by Swami Ramandanda

The residents of the Institute chose Appreciation as a spiritual practice for the month of April.  We didn’t want to define it narrowly so that it can be understood and practiced in multiple ways.

We did discuss how appreciation begins with awareness of the numerous things we have to be grateful for.  In a world where many people struggle for food and shelter, we take these basics for granted and become preoccupied with comforts and possessions others may never experience.

Most of us have basically healthy bodies, and both the time for spiritual practice and access to a tremendous wealth of spiritual teachings.  Appreciation implies at minimum that we acknowledge this abundance, which may free us from the scarcity mentality that we often see in our culture.

A more active form of appreciation is making the effort to convey it, especially when we recognize that we have benefited from someone’s efforts.  Expressing our gratitude naturally flows out of the fullness we feel, is healing for our hearts and uplifting for those we appreciate.

Sometimes we may not be able offer thanks directly, like when we receive anonymously or benefit from the synchronicity of events.  But we can still give back by allowing the abundance we feel take shape as service to someone in need.

Imagine what it would feel like to take nothing for granted–to really experience how much more than enough most of us have.  Let us each see how that reflection can shift our perspective and influence our lives.

“The store was closed, so I went home and hugged what I own,” says Brooks Palmer.

Join Swami Ramananda for his upcoming 2-part workshop, Prana Yoga, Thursdays, April 11 & 18 @ 6:30 – 8:00 pm PDT, Online & in-person.  He will also be hosting Sunday Spiritual Talk: Inspiration for the Spiritual Journey with Swami Asokananda on Sunday, April 21 @ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm PDT.

Swami Ramananda, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, is the Executive Director of the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco, C-IAYT, 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 beginner, intermediate and advanced level Yoga teacher training programs in San Francisco, and offers a variety of programs in many locations in the U.S., Europe and South America. Ramananda co-developed the Stress Management Teacher Training program with Swami Vidyananda, has trained many teachers to bring Yoga into corporate, hospital and medical settings, and has taught mind/body wellness programs in many locations. He is a certified Yoga therapist and founding board member of the Yoga Alliance, a national registry that supports and promotes yoga teachers as professionals. He is a co-founder of the Spiritual Action Initiative (SAI) 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.

by Prajna Lorin Piper

The reason for my teaching is not for merit or good deeds or good karma, or concentration, or rapture, or even insight. None of these is the reason that I teach, but the sure heart’s release. This and this alone is the reason for the teaching of a Buddha.

This is a direct quote from the Buddha; it’s a clear description of why a Buddha would bother to teach and it’s a succinct description of what he’s teaching – of liberation, realization, the point of our practice.

But it’s also linguistically strange to our ear, something translated from an ancient text that maybe carries the rhythms and intention of the original sentence but doesn’t quite convey its meaning.

So what does it mean? What is the sure hearts release?

I think that it’s actually literal. When the heart is sure, when there is no doubt in it, only then is it capable of letting go of the illusions that cause suffering in life, of being released from the bondage of suffering. The point of practice is to bring the heart to an unshakable surety, to stabilize it and root out any conflict, anything unwholesome that could confuse it, keep it grasping or rejecting, agitated or numbed or in doubt. This sureness and this alone, the Buddha tells us, is the reason for his teaching.

Most of us understand, at least conceptually, that enlightenment is not an intellectual process, not something we’re going to buy with our powers of concentration or mental capacities. It’s not about achievements – worldly success or even about how many of the sublime spiritual states we can experience.

The Buddha tells us plainly, in his first noble truth, his first teaching, that this practice won’t keep our toe from hurting when we stub it, or spare us the suffering of sickness, old age or death. Those things are with us, are part of our human lives. His concern is with the suffering of our hearts and his teaching is for the healing of our hearts. In the language of the Buddha’s time, the heart mind was one word, citta, a unit, not two separate things, so we can say his teaching is for the healing, the release of the heart mind.

