Integral Yoga San Francisco

Spiritual Study: Working with Afflictive Emotions on the Yogic Path, Part 2 of 3
2026-04-20 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
3 Mondays online | Offered individually April 13, 20 & 27
free for active teachers
$5-20 sliding scale per session
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Book April 13
Book April 27
Being a yogi, yoga teacher or therapist does not give us a golden ticket out of suffering from afflictive emotions like anger, jealousy, or fear. Working skillfully with, and befriending these emotions, is the work of a lifetime. We will examine one emotion per week and explore what sages and scholars have offered as a way to overcome these detrimental mindstates.
Each session will include the following:

Introduction and Centering Practice
Presentation
Time for Reflection, Comments, Questions
Tools/Strategies/Practices for Daily Life

This study group is for anyone willing to dig into their practice, understand how shame can incapacitate us, and come to a deeper understanding of ourselves as yogis on the path. Together we’ll explore the emotions in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. We’ll also share insights about the emotions from Buddhist and neuroscience perspectives.
The Yoga Spiritual Study series is an offering in which participants learn and discuss how the teachings of Yoga apply to our daily lives. We read passages from scriptures of Yoga and other ancient and contemporary spiritual texts, take time to reflect upon them, and share with each other how these words and practices support us on the spiritual path. All are welcome to join any one or all of the sessions. These sessions will not be recorded.
Online | $5-20 sliding scale

Vimukti Aslan, C-IAYT, YACEP, an IYI-transplant to Philadelphia, is happy to be of service through this study group. An Integral yogi since the mid-90s, she has taught Integral Yoga since 2009 at IYI and since 2011 in Philadelphia jails, universities, studios, and privately. She has taught in many US states as well as Canada, Egypt, Israel, and Colombia. She loves spreading the universal truths of Integral Yoga and helping others find their True Nature.
Jen Meagher, RYT-200, is a certified Integral Yoga Meditation and Hatha I teacher and an Accessible Yoga and Chair Yoga teacher through the Accessible Yoga School. Jen has also studied Trauma-Informed Yoga with Soul Haum Yoga in Philadelphia, Meditation and Neuroscience with Kelly Blaser, and Raja Yoga Philosophy with Integral Yoga in San Francisco. A student of yoga for over 20 years, Jen loves to learn and grow in her own practice and strives to make yoga accessible, joyful, and healing for all.

How Yoga Transformed My Life, Part 1 of 2
2026-04-23 18:00 - 19:30
ONLINE & IN-PERSON with Swami Ramananda, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
2 Thursdays, April 23 & 30
Both sessions: $45 | $40 Early bird, use promo code LIFE, exp. 4/16/26
Individual session $25 each
Book both sessions/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Book both session/In-PersonWe appreciate advance registration.
Individual session(s)
4/23 – Book Online | Book In-person
4/30 – Book Online | Book In-person
In this two-part workshop, Swami Ramananda—drawing on more than fifty years of dedicated yoga practice—will share five pivotal teachings that profoundly changed his life. Central among them is a liberating insight into self-identity: “I don’t have to buy into the whole story that inhabits my mind and feels like me.”
Through guided reflection and clear, down-to-earth explanation, Swami Ramananda will show how these teachings can be applied to everyday challenges such as work, relationships, and stress. For example, together, we will explore how loosening our identification with habitual mental narratives opens the possibility for greater freedom, presence, and discernment.
Participants will leave with simple, practical tools to respond more skillfully to daily events and to cultivate clarity, inner growth, and a deeper sense of well-being—both on and off the mat.
These workshops are available for sign up as a course or individually at $25 – 4/23 & 4/30 and will be recorded and available to all enrolled students for two weeks.

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 co-founded 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.

New Beginnings Writing Group
2026-04-24 16:00 - 17:30
ONLINE with Susan Ford, C-IAYT, RYT-500
$1-15 sliding scale | Meets twice a month on 2nd and 4th Friday | Ongoing
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
In these times of great change we will explore a path toward meeting ourselves where we are to give voice to all that matters! As we live with interruptions and chaos, we can deepen into the roots of our creativity, encouraging the river of expression to flow. Beginners and seasoned writers are welcome, as we explore various forms of writing: poetry, prose, short stories, memoir, among others. Through writing exercises using everyday life, place, family, images, poetry of others, while using pranayama, meditation and the guidance of the Sutras we will build a body of work. Participants are encouraged to go at their own pace.
Tools we will Practice:
• The Art of Paying Attention
• Acceptance
• Play
• Writing from the Heart
Together we will combine self-care with our writing and discover what a writing practice means to us and how it may take shape.

Susan Ford, C-IAYT, RYT-500, began teaching in 2011 and has been an assistant trainer for the Basic Yoga Teacher Training at Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco (IYISF) 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 storytelling events in Northern California. She has led writer groups, tutored many in writing, and regularly hosts poetry reading Satsangs at IYISF.

Move with Ease: Hatha Yoga for Hip Mobility & Lower Body
2026-04-25 11:00 - 13:00
ONLINE with Nathalie Rukmini Ando, E-RYT 500, YACEP
$35 | $30 Early bird, exp. 4/18
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Join us for a 2-hour Hatha Yoga workshop designed to improve hip mobility and flexibility in the hip joints. Through a series of targeted yoga poses and exercises, you’ll learn how to safely and mindfully deepen your range of motion, release tension, and strengthen hip flexors. This practice is especially beneficial for individuals experiencing stiffness, as it can lead to improved posture, spinal stability, and overall well-being. Perfect for yoga practitioners seeking to deepen their practice, particularly in forward bends and seated poses.
In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore muscle activation on many of the Yoga Asanas, covering:
– Major movements of the pelvis and hip joints
– Strengthening postures for those movements
– Balancing and Dynamic poses
– A couple of Yin Yoga poses
All levels are welcome. This workshop will be recorded for later viewing and shared for 2 weeks with all enrolled students.

Nathalie Rukmini Ando, E-RYT 500, YACEP, is a Yoga teacher, trainer, and graphic designer, Brazilian of Japanese descent. She lived in Yogaville, VA, where she served as a Yoga teacher, program development director, leadership team member, online courses administrator, DE&I (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) Committee member, and Anti-Racism Task Force member. She has been practicing Yoga since 2004, teaching since 2010, and has been a Yoga teacher trainer since 2022. She is certified in Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Integral Yoga, Raja Yoga, Adaptive, Stress Management, Yoga of Recovery, Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Basics of Ayurveda, and Neuroscience & Yoga. As a teacher, she’s known for her clear instruction and her classes include fun, level-appropriate challenges. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and is a fine artist specializing in oil-on-canvas, watercolor, and botanical illustrations. You can see her artwork at natiando.art.

