Sangha

Satsang: Finding Equanimity in a World Out of Balance
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Satsang: Finding Equanimity in a World Out of Balance

Satsang: Finding Equanimity in a World Out of Balance

Online or in-person

$5-15 sliding scale | To enroll for free use discount code FREE

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

Book now/In-Person

Please review our In-person Safety Guidelines.

Many of us are deeply concerned about events on the lands we call home and on our planet, and are searching for ways to nurture peace in our hearts and stand up for our values. As we hear about the tragic suffering from the current wars, numerous natural disasters linked to the climate, and examples of tremendous greed and injustice, we may react with anger, anxiety or feel hopeless. How can we respond meaningfully, instead of tuning it all out or being passively complicit? What does ‘living a spiritual life’ mean in times like ours?

Join Swami Ramananda, Kamala Itzel Hayward and Kristie Dahlia Home for a meaningful conversation as we gather as Sangha, a community of people devoted to spiritual life.

A simple vegetarian meal will be offered after this in-person Satsang with a suggested 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 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.

Kamala Itzel Hayward was a lawyer for over a decade before becoming a Yoga teacher and Yoga therapist specializing in trauma, addiction, and wellness. She is passionate about bringing Yoga and other healing modalities to adults facing chronic stress caused by living under oppression, such as racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ableism, and more. She is founder of the Integral Yoga Institute’s Scholarship-Based Yoga Teacher Training for Black, Indigenous, People of Color. For the last 12 years, she has been sharing Yoga with individuals facing housing insecurity and related challenges, including systemic barriers; structural oppression; social dislocation; physical, emotional, and mental health challenges; substance abuse; and addiction. She sits on the Advisory Board for the Trauma Prevention and Recovery Certificate Program at the City College of San Francisco.

Kristie Dahlia Home has been devoted to the sharing of spiritual arts since 1995. With training in Instinctive Meditation, Yoga, Thai Massage, Reiki, Intuitive Healing, and Chi Nei Tsang. Dahlia has served as a Yoga Therapist at the UCSF School of Nursing, Dr. Dean Ornish’s Preventive Medicine Research Institute, and at UCSF’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, where her work included both public classes and medical research. She has taught Reiki for CPMC’s Institute for Health and Healing and Thai Massage at Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Her students say that they appreciate her warmth, precision, contagious love of life, and keen attention to the unique needs of each individual. She has recently returned to life on land after five years at sea and looks forward to sharing practice with the IYI sangha once again. For more information, visit beloved.or

Sevika Ford2024-01-10T12:43:17-08:00December 5th, 2023|Tags: in-person Satsang, Integral Yoga San Francisco Satsang, Kamala Itzel Hayward, Kristie Dahlia Home, online satsang, Sangha, Spiritual Community, spiritual life, Swami Ramananda|

Swami Satchidananda’s Jayanthi
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Swami Satchidananda’s Jayanthi

Swami Satchidananda’s Jayanthi

Free | Online or in-person

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Book now/Online

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

Join us for this special event honoring the birthday of our spiritual teacher, Sri Swami Satchidananda, led by our 3 beloved Swamis, who studied under his guidance for many years. There will be a short talk on his life and teachings, and an opportunity to share how his teachings have touched our lives. We will also offer a Puja (spiritual service) with chanting and meditation in gratitude for the blessings of his teachings and guidance.

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.

Sevika Ford2023-12-18T17:54:37-08:00November 16th, 2023|Tags: Sangha, Sri Swami Satchidananda, Swami Ramananda, Swami Satchidananda Jayanthi|

Kirtan with Michael Hathaway
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Kirtan with Michael Hathaway

Kirtan with Michael Hathaway

$15 | In-person

Enroll/In-person

Please review our In-person Safety Guidelines.

Michael will lead us in chanting traditional Sanskrit mantras set to his original music, weaving an enchanting soundscape of hypnotic harmonics, joyful celebration, and fierce intensity. His unique melodies (often channeled in dreams) reveal a blend of musical influences, including jazz, soul, folk, psychedelic rock, church hymns, Western classical, and Indian classical – creating an innovative fusion that honors the tradition while expressing a deeply personal offering. He sings with sweet, celestial, heart-felt yearning and shares his practice as medicine with others by creating an uplifting communal experience of ecstatic group prayer.

