prajna, Author at Integral Yoga San Francisco

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So far prajna has created 103 blog entries.

The Ilusion of Permanence: Part One

by Swami Ramananda

We tend to identify with the body/mind because it is concrete, easily experienced and appears to be permanent, giving us a sense of security and control. Yoga teaches us that we are much more and that to center our lives around body/mind will be ultimately unfulfilling, often painful, and leave us feeling incomplete and unhappy. Hatha Yoga works with the body/mind to lead us beyond this identification to experience the Self, by attuning ourselves step by step to the more subtle levels of our being.

Deepak Chopra describes the reality of the body’s impermanence by reminding us that “We replace 98% of our atoms in one year.” Like a river, we appear to be, but never are the same. If that is true, why do neck pain, ulcers or allergies seem to remain unchanged? In exploration of that mystery, ancient yogis discovered the underlying force that animates and structures the body – the prana. The flow of prana gives life to every atom and the patterns of this flow determine physical form. If the flow of prana remains unchanged, so does the form it creates. Those yogis then traced this pattern of prana to its source – the mind. The thoughts and feelings that predominate in the mental level determine the flow of prana that structures the body.

Our understanding of how the mind works, while more scientifically accountable, supports those ancient yogic theories. It is estimated that 95% of our thoughts are the same as those we’ve had before. Thus, as Lao Tzu asserted long ago, set ways of perceiving the world and thinking about our lives lead to actions, which in turn become habits. Habits form our character, which ultimately determines our destiny. What remains truly profound, and even crucial in our quick-paced world, are the ways in which Yoga teaches us to use that information. The rich tradition of Yoga provides specific tools to observe, utilize, and eventually free ourselves from the conditioning that veils our true nature.

Join Swami Ramananda for some fun, offer gratitude for all the contributions to the Yogic Wisdom Campaign and celebrate Swami’s 71st birthday; Swami Ramananda’s Birthday Raffle & Brunch Potluck, Sat. AUG 3, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm PDT, online & in-person. Raffle tix are on sale now and the raffle draw will be at the celebration.

Prizes include*:

3-day personal retreat stay at IYISF
Sailing in the Bay for 2 with Swami Ramananda
Unlimited class passes
Gift basket full of “Yoga Goodies”

*Alternative prizes are available for participating Sangha from out of town.

Swami Ramananda C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, is the Executive Director of the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco and a greatly respected senior teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition, who has been practicing Yoga for over 45 years. Ramananda offers practical methods of integrating the timeless teachings and practices of Yoga into daily life, and transforming the painful aspects of human experience into steps toward realizing one’s full potential.

He leads all levels of Yoga teacher trainings and programs around the globe. Ramananda co-developed the Stress Management Teacher Training program and has trained many teachers to bring Yoga into corporate, hospital and medical settings. He a founding board member of Yoga Alliance and is a co-founder of The Spiritual Action Initiative which brings together individuals committed to working for social justice for all beings and for the care and healing of our natural world. His warmth, wisdom and sense of humor have endeared him to many.

prajna2024-07-15T15:15:04-07:00July 15th, 2024|Tags: Swami Ramananda|

Unveiling Your Inner Wisdom – Overcoming Mental Obstacles

by Kalyani Cohen Barr

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, our roadmap to managing and mastering the mind, teach that: Yogas citta vritti nirodha, or, Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind stuff. In order to better understand this and arrive in this state, I have found that I need to work with what obstructs Nirodha (stilling the activities of the mind). Enter the obstacles and afflictions. The yoga sutras contain several passages that discuss what gets in the way, or prevents us from experiencing a still mind and a peaceful, joyful life in every moment.

In the first pada (section) we learn about the types of thought and the obstacles. Two of the most obvious obstacles are disease and dullness. Disease, as in dis-ease, because it takes us out of ease and away from yoga practices, and dullness because it clouds the natural clarity of mind. These two obstacles distract us and cover up or block the view to our true nature. To me they are more in the gross form or manifestation – we are drawn out by the senses and the effect is more of a physical cascading of symptoms, so to speak. Taken by these obstacles, we are often left in a lethargic, heavy, unmotivated state.

