A man with gray hair, a beard, and glasses is speaking or presenting while standing behind a wooden lectern, with one hand raised. He is wearing a dark sweater and has a microphone attached to his collar. Behind him are curtains with a floral pattern.

Exploring the Heart of Yoga

with Edwin Bryant

Understanding Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of Devotion

15 & 16 August | 9am – 4pm | Bristol School of Yoga

A blue book titled 'Bhakti Yoga: Tales and Teachings from the Bhagavata Purana' by Edwin F. Bryant, featuring a decorated image of a Hindu deity riding a buffalo, with additional text about the book's content and translation details.

About the teachers

Edwin Bryant is a Professor of Religion at Rutgers University, specialising in Hindu philosophy, yoga, and the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali. He holds a PhD from Columbia University and is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost scholars on Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras.

His acclaimed translation and commentary, Bhakti Yoga teachings from Bhagavata Purana, is considered the definitive scholarly text, richly annotated with classical commentaries and deeply accessible to practitioners and academics

The Yoga practice will be led by Laura Gilmore. Laura has spent last 30+ years of practising and 20+ years teaching. She has been practicing widely across the traditions of yoga with meditation, asana and pranayama as well as exploration of related fields such as mobility training & somatics.

Who is this for?

A group of women practicing yoga on mats inside a studio, performing forward bends with their hands on yoga blocks. The room has wooden beams and large windows letting in natural light.

If you're a yoga teacher or a dedicated student who has always wanted to really understand Bhakti yoga and the Puranas, this weekend is for you. You might have brushed past Bhakti in your training, or you love the stories of Krishna and want to hear them from someone who truly knows them inside out.

And don't worry if you've never studied the texts before. Edwin makes even the densest philosophy feel completely accessible, and he does it with so much warmth and humour that the whole thing is honestly great fun.

How the weekend flows

During this weekend Edwin will lead through a workshop centred around Bhakti, the yoga of devotion based on his life long study of the Bhagavad Gita and translation of Bhagavata Purana with comparative glances at the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali.

We start the day at 9am with a 75min asana and pranayama/meditation practice led by Laura Gilmore. Edwin will then follow with his workshop and finish each day around 4pm.

9am - 10.15am Practice led by Laura Gilmore followed by refreshments
10.30am Edwin workshops begins
1pm lunch break
2pm - 4pm Edwin continues his talks
Social: Saturday 15th from 4.30pm

What you'll take away

A complete understanding of Bhakti yoga, where it comes from and how it fits into the wider tradition
Beautiful tales from India that bring the teachings to life
Krishna-centric practices you can explore in your own practice and teaching
A real understanding of the role Krishna plays in the devotional tradition
Intelligent, down to earth commentary from one of the world's leading scholars, shared in a way that never feels dry or academic

Workshop Pricing

A woman performing a headstand yoga pose on a purple bolster in a yoga studio with wooden floors, large windows, and a geometric artwork on the wall.

People are practicing yoga, including a woman in the foreground doing child's pose with her head resting on a pillow, and a man in the background doing child's pose on a yoga mat.

One Day: £90

Two Days: £170

£10 off for BSY Alumni

Woman in yoga clothes bending forward on a yoga mat indoors while another person is partially visible. There are shelves with yoga mats and towels in the background, and sunlight coming through a window.

BSY Alumni receive an additional £10 off the full weekend price.

If price is an obstacle for you, please email us so we can arrange a bursary or exchange of skills place for you.