Lesson 1.1 "What is Internet Yoga Courses?" Travel time: 1 hour 30 minutes.
Yoga courses for beginners
and teachers.
Session 1
What is Online Yoga Courses?
Analysis of our history. Who and what learns from us?
Friends, this is the English version of the Internet Yoga courses of the International Open Yoga University (YogaOpenYoga.com). To quickly get an idea of what kind of yoga courses are, you can conduct a quick express analysis of courses, namely: find out who has already received or receives benefits from them, what kind of people they are, what interests them. We conducted some rough analysis of our students. Here he is:
The main part of the people in the courses are those who decided to study yoga for themselves and to become our students as Free Students, there are thousands of them. They are attracted (descending):
- A very high and serious level of study of yoga;
- In the future, get into special groups for in-depth study of closed sections of yoga;
- Systematic and friendly study;
- Search for like-minded people;
- Free.
These are people of very different ages, from schoolchildren to retired people, of very different professions, from very different countries of the world. Someone more interested in yoga theory, someone practice. Someone learns all the time, someone can interrupt their studies, and then decides to resume it after a few years, so it is difficult to clearly divide such people into groups. As we practice and practice yoga, some of us come to the intention to study yoga in depth under the guidance of teachers and personal mentors, mentors in our special groups and reach the highest sections of yoga. Many of them want to become teachers of yoga. Often this happens after many years of free study. We recommend everyone to start learning from this form of education.
A smaller part of the people in the courses are those who wish to become a yoga teacher and receive a European Certificate and a Bachelor's degree from the Commonwealth of Universities.
To do this, they want to study yoga consistently and in depth under the strict guidance of our teachers and personal mentors, mentors in our special groups. And so go to the higher sections of yoga. There are hundreds of them.
Among them, in addition to the deep passion for yoga and the desire to transfer the ancient knowledge of yoga further to people, there are the following groups of people with the following motivations:
- These are graduates and senior students of various higher educational institutions from prestigious to completely unknown. These people feel a serious gap in their education in the field of self-knowledge systems. They strive to go from open sections of yoga, through closed sections and approach the secret powerful (Guhya Shakti) sections. They also often plan to work or study in Europe or America in the future, and they want to become teachers of yoga in English, so that, as a rule, they have a backup profession or the opportunity to earn money on teaching yoga abroad. Some of them further become professional teachers of yoga. This is a very bright and creative group of people. But, unfortunately, sometimes it is very impatient and does not understand that it is necessary sometimes to boil in a yoga field for years, so that yoga opens its secrets. But still we have a lot of successful examples.
- These are middle-aged people working in various fields, from workers and accountants to financial workers and company directors. For some, this is an additional profession and income, for others the opportunity to be creatively realized in your life. Someone wants to start their own business, one way or another connected with yoga, such as a yoga center, a yoga shop, etc. This is a very responsible, consistent and conscious group of people, and, accordingly, a very successful one. In contrast to the first group, this group is somewhat inert, and in yoga, sometimes courage and determination are needed. Yet they more easily reach the closed sections and yoga is more willing to let into their secrets such people who have taken place in life.
- Young mothers who sit at home with their children do not want to waste time, but wish to plunge deeply into the world of self-knowledge. And also get a new profession and in the future an interesting and creative work with a flexible schedule. This is the highest priority group for us, because in yoga and the Vedas the continuation of life is paramount. To learn yoga, you must at least be born. This group shows, perhaps, the best results of all. A large percentage become professional yoga teachers and enjoy a very good reputation as a yogini. Unfortunately, relatives and friends do not always understand their aspirations.
- People older retirement and pre-retirement age. Their determination to plunge into serious self-knowledge sometimes simply goes off scale. They think what to do in retirement. For them, it is important as an additional specialty with the ability to work on a flexible time schedule, and creative implementation. This is a very promising group, probably the most responsible and thorough, as life experience has taught them to separate the wheat from the chaff. In the future, the number of retirees engaged in yoga should grow. This is evidenced by the experience of Europe and America. It is important that there are older instructors, retirees are more willing to attend classes. In addition, if grandparents and grandmothers practice yoga, then grandchildren and grandchildren will come to yoga. There are many truly successful learning stories associated with this group.
