On Thanksgiving Day, we thank the Lord for providing us with all our needs. We should be thankful always; but, if we forget, then at least this one day should be kept aside especially for that. All of the nicest things that we have come from God. God has provided us with everything. Even our bodies, our intelligence. The earth on which we live. The plants, the seeds, the food, the fruit. God has given us everything.

Nature and God are one and the same. Nature is another name for God. So, sometimes if you don’t feel comfortable with the name ”God,” you can say, “Nature provided everything.” We should be thankful to the nature; is it not so? We should be thankful to the Mother Nature, Mother Earth, Mother Sky, Mother Rain, Mother Wind.

Thanksgiving Day is a special day to remember to be thankful always for all the things we have. Not just to God, but to everyone. We always give and take, give and take, give and take; therefore we should be thankful to each other, and to each and everything in Nature—and, ultimately, to that one great power, the one great intelligence that we call God. It’s not possible for us to return in kind all that we get from Nature. How can we fulfill our obligation? It’s impossible. The only way is to remember and to be grateful.

Not only should we be thankful to everything, but everything should be thankful to us also. We should see that all the things are thankful to us by behaving properly, treating them well. We should see that we don’t hurt anyone, we don’t harm anyone, or anything. Let all those beings be thankful to us also. Everything. Even your book, for example. If you throw the book aside, the book won’t thank you. If you take good care of the book, read it gently, and close it gently, see that the covers are well kept, then the book also will be thanking you. So, let us keep this idea in our lives and see that we always give thanks to others.

by Swami Satchidananda, from the November, 2008, IYTA Newsletter

Please join us at Integral Yoga San Francisco for Thanksgiving programs on November 23rd. We look forward to seeing you!

Sri Swami Satchidananda (lovingly called “Sri Gurudev” by his students) founded the Integral Yoga Institute in 1966.

by Kamala Itzel Hayward

In life, many of us find ourselves navigating the world based on societal constructs and internalized beliefs. We may view ourselves as limited beings bound within the temporal and spatial confines of the body and mind. The passing of time may drive us, making us feel perpetually bound to the past or anxiously anticipating the future, making it difficult for us to live in the present. There may be a persistent sense of lack—a feeling that we’re inherently flawed or missing something essential—which can lead us to question our existence, causing confusion and a feeling of detachment. All this can contribute to a pervasive feeling of “otherness” that dominates our lives, leading us to believe that we’re isolated entities, separate from the world and others. This sense of who we are stands in stark contrast to what Yoga teaches us: that our true, unconditioned nature is one of interconnectedness and wholeness.

The first time I stepped into an Integral Yoga class as an adult, I was acutely aware of how others perceived and treated me differently based on my various social identities: Black, cis-woman, able-bodied, and so on. But within the four corners of my mat, as I moved through each of the elements of that Integral Yoga class, I experienced a profound awakening to my unconditioned beingness—spacious, timeless, perfect, clear, connected, complete, and inherently whole, transcending the confines of societal labels and perceived limitations.

I came into direct contact with one of the foundational paradoxes of Yoga: we are human beings, in human bodies, having human experiences—which includes layers of societal constructs, personal narratives, and perceived limitations. And, at the same time, we are, at our essence, spacious, timeless, and inherently whole. And just as a single drop of water can create ripples across a large expanse of water, this moment of unity profoundly changed me and the course of my life.

As the primary gateways to this practice for many, Yoga spaces provide a rare opportunity for each one of us to experience that gift.

My experience of many Yoga spaces, however, has been quite different.

While many Yoga spaces speak of unity in their teachings, they don’t seem to fully grasp the lived humanness of their students. One example of this is when Yoga spaces operate in such a way as to attract a homogeneous demographic of students and teachers, inadvertently excluding those who don’t fit a specific mold, which all too often is that of a white, young, thin, flexible, able-bodied, cisgender woman who uses brand-name fitness gear. This not only contradicts Yoga’s fundamental teachings of unity and interconnectedness but also undermines the potential for Yoga spaces to be a sanctuary of true inclusivity and oneness.

When Yoga spaces don’t operate in a way that is inviting to a wide range of humanity—when they ignore the realities of the world and the varied ways different human beings experience it—such spaces are communicating, either overtly or subtly, that Yoga isn’t for everyone. That if you don’t fit that very narrow band of demographics, Yoga isn’t for you.

But the truth is that Yoga—the practice of recognizing the infinite, universal spirit that resides within and around each and every one of us—is for everybody.

There are many ways that Yoga spaces can work to shape themselves into a sanctuary in which every individual—regardless of their racial, social, or economic background, or of any other label or identity they may hold—can find belonging, validation, and access to the core tenets of Yoga. One way the Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco has done so is through its creation of a scholarship-based Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) 200-hour Basic Yoga Teacher Training.

This teacher training was first hosted by IYI SF in 2021, made possible by the support of community members and Integral Yoga sangha members who contributed generously in the form of donations, spreading the word, and love and encouragement.

The news of the success of the 2021 training traveled out like ripples through the community, drawing enough additional support to hold a second training in 2022. With your support, these ripples can expand even further, allowing IYI SF to host a third scholarship-based BIPOC Basic Yoga Teacher Training in 2024 and also offer BIPOC scholarships for advanced Yoga teacher trainings as well.

One way you can support the continuation of the scholarship-based BIPOC Teacher Training is by attending the first BIPOC Scholarship Retreat, Ripples For Change. Scheduled for Saturday, October 21, 9:30am-6:00pm, this one-day retreat offers Hatha Yoga, drumming and dance, Yoga Nidra, sound bath, poolside activities, henna, crystal readings, and much more! 100% of the profits will go toward the BIPOC scholarships fund, which makes the BIPOC basic Yoga teacher training—as well as BIPOC participation in other advanced Yoga teacher trainings—accessible to people who wouldn’t otherwise have the financial means to participate.

