Satsang: Authenticity, a Path to Self-Realization

Online & 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.

We appreciate advance registration.

In our culture authenticity is a quality more often marketed than manifested. Digital temptations and consumerism undermine our agency and “response-ability” and it becomes increasingly more difficult to be in touch with ourselves and with what truly matters to us.
Authenticity arises when we stop betraying ourselves, when we show ourselves open and honest in a wholesome way. Living authentically gives us meaning and purpose, increases our self-esteem, supports our personal and communal health but also takes a whole lot of courage and determination.

The teachings of yoga offer us a very sophisticated map on how to return to authenticity. Come and join yoga therapist Claudia Bartsch to explore how.

This is an introduction to her upcoming in-depth ‘Authenticity, Path to Self-Realization’ 3-part course. Save the date: 3 Saturday mornings 4/19, 4/26 & 5/3, 11:15-12:45pm.

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.


Claudia Bartsch, E-500CYT, C-IAYT
Originally from Germany, Claudia studied and taught yoga for over 25 years. With more than 2000 hours of formal training in yoga she has a strong foundation in the classical approach to yoga and in innovative therapeutic methods. She is deeply dedicated to facilitating holistic healing and certified as a yoga therapist in 2016. In this role, she specializes in supporting individuals navigating mental or physical challenges by tailoring yoga practices to their unique conditions and needs. Additionally she was certified as a Stress Management Educator to empower individuals to cultivate resilience and inner peace through mindful practices. She is a Shiatsu and Reiki Practitioner, modalities that complement the holistic approach to well-being fostered through yoga. In 2022 she was certified as a Brain Longevity Specialist by the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation to deepen her understanding of cognitive and mental health Please visit her website for more information: claudiabartsch.com

Responding Together to a World in Chaos

Online or 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.

We appreciate advance registration.

This year has just begun and already it feels like we’re being pushed beyond our limits by the events in our country and our world. Our nervous systems are triggered and we find ourselves reacting to every media blip without a chance to mindfully reflect and respond. What tools do we have to navigate this turmoil when it feels like we have little to no control? How can we refer to ancient teachings to guide us from elevated stress and uncertainty to experience resilience by way of our inner-knowingness?

Whether we choose to look the other way or become a changemaker, our actions make a difference. Join Swami Ramananda and Marc Morozumi for a lively and grounding discussion to explore, consider and choose how we make our way through the endless chaos in our world.

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.

Marc Morozumi, E-RYT 500, CMT, Lead Yoga Teacher Trainer with Integral Yoga Institute, began practicing Ashtanga yoga in 2001 while a full-time modern dancer with Joe Goode Performance Group in SF, CA. Due to injury, Mukunda retired from his 12 year dance career in 2004 and entered the events industry from 2004-2016. A 2-month personal trip to India in 2007 paved the way for landing in Yogaville in 2009 for his first teacher training with Swami Divyananda and staff. One month after returning from graduation, Mukunda began teaching a Saturday morning class at the SF IYI which he maintained for over 10 years. Mukunda has co-led Integral Yoga retreats since 2011 and has staffed or co-led Basic Teacher Trainings since 2013. He has opened and managed small group yoga studios in SF since 2017 and in early 2020, he opened and then reformed a yoga center post COVID-19: Mukunda Yoga – Activation and Well-being Center in SOMA, SF, CA.

2025-02-18T18:19:54-08:00January 20th, 2025|Tags: , , , |

Satsang: The Healing Power of a Yogic Lifestyle

$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.

From cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and depression, many physical and mental conditions have not only been escalating for decades, they are accepted as a natural progression of aging by conventional medicine, which treats chronic conditions with drugs or surgery.

In this presentation, IYI certified yoga teacher and research scientist Larry Scherwitz will describe the scientifically validated, therapeutic approach that can prevent, halt, even reverse the underlying causes of chronic conditions: the yoga-based Lifestyle Medicine program inspired by Swami Satchidananda and developed by Dean Ornish, MD.

As Director of Research on the “reversal program” for 18 years, Larry will present the yoga-inspired clinical trials by Dr. Ornish and colleagues, which showed that comprehensive lifestyle changes can halt and reverse CAD, hypertension, prostate cancer, and Alzheimer’s–without drugs or surgery. Throughout the presentation, Larry will shed light on the healing power of such yogic lifestyle ‘ingredients’ as a predominantly plant-based diet, exercise, group support, asanas, yoga nidra (progressive relaxation), pranayama, meditation, and more.

You will learn the specifics of each modality of Ornish Lifestyle Medicine, and how, and how much practice is necessary to achieve the benefits of the practice.

Everyone is welcome to share a simple vegetarian meal and tea afterwards. Recommended donation $5-10.

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.


Larry Scherwitz, PhD, C-IAYT is a behavioral medicine scientist with a doctorate in social psychology. He is also a certified Integral Hatha yoga teacher, who first met Swami Ramananda while being trained at IYI in 1989.
As an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, Larry met fellow yoga practitioner, Dean Ornish, who was a medical student at the time. Based on the suggestion of Dean’s guru, Swami Satchidananda–that heart patients adopt a yogic lifestyle–Dean was then in the process of conducting a pilot study to see if the yogic lifestyle could halt and reverse heart disease. As Dr. Ornish’s Director of Research over the next 18 years, Larry conducted three clinical trials at Dr. Ornish’s Preventive Medicine Research Institute (PMRI) in Sausalito, California, showing that the yoga lifestyle could reverse heart disease as well as related risk factors, such as high cholesterol. Based on the success of these studies, Larry became a Guest Professor at cardiovascular clinics in Germany, where, for two years,
He conducted clinical trials on Ornish Lifestyle Medicine in both Germany and the Netherlands. During this time, he did two keynote presentations in New Delhi, India, about the yoga-based heart disease reversal program.
Larry is the co-author of four books on diet and health, and Co-Founder of the Whole Person Integrative Eating dietary lifestyle–a science-backed program about the power of food to enhance physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being (ergo, ‘whole person’ integrative eating). He is married to nutrition researcher Deborah Kesten, MPH, who was the nutritionist on Dean Ornish’s first clinical trial for reversing heart disease.

2024-12-16T21:14:01-08:00December 16th, 2024|Tags: , , |

Satsang: Setting an Intention for a New Year

$5-$20 | Enroll for free, use promo code FREE

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

Please review our In-person Safety Guidelines.

If we don’t have some clear sense of what we really want to do with this life, we may be distracted by the many devices and messages that constantly call for our attention, and lose focus on what we truly value. Inspired by sources of universal wisdom, we will explore and identify for ourselves the overall purpose we hold for this lifetime, and the way we want to carry ourselves through each day. Having such an intention in our hearts breathes spiritual meaning into our lives, frees us from being captive to the consumer-oriented messages of our culture, and guides our way to a fulfilling life.

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 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.

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