Now, we live in a world where people sell teachings, profit from them, make them into a commodity and vie for attention. We live in a world where people can change continents to study different traditions. We’re offered so many options. Some of us are open to everything and some of us are hold outs, wanting a path that is perfect, infallible. As Ajahn Amaro once said, some of us want to kick the tires when we’re shopping for a spiritual path. We have our different responses, are attracted to various things. We each have our own temperaments, our own personal strengths and weaknesses.

Some of us think we won’t follow a path, we’ll weave together one of our own, or we think we’ve found the right path, maybe the only one. We can get discouraged along the way and think maybe we should find another path. We can think all sorts of things about spiritual practice, but if it’s not connected to the heart, in the beginning, in the middle and in the end, what are we doing it for?

This is the real, practical question we can ask ourselves. What do we want to do with our spiritual practice? I think it’s important to remember the words of a Buddha, 2,500 years ago, who was teaching for the sake of the sure hearts release.

Prajna lives and practices at Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco.

By Rachel Jennine Goudey, Psy.D., C-IAYT and Shalom Mayberg, MIM

Just because we can, doesn’t mean we have to, or that we should. I recognize this ingrained “need” within myself to always do more, go hard, say “yes.” I notice it when I feel overwhelmed by an upcoming social event or task that I said “yes” to, but my body is telling me “no,” and asking for rest, and I wrestle with what to do. I notice it physically when I take a yoga class and the teacher invites us to go slower, to skip the vinyasa and go straight to downward dog or child’s pose and rest in the stillness longer. Often I continue to practice the vinyasa, though more and more I’m encouraging myself to take the pause, do a little less and thus be able to really settle into my body and BE there. This is what creates space, and in turn, cues us into what our true capacity is.

Capacity can be defined as how much we can hold, as well as how much we can produce. Knowing what our capacity to take in, as well as what our capacity is to put out is, only comes when we allow ourselves the space to pause and listen. By listen, I mean feel, and this happens when our body can let go and relax. Like everything else though, it is a daily practice of pausing and noticing. Getting curious, and being kind. If we are not used to going slow and relaxing, it can actually feel tense and scary. Our body and nervous system need time to adjust to something different. This is where the practices of slower, therapeutic Yoga like restorative and yin can help us as they encourage us to soften and slow down progressively. The postures, held for lengths of time in a supportive environment, with supportive props teach our nervous system that it is not only safe, but healthy for us to slow down. In time this message translates into our daily lives and we begin to make more conscious choices that honor our body, energy, and mind’s true capacities.

In a recent restorative class where I was the student, the teacher guided us into a supportive bridge pose, encouraging us to put the block on the lowest height. I always put the block on the highest height because my body can comfortably do that, and “if I do less, I won’t get enough out of it.” Perhaps what there is to “get out of it” is to learn to be patient and present with one’s self, and give some space for ease. I turned the block to its lowest height. I watched myself physically and mentally struggle a bit to get comfortable. After a bit, with my attention on my breath and giving permission to do less, my body and mind calmed and I settled into ease.

Like restorative yoga, the benefits of therapeutic sound healing are apparent when we slow down and let go of trying so hard. Sound healing has this way of inviting us on a journey through the senses whereby we can release, heal, or acknowledge all sorts of life’s challenges. Emotional, physical, or spiritual ailments are released with each note of musical healing instruments. However, the precursor to this is “letting go” letting go of judgments, or preconceived ideas of how this or that should be or at a minimum, a willingness to let go- aka a willingness to change. For some, during a therapeutic sound bath letting go happens very quickly, and for others, it takes a little bit more time. Each instrumental sound touches each person differently and offers the participant exactly what they need at that moment.

One of the beautiful things about sound healing is that even in a group of 10 or 20 or more, all listening to the same sounds, each person will receive the sound differently and exactly as they need. One might see extravagant colors and multifaceted imagery bringing them to a state of grace and awe, while another might have a more visceral experience, akin to an energetic, chiropractic adjustment of sorts, while another might be remembering and releasing old hurts through whimpers and tears. At its core, however, therapeutic sound healing will bring us back to our center and realign our energetic (chakras and meridians) system to a place of presence offering us clarity and a deeper connection.