Music and Poetry of South Asian Mystics: an exploration of Sufi songs
2026-04-25 19:00 - 20:30
IN-PERSON with Anhad Naad Collective
$25 Day of | $20 In advance, use promo code SUFI
Book now/In-PersonWe appreciate advance registration.
Join us for exploration of traditional devotional music from the motherland of Yoga.
Anhad Naad Collective presents:
Music and Poetry of South Asian Mystics: an exploration of Sufi songs.
We are sharing our own experience with Sufism through singing, music and poetry. Audience is encouraged to sing along with us, we will provide lyrics with English translations.
Historically, in South Asia, Sufism played a huge role in inter-faith syncretism and Sufi shrines (dargahs) have been pivotal to communal harmony.
Divya Purohit Vyas – vocal
Irum Aftab – vocal
Vivek Anand – vocal, harmonium
Rajnish Kamat – vocal
Jun Ishimuro – flute, digital audio workstation (DAW)
Craig Reiter- bass and other string instruments
Abhay Shankar Anand – tabla, percussions, sound engineering

Spiritual Study: Working with Afflictive Emotions on the Yogic Path, Part 3 of 3
2026-04-27 17:30 - 18:30
ONLINE With Vimukti Aslan and Jen Meagher.
3-Mondays, April 13, 20 & 27, offered individually.
$5-20 sliding scale per session
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Book April 13
Book April 20
Being a yogi, yoga teacher or therapist does not give us a golden ticket out of suffering from afflictive emotions like anger, jealousy, or fear. Working skillfully with, and befriending these emotions, is the work of a lifetime. We will examine one emotion per week and explore what sages and scholars have offered as a way to overcome these detrimental mindstates.
Each session will include the following:

Introduction and Centering Practic
Presentation
Time for Reflection, Comments, Questions
Tools/Strategies/Practices for Daily Life

This study group is for anyone willing to dig into their practice, understand how shame can incapacitate us, and come to a deeper understanding of ourselves as yogis on the path. Together we’ll explore the emotions in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. We’ll also share insights about the emotions from Buddhist and neuroscience perspectives.
The Yoga Spiritual Study series is an offering in which participants learn and discuss how the teachings of Yoga apply to our daily lives. We read passages from scriptures of Yoga and other ancient and contemporary spiritual texts, take time to reflect upon them, and share with each other how these words and practices support us on the spiritual path. All are welcome to join any one or all of the sessions. These sessions will not be recorded.
Online | $5-20 sliding scale

Vimukti Aslan, C-IAYT, YACEP, an IYI-transplant to Philadelphia, is happy to be of service through this study group. An Integral yogi since the mid-90s, she has taught Integral Yoga since 2009 at IYI and since 2011 in Philadelphia jails, universities, studios, and privately. She has taught in many US states as well as Canada, Egypt, Israel, and Colombia. She loves spreading the universal truths of Integral Yoga and helping others find their True Nature.
Jen Meagher, RYT-200, is a certified Integral Yoga Meditation and Hatha I teacher and an Accessible Yoga and Chair Yoga teacher through the Accessible Yoga School. Jen has also studied Trauma-Informed Yoga with Soul Haum Yoga in Philadelphia, Meditation and Neuroscience with Kelly Blaser, and Raja Yoga Philosophy with Integral Yoga in San Francisco. A student of yoga for over 20 years, Jen loves to learn and grow in her own practice and strives to make yoga accessible, joyful, and healing for all.

How Yoga Transformed My Life, Part 2 of 2
2026-04-30 18:00 - 19:30
ONLINE & IN-PERSON with Swami Ramananda, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
2 Thursdays, April 23 & 30
Both sessions: $45 | $40 Early bird, use promo code LIFE, exp. 4/16/26
Individual session(s): $25 each
Book both sessions/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Book both session/In-PersonWe appreciate advance registration.
Individual session(s)
4/23 – Book Online | Book In-person
4/30 – Book Online | Book In-person
In this two-part workshop, Swami Ramananda—drawing on more than fifty years of dedicated yoga practice—will share five pivotal teachings that profoundly changed his life. Central among them is a liberating insight into self-identity: “I don’t have to buy into the whole story that inhabits my mind and feels like me.”
Through guided reflection and clear, down-to-earth explanation, Swami Ramananda will show how these teachings can be applied to everyday challenges such as work, relationships, and stress. For example, together, we will explore how loosening our identification with habitual mental narratives opens the possibility for greater freedom, presence, and discernment.
Participants will leave with simple, practical tools to respond more skillfully to daily events and to cultivate clarity, inner growth, and a deeper sense of well-being—both on and off the mat.
These workshops are available for sign up as a course or individually at $25 – 4/23 & 4/30
and will be recorded and available to all enrolled students for two weeks.

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 co-founded 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.

Inside Patanjali’s Words: Discover the Hidden Heart of Yoga
2026-05-02 11:00 - 12:00
ONLINE with Rev. Jaganath Carrera
$20 | $15 Early bird, exp. 1/31/26.
Book now/OnlineWe appreciate advance registration.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are a holistic, multi-faceted approach to spirituality. Every aspect of who we are as human beings is embraced and included in a symphony of principles and practices. The goal? A life of peace, happiness, meaning, and practical wisdom.
These vital teachings are presented using sutras – phrases – that can be obscure. But we can illumine the darkest corners of this classic text by taking a closer look at Patanjali’s words.
Words are matchmakers. They introduce us to most knowledge, but they have limitations. The challenge is to find language that keeps the spirit of the teaching but clearly conveys that spirit to today’s yoga students and practitioners.
Expect to be surprised and informed. This workshop will be recorded and available to all enrolled.

Reverend Jaganath Carrera has been teaching all facets of Yoga theory and practice at universities, prisons, Yoga centers, and interfaith programs since 1974. He established the Integral Yoga and Yoga Life Ministries, and co-developed the highly regarded Integral Yoga Meditation and Raja Yoga Teacher Training Certification programs. He is the founder and spiritual head of the Yoga Life Society www.yogalifecenter.org and has authored highly regarded books. • Awaken: Inside Yoga Meditation • Inside the Yoga Sutras: A Comprehensive Sourcebook for the Study and Practice • Inside Patanjali’s Words: Explore the Heart of Yoga.

