Yoga Philosophy Foundations
with Dr Matthew ClarkA foundational journey through the history, origins and living philosophy of yoga — from ancient roots to the questions modern practitioners still wrestle with today.
Overview
A foundational base to build your understanding
Yoga philosophy and history sit at the heart of any serious teacher training, helping practitioners at every level understand the purpose of this wonderful system. This course also offers a rich, deepening layer for anyone wishing to go further in their own personal practice — because the origins of yoga inform so much of how we move, breathe and think today.
Dr Matthew Clark is a captivating storyteller. His depth of knowledge is remarkable, but what's more remarkable still is his gift for making history feel alive, accessible and directly relevant to modern-day practitioners.
Yoga is the science of experimentation on oneself, the cultivation of our own spirit of understanding, a way to free ourselves of dogma and habits
This course can be taken as a CPD toward your Yoga Alliance requirements, or as an optional module within our 300-hour programme.
Who is this course for?
What's included?
Course Dates
Good to know
- £195 for 15 hours of pre-recorded content, available for three months so you can consolidate your learning at your own pace.
- To reserve your place, click Book On Demand Course, sign in or enter your details, and choose your payment method.
- Please save your card details and select the direct debit option where possible — paying by credit card incurs a 2.4% charge. Receipts are sent when payments are taken.
- 300-hour students get a 10% discount on this training if they've booked three trainings with us (priced at £395+), including the core module. Email us if this applies and the discount will be applied when the balance is due.
- Prefer a different payment plan? Pay your deposit and email us to arrange. Full payment must be received before the course starts.
- Select bank transfer (BACS) at checkout — it helps us keep course fees down by lowering card processing charges.
- Bursary available: one 50% bursary place is offered each year. Learn more →
- FAQs Learn more →
- T&Cs Learn more →
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After this course, you will be...
Grounded in the history and origins of yoga, from its earliest roots to the modern day
Able to speak with confidence on the philosophical texts and traditions that shaped the practice
Equipped with a foundational grasp of Sanskrit pronunciation and the devanāgarī script
Ready to bring depth, context and story into your own teaching or personal practice
Your Teacher
Your teacher Dr Matthew Clark
Course details
- Late Bronze Age migrations to India
- The Vedas, ritual, and the ancient use of psychoactive plants
- Buddhism, Jainism, and the definition of "religion"
- Upaniṣads, Sāṁkhya philosophy, and Vedānta philosophy
- The Bhagavad Gītā
- Additional reading: the Bhagavad Gītā
- Patañjali's yoga sūtras
- Sādhus, yogīs, yoginīs, Pāśupatas and Kāpālikas
- Additional reading: Patañjali's yoga sūtras; Sādhus, Sādhvīs, Nāgās by Matthew Clark
- Tantra and the subtle body
- Yoga physiology and medieval yoga texts and practices
- Additional reading: Hatha Pradīpikā (Hathayoga Pradīpikā)
- Modern yoga, from the 1890s to now
- Āyurveda
- An introduction to Sanskrit pronunciation and the devanāgarī script
Course Dates
Learn at your own pace
There are no fixed dates for this course. Once booked, all modules are available to watch in any order, as many times as you like, for 6 months.
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