Philosophy Sharing Malta is tomorrow hosting its next talk entitled ‘The Other Side of Pain: Facing Anguish through the Philosophy of Kingly Yoga (raja-yoga)’.

Yogi Marius Govinda

The talk will be delivered by yogi Marius Govinda (Mario Zammit), who argues that raja-yoga can provide meaningful solutions to pain management. During the lecture, he will engage with a few selected sutra (aphorisms) in order to chart the causes and the role of pain in our life and also share the seer Patanjali’s proposed recommendations.

Patanjali states that if embraced wholeheartedly, philosophy can unequivocally restrain all causes and forms of anguish: sickness, uncertainty, etc. In other words, this yogi underlines the absolute need for all people to engage in yoga as a means of managing the problem of pain as intrinsic to the human life.

Govinda is an inveterate student of yoga and ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine). His studies in the teachings of ayurvedic medicine commenced in Jamnagar, Gujarat (India) in 1999; studies in hatha yoga (‘Forceful’ Yoga) followed soon afterwards under the aegis of yoga teachers in Europe. For many years he was a teacher of hatha yoga with the Education Department of Malta. He graduated as a dental surgeon some 30 years ago and still practises his medical profession. 

He also completed a master’s in philosophy at Trinity St David (Wales) on the topic of Mantra (sacred sounds of power) in Jyotish (traditional Indian astrology), and an M. Phil at the University of Malta reading Jyotish in Patanjala-yoga on the topic of a philosophical appraisal of realisation of the self. He is currently studying Parashara Jyotish under the guidance of a pundit from Orissa in the lineage traced to Shri Achyutananda, a 16th-century Vedic scholar and polymath. 

The talk is being held tomorrow at the Ministry of Education, Floriana (ground floor) at 6.30pm. Everyone is invited and entrance is free of charge. However, donations are appreciated,  since they allow the Philosophy Sharing Foundation to organise and improve such events.