Satsang: Facing Adversity
2026-05-02 17:30 - 18:30
ONLINE & IN-PERSON with Swami Ramananda, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500 & Muktidevi Kristine Demafeliz, E-RYT 200, RYT 500
$5-$20 | Enroll for free, use promo code FREE.
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Book now/In-PersonWe appreciate advance registration.
At different moments in life, we all encounter experiences that feel overwhelming or traumatic. In those times, we may feel lost, discouraged, or unsure how to move forward—especially when facing disability, chronic illness, anxiety, or grief.
In this Satsang, SF IYI teachers, Muktidevi and Ramananda, will share how the teachings and practices of Yoga have supported them in meeting adversity with courage and care. Together, we will explore the importance of self-compassion, inner steadiness, and discernment, and how these qualities help us make wise choices even in difficult circumstances.
With guidance and shared reflection, we can begin to see that life’s challenges—however painful—can become opportunities to deepen our connection to the unchanging source of strength and peace within.
Everyone is welcome to stay for tea and light snacks afterwards.
Satsang is a special time for us to come together as a community. In Sanskrit, Sat means truth and Sangha means community. Satsang offers an opportunity to come together to share spiritual teachings. The philosophy of Integral Yoga is explored often through an informal discussion. Although our spiritual paths may diverge, the act of sharing spiritual teachings with others is inspiring and creates a solid foundation for continued practice.
People of all faiths are welcome.

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 co-founded 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.
Muktidevi Kristine Demafeliz, E-RYT 200, RYT 500, is a passionate and dedicated yoga practitioner and teacher. Born and raised in San Francisco, Muktidevi has been embracing the practice of yoga for nearly two decades. Her journey into yoga began with the guidance of her mentor, Tony Garcia, through the SFO Airport’s Wellness Program in 2012. Tony encouraged her to pursue yoga teacher training, which she completed in the Integral Yoga® tradition. She holds certifications in Basic Hatha I, Intermediate Hatha II, Accessible Yoga (Gentle), and Mindful Resilience Training through the Veterans Yoga Project, enabling her to teach trauma-informed yoga. Recently, she graduated from Meditation Teacher Training. Her passion for continuous learning drives her to pursue further training, such as Yoga For First Responders, which aligns with her role as the Wellness Program Coordinator for the San Francisco Police Department. Muktidevi mentors and supports teacher trainees and newly certified teachers, helping them grow and develop on their yogic path. Yoga has profoundly impacted and transformed her life, and she genuinely believes it is a saving grace for all. Despite living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 28 years, Muktidevi continues to utilize the mindfulness practices to navigate through life’s challenges and adversities.

New Beginnings Writing Group
2026-05-08 16:00 - 17:30, 2026-05-22 16:00 - 17:30
ONLINE with Susan Ford, C-IAYT, RYT-500
$1-15 sliding scale
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Meets twice a month on 2nd and 4th Friday | Ongoing
In these times of great change we will explore a path toward meeting ourselves where we are to give voice to all that matters! As we live with interruptions and chaos, we can deepen into the roots of our creativity, encouraging the river of expression to flow. Beginners and seasoned writers are welcome, as we explore various forms of writing: poetry, prose, short stories, memoir, among others. Through writing exercises using everyday life, place, family, images, poetry of others, while using pranayama, meditation and the guidance of the Sutras we will build a body of work. Participants are encouraged to go at their own pace.
Tools we will Practice:
• The Art of Paying Attention
• Acceptance
• Play
• Writing from the Heart
Together we will combine self-care with our writing and discover what a writing practice means to us and how it may take shape.

Susan Ford, C-IAYT, RYT-500, began teaching in 2011 and has been an assistant trainer for the Basic Yoga Teacher Training at Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco (IYISF) 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 storytelling events in Northern California. She has led writer groups, tutored many in writing, and regularly hosts poetry reading Satsangs at IYISF.

Vivek Anand in a classical vocal concert: The Clay Speaks - Maati Kahey
2026-05-16 19:00 - 20:30
IN-PERSON with Vivek Anand
$25 Day of | $20 In advance
Book now/In-PersonWe appreciate advance registration.
Vivek Anand in a classical vocal concert:
The Clay Speaks – Maati Kahey
Please join us for a South Asian Hindustani Classical Vocal Concert by our neighbor Vivek Anand, joined by Nikhil Pandya on Tabla and Ben Kunin on Sarod, and special guest artist, Kathak dancer Sonia Mann Qureshi.
This trio presented Vivek’s solo concert Union and Transcendence – Jog aur Tyaag at Integral Yoga and the solo concert Now My Boat – Ab Mori Naiyya at Noe Valley Ministry in 2024.
We are delighted to host them, on May 16th, 2026, in sharing a brand new concert, composed just for Integral Yoga Institute, titled The Clay Speaks – Maati Kahey, Songs about clay in its many forms and human life. Vivek will be joined by Kathak dancer Sonia Mann Qureshi in a special song, and they look forward to this exciting collaboration!
Come and experience musical forms such as khayal, thumri and ghazal, and the interaction with dance!

Vivek Anand is a vocalist with a focus on emotional and spiritual meaning. He is also a poet, lyricist and life-long student, practitioner and champion of South Asian Classical/Hindustani Classical vocal traditions. Vivek has studied and sung for several decades with his guru, Rita Sahai (vocalist of the Seni Alāuddin Gharānā and Benāres Gharānā, and accomplished student of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan), and with his ustad, Sukhawat Ali Khan (vocalist of the Shām Chorasi Gharānā, and son of Ustad Salamat Ali Khan). Through this training he has acquired his emotional and spiritual focus, a knowledge of rāgas, composition, lyric writing, elaboration, rhythm, and language. Vivek is a soloist in the ensembles Vasundhara Choir, Cali Qawwali and Anhad Naad. His extensive repertoire includes Hindustani classical, semi-classical, bhajans, Sufi songs, ghazals, and raga-based collaborations with jazz and world musicians. Instagram @vivek.anand.sf
Nikhil Pandya is a well-known virtuoso tabla player and figure within the Hindustani music community of the Bay Area, and has been inspiring audiences for over 25 years. Nikhil has a unique ability to relate and communicate with vocalists and other musicians on stage. Nikhil’s training under Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri has given him a strong foundation in the subject of tabla. He has had the privilege of performing with many senior musicians and vocalists, and has also collaborated with western musicians and other performers of non-classical Indian music, making him an extraordinarily versatile performer. Instagram @nikhilpandya.ca
Ben Kunin is one of today’s most accomplished sarod players in the Bay Area. He learned his instrument and the tradition of North Indian classical music over more than 25 years of study under the legendary Maestro Ali Akbar Khan at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, CA. He also learned tabla from Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. In 2006, he began training with Pandit Chitresh Das and the Chandam School of Kathak Dance as an accompanist on the sarod. Ben performs frequently as a soloist and as well as accompanist. Instagram @benkunin
Sonia Mann Qureshi has studied the Lucknow gharana of kathak from the Tarangini School of Kathak Dance in the Bay Area led under Shrimati Anuradha Nag,a disciple of the legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj of the Lucknow Gharana. In her efforts to encourage the growth of dance and music throughout the Bay Area, Sonia has taught classes, conducted presentations and has performed at various events and festivals throughout California. Instagram @soniamqureshi

