‘discussions’

under renovation

༺RITUAL NOT ROUTINE ༻

This work is for individuals, couples, and small groups who are interested in the nature of consciousness, and exploring this through the most natural and accessible path; us. It is a practice of developing rituals rather than routines in our daily life, both physical and mental, that lead us to greater introspection, while simultaneously detaching us from the ‘chitta-vrittis’ (or fluctuations of the mind). The result of which, is a life more full of lila (sanskrit for bliss) rather and monotony and delusion.

yoga

12 years of daily practice and 1800 hours of yoga teacher training including:

Advanced Certification as a Jivamukti Yoga Teacher & Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Certification from Mysore, India.

I am devoted to the traditional yoga lineage of Patabi Jois, who was the teacher of all of my own teachers, including Guy Donahaye, Eddie Stern, Kathy Cooper, Ajay Kumar, Luke Jordon, and many more who I owe the depths of my practice to. I currently am practicing 3rd Series (Advanced) with Gibran Gonzales in Paris, France. I teach retreats in Ladakh-India, Northern California, Israel, Portugal, and to private students all over the world, with an integrated philosophical focus (eg Bardo Work).

I began my journey doing Ashtanga Yoga in 2014, as a Jivamukti Yoga teacher living in New York City. I was 21, studying Ancient Tibetan translation after having left medical school and before I would start my MA at Columbia in Tibetan Buddhist Studies. I was an eager yoga student, having practiced Sivananda for years, become advanced certified to teach Jivamukti, but found Home in the deeply devotional practice of Ashtanga Yoga.

The moment I walked down the cement steps into the basement of the Avenue B Ashtanga shala of Guy Donahaye, I instantly recognized a sensation of belonging from a deeper place within me. There was humidity in the air as I opened the metal door to a line of Berkenstocks in the hall, the smell chai mixed with sweat from the other room. It was silent aside from my arrival, the creaking of floorboards, and ujayi breath coming from the room next-door where people were practicing. . . . . I am forever grateful for this day and the person who told me, certainly not by any accident, that I should ‘try out Ashtanga’.

Twelve years later, I know my mat to be an island in the turbulent sea of consciousness. An island that also sees its storms, but my island. On which I do not control the weather, but can watch it pass and know that I am safe and blessed within this practice. Within this life. After all of this time, devoted to a daily practice regardless where I live, how small the corridor, or how cold it is outside, I feel deeply called to share its magic with others. Therefore, it is with grace and reverence for all of my teachers who have so accurately appeared and shared their wisdom with me, that I would like to share it with you now.

+

tibetan buddhism

MA in Tibetan Studies from Columbia University.

15 years of deep connection to the land, people, and culture of India’s Tibetan Buddhist culture and lineage.

There is a an embodied experience of Tibetan Buddhist culture and tradition that I am grateful to have been immersed in for over half of my life. Although I came to study Tibetan Buddhism for my Masters Degree at Columbia University, it was from my first visit to the Indian Himalayan region of Ladakh, at 16, that I could sense the most profound depths of knowledge and understanding in this lineage. Indeed, it was at this young age that a seed was sewn for not only loving this part of the world, but dedicating my academic and now coaching career to contemplating its ‘ wisdom.

After attending the Mahindra United World College (high school) in India, I returned to work with Tibetan doctors at the Qusar Tibetan Healing Center, in Norbulinga, India, for my undergraduate thesis on Complementary Alternative Medicine. Here at the foothills of the Himalayas, I was adopted into the first of several Buddhist families who would seamlessly invite me into their homes and therefore their hearts, so devoted to Tibetan Buddhist practice. Thus, my background in these subjects began more similarly to that of someone raised in the culture than an academic. However, this experience as well as meeting my adoptive aunties in Stok Village, Ladakh, (whose uncle was the late Lama and PhD professor, Gen Jamspal La), are certainly my inspiration for formally studying Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan language.

After my MA and several years working on my PHD (currently ‘all but dissertation’), I found myself being asked to teach Tibetan Buddhism, mainly the most esoteric form of Tantra, at retreats, gatherings, and to private individuals and couples all over the world. I came to see that these practices are deeply beneficial, especially for those suffering from PTSD and other acute stress and world-related symptoms. Especially coupled with the somatic power of yoga, it is remarkable what simple yet profound states of understanding consciousness and reality I have been able to guide people to.

True liberation comes through recognizing the nature of the mind, and indeed the self, as something inherently liminal. In the wise words of Bob Dylan, ‘life is a ‘short trip’, which is why I feel it is accurate to bring together Tibetan Buddhist, Shiavite, and the Ashtanga Yoga practices into the Yoga Tantras. As, they serve as echos and mirrors within the same cognitive and somatic ecosystem. It is with the humility of my masters and teachers in the Vajrayana, Mahayana, and Shiavite lineages that I invite you to join me.

about me

My name is Rory Curtin and the Yoga Tantras are my offering; as the cumulative, iterative, and interdisciplinary practice that I have developed over the last several decades through scholarly, somatic, and immersive study and devotion. It is a bridge between the contemplative and cognitive discipline of Tibetan Buddhism in its most esoteric form, and the daily physical practice of Ashtanga Yoga. The merging of which, I call Yoga Tantras, as this is indeed an ‘in between’ realm, where the depth and breath of our ‘being-ness’ can be examined, refined, and re-imagined.

working together

Options for working together include the following

Immersions- 10 week intensive study and practice, either 1:1 or 1:2 (persons), with weekly one and a half hour calls online; daily yoga and contemplative study assignments; reading material; and the invitation to reach out at any time with questions or the desire to go deeper into the subjects we’re discussion. For the 10 weeks it is 6,000 euros for one person and 8,000 euros for a couple. These immersions can be extended into deeper study if desired.

Retreats- 8 day retreats are held several times a year. Namely, each spring and fall in Ladakh-India, each fall in the French Pyrenees, and each winter in Kenya (and Israel, peace permitting). The next upcoming retreat is in Ladakh this July (summer this year) and there is one space left of a group of 10 total (including me). These vary in price. Please see the Retreats tab more more information.

Sangha- 1 time per month we will have online meditations held together, as well as a dharma talk, and conversation regarding core texts (see Discussions tab, above). There is also the invitation to watch my introductory Ashtanga Yoga and Pranayama videos on YouTube, Instagram, and here on the website, as well as subscribe to my Substack. Donation is appreciated for these offerings. Please see the Donations tab.

Please reach out to me with questions on any of the above- WhatsApp +33782499866.

Contact me to schedule preliminary call via email

Subscribe to Yoga Tantras YouTube Channel (currently under construction)