Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco

The Illusion of Permanence - Part I
-Swami Ramananca

We tend to identify with the body/mind because it is concrete, easily experienced and appears to be permanent, giving us a sense of security and control. Yoga teaches us that we are much more and that to center our lives around body/mind will be ultimately unfulfilling, often painful, and leave us feeling incomplete and unhappy. Hatha Yoga works with the body/mind to lead us beyond this identification to experience the Self, by attuning ourselves step by step to the more subtle levels of our being.



Deepak Chopra describes the reality of the body’s impermanence by reminding us that “We replace 98% of our atoms in one year.” Like a river, we appear to be, but never are the same. If that is true, why do neck pain, ulcers or allergies seem to remain unchanged? In exploration of that mystery, ancient yogis discovered the underlying force that animates and structures the body - the prana. The flow of prana gives life to every atom and the patterns of this flow determine physical form. If the flow of prana remains unchanged, so does the form it creates. Those yogis then traced this pattern of prana to its source – the mind. The thoughts and feelings that predominate in the mental level determine the flow of prana that structures the body.



Our understanding of how the mind works, while more scientifically accountable, supports those ancient yogic theories. It is estimated that 95% of our thoughts are the same as those we’ve had before. Thus, as Lao Tzu asserted long ago, set ways of perceiving the world and thinking about our lives lead to actions, which in turn become habits. Habits form our character, which ultimately determines our destiny. What remains truly profound, and even crucial in our quick-paced world, are the ways in which Yoga teaches us to use that information. The rich tradition of Yoga provides specific tools to observe, utilize, and eventually free ourselves from the conditioning that veils our true nature.

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any."
– Alice Walker

Lokah Samastah Sukinho Bhavantu; May the entire universe be filled with peace and joy, love and light.
Love, Light and Happy Pride weekend everyone!

“Great wisdom lives within the body but is not of it.” “By whatever thing the world is bound, by that, the bond is unfastened.” –Hevajara Ta**ra

Join Rich Panico M.D. for this free meditation, talk and brief Q&A; Intro to Embodiment and Non-conceptual Awareness
Tue. July 2 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm PDT | Free | Online | Please register in advance: https://bit.ly/441VNBo

In this session Rich will introduce his upcoming 4-week meditation course which will be focused on the development of non-conceptual somatic wisdom (insight based in tranquility and a still mind) through mindfulness and insight practices. This course will be on 4 consecutive Tuesday evenings, July 9, 16, 23 & 30. Each session will be recorded, links to each recording will be sent to all registered participants via email. Recordings will be available for one month from the conclusion of the course. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/3UjS4ft

This course is based in Early Buddhist Meditation, (the Mahasatipatthana Sutta) with reference to The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
Mindfulness involves practices that are broad and deep and whose gifts can be applied to healing, creativity, and shaping and guiding our life experiences.
This course is intentionally experiential, using guided meditations, yoga nidra, imagery, movement, poetry and readings. Brief Dharma talks are inevitable.

• learn to listen to the body and discover its voice
• explore the mind, body, heart connection
• find knowing without thoughts

Rich Panico is an artist, yogi and physician known for his humor and clarity in teaching. He has practiced meditation and yoga since 1970 and began teaching mindfulness woven into pottery making classes in the late 70’s.
Rich has taught mindfulness formally, in medical, academic and art-related settings for over 20 years. He was a pioneer in the use of mindfulness-based treatment in the adaptation to and treatment of chronic disease. Mindfulness occupied a central therapeutic role in his professional offering as a physician.

Paradox of Noise
-Gunilla Norris

It is a paradox that we encounter so much internal noise
when we first try to sit in silence.
It is a paradox that experiencing pain releases pain.

It is a paradox that keeping still can lead us
so fully into life and being.

Our minds do not like paradoxes. We want things
To be clear, so we can maintain our illusions of safety.
Certainty breeds tremendous smugness.

We each possess a deeper level of being, however,
which loves paradox. It knows that summer is already
Growing like a seed in the depth of winter. It knows
that the moment we are born, we begin to die. It knows
that all of life shimmers, in shades of becoming--
that shadow and light are always together,
the visible mingled with the invisible.

When we sit in stillness we are profoundly active.
Keeping silent, we hear the roar of existence.
Through our willingness to be the one we are,
We become one with everything.

Moving Energy: Hatha, Yoga Nidra & Sound Bath
Sat. June 29 @ 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm PDT
In-person. Please register in advance, space is limited: https://bit.ly/3vjgWKN
$35 In advance, use promo code ENERGY | $40 Day of
Please review our In-person Safety Guidelines.