The sound vibrations pulse through the physical body while the Yoga postures target specific fascia and muscles, offering each cell, organ, muscle, and bone an acoustic massage from the inside out. Ultimately, this massage-like experience brings the brain and subtle body to a place of stillness. It is from this place of stillness that the inert wisdom can come alive to restructure and realign itself.

Often we don’t realize all the ways we are constantly doing, and overriding our capacity, be it energetically, mentally, emotionally, or physically as it becomes “normal,” and we fall into patterns of running our body and nervous system beyond their capacity. This is when things like burnout, fatigue, overwhelm, and feeling paralyzed to take action come into play. Harnessing the ancient wisdom and power of Therapeutic Yoga and Sound Healing helps to realign the body, mind, and spirit and guide us to make conscious and aligned choices that honor our capacity in life.

You can experience Therapeutic Yoga and Sound Healing on Sunday, March 17 @ 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm PDT with Shalom and Rachel. Space is limited, please sign up in advance.

Shalom Mayberg, MIM
Dedicated to holistic well-being and spiritual exploration, Shalom Mayberg is a yoga instructor, energy healer, and sound healing practitioner. Through the practice of yoga, he guides individuals on a mindful journey through movement, breath, and self-awareness harmonizing the body, mind, and soul. Shalom has also been working in the healing arts for over 13 years and uses modalities such as Reiki, Energy Medicine, and Intuition to facilitate holistic healing. In addition, the medicine of sound is prominent in his practice and is used to create transformative experiences for people of all backgrounds. Shalom recently graduated from the Academy of Intuition Medicine and offers 1:1 work, training in Reiki and sound healing, and group events. To learn more, visit shalom360.com.

Rachel Jennine Goudey, Psy.D., C-IAYT
Rachel Rachel is an IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist, Educator and Doctor of Psychology. Specializing in trauma work and embodied practices for nervous system integration, Rachel helps clients increase their capacity for joy and love in life through somatic movement, breath work, sound healing, self-reflection, and cultivating healthy life choices.
Rachel brings years of mental health experience working with at-risk and underserved populations, integrating Eastern and Western practices to help clients move past symptom relief into true healing. She has brought holistic yoga programs and professional trainings on yoga for mental health into community mental health centers, hospitals and schools. Rachel’s aim is to guide individuals into states of peace and trust in their life’s story through the mind and body, create community, and bring the teachings and practices of yoga into various settings around the world. Rachel’s classes meet each student where they are at while still challenging them to reach new heights of self-realization, acceptance, and strength and flexibility, both on and off of the mat. She will push you to challenge yourself while also guiding you to listen to your body and intuition, teaching from a place of authenticity, passion and playfulness. To learn more about Rachel and her work visit racheljenninewellnessandyoga.co

by K. Muktidevi Demafeliz

K. Muktidevi Demafeliz is a born and raised San Franciscan and has been a yoga practitioner for 16 years. Her yoga practice began with her mentor Tony Garcia who guided her in the study of yoga back in 2012 through the SFO Airport’s Wellness Program. He encouraged her to pursue yoga teacher training, which she did, in the Integral Yoga tradition. She is certified in Basic Hatha I, Intermediate Hatha II, Accessible Yoga (Gentle), and certified in Mindful Resilience Training through the Veterans Yoga Project to teach trauma-informed yoga. She wishes to pursue future trainings such as Meditation Teacher Training in addition to Yoga for First Responders as she is the Well-Being Champion for the San Francisco Police Department. YOGA IS HER PASSION, and she expresses her love and enthusiasm for the practice with those she comes into contact with, on and off the mat. Muktidevi mentors and supports teacher trainees as well as newly certified teachers to help them continue to develop and grow while on their yogic path. She also supports the BIPOC Sangha which was born at the Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco (IYISF) and continues to serve these communities to help create ripples for change to establish a space of healing and empowerment. With that, yoga has impacted and transformed her life in such a positive and healthy way that she truly believes it is the saving grace for all. For 26 years, Muktidevi has been living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and continues to carry out the practices of yoga to help her maneuver through life’s challenges when facing adversity. She is a lifelong learner and strives to become the best version of herself to live her best life, regardless of what life may bring.