The second pada teaches us more about the inner world and takes it deeper into the mind and practices of attention. Patanjali teaches us about the five afflictions which begin with ignorance and egoism. The truth about ignorance, in this context, is that it indicates a disconnection. It is the lack of awareness of the Self and our true nature of peace, and leads us to believe we are simply this one body and mind. The last three afflictions seem to be more of our mind’s attempt at manipulating what is in front of us in order to conjure happiness. They are: Attachment – to what [the ego mind believes] brings happiness, aversion or avoidance to what we feel brings discomfort or pain, and attachment to the life of the body (which typically elicits fear). We learn to understand very specific ways that one (the mind) concocts a world, spins a tale if you will. This tale may feel like a safety net for happiness but really it is just smoke and mirrors (attempting to get the things we want, avoid the things we don’t want, and cling to the life of the body/mind).

What we can learn here is that there is no way to “make” happiness and that is OK – more than ok. This understanding gives us freedom to just be – to be available and present to what is meant for us to experience, available to feel the connection between all things, the web of life.

The obstacles just seem to arise, like tests, as we attempt to live a life based on a spiritual foundation. So, how do we connect to our spiritual source and remedy the illusion that we are only this body, this mind? I found it became easier to employ the tools once I had some awareness of what was going on inside my mind. Taking time to reflect and look inward we can use the knowledge of the obstacles and afflictions as diagnostic tools. We can implement practices that keep us connected to the Self and remembering our true nature.

Some of these practices will be on the mat, and some off. One example we can use, all day everyday, both for ourselves and others, are the Four Locks and Keys. “By cultivating attitudes of friendliness towards the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and equanimity toward the non-virtuous, the mind retains its undisturbed calmness.”

In addition to the obstacles and afflictions, the Four Locks and Keys is one of the sutras we will also dive into during my upcoming 3-part series – Scripture Study: Unveiling Your Inner Wisdom – Overcoming Mental Obstacles, Mondays July 15, 22 & 29 from 6-7 pm.

Kalyani Carlee Cohen Barr first found herself at the Integral Yoga Institute (IYI) in 2001 and began teaching Hatha Yoga, Pranayama and meditation in 2005 after receiving her certification with Swami Ramananda at IYI Bacalar, Mexico. The name Kalyani is a spiritual name given to Carlee by Swami Ramananda which signifies a state of auspiciousness, recognizing blessings, and bliss. Kalyani has attended numerous workshops and trainings over the years, including Pranayama, meditation, Mantra, Mudras, Dharma, nutrition, Yoga Therapy for Cancer and Chronic Illness (YCAT), Yoga for the Special Child (IYINY), and Anusara Yoga. She is now certified in Raja Yoga (IYISF), weaving the yoga sutras into her teachings. Kalyani has led classes and small group sessions for musicians of all ages at Interplay Jazz Camp in Vermont, has co-lead a retreat in Northern India, has led “Yoga Day” classes for 150 students, and has appeared on Canadian public television. She co-founded Simply Yoga in South Florida. “Yoga has many facets that contribute to a peaceful, happy, healthy life. Yoga has transformed my life on many levels, and my favorite thing is sharing this gift with others.” Join Kalyani to find your breath and balance, and enjoy the benefits of increased energy, health, and overall well-being.

prajna2024-07-05T13:16:04-07:00July 5th, 2024|

Teaching of the Month: Everything is Impermanent

by Swami Satchidananda

“In the process of letting go you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.” – Deepak Chopra

Now why does anybody want to become a seeker. They can just enjoy life, whatever comes. They find name, fame, wealth, position and they can just enjoy these things. So, what is it that makes them become seekers? I will make a little pun: when they become a sicker. This means that when they realize they are sick and tired of everything, then they begin to seek. So, first, you become sick, and then you seek.

The world is very helpful in that respect; it makes you sick and tired, and the sooner the better. Then, you begin to seek. The Mother Nature is created for that very purpose. She is there to help you and to goad you toward the truth from the falsified, superficial, and shallow life. Know the nature and its nature first. Then, you will understand that there is nothing deep or permanent in it. Everything is impermanent. Power is impermanent. Position is impermanent. Name and fame are impermanent. Beauty is impermanent. Money is impermanent.

That is the lesson that Mother Nature is trying to tell us. It’s all right to use these things, enjoy material success, but do not depend on it for your permanent happiness. Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras says, “For a person who has the discriminative faculty, who can discriminate which is permanent and which is impermanent, for such a person, everything is painful.” It’s just what the Buddha says in the first Noble Truth. There is pain, suffering, and difficulty in this life. Nothing is really going to make you happy in this world. You get or achieve something and you become excited. You lose it and you become depressed. So, the world keeps on changing. That is what is meant by the impermanent nature of life.