- Finally, those people who consider yoga to be their life’s work. This is a kind of yoga fans. It seems that they were born for yoga, as if they did yoga in the past life and continue in this life from an interrupted place. They just want as soon as possible to realize in their lives all the highest powerful practices of yoga. In the future, they dream of being teachers of yoga and no one else. Everything else is uninteresting and boring to them. These are people of all ages and backgrounds. Of course, this group is the basis for the development of all yoga. However, the fact that they do not think about anything other than yoga often leads to the fact that they forget about the financial side of practicing and studying yoga. Well, in the future, teaching yoga. They forget that yoga must be at least self-sustaining. As a result, this attitude hinders the development of yoga. For this reason, we were even forced to introduce a course of Prosperity Yoga or Artha Yoga for them. Also, we sometimes recommend that some such people combine yoga teaching with work in some other field in order to “stabilize” their life course.
- There are also, probably, other motivations and subgroups, where, perhaps, you will also enter, but it is difficult for us to identify them now, we need to accumulate statistical material.
Where do our students live?
If you register and leave information about yourself, you can see a map of the places where some of our students live or are, who also wished to leave information about themselves.
Friends, we ask you, please, be patient when passing these materials! We understand your feelings. You can not wait to begin the study of the grand and mysterious science of yoga. As soon as possible to touch the secret powerful practices. Instead, you are offered to familiarize yourself with the routine organizational information, and they will also test how you learned it. Maybe you have not decided for yourself yet whether you will stay on these courses or not, and you are forced to spend time on minor things. We do this consciously, as our practice shows that it is this approach that will save your time and energy in the future. This approach will also help you quickly decide for yourself whether these courses are suitable for you or not. We are trying to save your time.
What is Online Yoga Courses?
Online Yoga Courses are:
- A powerful, state-of-the-art, innovative, computer-based training system designed for the remote study of yoga in any part of the world where there is internet.
- The system is aimed at beginners with a lack of any knowledge of yoga.
- The system contains a complete structured teaching material on the theory and practice of yoga, set out in strict accordance with the tradition of ancient yoga.
- The system of strict control of the passed materials through the steps of homework, testing and distance exams.
That is, the training system of courses is programmed in such a way that it combines rigorous and thorough adherence to all the requirements of ancient classical yoga, along with the best traditions of teaching the exact sciences of both the Russian (Soviet) scientific school and all modern scientific thought.
What is the goal of online yoga courses?
The goal of Free Online Yoga Courses is to teach as many people as possible to the ancient science of yoga - the science of self-knowledge. As you study at the courses in the status of a Student Free Student, you will have the opportunity to study yoga in depth in special groups of like-minded people under the guidance of teachers and personal curators. And also take training courses for teachers of yoga and distribute this teaching further.After completing an in-depth study of yoga and master classes for teachers of yoga, a student in the future will be able to get a profession as an instructor, a teacher of yoga in Russian or English. We have put serious emphasis on English recently for Russian-speaking teachers, since our students teach yoga all over the world, and English is a fairly universal means of communication, like Latin in medieval or Sanskrit in ancient India. And if a student lives outside the Russian-speaking environment, then at his request, the opportunity to get a profession as an instructor, a teacher of yoga in English is provided.
Online Yoga Courses are not an entertainment site.
Friends, we ask you, please remember - Free Online Yoga Courses is not an entertaining site to attract as many people as possible to it. This is a site to work on it. This site will change your life for the better, but for this you need to calmly, patiently, systematically work on yourself.Are there any analogues of these courses? Possible shortcomings.
Who is working on the courses?
Only a very large number of people who are constantly practicing yoga work on the Russian-language version of the courses. More than 2000 (!) People contributed to the courses. The core courses support about 300 people.
The philosophy and concept of yoga in the Internet Yoga Courses
There are many different conceptual and philosophical schemes of exposition of the knowledge of yoga, effective in one or another living conditions, one or another cultural environment.