Enjoy a transformative 2-hour workshop, where you’ll delve into the art of dissolving blockages in the flow of energy, rebooting your nervous system and harnessing your innate self-healing abilities.
Our bodies are densely packed fields of energy, influenced by the ebb and flow of life’s daily challenges, regardless of their magnitude. These challenges can disrupt the natural flow of energy, both physical and energetic, triggering a complex physiological response to stress that often leads to congestion and blockages. Yet, within us lies the capacity to restore equilibrium.

Through the profound ancient practices of Pranayama, Asana, and Yoga Nidra accompanied by live, healing instrumental sounds, we create an optimal environment to nurture our innate state of equanimity, promote energy flow, self-healing, and expand consciousness. Yoga Nidra, rooted in ancient wisdom, facilitates the body’s innate ability to rejuvenate, repair, and restore itself on both cellular and energetic levels. This practice also serves as a conduit for connecting with our personal intentions or Sankalpa (in Sanskrit). Immersing ourselves in soothing sounds interrupts the stress cycle in a gentle, non-invasive manner, while recalibrating our vibrational frequency.

Medical studies continue to reveal to us the benefits of these complementary practices. Benefits include: reducing heart rate, blood pressure, symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, PTS, PMS, chronic pain and symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes, and can greatly improve quality of sleep.
Let your experience be your guide to receiving the profound effects on the path towards optimal health. No experience necessary.

During the session, we’ll be sitting, moving and then lying on our backs for approximately 40-50 minutes. For those who may have difficulty getting to the floor, folding chairs will be provided.
Learn more at https://bit.ly/3vjgWKN

Today, June 19th, we reflect and honor those who sacrificed their lives for freedom and celebrate Juneteenth.

"The First Juneteenth – On June 19, 1865, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas with news of freedom. More than 250,000 African Americans embraced freedom by executive decree in what became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day. With the principles of self-determination, citizenship, and democracy magnifying their hopes and dreams, those Texans held fast to the promise of true liberty for all.

"Juneteenth Today – In 2021, Juneteenth was established as a federal holiday, opening it to symbolic and global interpretation and providing a better understanding of the evolution of our nation and its people. Juneteenth celebrations then, like now, recognize the ongoing fight for human rights and equality and are commemorated through family cookouts, faith services, musical performances and storytelling. Today, Juneteenth celebrates African American resilience and achievement while aiding in the preservation of those historical narratives that promoted racial and personal advancement since Freedom Day."
– https://nmaahc.si.edu/juneteenth

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

Explore Sufi devotional music from North India and Pakistan lead by Sukhawat Ali Khan, an Eleventh Generation Singer of the Sham Chaurasi Gharana of hindustani music in Pakistan this Saturday! https://bit.ly/4bMfCiK

Join us for an amazing evening of traditional devotional music from the motherland of Yoga. This gathering will explore Sufi devotional music from North India and Pakistan lead by Sukhawat Ali Khan, an Eleventh Generation Singer of the Sham Chaurasi Gharana of hindustani music in Pakistan.

In the first part we will focus on listening and experiencing the effect of raaglead by Sukhawat ji. We will also discuss sufi lyrics/ poetry. Sukhawat ji will demonstrate the basic characteristics and phrasing of simple raags commonly used in hindustani sufi music participants can learn and sing along.
In the second half of the program, we will sing popular qawwali songs together in call and response format. The lyrics sheets with English translations will be provided.
Sukhawat Ali Khan ji’s sufi music samples:

• Ghulam Ali
• Raste Juda Juda

Skhawat Ali Khan will be accompanied by his student Jun Ishimuro on keyboard and flute. Jun is a music producer under Qb Moda Jazz Soundcloud, former member of Astrud Castillo Cosmic Caravan. Acoustic Guitar accompaniment by Daljeet Singh, drums by Ryan Melnick and Saima Jamshed.
See you there!

Space is limited, please register in advance, thank you: https://bit.ly/4bMfCiK

, , ,

Learning to Let Go
-Swami Ramananda

If we look deeply into any situation that causes us to suffer, we can usually find that we are wanting something so much (recognition, admiration or some experience that we enjoy) that we become disturbed by not getting it. We unintentionally make our peace of mind dependent on acquiring or achieving something.