At some point, you will become sick and tired of the whole show—of the continual dualities of loss and gain, pleasure and pain, and so on. Even people with a lot of money or a lot of fame—Hollywood people—want to drop out. Why? When we become sick of the ups and downs we start to ask ourselves, Where is the permanent happiness? How can I be permanently happy? All these things are going to make me miserable. Is there any other way? Then you begin to seek. You begin to look in the right place. It is at that point that you begin to question the value of the worldly things and the value of the real things.

Sri Swami Satchidananda (lovingly called “Sri Gurudev” by his students) was one of the first Yoga masters to bring the classical Yoga tradition to the West. Invited to America in 1966 by iconic pop artist Peter Max, the distinctive teachings he brought with him blend the physical discipline of Yoga and the spiritual philosophy of India, as well the interfaith ideals he pioneered. Surrounded by students eager to learn from him, the Integral Yoga Institute of New York opened in1966 and grew into the global Integral Yoga® organization. In 1969, he opened the Woodstock festival and became known to an entire generation as the “Woodstock Guru.” He made 8 world tours, 20 European tours, and logged nearly two million miles of travel around the globe sharing the Yoga teachings.

Further explore impermanence with Leslie Howard at our upcoming Death Cafe, Sunday, July 14 from 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm PDT • In-person • $1-$15 or enroll for free, use promo code FREE.

At a Death Cafe people, often strangers, gather to eat cookies, drink tea and discuss death. The objective is ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives’.

prajna2024-07-01T16:31:47-07:00July 1st, 2024|

Aparigraha: A Practice of Non-Attachment to Possessions

by Jen “JP” Andrews

Aparigraha,which is often translated as non-greed, is one of the ethical principles given

in the Yoga Sutras as the foundation of all Yoga practice. Practicing these principles

begins in the most basic ways. Hence, non-greed is practiced first of all by refraining

from the unnecessary accumulation of possessions, and by refusing to accept bribes or

any gift that would oblige us to compromise our values.

It is not difficult to see that greed is rooted in a sense of incompleteness and lack, a

search for security, and ultimately a failure to experience the sources of fullness and

peace within. Our world is full of examples of powerful multinational corporations

monopolizing natural resources to produce more and more profit, enlarging the gap

between the rich and the poor. We can also observe how the capitalistic economy we

dwell in and the whole industry we call marketing is designed to convince us to feel lack

and consume.

Of course there is nothing wrong with having and enjoying things. But when we depend

on acquisitions as the source of our happiness, we end up in a relentless effort to

acquire that goes beyond our actual needs. On the other hand, when we experience

the joy of giving and serving others out of love, we discover a source of contentment

independent of anything outside of us.

The various ways we practice Yoga, such as selfless service, Hatha Yoga or meditation,

offer us opportunities to touch this wellspring of inner peace. Even a taste of inner

fulfillment or calm lays a foundation for moderating what we seek and feel we need.

We can practice Aparigraha in many ways. We can sort out unneeded clothing,

furniture and miscellaneous possessions and offer them to stores that will make it

available to others. We can regift things that we don’t need as acts of kindness or

expressions of love. With practice, refraining from greed can evolve into positive

actions like generosity.

Generosity arises naturally from the sense of deep connection that we experience when

we practice Yoga and free ourselves from the limiting thoughts that divide us. It can

take many forms: a warm smile, taking time to appreciate someone or a silent prayer

offered with sincerity to uplift a friend. Simply listening to someone with full attention

can be a powerful way to offer support and care.

Sharing the gifts and blessings we have received with others is a natural impulse when

we acknowledge our abundance and escape the self-centered messages of our culture.

Sharing generously opens our hearts to the love and compassion that is our true nature

and is ultimately more fulfilling than keeping things for ourselves.

Join JP for Satsang: Aparigraha and the Art of Decluttering Sat. July 6 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm PDT with Swami Ramananda. Online and in-person.

Jen “JP” Andrews graduated summer of 2022 from the Integral Yoga Basic Teacher Training and continued as a student of Raja Yoga teacher training & Meditation teacher training in 2023. She discovered Hatha Yoga about 20 years ago and committed to deepening her spiritual practices after discovering Integral Yoga Institute SF and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. For the last 4 years she has been coaching clients to find their way to inner peace and joy by organizing and decluttering their space. This process allows her to apply yogic principles in her client sessions as a way to support and help clients reconnect to their True North.

prajna2024-06-20T16:32:35-07:00June 20th, 2024|

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