Under the Cosmic Banyan is a six-part storytelling series that explores the beating heart of the yoga tradition through its most enduring stories and teachings. Gathering each week beneath the shade of ancient oral tradition, we journey through tales not as distant texts, but as intimate maps of love, struggle, transcendance, and transformation.
Across six evenings, we’ll enter the cosmic dance of Śiva and Pārvatī, where asceticism meets desire and union and reshapes the universe. The epic arcs of the Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata will unfold as moral laboratories—testing duty, loyalty, grief, and grace amid impossible choices. And through the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, we’ll encounter bhakti as a lived, embodied practice: sung, wept, danced, and remembered. We’ll linger in the playful and radical devotion of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, where love itself becomes a path to liberation.
This series is for seekers, storytellers, and lovers of wisdom traditions—no prior knowledge required. Come listen, reflect, and reconnect with yoga not just as a discipline of the body or mind, but as a lineage of stories meant to be lived.
This course will be taught by Premananda Vilasa Das, aka Prema, who is a teacher of yoga philosophy, holds a PhD in History, and is a Dharmic Residential Minister at Georgetown University.
This module can be taken as a standalone immersion or as credit toward BYDC’s 300HR certification. RYS300 - 25 Hours.
Art of Sequencing: Creating Dynamic, Fluid Mandala Flows
Mandalas are circular, fluid, dynamic sequences that help break down old neurological patterns in both the mind and body. These sequences use repetition and directionality to re-pattern movement, develop new coordination, and build communication between the right and left sides of the brain by requiring practitioners to cross the midline.
This 25-hour advanced sequencing module explores the healing potential of circular movement. When we don’t regularly cross the midline, the left and right hemispheres of the brain tend to work in isolation. Mandala flows engage both hemispheres through midline crossing, stimulating the cerebral cortex and strengthening neural pathways that coordinate movement, balance, and learning.
We live in a linear society—but circular movement shifts our perspective. It helps us experience the body and space not from a straight path, but from a 360-degree awareness.
As you train your body and mind in these new movement patterns and learn to guide others through circular sequencing, you’ll discover a powerful, transformative breakthrough—one that is just as playful as it is profound.
Do you have a new year resolution to
learn crow, headstand, flying pigeon, or some other arm balance or
inversion? Or do you struggle with practicing these shapes and want
to learn the secret to flying them consistently?
Join Jill Laptosky for a 6-week Yogi Flight Method workshop series
that will teach you how to use the body you have today to learn
these amazing shapes and more. Each week, Jill will breakdown a
different family of arm balances and inversions, explain the key
mechanics you need to know to fly them, warmup the body
strategically, and provide time for personalized coaching to leave
you feeling more confident in your yoga practice.
Your Weekly Journey*:
Week 1: Intro & Crow (Crow, One-Legged Crow)
Week 2: Revolved Arm Balances (Side Crow, Revolved Hurdler’s Pose,
Fallen Angel)
Week 3: Open Leg Arm Balances (Eight Angle, Hurdler’s Pose,
Firefly)
Week 4: Open Hip Arm Balances (Flying Pigeon, Grasshopper)
Week 5: Headstand (Bound, Tripod) and Chinstand
Week 6: Handstand and Forearm Stand
*Poses to be explored include, but are not limited to, those
described above. Other fun surprise shapes and transitions may be
added if time allows. Schedule subject to change. While
possible to book individual sessions, please note that each session
builds on one-another and its recommended to take the entire
series.
About your workshop facilitator:
Jill has been teaching physical movement since 2017, is a
registered Yoga Teacher, and certified group fitness instructor. In
addition, Jill has 100 hours of specialized yoga training in arm
balances and inversions by the Yogi Flight School and is one of the
few yoga teachers in the world certified to teach the Yogi Flight
Method.
This module can be taken as a standalone immersion or as credit toward BYDC’s 300HR certification. RYS300 - 75 Hours.
The body holds stories, patterns, and pain. In this 75-hour advanced module, we enter into the art of healing through movement, sequencing, and presence. You’ll learn how to see the body as a map—one shaped by emotion, experience, and energy—and guide students toward wholeness through intelligent, therapeutic yoga.
This training centers on Body Smart Sequencing, a method of weaving postures into progressive mini-sequences that build both function and freedom. Using subtle adaptations, breath, and repetition, we retrain movement patterns to reduce pain, restore mobility, and prevent injury. It’s both intuitive and biomechanically precise.
You’ll develop a keen eye for imbalance, and learn to sequence for common areas of stress like the neck, shoulders, thoracic spine, hips, and lower back. Whether working one-on-one or leading dynamic group classes, you’ll be empowered to teach yoga that’s not just expressive—but truly healing.
What you’ll learn:
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How to adapt sequencing for therapeutic outcomes
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Working with energy lines and pressure points through yoga
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Postural assessment and movement re-education
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One-on-one work for physical, emotional, and energetic healing
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Hands-on assists and the art of subtle touch
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Use of props for support, traction, and transformation
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Creative use of chairs, blocks, and straps in recovery-focused practice
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Designing short recovery sequences and longer healing flows
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Applying Body Smart Sequencing to both gentle therapeutic and advanced vinyasa classes
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Specific sequences for:
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Neck & shoulder pain
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Upper thoracic immobility
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Low back & digestive issues
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Knee & hip dysfunction
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Yoga is a path toward union, and that includes integration of body, breath, and awareness. This module helps you see and support your students holistically—with compassion, clarity, and precision.