For these courses, the concept of "Open Yoga" was chosen as the concept closest to the ancient freedom-loving spirit of yoga, effective for modern people, proven by time and yielding remarkable results.
The concept is, on the one hand, to strictly and strictly follow the ancient freedom-loving spirit of Yoga and the basis of all yogas - the Vedas. At the same time, on the other hand, present the material in a clear and accessible language.
The following way is built:
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From the Open (for everyone) knowledge of yoga;
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Through Closed (from random and unprepared people) sections of yoga;
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To Powerful and Difficultly Available (for those who have undergone serious training) to practices and methods.
In the Internet Yoga Courses, we used the maximum number of currently available primary sources of yoga.
First, we used those sources that are equally recognized in modern academic circles and among serious followers of yoga in India and other countries. These are such sources as the Vedas, the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali and others. Indeed, from a formal point of view, the original source of yoga is the Vedas, such as the Rig Veda and others, which were transmitted orally in the Vedic language. In essence, Yoga is a way to realize the knowledge of the Vedas through various manifestations of human life. But the Vedas already in ancient times were difficult to understand, and the Brahmans, Aranyaks and Upanishads emerged as comments to the Vedas. The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali also arose with a detailed study of the methodology.
Secondly, we used numerous rather late and medieval sources. Such as Gheranda Samhita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Shiva Samhita and others. Indeed, many practical moments in them are covered more fully. In addition, yoga texts that are preserved in the tantric tradition, for example, texts devoted to Kundalini yoga, are of particular value.
Thirdly, we used texts that, from a formal, scientific point of view, can be called “apocryphal,” that is, challenging questions regarding traditional ones. All this is a forced and temporary measure, in the best traditions of the Russian, Soviet system of education, to shake up a student somewhat, to make him think and make clear, and age, place of origin, but which are extremely useful for practical mastering the theory and practice of yoga.
Indeed, in modern times, as in antiquity, it seems that only people belonging to higher castes have the right to access some of the closed sources of knowledge of the Vedas and Yoga. Therefore, followers of schools are not eligible to directly publish texts from these sources. But to present the same knowledge in other words, in a different form, through other treatises, apparently, is possible. Indirectly, this is indicated in the authoritative text of Saundarya Lahari. This may explain the emergence of numerous treatises in the nineteenth, twentieth century and to our time, when there was a huge interest among Westerners in yoga, but which could not be allowed to the core of knowledge, since very often Westerners led, and even more likely as representatives of the lower castes. It is possible that in the future such “stuffing” will take place, as the text of Anandalahari indicates. For example, it is known that the outstanding researcher of the ancient heritage of India, Sir John George Woodroffe, had access to the second part of the Mahanirvana Tantra, which outlines, among other things, the most powerful Phra Yoga. But he was not allowed to publish this text. Now in modern India many texts have begun to be printed with elements of this knowledge that were previously unknown to the general public.
Style writing materials. The severity of presentation in plain language.
Friends, in our Courses we are trying with all our might to express the most difficult things with the most simple words, the simplest, most common speech that most people can understand now. The lectures often use colloquial language. Sometimes you will come across some slang expressions that are not characteristic of academic speech, but are easily perceived by a wide range of ordinary people. We go for it consciously and thoughtfully in order to maximally facilitate the perception of the emotional aspects of yoga. These aspects are critically needed at the moment. Otherwise, we will once again get something unviable instead of yoga.
Indeed, yoga is not the absence of emotions, yoga is the ability to control emotions when it is necessary to completely control them or turn them off. But if necessary, then skillfully and freely let them go through the expression of speech, vocabulary, facial expressions, gestures, actions. Unfortunately, this approach, unusual for some group of people, may be perceived somewhat negatively. For students who have previously read exclusively Western, refined books on Eastern philosophy and rotated exclusively in the pseudo-academic environment, some expressions that illustrate yoga can definitely "cut the ear" and be perceived with incorrect associations. We apologize in advance and look forward to understanding this group of people. Without an ordinary language, it is impossible to make yoga mass. True yoga, finally, must go beyond the narrow circle of "initiates." This is the main purpose of the courses. In a sense, we simply have no choice in this regard.