Even if you’re not available to attend the retreat, you can still donate here to help fund scholarships to help eliminate financial barriers to BIPOC participation in any of Integral Yoga SF’s Yoga teacher trainings.

We embrace the profound unity that Yoga teaches when we understand that our collective liberation is intertwined. As civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer pointed out, “Nobody’s free until everyone is free.” In supporting the BIPOC TT scholarship fund, you affirm that our shared freedom is grounded in our oneness. You help to ensure that even more people have the opportunity to awaken to their boundless essence, breaking free from societal confines and truly experiencing the universality of spirit. Each gesture of support isn’t just making a singular difference—it’s helping to create ripples for change.

Thank you, Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

After practicing law for 13 years, Kamala Itzel Hayward left her successful legal career to pursue social justice work through the lens of mindfulness and wellness. Today, she is a Yoga teacher, Yoga therapist, and Yoga teacher trainer. In addition to sharing Yoga and other transformational practices, Kamala is also a mindful communication trainer, an antiracism educator, and a fierce and compassionate advocate for love. You can learn more about Kamala at attunedliving.com

by Swami Ramananda

The month of September contains two of the most important holy days in the Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah begins a 10  day period of introspection and repentance that culminates in Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement. These holy days remind us that seeking forgiveness and offering forgiveness to those that have offended us, are two of the most important ways to free our hearts from the past and the psychic knots that can restrict our ability to give and receive love. With this in mind, we decided to practice forgiveness for the month of September.

I am going to write here about the process of forgiving others, which can be very difficult, but can also be very healing. If we have been deeply hurt, we may have no interest in forgiving someone or it may seem impossible. But an inability to forgive usually means carrying inside a toxic energy of anger and ill-will that darkens the heart and keeps us connected to the very person from whom we may wish to be free.

Correctly understood, forgiveness is a conscious process of releasing resentful feelings. It frees us from being emotional victims of others, allows our hearts to breathe, and moves us one step closer to experiencing the natural flow of compassion that arises when blockages are removed.

Forgiveness does not mean condoning someone’s behavior, allowing them to be irresponsible or abusive, or letting them back into our lives. It does not mean being nice to the person you forgive–or even talking to them. Because it’s primarily an inner process, we can practice forgiveness and still take appropriate action to correct someone, set boundaries to protect ourselves, or even press charges.

A significant obstacle to forgiveness is the presence of anger, rage, grief or fear that may prevent us from acting skillfully. We may be more comfortable directing our fury toward someone than facing those painful feelings within ourselves. Inflicting suffering on others may feel good or justifiable temporarily, but it won’t heal our wounds or offer real peace to our hearts.

Resolving painful emotions requires that we acknowledge them without shame or self-judgment. Emotions are meant to move through us. In order to feel safe enough to experience them, we may need support, particularly if our own mindfulness is not strong enough to be fully present to our pain without getting lost in it. As we untie these emotional knots, we recover our perspective and clarity, and often see the hard lessons that our suffering has taught us.

This effort to reflect on and release painful feelings lays a foundation for the process of forgiveness. As we learn to face our own impulses and reactions, it becomes easier to understand the actions of others. Forgiveness then becomes a practice of looking beneath the surface of a person’s behavior to acknowledge the deeper spiritual essence that is worthy of our respect.

Looking deeply, we may recognize that many of our interactions with each other are unconsciously based on protecting our self-image, trying to control the ever-changing world around us and win the acceptance of others. We can practice having compassion for the ways that we all suffer from our attempts to arrange for happiness, reminding ourselves of the innate goodness within, like the light beneath a lampshade. We can also acknowledge the ways we may have hurt others when we’ve been preoccupied with our own safety and desires, and in this spirit of compassion, forgive ourselves for these mistakes.

Forgiving ourselves is a significant step toward understanding the actions of others that have hurt us. We can practice looking with eyes of compassion and releasing bitterness from our hearts, seeing both someone’s behavior and their deeper spiritual Self. It may help to envision such a person as a child, full of hopes and dreams and shaped by the various traumas of human life.

Forgiveness might become easier when we understand that those who made us suffer are no doubt suffering themselves. And we may need to practice numerous times breathing into our hearts, letting go of our anger and trusting that their own suffering will bring them the lessons they need to heal and be whole.

As we make this effort to forgive, we move from responding to another person’s ego-identity to acknowledging their true nature. We begin to erode the confines of our own ego and release the armor around our hearts, accepting ourselves and others as we are.  We begin to experience a deeper source of happiness—one that comes from knowing our connection with all of life–and to feel the natural impulse to love and give that engenders a profound peace.

You can join Swami Ramananda & Swami Asokananda for Satsang: Awakening Our Hidden Strengths Sat. SEP 9 @ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm PT.

Or, join Swami Ramananda for A Study of Yoga & Eckart Tolle a 3-part workshop Mondays: SEP 11, 18 and 25th @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm PT , or his new monthly series called Tuesday Tea Time starting on Tue. SEP 12 @ 11:15 am – 11:45 am PT.

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.

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” —Jean-Jacques Rousseau

“Kindness is the only service that will stand the storm of life and not wash out. It will wear well and will be remembered long after the prism of politeness or the complexion of courtesy has faded away.” —Abraham Lincoln.

The Practice of Mettā by Luang Por Sumedho