Online June 5 - July 10 2022
Livestream Classes - Guest Teachers - Online Course Materials - Private Sessions
Do you know the Devī?
The Devī, the Goddess, the Divine Mother, the Shaktī... she is known by many names and is represented in many forms such as Kālī, Durgā, Lakshmī, Saraswati, Kundalinī and others. In the mystical Indian tradition the various forms of the Goddess represent the dynamic power of the Divine. Within the Big Heart Meditation approach to sādhana, we understand the Devī as the Sacred Power within.
In the Devī Course, we will take six weeks to explore various aspects of the Divine Femimine and learn ways to connect with her through practice, study and reflection. The course is a sādhana course meaning that, while the topic is the Devī, the focus of the course is actually you and your process of awakening, healing, and transformation. Ideally, along with the weekly classes and various readings, you will also be doing daily guided practice and constant reflection learning to connect with and embrace the Divine Feminine within.
Sometimes she's sweet, sometimes she's fearsome. But she's always here and ready. Are you?
As a source text, we will learn the Tantroktadevīsūktam - a Sanskrit hymn from the 3-5th Century CE praising and invoking the Goddess as many aspects of human life. Students in the teacher training level will be expected to learn and chant the text daily. We will also be reading excerpts from Sally Kempton's Awakening Shakti. Sally will be one of our guest teachers for the course.
This is not an academic course. Our teacher is not a college professor. He is not a scholar or expert in Sanskrit or Religious Studies. The approach to the Devī in this course is not a scholarly one, it's a practical, experiential approach. It is informal and personal and intimate. The perspectives and approaches shared are the collection of teachings and experiences Harshada has cultivated over his three decades of devoted practice and study with some of the greatest masters of our time. He has studied with scholars and consults with Sanskritists, but the heart of his teachings come from his own exploration and the directly transmitted teachings he's received from his teachers and Gurus over the years.
Who is this course for?
This course is for sincere seekers who wish to go deeper into the mystical path of meditation, freedom, and manifestation. You don't need to have years of experience on the path, but a basic orientation to meditation and inner practice is going to help you a lot.
The course will be a celebration of the Divine Feminine but it is NOT just for women! Female identified seekers will have a particular connection to the Devī work, but Harshada believes wholeheartedly that all humans should learn to connect with the Goddess within ourselves AND in her universal cosmic form. Many people experience a transformation in their realtionship to women, girls, and all manifestations of femaleness.
This course is a must for healers and keen teachers of meditation and yoga. The Devī is one of the essential secrets to the spiritual path. We'll learn about working with our emotions, our bodies, our sexuality, and all of our inner powers including how our minds get lost-and-found on the path to liberation. Other kinds of helpers such as therapists, psychologists, and healers will also gain a tremendous benefit from the course.
Here's a testimonial from the last course:
Harshada is a modern sadhana teacher, who has lived this path. I took the shiva sutras from him at the Sadhaka level, which allowed me to meet with Harshada one on one. These opportunities exponentially deepened my practice and understandings. He knew exactly how to convey the meaning of the sutras in a straightforward manor and he’s direct us back to the sutras as well as gave some specific meditations that truly opened my heart to the next level and showed me how to use these ancient teachings in my modern life. Can’t wait for the next class and grateful to him and his team for making these practices possible.
Sheri - Texas USA
FREE BONUS INTRO SESSION SUNDAY 5/29 at 10AM!
Click the red text above to send us an email and let us know you'd like to join. Harshada will lead a 90 minute Zoom class and talk about the course, and invoke the power of the Goddess. For course participants, it's their orientation. For everyone else it's a deep dive into the Devī.
Three Incredible Guest Teachers
Sally Kempton is a master meditation and tantric philosophy teacher. Sally is a long time mentor, friend and trusted advisor of Harshada. When Harshada was a junior teacher in Siddha Yoga Ashrams, Sally (known then as Swami Durgananda) was one of the senior teaching monks. Sally is one of the foremost experts on Devī sādhana and is author of Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga (required reading for the course.)
Adriana Rizzolo, Harshada's life partner and founder of Body Temple, will be teaching about embodiment and the process of honoring the power of emotion, sexuality, and grief in sādhana. Adriana has been teaching yoga, meditation, embodied spirituality and sacred sexuality for more than a decade.
Dr. Varsha Choudhari is a psychotherapist and life-long yogini based in Pune, India. Varsha is a Big Heart Meditation Teacher and co-director of LOVESEVĀ India, Harshada's charitible project. Varsha will be bringing important cultural context to our exploration and sharing traditional perspectives about the Goddess in her many forms.
How does the Course Work?
The course is an online course with an in-person feel. The course lasts for 6 weeks. Each week, you explore different facets of the Devī learn about different manifestations of the Divine Feminine, and get initiated into tantric practices associated with the Goddess. There is a livestream class every Sunday at 10 am Pacific which is recorded. Every week you are also encouraged or required to do the practices that grant direct access to the experience of the teachings. Depending on which level you choose, you may also have a chance to discuss the course material with Harshada and have him guide you individually. Live classes and group discussions are done via Zoom. In the next section you can learn about the different levels of engagement.
Three Levels To Chose From
Harshada understands that no one level is right for everyone, so he's created three levels for the Devī Course: Bhakta, Sadhaka, and Siddha.
The Bhakta Level is the most basic. The word Bhakta means the "devoted one". This level includes Harshada's rendering of the Devi Sukta (via PDF) and access to the weekly zoom classes. Links to the videos from each week's class will be emailed so you don't have to be there live. There are no practice requirements or prerequisites for the basic level.
The Sadhaka Level is more of a "teacher training". Sadhaka means "dedicated trainee". Considered a Level 2 Module of Big Heart Meditation Teacher training, people in the Sadhaka Level will have access to the livestream weekly classes, as well as weekly discussion-based interactive "office hours" classes. Advanced Level students will be enrolled here in teachable in a separate course with audio guided meditations, high resolution videos of the live classes, along with weekly class notes and other resources posted there. Along with this, everyone enrolled in the Sadhaka Level will also have a private session with Harshada (one hour-long session or two 30 minute sessions). Students in the Advanced Level who want to get Level 2 certification will have practice, and study requirements. There are no absolute prerequisites, but there is a light application process. Click here to emaill Harshada and let him know your intentions for the training. The Sadhaka Level is a deep training. After you're approved, you'll receive an email with further signup instructions. (This is the most popular level)
The Siddha Level is the deepest engagement. Siddha means "master" or "empowered one". People enrolled in this level will be in the Sadhaka group and will also have weekly private sessions with Harshada where he will personally guide you through the work in the course, initiate you into practices related to the Devī, and tailor the training to your specific needs. To enroll in the Siddha Level, you CLICK HERE to email Harshada and then have a conversation with him to make sure it's a fit for this level of engagement. There are limited spots available for this level training.
Your Instructor
Harshada Wagner has been teaching meditation and practical spirituality to all kinds of people since 1992. Classically trained in the Indian wisdom traditions of Vedanta, Yoga, Bhakti, and Tantric Shaivism, works as a dharma teacher, creative mindset consultant, and sacred life strategist for people from all walks of life. Harshada is a teaching in the lineage of Bhagavan Nityananda. He is the author of On the Field of Dharma - a modern practical application of the Bhagavad Gita, and is the founder of Big Heart Meditation.
Along with his teaching work, Harshada is also a visual artist and proud father of two. He currently lives in Ojai California.