Also, the following should be noted: the creation of these courses has currently spent an enormous amount of preparatory work, effort, time of highly qualified and, accordingly, paid specialists, the work of numerous yogis and yoginis, volunteers, and just financial means. Despite the rather modest results that we have at the moment, all these resources spent are comparable to the resources required to create a serious industrial or scientific enterprise. But a lot more needs to be done.
That is, as the proverb says about people engaged in innovative technologies: "If you want to create something new, then boldly multiply the time and financial resources that you plan to spend on the implementation of this new, several times." All these spent efforts and resources make sense only if they really help people to make a strategic breakthrough in the field of higher knowledge of yoga, that is, in their self-knowledge. Understanding what is happening in your life is a guarantee for avoiding critical mistakes in making certain key decisions of fate. Therefore, all these costs are justified in terms of human development.
But, as our experience shows, not all students understand the difficulties associated with the creation and support of these Courses. Often there is a somewhat consumer and frivolous attitude to the courses. For this reason, the style of exposing some of the provisions of yoga in these courses may seem somewhat harsh, even harshly, even the smallest step in the promotion of yoga is worth the enormous effort. This is a kind of counterbalance to the Western system of education, where the pseudo-correctness of the presentation of the material sometimes gives anecdotal results. It happens that a student finishes school without being able to read, and the teacher, fearing to “injure the vulnerable psyche” of the student, does not dare to point this out to him so as not to form an inferiority complex.
Many of the provisions of these courses are also repeated many times in order to clearly and unambiguously convey to students some of the provisions to which students have traditionally shown inattention. In the future, as soon as we have additional resources, we may make the presentation more gentle and courteous.
What language is the training provided? This is Russian and English.
At the moment, all the theoretical and practical training of yoga is held in Russian and English. These are the official languages of the Russian-language Internet Yoga Courses. We encourage our students to attend classes in English, regardless of whether they are going to study and teach yoga in the Russian-speaking environment or not. These classes are open to all - not only students, but all other people who want to learn English. You can also attend these classes. The only request is to follow the schedule when and where such classes are held. The schedule can be changed in such a way that it is convenient for our main students. Here you can follow the schedule of practical exercises http://www.openyogaclass.com/kurs/mod/resource/view.php?id=145 ...
In the future, as soon as an opportunity arises, we would like to translate course materials into other languages of the world, since knowledge of yoga should belong to all of humanity, and interest in our courses throughout the world is quite large. Our students live in more than thirty countries of the world, and we very much hope that they will help us in this work upon the completion of their studies. Now such work is underway.
Who owns the rights to these courses? Everybody

Registration is required on the courses website. Forced bureaucracy.
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Friends, in order to complete the Open Internet University Remote Internet Courses, you need to register. Many courses allow guest entry, so you can enter the course and get acquainted with the course material. But you can not pass the tests of knowledge, get a certificate of passing courses. Some courses are available only if you have an account. In order to get an account, registration is required. That is, you have to come up with your password and login, as well as specify your email address. After registration, a confirmation letter will come to your mailbox, which you must read and confirm your registration through it. |
Therefore, if you intend to seriously study yoga with us, then your registration is absolutely necessary.
You can always delete your registration!
Friends, if you want to remove your registration from our Online Yoga Courses, you can always do it yourself. To do this, find and click "Delete my account" in your account. Or notify the course supervisor if you cannot do it yourself.
How after registration should be enrolled in a particular Yoga Course?
Your photo, name and surname. Your image.
For example, for the absence of a photo from a student, at the discretion of the curator, 1% of the assessment may be removed. If the person’s name is clearly machine or pseudonym, such as “123 sdgfsdfg”, “Enlightened Buddha”, “Barack Obama”, “Harry Potter”, then 1% of the assessment may be removed at the discretion of the curator. In this case, you can receive a letter as follows:

Your Name and Surname will be reflected in certificates.