Sunday Spiritual Talk: Inward Bound
2026-05-17 11:00 - 12:00
ONLINE with Swami Divyananda Ma, E-RYT 500
$5-$20 | Enroll for free, use promo code FREE.
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
“In the heart of every human being is the command to find true happiness, a call to awaken.” — Gangaji
Call it grace, the Higher Mind, or our “better angels”—there are abundant positive energies around us. But it is up to us to awaken, harness those energies, and take up the inner journey.
Awakening demands that we penetrate, layer by layer, through the landscape of our consciousness and separate truth from fiction. We will reference both the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali for guidance and inspiration.
This program offers a foretaste of the 4-week course in July, which will be offered jointly by Swami Divyananda and Swami Ramanandaji;
Next Steps to Awakening with the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, 4-week course
Satsang is a special time for us to come together as a community. In Sanskrit, Sat means truth and Sangha means community. Satsang offers an opportunity to come together to share spiritual teachings. The philosophy of Integral Yoga is explored often through an informal discussion. Although our spiritual paths may diverge, the act of sharing spiritual teachings with others is inspiring and creates a solid foundation for continued practice.
People of all faiths are welcome.

Swami Divyananda Ma, E-RYT 500, has had a wealth of experience teaching Integral Yoga around the world since 1973. She has taught at corporations, universities, the Commonwealth Cancer Center, and for the Dr. Dean Ornish Reversing Heart Disease programs. She has also served as one of Integral Yoga’s Basic Hatha teacher trainers. Swami Divyananda Ma took monastic vows in 1975 from the great saint and yogi, Sri Swami Satchidananda. Over the years she has served as the director of the Integral Yoga Institutes in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and as Ashram Manager at Yogaville. She also served for ten years as the director of the Integral Yoga Institute in Coimbatore, India; this immersion into the South Indian culture has given depth to her understanding and practice of Yoga. Now an itinerant monk, Swami Divyananda is constantly “on the road.” She leads the annual Sacred India Tours to sacred sites in India in addition to international Yoga retreats and trainings. Learn more at sacredindiatours.org.

Yoga Therapy for Posture and Core Health
2026-05-24 10:30 - 12:30
ONLINE & IN-PERSON with Diana Meltsner, C-IAYT, ERYT-500, YACEP
$40 | $35 Early bird, exp. 5/17/26.
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Book now/In-PersonWe appreciate advance registration.
Join Diana Meltsner, a certified yoga therapist, for an educational workshop exploring the relationship between posture, core function, and musculoskeletal health. We will examine how core stability supports balance, lumbar spine health, ribcage alignment, the reduction of shoulder and neck discomfort and more. The workshop will include lecture, guided practice, and discussion, with content adapted to participants’ interests and needs.
We will look at the anatomy just briefly and then in movement we will recognize and feel the different parts of our body being in or out of alignment in our posture, the inner core activation and core’s engagement works together with the rest of the body. This regained awareness can be applied to gentle yoga asana, advanced asana practice as well as body movement off the mat.
Topics will include:

the relationship between alignment, strength, flexibility, and patterns of tightness or weakness
postural organization with and without effective inner core engagement
compensatory movement patterns contributing to chronic pain and injury
progressive and gentle methods to retrain the body, to activate and strengthen the core
how much to practice to restore and maintain functional strength

We will practice a series of awareness-building and gentle strengthening exercises for the core and address common challenges. Practices will be done in a chair, standing, and on the floor. All levels are welcome.
This workshop will be recorded and available to all enrolled students for two weeks.

Diana Meltsner, C-IAYT, ERYT-500, YACEP, has been teaching a variety of classes and workshops since 2001 and since 2017 offers yoga therapy sessions privately and at Integral Yoga Therapy Clinic in San Francisco. She has over 15 years of experience in leading and co-teaching Yoga and Meditation teacher trainings. She has been working in the clinical setting for Kaiser Permanente since 2005 as a yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and health educator. Diana’s focus is on the healing aspects of Yoga on the mind as well as the body by applying the physical postures, practices of breath-control, mindfulness and meditation. Diana helps her clients to find the ability to move through life with increased ease, stress resilience, and intuition. Diana Meltsner works as a programs manager at Integral Yoga Institute, an urban ashram in San Francisco. dianameltsner.com

Kirtan with Ekachakra Prana and The Bhakti Band
2026-05-30 19:00 - 20:30
IN-PERSON with Ekachakra Prana & The Bhakti Band
$20 Day of | $15 In advance
Book now/In-PersonWe appreciate advance registration.
Come immerse yourself in the transcendental vibrations of the maha-mantra! Drawing from the rich tradition of Gaudiya Vaisnavism (The Hare Krishnas!), a rockstar-turned-monk will take you on a spiritual journey through song. From meditative to ecstatic, both emotional and highly musical, your heart, voice and ears are in for a treat. According to the Vedic wisdom literatures, singing holy names of God together is the topmost process of self-realization in this age. So let’s get down to it!

Ekachakra Prana was a touring musician and yoga teacher searching for God when he met Indradyumna Swami, who invited him to travel the world in his Kirtan band. Over the next several years he wrote books about his experiences living in bhakti yoga ashrams and traveling to Kirtan festivals around the world. He recently settled in Silicon Valley at the request of his spiritual teacher, Vaisesika Dasa.

Extraordinary Yoga Teachers Summit
2026-06-06 11:00 - 17:00
You are invited to the FREE Extraordinary Yoga Teachers Summit: 9 days of potent Wisdom for yoga teachers and students with individual presentations by Integral Yoga’s Swami Ramananda (Saturday, June 13th) and Swami Asokananda (Tuesday, June 9th) presented by Great Energy.
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
30 Wisdom keepers from many traditions of yoga, together for the first time, including Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Todd Norian, Mark Whitwell, Larry Payne, Daniela Hess, Jillian Pransky, Lauren Walker and more…A Free online summit that will greatly contribute to your passion and devotion to your yoga practice. Each speaker is offering a Free Gift for you!
3,000 joined us in January – will you be part of the June event?
REGISTER FOR FREE NOW.
Some of what you’ll learn in 9 days:

Leslie Howard – Beyond Kegels: What Every Yoga Teacher Needs to Know About the Pelvic Floor
Helen Lavretsky – Your Brain on Yoga: What 20 Years of Clinical Research Actually Shows
Stephanie Lopez -Your Students Feel Whether You Teach From Presence or From a Script
Heather Mason – Your 200-Hour Training Was the Beginning. Yoga Therapy Is the Career
Amy Weintraub – You Don’t Write Yoga for Depression Without Having Lived It First
Scott Blossom – Beyond Hormones: What Every Yoga Teacher Should Know About Menopause, Ayurveda, and the Aging Brain
Plus 24 more sessions, June 6 to 14, 2026

