Breath as Meditation: The History, Practice and Method of Embodying the Goddess

Established 2025

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Embodying the Goddess

Santa Barbara, CA

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Purpose

one thing called by two names. The course blends chanting, breathing, and focused meditation in a way that honors the context and the specific texts of goddess-based tantras, while still delivering usable and practical methods and techniques aimed at the recognition of the heart.

What to expect

Each session will follow a pattern: Checking in with each other. Breathing practice. Chanting. Discussion and lecture, which will include slides, history, and context building. Practice teaching with one another.

Style/Lineage

Many breathing techniques taught in yoga aim to manipulate the breath. But in the non-dual goddess-based tantras, a very specific breath meditation practice is taught that centers around observation and embodiment. In these traditions, the breath is a synonym for the goddess, and the breath represents her very body. The purpose of this course is to look at the very texts where the body is addressed as the pathway to the inner heart, understand the context and purpose of the texts in a broader religious landscape that weaves yoga, Shaivism, Buddhism, Jainism, orthodox Brahmanism, etc., and make use of the practices described therein. Practice is essential. Understanding the context of a specific textual tradition (or closed set of traditions) is also crucial when we are making practical use of that tradition. If we do not take this step, we risk appropriating the tradition, reducing it to its simplest form, suppressing or eliminating its potency. The texts will all be goddess-centered (śākta) texts, with a focus on those texts that proliferated between 800-1200CE. These traditions are commonly referred to today as "tantra." Rather than transcending the body, these texts make use of the body as an instrument, cleaning that instrument and tuning it so that the heart can be recognized.

Additional Information

Core competencies

By the end of this program, graduates will be able to…

Yoga History & Theory	Analyze the gita's allegorical structure (the battlefield as the spine, arjuna as devotee, krishna as the inner self) alongside its political motives and historical context of composition, and explain why these dimensions matter for teaching Describe the historical and cultural transition from vedic ritual toward internalized yogic practice as expressed in the upaniṣads and kaṭha upaniṣad including the emergence of buddhism as a parallel contemplative development within this same period Apply knowledge of the origins and significance of oṃ—its historical roots, philosophical meanings, and diverse applications across traditions— to a teaching context Apply direct exegetical reading of the yoga sūtras to analyze the primary distractions to practice with an emphasis on close textual engagement and applied philosophy in a breakout session format Identify the yamas and niyamas by sanskrit name, definitions and key principles, as well as a deeper look into their meaning and significances within the practice of yoga Describe the origins of kuṇḍalinī within the early tantrik stratum including its three forms (supreme kuṇḍalinī, kuṇḍalinī as śakti, kuṇḍalinī as prāṇa) and the bidirectional nature of its ascent and descent through the central channel Analyze all major forms of yoga described in the bhagavad gītā—including karma yoga, jñāna yoga, bhakti yoga, and dhyāna yoga— examining the philosophical distinction between sāṃkhya renunciation and engaged action, and why krishna advocates the latter Describe the vidyāpīṭha framework noting the distinction between the yoga sūtras' dualistic sāṃkhya approach and the non-dual pratyabhijñā perspective Describe the philosophical underpinnings of jīvanmukti (liberation while living) through the lens of tantric non-duality, using stotra as a vehicle examining how poetic devotional language dissolves the boundary between self and the divine in ways distinct from other non-dual traditions Analyze the early history of cakra theory beginning with the netra tantra tracing its relationship to the sanskrit syllabary (especially vowel sounds), the yoginī tradition, open-sky temples, the kubjikā lineage, and the jayadrathayāmala, while noting how different systems (including yogananda's color-based model and modern therapeutic frameworks) reflect distinct historical strata Describe the haṭha yoga model of the 'yogic body' with focus on bindu, the reversal of flow, and key concepts from the haṭha pradīpikā including mantra yoga, laya yoga, hatha yoga, and rāja yoga—as a foundation for understanding energetic practice Describe how goddess-centered (śākta) tantra understands the body, kuṇḍalinī, and liberation differently from śaiva and vaiṣṇava traditions with particular attention to kālī and śakti as cosmic principles
Practice Skills	Describe the practice of mantra as a key component of yoga lineage— recognizing mantra as the divinized sound signature of a given deity and as a practice present in the yoga tradition for thousands of years
Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics	Describe the kośa model offering an overview of the five sheaths as a map of the self
Teaching Skills	Apply the tantric framework of element practice to design a prāṇāyāma-based session integrating nāḍī śodhana and bandha work, distinguishing these practices from modern postural yoga (mpy) and grounding the pedagogy in the subtle body tradition

AYC allows each school to state and evaluate the competencies each student acquires. Students rate how well the program delivered them.

Program Emphasis

Evaluation methods

Program evaluations

Oral Exam
Written Submission
Direct Observation
Solo Project Or Presentation

Graduates will be evaluated through a combination of oral/written exams, solo projects and direct observation

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Program Faculty

Featured Faculty

Cynthia Abulafia

I teach the history and philosophy of yoga, including the sacred texts of yoga and tantra. I am a published author, have 20 yrs teaching yoga/ yoga therapy, lead 500YTTs. I teach chanting, & hold a MA in Yogic Studies, I now focus on Goddess traditions rooted in Sanskrit text.

cynthiaabulafia.com

Santa Barbara, CA, US