy he and his husband relocated from DC to Nashville in 2019 where they live with their three dogs, Buddy, Bella & Puja. IG: @yogashalanashville @the_spiritual_pilgrim @coryyoga
Event Schedule
6:00 – 7:30pm
Dukkha is the Sanskrit word for “suffering” and is inclusive of all the many ways in which we struggle to manage life’s challenges. It’s also the catalyst for taking up the practices of The Four Boundless — the motivation to alleviate not just your own suffering, but that of others as well. In this session we’ll explore this concept of dukkha, what it means to meditate and how it is that the benefits of meditation on the mat, the cushion and in daily life can be amplified through engagement with The Four Boundless qualities of equanimity, loving kindness, compassion and sympathetic joy.
Cory will introduce the śamatha (calm abiding) method of meditation and lead a short sitting practice followed by Q&A.
8:00 – 10:00am Mysore
Join Cory for a unique opportunity to receive individual attention and deepen your understanding of your yoga practice in a Mysore-style setting.
12:00 – 1:00pm An introduction to The Four Boundless
We’ll dive into the teachings of both Patanjali and the Buddha to explore why it is that they both emphasized the importance of cultivating equanimity, loving kindness, compassion and sympathetic joy.
1:30 – 3:00pm Equanimity
This just might be the key to it all. In fact, we’ll be encountering this component of the overall “boundless” equation throughout the weekend because it’s this ability to maintain some level of impartiality that is just what we need to be our best loving-kind, compassionate, joyful self!
*We’ll end each day with a 20-30 minute guided meditation practice.
8:00 – 10:00am Led Primary with Guided Meditation
12:00 – 1:00pm Loving Kindness and Compassion
Love is an innate quality of being alive. Seeded in our mutual desire to be happy. Shared by all beings, this is an aspect of ourselves that we can cultivate to the extent that it overrides the challenges we face and serves as a foundation for showing up with a kind heart in all situations. And compassion comes up all over the place these days, but what is its true meaning and how do we avoid running out of it? This and more will be the focus of this session as we continue to explore the power of meditation to cultivate our innate goodness.
1:30 – 3:00pm Sympathetic Joy
Living is a consumer and success-based society with an increasing disparity between the financially rich versus poor can leave us stretched thin when it comes to being happy for others. But, are we looking at it from a beneficial standpoint? Is it possible to rejoice in others’ success and not end up feeling depressed when it doesn’t come for us? We’ll explore what the Buddhist masters have to say and how it might enable our own capacity for expressing joy!
*We’ll end each day with a 20-30 minute guided meditation practice.
Fees & Registration
Fees
Suggested Donation for full weekend $200 – $250. We would like to offer this program in the Buddhist tradition of dana (giving). You may pay at registration or submit your offering via venmo (@birminghamyoga) or in cash/check. All donations are welcome and no one will be turned away or questioned if they’d like to attend but are currently unable to give.
Limited space available
Price Includes:
- Everything included in the schedule above.
Registration Information
Space is limited. Click below to register.
