By donation $0, $5, $10, $15, sliding scale, pay what you can | Please register in advance, a Zoom link and passcode will be provided via confirmation email.
Join us for an evening of sharing words that reflect the voice of our soul. We will read and have discussions, awaken inspiration and peace in the heart. Mystical poetry and sacred songs are powerful expressions of the human experience, the dynamic meeting of the mind with the Grace of the Divine. It crosses the lines of time or even specific religious views.
During this satsang we will focus on the wonderful poetry of the Sufi mystics.
All are welcome to have a poem or two ready to share or simply listen and enjoy. We will end with a 15 minute writing exercise led by Susan. Have a pen and be ready to be amazed by what can happen at the end of this highly inspiring collaboration.
Susan Ford, C-IAYT, RYT-500, began teaching in 2011 and has been an assistant trainer for the Basic Yoga Teacher at IYI since 2012.She specializes in gentle yoga and yoga therapy working with people with disabilities, cancer, heart disease, arthritis, aging, bone health, anxiety, depression and asthma. Her focus is to help students to meet their bodies where they are by introducing and incorporating Therapeutic Yoga, Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga, pranayama and meditation.
Susan has been a writer of poetry, short stories and plays most of her adult life and has been repeatedly featured in the storytelling events in Northern California. She has led writer groups, tutored many in writing, and regularly hosts poetry reading Satsangs at the IYI.
Diana Meltsner, C-IAYT and e-RYT500, has been teaching yoga in the Bay Area since 2001. The classes she teaches include chair/gentle, various levels of Hatha yoga, prenatal, guided mindfulness meditations and yoga and meditation workshops. Diana has been a lead teacher trainer for 200-hour Integral Yoga Teacher Trainings since 2012. She is C-IAYT certified yoga therapist and offers individual therapeutic sessions with focus on physical and mental wellness. Her offerings help people to find a deeper sense of well-being and ability to move through life with increased ease, intuition, and stress resilience. www.dianameltsner.com
Swami Ramananda 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 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.