But it can be difficult to observe and analyze our struggles with clarity and neutrality to see the underlying motives that give rise to suffering. That is why a regular meditation practice compliments the effort to free ourselves from attachment by calming and strengthening the mind sufficiently to look deeply and objectively at our desires. When we are able to see clearly what we are holding onto in an unhealthy way, we then have the choice to let go.

Did you know that apart from bone health, yoga asanas offer several other benefits such as improved balance, posture, range of motion and coordination, greatly reducing the risk of fractures?
About half of Americans over age 50 are at the risk of breaking a bone and should be concerned about bone health according to the Bone Health Foundation. Dr. Loren Fishman ’s longitudinal studies over the past two decades demonstrated an increase in bone mineral density and improved bone quality with regular practice of 12 Yoga poses in people of all ages including those with osteoporosis, osteopenia, or without any of these conditions.

This online workshop, Sat. June 22, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm PDT, we will:
• Cover basics of bone building & nutrition
• Practice 12 poses w/ guidance for all levels
• Receive additional resources to support your practice

$30 | Learn more/register: https://bit.ly/3Qh9qXZ
–
Saroja Subrahmanyan, E-RYT500, has studied and practiced yoga for several decades. Her early yoga studies were in India followed by extensive teacher training in the Integral Yoga tradition since 1994 (Basic, Intermediate, Stress Management, Accessible Yoga Teacher Training, Laughing Yoga and Raja Yoga). She also received training in other areas such as Therapeutic yoga, Laughter Yoga in the Madan Kataria style, Ayurveda, Reiki, iRest® Level-1 and recently a 20-hour teacher training course on Yoga vs. Osteoporosis offered by Dr. Loren Fishman.
She has taught yoga and stress management courses in a variety of settings and for varied audiences (colleges, gyms, offices, ashram, yoga studios and private classes) in the US, Singapore & India. For the past two decades, she has taught a popular yoga philosophy and practice course at Saint Mary’s College of California, where is also a tenured professor in the business school. She loves how yoga practices offer guidance for physical, mental, and spiritual health and can be practiced by anyone.

Please register in advance: https://bit.ly/3Qh9qXZ.
Zoom link will be emailed to you 1 hr before the session, or you can join Zoom from your Momence dashboard.

Join Integral Yoga Therapist Diana Meltsner, C-IAYT, ERYT-500, YACEP, to activate your vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system through a guided practice of Yoga Asana, Pranayama and vibration using our voices.
Online & in-person | Save your spot today: https://bit.ly/4cue7XL

A balanced nervous system is one of the physiological benefits of Yoga practice through Integral Yoga sequencing.
Learn various practices to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), which can slow our heart and breathing rates, lower blood pressure and promote better digestion. Our body enters a state of relaxation, which cultivates recovery. The more time we spend in a PSNS state, the healthier we can become. In time we’ll see benefits, including dismantling stress, trauma and other patterns of tension in the body and the breath. Regulating the nervous system gives us a tool to bring healing on all the different levels of who we are.

We offer teachers 2 hours CEUs for Yoga Alliance upon request.

Diana has been teaching a variety of classes and workshops since 2001 and since 2017 offers yoga therapy sessions privately and at Integral Yoga Therapy Clinic in San Francisco. She has worked in the clinical setting for Kaiser Permanente since 2005 as a yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and health educator and is teaching mindfulness and meditation to the medical staff. Her focus is on the healing aspects of yoga on the mind as well as the body by applying the teachings of Yoga, practices of breath-control, mindfulness and meditation. Diana helps her clients to find healing and the ability to move through life with increased ease, stress resilience, and intuition. Diana Meltsner works as a programs manager and serves on the board of directors at Integral Yoga Institute, an urban ashram in San Francisco. She is a yoga teacher trainer for the 200-hour and Meditation Teacher trainings. www.dianameltsner.com

Applications are still being accepted, through June 17th! This profound training is perfect for Yoga teachers, Yoga Therapists, trainees, and health professionals. Enhance your Yoga teaching, therapeutic and personal practice with Raja Yoga Teacher Training – offered in 2-parts – ONLINE
with trainers Swami Ramananda and Swami Divyananda, guest trainer Swami Vidyananda & senior staff Kealoha DeLuz & Sue Evans. Apply today: : https://bit.ly/3RqzcJE

Raja Yoga is a guidebook to happiness, peace of mind and self-transformation. Raja Yoga is the foundation of all branches of Yoga, and brings Yoga into every aspect of your life. It is also the basis for understanding therapeutic applications of Yoga: how Yoga heals and enlightens.

