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Part 1
On demand · Pay what you can
Build Your Happy Place
A workshop on creating personal altars. Traditional forms and contemporary practice from Hindu, Buddhist and Gnostic sources, so you can create a sacred center for your own practice.
4-hour workshop · start any time
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Altar traditions: Hindu, Buddhist & Gnostic
Sooner or later, meditators and spiritual seekers become interested in building an altar as a center of gravity for their practice. While an altar is often a matter of personal preference, there are traditional arrangements in the contemplative traditions worth knowing.
In this practical workshop we explore traditional and contemporary approaches to altar-making: the meaning and history of the Smārta Hindu arrangement, how Buddhist practitioners organize their spaces for meditation, and a simplified prāṇa-pratiṣṭhā, appropriate for householders, that imbues your sacred images (mūrtis) with prāṇa, the divine life force.
Awaken your sacred space with tradition and creativity.
What you’ll learn
Create a meaningful center for your practice
The elements of an altar
The fundamental elements and symbolism of traditional altar arrangements.
The Smārta format
Specific insight into the Smārta Hindu altar and its meaning.
Buddhist principles
How Buddhist altars are organized, and their contemplative purpose.
Choosing sacred objects
How to select and arrange sacred objects and imagery, from classical iconography on.
Enlivening your images
A householder’s prāṇa-pratiṣṭhā to bring your images to life.
Caring for the space
Adapting traditional formats to modern homes, seasonal altars, and energetically cleansing and refreshing your space.
Workshop agenda
The workshop agenda
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Part 2
Hindu, Buddhist & Gnostic Altar Formats & Meanings
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Part 3
Selecting & Enlivening Your Sacred Images
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Part 4
Caring for an Altar Space & Other Supportive Practices
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Part 5
Ancient to Modern: Traditional & Contemporary Thoughts on Altars
Your teacher
Jacob Kyle
Founding Director, Embodied Philosophy
Meditation teacher, writer, philosophy educator, and Founding Director of Embodied Philosophy. His guiding mission is to re-imagine the modern role of the yoga teacher in alignment with the teachings, texts and traditions of yoga’s profound history.
Jacob is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford, researching Pratyabhijñā philosophy with Diwakar Acharya and Monima Chadha. He holds an MPhil in Classical Indian Religions from Oxford, an MA in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research, and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics. He received dīkṣā into a Tantric form of meditation in 2015, studies with Kashmir Śaivism scholar-practitioner Paul Muller-Ortega, and is a devoted practitioner of the Śaiva-Śākta darśana.
What’s included
Everything, at any offering
- 4-hour workshop with Jacob Kyle
- A householder’s prāṇa-pratiṣṭhā practice
- Hindu, Buddhist and Gnostic altar formats
- Lifetime access, at your own pace
Pay what you can
Choose the offering that fits your life
A workshop like this would usually be priced at $249. We offer it by donation so that anyone who wants to study these teachings can. If you’re in a more fluid financial position, you help subsidize those who aren’t. No one is turned away for lack of funds.
Supporter
$97
Covers your place and helps fund a scholarship for someone who needs it.
Community
$47
A meaningful offering that honors the exchange and keeps these teachings open.
Accessible
Any
Pay what you can, from $1. Your participation is the offering.
Enroll — choose your amount
You’ll enter your amount at checkout. Every offering receives the full workshop.
Refund requests within 30 days are fully honored.
Questions
Do I need an altar or special objects already?
No. Whether you are building your first altar or refining one you have, the workshop starts from the basics and helps you honor both tradition and your own intuition.
How does the on-demand format work?
You get immediate access to the full recorded workshop. Watch at your own pace; access does not expire.
How does “pay what you can” work?
Choose the amount that fits your situation at checkout. The tiers are a guide: larger offerings help fund scholarships, and no one is turned away for lack of funds. Everyone receives the same course.
What happens after I register?
You’ll receive an email right away with your access details. If anything goes wrong, reply to that email and our team will help.
What if it isn’t right for me?
Refund requests made within 30 days of purchase are fully honored. Write to hello@embodiedphilosophy.com and we’ll issue your refund within 5 business days.
Build your happy place.
Infuse your practice with sacred imagery.
Enroll — pay what you canWant to keep going? Wisdom School Plus opens our full library of learning pathways and certificate programs.