Hosted by Daniela & Christopher
from GreatEnergy.org
Yoga Teachers are not only instructors – they are Leaders and multipliers of human Awakening.
Become the Luminous, steady, extraordinary Presence your students can feel the moment they walk in.
This gathering exists for one purpose: To ignite the Clarity, Self-Mastery, and embodied Wisdom that make a Yoga Teacher truly extraordinary… so you can change lives, one breath at a time.
​
​The Extraordinary Yoga Teacher Summit is where You rise into YOUR role.
​
​
REGISTER FOR FREE NOW
Meet Your Summit Presenters
An Extraordinary Gathering of Teachers, Lineages and Lived Wi

Satsang: The Living Path of Yoga
2026-06-06 17:00 - 18:00
ONLINE with Kalyani Cohen Barr
$5-$20 | Enroll for free, use promo code FREE.
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
What does it mean to practice yoga not only in stillness, but in the sacred unfolding of daily life? In this conversation, we will explore yoga as a living path — one that meets us in the midst of struggle, change, tenderness, and truth. Drawing from the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita and The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, we’ll reflect on how to listen deeply for what is needed in each moment, and how to respond with presence and acceptance.
We will consider the quiet teachings of acceptance, openness, mind/body connection, and beginner’s mind — the humility of meeting each day, each breath, and each body anew. Though we may feel familiar with ourselves, we are always changing. Each time we step onto the mat, for example, we arrive as someone slightly different, with a different body, a different heart, a different
Together, we will honor the power of meditation, the energy of mantra, the release in pranayama, and the grace of allowing practice to meet life as it is. This is an invitation to soften into not knowing, to trust inner guidance, and to discover how yoga can steady us, reveal us, and carry us back to presence. I look forward to sharing my own journey with you.
Satsang is a special time for us to come together as a community. In Sanskrit, Sat means truth and Sangha means community. Satsang offers an opportunity to come together to share spiritual teachings. The philosophy of Integral Yoga is explored often through an informal discussion. Although our spiritual paths may diverge, the act of sharing spiritual teachings with others is inspiring and creates a solid foundation for continued practice.
People of all faiths are welcome.

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 which she brings into her classes. Kalyani has attended numerous workshops and trainings over the years, including Pranayama with Margabandhu Marturano and Richard Miller of iRest, Meditation, Mantra, Mudras, Dharma, Yoga Therapy in Cancer and Chronic Illness (YCAT), Yoga for the Special Child (IYINY), The Bhagavad Gita with Rev. Jaganath Carrera (for certification), and Anusara Yoga. She is now certified in Raja Yoga (IYISF-2022), 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. Kalyani now holds the position of Teacher Coordinator at IYISF. “Yoga is a sacred path to inner peace, radiant health, and deep joy. It has touched and transformed me on every level and my greatest joy is sharing this gift with others.” Join Kalyani to reconnect with your breath, find your balance, and experience greater energy, vitality, and well-being.

From Gut Instinct to Gut Health: Yoga Therapy Meets Medical Science
2026-06-07 09:00 - 11:00
ONLINE with Alessandra Uma Cocchi, C-IAYT
$15-35 sliding scale | Free for Active IYISF teachers
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
This online workshop bridges traditional yogic wisdom with contemporary medical research, offering an accessible yet evidence-based exploration of yoga therapy for intestinal health.
It is grounded in the scientific review “The Impact of Yoga Therapy in Intestinal Disorders”, co-authored by Alessandra Uma Cocchi in collaboration with Prof. Antonio Di Sabatino and Dr. Giovanni Santacroce from the University of Pavia, Italy.
The session includes a summary of current scientific findings, a presentation of the Integral Yoga protocol used in one of the reviewed studies, a short guided practice, and time for questions and discussions.

Alessandra Uma Cocchi, C-IAYT is a Yoga teacher, trainer, and Yoga Therapy practitioner rooted in the Integral Yoga tradition. She co-authored the scientific review “The Impact of Yoga Therapy in Intestinal Disorders”, integrating research with lived experience. She lives in Italy, and is dedicated to making yoga accessible, meaningful, and therapeutically informed.

New Beginnings Writing Group
2026-06-12 16:00 - 17:30
ONLINE with Susan Ford, C-IAYT, RYT-500
$1-15 sliding scale
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Meets twice a month on 2nd and 4th Friday | Ongoing • next session is Friday 6/23
In these times of great change we will explore a path toward meeting ourselves where we are to give voice to all that matters! As we live with interruptions and chaos, we can deepen into the roots of our creativity, encouraging the river of expression to flow. Beginners and seasoned writers are welcome, as we explore various forms of writing: poetry, prose, short stories, memoir, among others. Through writing exercises using everyday life, place, family, images, poetry of others, while using pranayama, meditation and the guidance of the Sutras we will build a body of work. Participants are encouraged to go at their own pace.
Tools we will Practice:

The Art of Paying Attention
Acceptance
Play
Writing from the Heart

Together we will combine self-care with our writing and discover what a writing practice means to us and how it may take shape.

Susan Ford, C-IAYT, RYT-500, began teaching in 2011 and has been an assistant trainer for the Basic Yoga Teacher Training at Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco (IYISF) 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 storytelling events in Northern California. She has led writer groups, tutored many in writing, and regularly hosts poetry reading Satsangs at IYISF.

Kirtan with Joanna Manqueros, John Kadyk and Ramana Erickson
2026-06-13 19:00 - 20:30
IN-PERSON with Joanna Manqueros, John Kadyk & Ramana Erickson
$25 Day of | $20 In advance, use promo code NADA
Book now/In-PersonWe appreciate advance registration.
Joanna Manqueros on vocals and harmonium. Joanna facilitates kirtan as a medicinal experience, invoking uplifting concepts, reaching to a higher power and the beauty of being surrounded by voices. Joanna also hosts Music of the World on KPFA. John Kadyk brings bass clarinet; plays with a sublime addition to the trio. Ramana Erickson learned tabla playing in ashrams as a teen. He brings extensive experience, and has played for Krishna Das, and Nina Rao. Bring your voice and join in the fun.

Joanna Manqueros plays harmonium and sings with the kirtan ensemble Rasa Lila. Joanna hosts Music of the World on KPFA. She has studied with Rita Sahai, Jai Uttal and currently with Sukhawat Ali Khan. Joanna teaches Yoga for Trauma recovery and feels Kirtan is a powerful way to heal, connecting the voice with others.

