Sunday Spiritual Talk: Celebrating Guru Poornima

Online and in-person | $5-$20 | Enroll for free, use promo code FREE.

Please register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.

Please review our In-person Safety Guidelines.

Join Swami Ramananda and representatives of many faiths Mercy Mungwadzi, Amanda Vigil, Surya Dick, Gautam Mulchandani and Zubin Goldman in a celebration of Guru Poornima. This annual Hindu holy day offers us an opportunity to show our appreciation and love for our spiritual teachers on the full moon in July.

We will honor the guiding principles found in these faiths: Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sufism and African Faiths as well as celebrate guidance and teachings of our founder, Sri Swami Satchidananda and his teacher Swami Sivananda of Saraswati lineage.

By acknowledging each tradition as an equally valid path to the same Spiritual Presence within, we can learn to see the unity behind all the diversity so that we can live together in peace.

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.

Ripples for Change, 1-day Retreat

In-person | $200 or $185 Early bird, extended to Oct 11! Use promo code RIPPLES.

Your participation is a direct contribution to a scholarship fund that makes yoga training accessible to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) teachers.

All BIPOC and allies welcome!

Your participation directly contributes to making yoga trainings accessible to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). Come together for day of rejuvenation and community action on a beautiful private estate among the redwoods in Woodside, CA. Lunch and snacks will be provided. Activities include:

    • Hatha Yoga
    • Drumming and Dance
    • Yoga Nidra and sound bath
    • Community empowerment
    • Henna
    • Intuitive reading
    • Poolside & more!

Can’t make the Retreat?  You can support diverse representation of Yoga Teachers in Yoga and wellness communities by donating to the BIPOC 200-Hour Teacher Training BIPOC Yoga Teacher Training Scholarship FundThank you!

Ripples for Change reminds us that everything is connected and has long lasting effects. The lotus symbolizes resilience, emerging through the mud out of the water. The frog symbolizes a complete lifecycle and transformation, which reflects our ongoing journey. The lily pad is deeply rooted and grounding the frog, giving it space to heal and reflect. The ripples in the water represent action/change, whether big or small it affects the self, the community, and our surroundings. We look forward to sharing a day of relaxation and activation with you all.

Hosted by

Andreína Maldonado (She/her) is a Venezuelan artist, consultant, and registered Integral Yoga practitioner. She’s the driving force behind BienStar Consulting, a hub that’s been fusing Performing Arts, Wellness, and Language Justice for over 6 years in the Bay Area and beyond. With a knack for bridging cultures and weaving connections, Andreína’s all about blending art, wellness practices such as yoga, and social justice into powerful actions. Currently, she’s sharing the joys of beginner-level Hatha yoga in Spanish, where mindfulness and self-care take center stage. Join her every Friday at Integral Yoga San Francisco for a revitalizing class that’s equal parts fun and intentional – you’ll leave not only refreshed but also more connected to yourself and those around you.

Mia Velez, (she/her), E-RYT 500, entered Integral Yoga Institute (IYI) in 2016 through the kitchen as a volunteer cook. She completed her first 200-hour teacher training in 2008 and certified with IYI in 2018. Mia is a disciple of Sifu Pete Pajil of the Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu lineage and is highly influenced by her martial arts training. To teach is a privilege and believes that learning is a reciprocal process between student and teacher. Her hope is to liberate herself and others from oppressive social conditioning. She teaches Ving Tsun Kung Fu, offers yoga to incarcerated men, and stress management techniques to new parents. She is a trainer for the Basic Teacher Trainings at IYI, including the BIPOC Yoga Teacher Training, and mentors new teachers. Yoga and Kung Fu are integrated into her daily life as a wife and mother, a preschool teacher, and an advocate for gender, race and class equity through multiple organizations.

K. Muktidevi Demafeliz is a born and raised San Franciscan and has been a yoga practitioner for 15 years. Her yoga practice began with her mentor Anthony “Tony” Garcia who guided her in the study of yoga in 2012. He encouraged her to pursue yoga teacher training, which she did, in the Integral Yoga tradition. She is certified in Basic Hatha I and Intermediate Hatha II, Accessible Yoga (Gentle) and her most recent certification, Mindful Resilience Training through the Veterans Yoga Project to teach trauma-informed yoga. She wishes to pursue future trainings in Prenatal Yoga and Yoga for First Responders as she is the Well-Being Champion for the San Francisco Police Department. YOGA IS HER PASSION, as she expresses her enthusiasm and love for the practice with those she comes in contact with, on and off the mat. Yoga has impacted and changed her life in such a positive and healthy way that she truly believes it is the saving grace for all. She is a Yogini who also lives with the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 25 years and uses the tools from yoga to help her maneuver through life’s challenges by continuing to live one breath, step, and day at a time – she would always say that she is still “learning and growing” every day, living her best life.

 Rasmi Lorrett, a San Francisco native, whose love for yoga began more than twenty years ago. Through consistent dedication to daily practice, she always found a sense of balance and harmony. In 2019, she completed her teacher training at IYI. It was during this transformative experience that she delved even deeper in her Hatha yoga practice and unlocked new levels of self awareness. Committed to lifelong learning, her purpose is to share the invaluable benefits of yoga with others, guided by the wisdom of Patanjali, ” If you can control the rising of the mind into ripples, you will experience Yoga”. She hopes to inspire and guide others in their own journey towards physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

Amanda Vigil, is a San Francisco-born and raised filmmaker, educator, & performance artist. Her work has been seen locally and internationally; Amanda believes in the power of the audience, through her work as a facilitator, director, and curator. Amanda is a recent graduate of IYTT 200 BIPOC teacher training program.She proudly focus her talents on making art/film, intergenerational impact and healing in the city of San Francisco.

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