For several years, I listened to yoga teachers tell me where my problems were. Ego was a problem. Desire: also a big problem. And Mind, well, don't get me started on Mind. If my life was a train wreck, Mind was the track it was on. As a writer and academic, this view of mind being "bad" tortured me. Was I really going to have to discount this large part of me if I wanted to continue on my yogic path?

Then, last year, I did the Samavesha course at Yoga Tree (a multidisciplinary introduction to Tantrik yoga). Here, the Tantrik scholars said that things like ego, desire, and, even mind could be vehicles—as opposed to obstacles—to one's highest self. Wow. That made so much sense. Some of my deepest connections with the divine have come through things of the mind, particularly words. Stories, poems, philosophy, Bob Dylan song lyrics. I felt like I could really get down with this Tantra stuff.

Since then, my practice has really opened up to include everything: mind, body, emotions, scholarly interests, and cravings for Nutella. (Should I be admitting that here?) So, I was very excited when I found out that one of the Samavesha scholars, Christopher Tompkins, is doing a 16-week Wednesday night series at Rudramandir on the 2,500 year history of yoga, with a special emphasis on the role of Tantra. I went to the first class this past week.

I love listening to Chris talk, because he is so passionate about darshana (yogic philosophy) and truly believes that one cannot leave the mind out of the path to transformation. He says that darshana and sadhana (practice) are inextricably linked like heat and fire, and that words, themselves, can bring one to experience divinity. I love that!

Tompkins, who is a founder of The Foundation for Yoga, and is currently doing a Ph.D. on the Tantrik Origins of Yoga at UC Berkeley (where he also teaches), knows his stuff. The class at Rudramandir is mainly lecture with some practice, and will cover everything from the Upanishads to the Sutras, culminating in a five-week series on the essence of Tantrik Yoga. It's donation-based, and open to anyone on a drop-in basis.

* Check out the full syllabus here.

* See Chris' new DVD, The Heart of the Yogini: An Introduction to Goddess Tantra.

* Read the blog I wrote last year on Tantrik yoga and the Samavesha program.

* Learn more about the painting above of Paraa, the Supreme Goddess depicted here as the "Supreme Word," by artist Bhavasindhu.

* Write in and tell us what you think about the meeting of yoga and mind!