Embodied Wisdom: A Hatha Yoga Practice to Awaken, part 1 of 2
2026-06-16 18:00 - 19:30
Online & in-person with Swami Ramananda
2 Tuesdays, 6/16 & 6/23 6-7:30 pm PT, sessions offered individually
⋅ $45 Both session, in-person or online | $40 Early bird, exp. 6/9
⋅ $25 Individually, in-person or online
Book now/Online
Book now/Online both sessions 6/16 & 6/23 Please register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Book now/In-Person
Book now/In-person both sessions 6/16 & 6/23 Please register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Yoga was originally intended as a path to still the mind and experience the spiritual consciousness that is our true nature. In the Hatha Yoga tradition, the body and breath are skillful means for cultivating this inner steadiness. Through asana, pranayama, and mindful awareness, we gradually harmonize the nervous system, balance the flow of prana, and prepare the mind for deeper states of meditation.
When we lose sight of this deeper purpose, our practice can easily become shaped by unconscious beliefs and cultural conditioning that may contribute to tension, striving, or self-judgment.
In this workshop, we will explore ways of practicing Hatha Yoga with greater awareness and sensitivity. Through accessible asana, gentle breath practices, and guided attention, we will learn to move with steadiness and ease, gradually freeing ourselves from habitual patterns held in the body and mind. As we practice, we will cultivate a calm, non-reactive mind and an open, receptive heart.
Together we will explore how a mindful Hatha Yoga practice can deepen our sense of connection—with our own embodied experience, with one another, with nature, and with the deeper intelligence that underlies life.
Over time, a practice grounded in this understanding can gently transform even the subconscious mind, allowing us to move beyond old fears and beliefs and approach life with greater balance, belonging, inner contentment, and wonder.
Both session will be recorded and available to all enrolled students for two weeks.

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 co-founded 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.

Begin Where You Are: Intentions for Yoga Practice
2026-06-21 08:00 - 09:00
Online with Raama Das
FREE
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
This workshop invites you to begin exactly where you are—cultivating a grounded, realistic approach that supports consistency over intensity.
It opens the door to a 21-day Hatha Yoga Challenge, which begins the following day, Monday, June 22nd at 7am PT. Over the course of these 21 mornings, we’ll explore postures, breathwork, and simple awareness practices to reconnect with the body, clear the mind, and establish a steady, supportive rhythm.
🌿 Build a practice that moves with your life
🌿 Consistency over intensity
🌿 Start your day rooted, clear, and present
Daily attendance for the course is encouraged but not required. Recordings will be shared with all registered participants.
Come as you are, and begin.

Raama Das, C-IAYT, is a former director of the Integral Yoga® Teachers Association and has been instructing Integral Yoga since 2009. He is a lead trainer for the Integral Yoga 200-hour Teacher Training at Yogaville and co-presenter for the 200 and 500-hour Yoga Alliance programs at Heal Me Institute in Fredericksburg. Raama recently received certification as a Yoga Therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), having studied Yoga programs for specific health conditions, including, anxiety, depression, cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and addiction. He is also certified as a teacher of Intermediate Hatha, Raja Yoga, Meditation, Stress Management, Yin Yoga, and Yoga for our Elders. Raama has studied and served extensively at the Integral Yoga Academy at Yogaville and managed the Integral Yoga Therapy Program. In addition, he has participated in many months of deep Tantric and classical Yoga sadhana (practice) at the Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation School in Sweden under the direction of Swami Janakananda. He currently serves as Institute Manager at the Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco.

Sunday Spiritual Talk: Exposing the Inner Light
2026-06-21 11:00 - 12:00
ONLINE with Swami Ramananda, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
$5-$20 | Enroll for free, use promo code FREE
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Many people may think of Yoga as the practice of asanas, which offers many benefits, but its original and deepest purpose is to awaken the spiritual light within. What may seem like distant ideals—enlightenment or Self-Realization—become practical and attainable when we explore the clear, step-by-step path outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
Join Ramananda on the summer solstice to discover how these timeless teachings and practices reveal that inner light, guiding us toward greater steadiness, clarity, and presence—even in the midst of life’s challenges. This Satsang offers a preview of the 4 week course, Next Steps to Awakening, beginning on July 8. https://online.integralyogasf.org/courses/next-steps-to-awakening-yoga-sutras-bhagavad-gita-4-week-course
Satsang is a special time for us to come together as a community. In Sanskrit, Sat means truth and Sangha means community. Satsang offers an opportunity to come together to share spiritual teachings. The philosophy of Integral Yoga is explored often through an informal discussion. Although our spiritual paths may diverge, the act of sharing spiritual teachings with others is inspiring and creates a solid foundation for continued practice.
People of all faiths are welcome.

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 co-founded 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.

21-Day Hatha Challenge: Establish a Consistent Practice That Works for You
2026-06-22 07:00 - 07:30
ONLINE with Kalyani Cohen Barr & Senior Staff
$125 | $108 Early bird, exp. 6/15/2026 | or $10 per individual class
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance: a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Daily Monday, June 22 – Sunday, July 12, 7:00 -7:30am PT
Begin your day with an energizing and grounding practice designed to support you on and off the mat.
This 3-week morning journey weaves together postures, breathwork, and simple awareness practices to help you reconnect with your body, clear the mind, and create a rhythm that feels sustainable. As the pace of the season shifts, you’ll build a practice that supports you—whether life feels slow and heavy or full and in motion.
Rooted in the principles of hatha yoga, this challenge is an invitation to move with intention, breathe with awareness, and cultivate presence each day.
🌿 Build a practice that moves with your life.
🌿 Consistency over intensity.
🌿 Start your day rooted, clear, and present.
Join us for a FREE introductory event on June 21st, the International Day of Yoga, to connect and cultivate intentions for Yoga practice that are both meaningful and sustainable:
Begin Where You Are; Intentions for Yoga Practice with Raama Das
Sunday, June 21 • 8:00 – 9:00am • online • Free
Keeping a weekly Sadhana chart to track the practice is optional. Daily attendance is recommended but not required. All sessions will be recorded and shared with registered participants.

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 which she brings into her classes. Kalyani has attended numerous workshops and trainings over the years, including Pranayama with Margabandhu Marturano and Richard Miller of iRest, Meditation, Mantra, Mudras, Dharma, Yoga Therapy in Cancer and Chronic Illness (YCAT), Yoga for the Special Child (IYINY), The Bhagavad Gita with Rev. Jaganath Carrera (for certification), and Anusara Yoga. She is now certified in Raja Yoga (IYISF-2022), 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. Kalyani now holds the position of Teacher Coordinator at IYISF. “Yoga is a sacred path to inner peace, radiant health, and deep joy. It has touched and transformed me on every level and my greatest joy is sharing this gift with others.” Join Kalyani to reconnect with your breath, find your balance, and experience greater energy, vitality, and well-being.