Deep dive into the practical approach to health and balance in all aspects of life: physical, mental, social and spiritual. Raja Yoga proposes a pathway to relieve suffering, which is the goal of all the great wisdom traditions, and the practical goal of Yoga teaching and therapy.

This Training provides an opportunity to immerse yourself in these profound teachings and learn how to skillfully share them with others. All materials and recordings will be accessible for 3 months after graduation.

The Curriculum:
• An in-depth exploration of the Yoga Sutras
• Interactive discussion of how to incorporate the teachings into daily life
• Exploration of Raja Yoga for therapeutic application
• Opportunities to deepen your Hatha Yoga, pranayama and meditation practice
• Guidance for teaching Raja Yoga workshops and a six-week Raja Yoga course
• Guidance for incorporating Raja Yoga into Hatha Yoga classes
• Coaching in public speaking; including preparation, delivery, and using Yoga to lessen presentation anxiety
• Training in answering questions and leading discussions
Part 1: JUN 20–JUL 28 (no class 7/4)
Part 2: SEP 12–OCT 21
Mons. & Thurs. 4:30–7 pm
Sats.: 8–12 pm, 1:15–3:30 pm (JUL 6 / 8–12 pm only)
Suns.: 9–10 am (1 hr Yoga class (online or by recording)

Yoga Alliance hours: 155 | IAYT hours: 82 | Integral Yoga® 300-hour Program

TUITION* $1750 | To learn more or to apply visit: https://bit.ly/3RqzcJE

Balanced Spiritual Growth
-Swami Ramananda

To pursue our spiritual growth, we need a very refined state of mental balance that is achieved by a combination of regular meditative practice to create equanimity, and by reflecting on the beliefs and expectations that cause our minds to lose that balance.

We might ask ourselves, “What compels me to push myself beyond a healthy limit, to go sleep deprived, to strain or overdo?” If we look deeply, we can begin to discern where our attachment to an outcome prevents us from pursuing our goals with neutrality and poise. Asana practice can be a good opportunity to let go of needing to prove anything or live up to some standard, really listen to the sensations in the body, and respond to them to maintain a balance between effort and ease.

Anything we do can be an opportunity to choose equanimity, to consider the well-being of everyone and the planet we live on, including ourselves and the health of our bodies and minds. That becomes much easier when we develop a regular meditative practice that calms the mind and cultivates a non-reactive awareness and an open heart. Then all our efforts can be grounded in this inner steadiness and ultimately a sense that all we do is in service of the Divine.

Practice and Non-Attachment: A Two Pronged Approach to Liberation -Swami Ramananda

If you want to see well through a window, you have to clean both sides. Practice (Abhyasa) and Non-Attachment (Vairagya) work much the same way. They are the complimentary practices given in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras as a means to quiet the movement of thought in the mind so that we can experience our true nature -- a source of unchanging peace within.

In order to see clearly, we must remove anything that would cloud or color our vision. Practice implies a steady effort to calm any thoughts, emotions or prejudices that might prevent clear, neutral perception. For example, if you shake a glass ball with imitation snowflakes inside, and then hold it still, the snowflakes will gradually settle, leaving an unobstructed view. We may think primarily of sitting meditation as a means to still the mind, but practice can include anything done with meditative focus or mindfulness, creating a steady flow of attention.

But only learning to calm the disturbances in the mind does not insure our vision stays clear since we are so often disturbed by the difficulties that we encounter in daily life. Non-attachment works perfectly as a compliment to practice by preventing disturbances from arising. While practice may be pursued by pausing from activity to meditate or quietly focus the mind, non-attachment is meant to help us relate in healthy ways to all the activity we engage in.

Non-attachment guides us to learn that we cannot depend on anything outside of ourselves for our peace of mind. Non-attachment towards our goals means not depending on the results for that peace. We work with less tension and more clarity when we are not anxious about the outcome. Non-attachment towards the things we enjoy simply means that we can remain at peace even when those things are not available to us. In relationships, we can love more freely if we are not afraid of losing someone’s love or approval.

These two approaches to creating and maintaining a clear and focused mind support each other perfectly. Any effort to develop non-attachment becomes much easier if we begin to experience a natural sense of internal contentment as a result of a regular practice. Feeling this innate peace within, we more readily let go of desires and expectations as the source of our happiness. And if we learn to let go of attachment to the results of our meditative practices, we can pursue them steadily without becoming discouraged or disappointed.

We can develop practice by meditating regularly with sincere effort and by performing any action with one-pointed attention. Non-attachment can be a little trickier to cultivate. If we look deeply into any situation that causes us to suffer, we can usually find that we are wanting something so much (recognition, admiration or some experience that we enjoy), that we become disturbed by not getting it. We unintentionally make our peace of mind dependent on acquiring or achieving something.

