
For the charitable benefit of the Continuing Education Program for Seniors at Montgomery College in Houston Texas, Doug Keller gave a lecture on the understanding of emotion as ‘Rasa’ in yoga philosophy and Ayurveda.
This account describes the Nine ‘Rasas’ or essences of emotional experience as being like the flavor and fragrance of food: they are essential to our experience and understanding of the world. Experience is barren without them.
But what is emotion, and how does it enter into our perception of the world? Why do we experience emotion so differently from one another, and do we have some choice and freedom — and even responsibility — in how and when we experience emotion? How do we make a shift from less desirable to more desirable and fulfilling emotional experience?
The talk explores the relationship of emotion or the ‘Rasas’ to our individual physical and mental constitution or ‘Prakrti’ as it is understood by Ayurveda.
Practical techniques of pranayama are explored as the means to making shifts in our emotional experience, giving a very different and enlightening perspective on our relationship to emotion through yoga.
The talk is on two audio CD’s, with an extra track of Doug’s interview with ‘Yoga for Peace Radio’ in Houston. Also included is the slide show that accompanied Doug’s talk in ‘Quicktime’ format. It can be viewed on any computer using Apple Computer’s Quicktime viewer software, which can be downloaded for free from their web site.
$20