Embodied Wisdom: A Hatha Yoga Practice to Awaken, part 2 of 2
2026-06-23 18:00 - 19:30
Online & in-person with Swami Ramananda
2 Tuesdays, 6/16 & 6/23 6-7:30 pm PT, sessions offered individually
⋅ $45 Both session, in-person or online | $40 Early bird, exp. 6/9
⋅ $25 Individually, in-person or online
Book now/Online 6/23 only
Book now/Online both 6/16 & 6/23 Please register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Book now/In-Person 6/23 only
Book now/In-person both 6/16 & 6/23 Please register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Yoga was originally intended as a path to still the mind and experience the spiritual consciousness that is our true nature. In the Hatha Yoga tradition, the body and breath are skillful means for cultivating this inner steadiness. Through asana, pranayama, and mindful awareness, we gradually harmonize the nervous system, balance the flow of prana, and prepare the mind for deeper states of meditation.
When we lose sight of this deeper purpose, our practice can easily become shaped by unconscious beliefs and cultural conditioning that may contribute to tension, striving, or self-judgment.
In this workshop, we will explore ways of practicing Hatha Yoga with greater awareness and sensitivity. Through accessible asana, gentle breath practices, and guided attention, we will learn to move with steadiness and ease, gradually freeing ourselves from habitual patterns held in the body and mind. As we practice, we will cultivate a calm, non-reactive mind and an open, receptive heart.
Together we will explore how a mindful Hatha Yoga practice can deepen our sense of connection—with our own embodied experience, with one another, with nature, and with the deeper intelligence that underlies life.
Over time, a practice grounded in this understanding can gently transform even the subconscious mind, allowing us to move beyond old fears and beliefs and approach life with greater balance, belonging, inner contentment, and wonder.
Both session will be recorded and available to all enrolled students for two weeks.

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 co-founded 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.

New Beginnings Writing Group
2026-06-26 16:00 - 17:30
ONLINE with Susan Ford, C-IAYT, RYT-500
$1-15 sliding scale
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Meets twice a month on 2nd and 4th Friday | Ongoing
In these times of great change we will explore a path toward meeting ourselves where we are to give voice to all that matters! As we live with interruptions and chaos, we can deepen into the roots of our creativity, encouraging the river of expression to flow. Beginners and seasoned writers are welcome, as we explore various forms of writing: poetry, prose, short stories, memoir, among others. Through writing exercises using everyday life, place, family, images, poetry of others, while using pranayama, meditation and the guidance of the Sutras we will build a body of work. Participants are encouraged to go at their own pace.
Tools we will Practice:

The Art of Paying Attention
Acceptance
Play
Writing from the Heart

Together we will combine self-care with our writing and discover what a writing practice means to us and how it may take shape.

Susan Ford, C-IAYT, RYT-500, began teaching in 2011 and has been an assistant trainer for the Basic Yoga Teacher Training at Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco (IYISF) 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 storytelling events in Northern California. She has led writer groups, tutored many in writing, and regularly hosts poetry reading Satsangs at IYISF.

Yoga Nidra Personal Retreat
2026-06-27 09:00 - 16:00
ONLINE & IN-PERSON with Dr. Marc Halpern & Dr. Andrea Deerheart Halpern
2-day retreat! Saturday & Sunday, June 27-28, 9am-4pm both days.
$150 Early bird, use promo code NIDRA, exp. 6/12/26
$180 Regular
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Book now/In-PersonWe appreciate advance registration.
During this two-day program, Dr. Marc Halpern and Dr. Andrea Deerheart will be your guides as you go on a deep and personal inner journey of discovery, relaxation, and deep healing through the sacred practice of Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra is an ancient, classical practice of entering in a deeply relaxed but entirely conscious state of awareness. From this state of consciousness, each individual is empowered to remove the obstacles that are in the way of attaining optimal health and peace of mind and then set out on a new path of conscious creation – the manifestation of life as you dream it to be.
Schedule
9:00am-12:00pm & 1:30pm-4:00pm – Saturday & Sunday
This program consists of a combination of practicing Yoga Nidra and group processing. The doctors will share stories both classical and personal and each student is supported and encouraged to be as open as possible. Sacred space, trust, and safety are core principles of this program.
All props will be provided for in-person participants, and you are welcome to bring your pillow, mat, and/or blanket.
All sessions will be recorded and made available to enrolled students for two weeks afterward. The program is offered both online and in person, though attending in person is recommended.

Dr. Marc Halpern is the founder of the California College of Ayurveda. An internationally respected expert in the field of Ayurveda, Dr. Halpern received the award for best Ayurveda Physician from the Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Ramdas. He is the co-founder of the National Ayurveda Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurveda Medicine. Dr. Halpern is also the author of five textbooks on Ayurveda and Yoga and the #1 best-selling recording: Yoga Nidra and Self-Healing. A classically trained Sivananda Yoga teacher, Dr. Halpern has dedicated his life to the removal of suffering.
Dr. Andrea Deerheart is the passionate founder of the HeartWay, a non-profit foundation dedicated to Embracing life and Honoring Death. Using wisdom gathered from decades of guiding the living and dying; physically, emotionally, and spiritually, Deerheart has provided care and healing on the journey of conscious living and dying for more than 20 years. With a doctorate in Depth Psychology, her primary work focuses on issues relating to aging, cultural mythology, death and dying, as well as grief and loss. Deerheart is also a RYT 500 yoga teacher and a certified classical Yoga Nidra Instructor. She is also the author / narrator of the recording, Yoga Nidra: Graceful Transitions.

Kirtan with Acharya Mangalananda
2026-06-27 19:00 - 20:30
IN-PERSON with Acharya Mangalananda
$25 Day of | $20 In advance
Book now/In-PersonWe appreciate advance registration.
Chanting mantras and prayers are key elements of the Bhakti Yoga path, which leads to union with Divine Consciousness. Chanting calms the nerves, purifies the emotions, heals the body, and opens the heart. It elevates and concentrates the mind, preparing one for silent mantra repetition, meditation, and communion with the Divine. When done with a devotional attitude, chanting lifts the emotions toward selfless, divine love.