Michael Hathaway discovered his musicality and voice through the practice of devotional chanting. He was introduced to daily chanting at the Sivananda ashram in the Bahamas in the late 90s, and quickly became immersed in the Bhakti scene – taking every opportunity to sit with his teachers Jai Uttal, Krishna Das, Bhagavan Das, Shyamdas, and others.

He can be found leading kirtan at yoga studios, festivals & conscious gatherings and singing with his harmonium for yoga classes in the Los Angeles area. His two albums, remixes, and music videos are available on streaming platforms. He’s also a Jivamukti yoga teacher, Reiki practitioner, a 3rd-degree black belt in Seido Karate, and a regular practitioner of 5 Rhythms/ecstatic dance.

He humbly bows at the feet of Maharaj-ji Neem Karoli Baba, Ram Dass, and all of his Teachers and wishes to honor them by singing the holy names.

Learn more about Michael at michaelhathawaykirtan.com

Sevika Ford2023-05-10T14:58:39-07:00March 22nd, 2023|Tags: bhakti yoga, chanting, Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco, Kirtan, Sangha|

Infinite Blessings

by Snehan Born

Patanjali tells us that our practice is well grounded when it is attended to with zeal over a long period of time and without breaks in regularity.

How many of us have truly committed to our spiritual growth with inspired regular practices?

A well attended, regular practice will yield unlimited benefits. These benefits may be subtle or dramatic, but they are assured. They come as a result of giving ourselves the time to practice with humility, preparing the system to sustain our spiritual growth.

Personally, I can attest to becoming generally much more peaceful and non-reactive over the years. Like many, my heart has felt knocked around enough that I have good reason to have constructed barriers of protection….and yet, the opening of heart that occurs during chanting mantra and Kirtan practice is unfailing and undeniable for me.

During the pandemic I challenged myself to learn the Hanuman Chalisa and it was truly cathartic. For months I attended daily 90 minute morning Sessions on Zoom with a global satsang….all of us learning this difficult Chalisa together. On some mornings, I would break down sobbing for no apparent reason other than the processing of ancient wounds re-presenting themselves in giant waves of emotional release for healing. This went on and on and still occurs sometimes as I get completely transported in Mantra vibration.

Hanuman is considered a wish-fulfilling Deity. I am not in the habit of asking for “things” from God, so I didn’t think much of it. Then one day in class we were discussing this quality of Hanuman, I considered what I might ask for. Without hesitating, I requested a singing voice that would be pleasing to others for the purpose of worshipping Hanuman and inspiring others to chant the Holy names together in Kirtan. Within 4 days, my throat opened up and I gained notable ability to control my developing singing voice. I was astounded and I attribute any singing ability to these devotional practices.

Now, I regularly have feelings of such bliss that I rhetorically question…..How and what did I do to get to this place of profound and reliable joy? I still enjoy attending the morning Hanuman Chalisa sessions as often as I can and marvel at how far the group has progressed. It is truly amazing! And there are endless benefits from a sustained and deepened Pranayama practice to share. Just as I’ve heard from some of you, I too feel I’d be lost without these practices and a life of dedicated service to others.

Raama and I want to share our inspirations, along with some of our collective experiences and results with you and we certainly look forward to hearing about some of your experiences with your practice.

Please join us for Satsang on January 21, 5:30-6:30pm. We’ll be covering some of the infinite blessings of an established and regular spiritual practice (Sadhana).

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.

Snehan Born, E-RYT 500, has over four decades of experience with yoga. He resides at the Integral Yoga Institute of San Francisco, where he teaches yoga classes and is a lead teacher trainer. Snehan is certified in all levels of Integral Yoga Hatha and has received additional certifications in Pranayama, Meditation, Raja Yoga and Stress Management from Integral Yoga. Chanting mantras and playing the harmonium are part of his regular practice and classes.
Snehan has lived and traveled extensively within India and practiced with many teachers there. He has taught yoga all over the US as well as in India, Nepal, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan and Europe.

prajna2023-01-14T13:58:15-08:00January 14th, 2023|Tags: Integral Yoga Satsang, Sangha, Satsang, snehan born|