– or–

$5, $10, $15

Online: Please register in advance, a Zoom link and passcode will be provided via confirmation email.

In-person: Please register in advance, space is limited. Thank you. Please review our In-person Safety Guidelines.

Please join our special guest with Qi Gong master and yogi David Doyle in exploration of meditation and spiritual practice leading to awakening. Inner Geography is a profound inner journey, unlike anything you have done before. Included is a brief review of meditation and the subtle mechanics behind it, practice tips, and also a consideration of long-form meditation for 1-18+ hours in a single sitting. This workshop is suitable for complete beginners and very advanced practitioners alike.

The Pillars of Practice is a review of the foundation of our journey. Many subtleties are often skipped over yet they are frequently the most important. This is a review of some of the most important aspects of The Way taught in all the various forms and lineages for Self Realization. All levels of practice are welcome. Chairs will be available. To sit on the floor (hard wood), please bring your own meditation cushion or/and a blanket.

About David Doyle

At the age of 17 David embarked on the study of eastern teachings and soon found the Way of traditional Yoga. His practice began initially in Hatha Yoga and then moved to Raja Yoga. His practice inclined toward long meditation (sometimes 18 hours in a single sitting) and opened many siddhis and extraordinary experiences, however these were not goals; they were merely byproducts along the Way. In the 50+ years hence, his practice has taken many forms, though Yoga never left him.
In 2012, during many months of sustained inner work and 3-6+ hour meditations in the evening and early morning hours, the seeker fell away. In the following years of abiding Awakening a great deal of astonishing changes have continued on a daily basis. The unfolding has not ceased though a settling has taken place.

For quite some time words did not come easily and teaching had not yet come – it is only now emerging. David enjoys speaking about the basics of Practice on ‘The Way’, the foundation of all deeper transformation. David is also a Qi Gong Master, teacher, and Deputy Director of the US Regional Department of Shaolin Fohanmen. Monkwithfamily.org, Shaolinmaster.org

$20 | Please register in advance, a Zoom link and passcode will be provided via confirmation email.

The core is the foundation upon which all movement is based and stability maintained at both the physical and energetic levels. Almost every yoga pose involves the core in some way and a strong core can facilitate one’s yoga practice in improving balance, stabilizing the spine, and preventing injury. At a more subtle level, It can also cultivate a greater sense of centeredness, emotional strength and wellbeing. Many people have an aversion to core exercises and automatically associate core strengthening with sit-ups, crunches and leg lifts.

This workshop will explore the various ways one can include core strengthening into a home practice that is safe, accessible and even fun. Participants will gain a greater awareness of the core muscles and how something as simple as shifting one’s awareness in a familiar pose, incorporating the breath, extending the hold, or altering the transition coming in and out of familiar poses can strengthen core muscles in an easeful way that can yield noticeable results overtime, while still feeling like yoga.

This workshop is appropriate for all levels and participants will need a mat, and comfortable clothing conducive to Hatha.

Melanie Saraswati Takahashi, PhD, RYT-500, has been a dedicated practitioner of meditation and yoga for many years. Having a keen interest in spirituality and how it’s expressed cross-culturally, she received her Masters in Anthropology in 1996 and a Doctorate in Religious Studies in 2004. She taught at the University of Ottawa and was a full-time professor at Heritage College before moving to San Francisco. Saraswati has been teaching yoga since 2008 and became the Head of Teachers at Integral Yoga San Francisco in 2009. She is trained in Gentle, Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels of yoga. She encourages students to have an inward experience of the class by approaching yoga as a moving meditation that incorporates the breath. Saraswati is also a classically trained pianist and currently teaches piano full-time. She continues to research and publish in the discipline of anthropology which is her on-going passion.