Acharya Mangalananda has learned by deep immersion the traditional spiritual music of India. His kirtan is couched in the mystical ragas of India and is full of the lively ecstatic joy of the Divine Names. Mangalananda has toured extensively throughout India, Europe and the USA, presenting kirtan concerts, yoga classes and workshop retreats. He is an Acharya (an appointed Spiritual Teacher) of Ma Anandamayi Ashram in Omkareshwar / Indore in the lineage of Sri Anandamayi Ma.Acharya Mangalananda began his spiritual life in 1972 under the guidance of Swami Satchidananda, a direct disciple of Swami Sivananda. After an inner experience with Anandamayi Ma, the great woman Saint mentioned in Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi”, with Sw. Satchidananda’s permission, he went to India to find her. He travelled with her in India during 1973 and ’74, receiving mantra Initiation from her. He has been since living within her Lineage with some of her great disciples in ashrams in the US and India. In 2001, he was sent back to India by Ma’s main Swami, Sw. Bhaskarananda to help start a school in one of her ashrams. He lived in Central India for twelve years, teaching in this school and also traveling within India extensively. From 2007 to 2013, the Ashram sent him yearly to Europe and the US to present kirtan concerts and classes. In 2013, he returned to the US and lives in the San Francisco area, where he presents programs and hosts an online worldwide Matri Satsang group. He is an appointed Acharya (Lineage Teacher) of Ma Sharanam Ashram in India. He is the author of the book “A Goddess Among Us” which has been translated and published into five different languages. He is on the Board of Directors of the Shri Anandamayi Ma Ashram and Temple in Massachusetts and is a guest speaker and musician at Satchidananda Ashram/Yogaville, as well as at Sivananda Yoga Farm and Sivananda Bahama.

Our Heart – The Sherpa: Trusting the Inner Guide
2026-07-07 18:30 - 20:00
ONLINE with Antonio Sausys MA, IGT, CMT, C-IAYT
$25 | $20 Early bird, exp. 6/30
Book now/OnlinePlease register in advance: a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
If our inner world is a mountain and self-realization the summit, the heart is the Sherpa who knows the way. It reads the terrain beyond what the mind can map—guiding us through uncertainty, resistance, and change. Its direction is not always comfortable, and often not what we expect, which is why we tend to override, suppress, or reinterpret its messages.
Yet the heart speaks in a precise language: emotion. Each feeling is a signpost pointing toward something that asks for our attention. The challenge is not that the guidance is unclear—but that we often don’t like where it leads.
This talk invites a shift: from managing emotions to listening to them. Through a practical and reflective lens, we’ll explore how to decode common emotional states, ask the right questions, and access the deeper intelligence they carry. The result is a more grounded, trustworthy way of navigating both inner and outer life.

Antonio Sausys MA, IGT, CMT, C-IAYT, is a somatic psychologist and yoga therapist specializing in grief counseling and therapy. His studies in Somatic Psychology were guided by Hugo Bilsky, and his yoga training includes teachings from swamis of the Satyananda, Sivananda, and Satchidananda traditions, as well as renowned teachers such as Indra Devi, Ram Das, and Rama Jyoti Vernon. Antonio has continued his professional growth through training in Integrative Grief Therapy with Lyn Prashant, as well as Foot Reflexology, Swedish Therapeutic Massage, and Reiki.
Antonio presents his work both nationally and internationally at Schools and Universities and leads retreats at Ashrams, Retreat Centers and Yoga Studios., is a member of the World Yoga Council, the International Association of Yoga Therapists, a TV Host for YogiViews and the founder and Executive Director of ‘Yoga for Health’ the International Yoga Therapy Conference.
He is the author of ‘Yoga for Grief Relief: Simple Practices for Transforming Your Grieving Mind and Body’ (New Harbinger) and a contributor for Yoga and Science in Pain Care – Treating the Person in Pain (Edited by Shelly Prosko and Neil Person – Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2019) and New Techniques of Grief Therapy: Bereavement and Beyond by Robert Niemeyer (Routledge 2019).

Next Steps to Awakening with the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, 4-week course
2026-07-08 17:00 - 19:00
ONLINE with Swami Ramananda & Swami Divyananda
$445.00 | $395 Early bird, exp. 6/8/26
JUL 8-AUG 2 (Wednesdays & Sundays)
Wednesdays: 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Sundays: 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
Book/ApplyPlease register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
For experienced students of Raja Yoga, this in-depth course offers guidance and support for the journey beyond Maya—where practice deepens, discernment becomes essential, and the subtle workings of ego are revealed with greater clarity. Through a side-by-side study of the Raja Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and selected slokas from the Bhagavad Gita, we will explore how these timeless teachings illuminate one another and offer practical guidance for daily life.
This course supports practitioners in clarifying their next steps on the path, refining their sadhana, and loosening identification with the limited personal story that has shaped their sense of self—opening the possibility of greater inner freedom.
Each class emphasizes the integration of scriptural wisdom into lived experience, inviting participants to “take the teachings into the laboratory of life” and to evaluate progress through the daily exams that life itself presents. Guided journaling, meditation, and introspective practices will support participants in:

Clarifying next steps on the spiritual path
Identifying common obstacles and subtle pitfalls
Refining pranayama, meditation, and other current sadhanas
Recognizing patterns that dissipate energy or stall spiritual maturation

Frequent group discussions will foster insight, mutual support, and inspiration, creating a shared field of inquiry and encouragement. Participants will also have the opportunity to co-lead a three-week public scripture study series, with mentoring and support from experienced teaching staff. This course is for personal growth; it is not a teacher training and there is no form of testing at the end of the course.
This course will be recorded, and all recordings and shared materials will be available throughout the course and for one month after it ends.
Prerequisites:

Completion of Raja Yoga Teacher Training or extensive experience studying the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Experience with incorporating the Sutras into daily life
Familiarity with Bhagavad Gita and its allegorical meaning for personal, spiritual growth

Online live Zoom sessions – The entire course can be completed online.
Reliable Internet access is required to participate in this online course. You must be able to run Zoom on your computer or tablet, and have an active email account for delivery of course materials.

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 co-founded 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.
Swami Divyananda Ma, E-RYT 500, has had a wealth of experience teaching Integral Yoga around the world since 1973. She has taught at corporations, universities, the Commonwealth Cancer Center, and for the Dr. Dean Ornish Reversing Heart Disease programs. She has also served as one of Integral Yoga’s Basic Hatha teacher trainers. Swami Divyananda Ma took monastic vows in 1975 from the great saint and yogi, Sri Swami Satchidananda. Over the years she has served as the director of the Integral Yoga Institutes in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and as Ashram Manager at Yogaville. She also served for ten years as the director of the Integral Yoga Institute in Coimbatore, India; this immersion into the South Indian culture has given depth to her understanding and practice of Yoga. Now an itinerant monk, Swami Divyananda is constantly “on the road.” She leads the annual Sacred India Tours to sacred sites in India in addition to international Yoga retreats and trainings. Learn more at sacredindiatours.org.
