Satsang: Facing Adversity
$5-$20 or 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. https://integralyogasf.org/attending-in-personIn this Satsang, our Integral Yoga San Francisco teachers Arpita, Muktidevi and Swami Ramananda will share how they have used the teachings and practices of Yoga to face adversity.
At some point in our lives, we all face situations that are traumatic or overwhelming to us. We may feel like giving up. We seek ways to grapple with disability, chronic illness or anxiety and grief.
We will discuss together the importance of having compassion for ourselves and maintaining our equanimity to make wise choices. With the right guidance and support, we can all learn how, ultimately, every difficult situation can be an opportunity to deepen our connection to the unchanging source of life within us.
A simple vegetarian meal will be offered after this in-person Satsang with a suggested in-person donation of $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.
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.
My name is Arpita Roy, RYT 500. I am an Accessible Yoga Teacher Trainer living in Hyderabad, India. I am also a certified in Yoga Psychology, guided meditation and as a stress management coach.
In 2006 I lost both of my legs in an accident, from above the knee. I began practicing yoga in 2015 and became a yoga teacher in 2019. I believe that Yoga is for anybody and if I can practice it then anybody can.
My community is mostly amputees who need hope to get out from the trauma of their accident. I teach those with specially-abled bodies, amputees, able bodies and kids. I have led workshops with the Central Reserve Police force in India, taught for Yoga Alliance Teaching for Equity Program as well as other specially-abled groups. In addition to teaching yoga, I am a motivational speaker and have appeared in various colleges and Yoga conferences both virtual and in-person.
Photo: Arpita.jpg
K. Muktidevi Demafeliz is a born and raised San Franciscan and has been a yoga practitioner for 16 years. Her yoga practice began with her mentor Tony Garcia who guided her in the study of yoga back in 2012 through the SFO Airport’s Wellness Program. He encouraged her to pursue yoga teacher training, which she did, in the Integral Yoga tradition. She is certified in Basic Hatha I, Intermediate Hatha II, Accessible Yoga (Gentle), and certified in Mindful Resilience Training through the Veterans Yoga Project to teach trauma-informed yoga. She wishes to pursue future trainings such as Meditation Teacher Training in addition to Yoga for First Responders as she is the Well-Being Champion for the San Francisco Police Department. YOGA IS HER PASSION, and she expresses her love and enthusiasm for the practice with those she comes into contact with, on and off the mat. Muktidevi mentors and supports teacher trainees as well as newly certified teachers to help them continue to develop and grow while on their yogic path. She also supports the BIPOC Sangha which was born at the Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco (IYISF) and continues to serve these communities to help create ripples for change to establish a space of healing and empowerment. With that, yoga has impacted and transformed her life in such a positive and healthy way that she truly believes it is the saving grace for all. For 26 years, Muktidevi has been living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and continues to carry out the practices of yoga to help her maneuver through life’s challenges when facing adversity. She is a lifelong learner and strives to become the best version of herself to live her best life, regardless of what life may bring.