It can be difficult to observe and analyze our struggles with the clarity and neutrality to see the underlying motives that give rise to suffering. Here again, practice compliments the effort to free ourselves from attachment by calming and strengthening the mind sufficiently to look deeply and objectively at our desires. When we are able to see clearly what we are holding onto in an unhealthy way, we then have the choice to let go.

These two elements of spiritual life empower us to free ourselves from the illusion that we can gain happiness by arranging the people and events around us make our lives happy. It is ultimately our choice. We can all gradually build the mental strength to focus our minds in selfless ways that align our behavior with the Cosmic Will and reveal the natural peace that has always been there.

Kirtan with Easy E
Sat. June 8 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm PDT
In-person

$5-$25 | Enroll for free, use promo code FREE: https://ow.ly/27M050S3WaI

Please Join Easy E for an evening of chanting. His style of Kirtan is wonderful for all levels of Kirtan goers, with an easy flow of music and lyrics that are simple to follow and chant to. Easy E wants everyone to focus on the medicine of the music and not the complication of the lyrics. With an Easy and gentle flow of mantra music, Easy E takes everyone down a path of devotional music and challenges everyone to dive deep into their hearts and feel the true spirit of what Kirtan can dish out for its participants.

Easy E was born and raised in Southern California and found the Bhakti practice back in 2015 when he went to India on a retreat with Govindas from the Bhakti Yoga Shala. It was on that trip that Easy E was introduced to Hanuman, and the connection was life changing. Easy E comes from a musical background and has been playing the acoustic guitar since he was 8 years old. With a deep rooted background in Judaism, the Bhakti path was like a coming home party for Easy E, playing and singing mantras was heart opening which is very transparent to all those who chant together with him. He often plays with Hanuman Ji’s, a Band of Friends, born out of the Bhakti Yoga Shala in Santa Monica California.

Explore Reiki for Self-Healing on
Sat. June 8 @ 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm PDT
In-person | $50 regular
Book now: https://ow.ly/5jUN50S3W0e
In this 3-hour workshop, you will learn the basics of self-healing with reiki, receive a brief introduction to energy healing generally, as well as learn techniques to ground, center and improve your energy flows.

Reiki is a form of energy healing that originated in Japan, based on revitalizing the “life force energy” that flows through us.

Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing, as well as grounding, balance.

Aryahi offers private Reiki sessions through the Integral Yoga Therapy Clinic; participants that enroll in this workshop will receive a 20% discount on treatments with her. To learn more and for a greater discount visit: https://ow.ly/LRBz50S3W0n

This workshop offers the essentials on self healing from the upcoming 2-day Reiki certification training:
September 14-15, 2024 ⋅ 9:00am-12:30pm & 1:30–5:00pm.
Space is limited to 8 people – save your spot today
Early bird savings available through 9/7.

Aryahi is an intuitive energy healer specializing in Reiki, Inner Alignment, and other healing modalities. She was certified by the International Center for Reiki Training as a reiki master in Japanese (Usui) reiki in 2013, and in the new “Holy Fire” reiki in 2018. Learn more at: https://ow.ly/zaAp50S3W0s or visit https://ow.ly/JlyL50S3W0f

Join Swami Ramananda for Scripture Study: The Path to Freedom, 3-part
Mon. June 3 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm PDT
Online | $5-15 sliding scale. Please register separately for each session.

Book now/Online: https://ow.ly/G8Hz50S3VfE
Please register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.
Each session offered individually:

Monday, June 3, 6:00-7:00 pm
Monday, June 10, 6:00-7:00 pm
Monday, June 17, 6:00-7:00 pm

In this three part series, Swami Ramananda will guide us in a study of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali to transform our relationships with each other and our goals.

6/3 – The first session will focus on understanding the root cause of suffering.

6/10 – The second session will examine the necessity of adversity for spiritual growth.

6/17 – In the third session, we will explore the pathways to authentic joy.

All are welcome to join any one or all of the sessions.

The Yoga Scripture Study series is an offering in which participants learn and discuss how the teachings of Yoga apply to our daily lives. We read passages, take time to reflect upon them, and share with each other how these words and practices support us on the spiritual path.

Making the Ask
-Rosemary Trommer

"Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable."
-The Wizard of Oz


Give me a heart that breaks,
a heart that longs to open
wider and wider, always revealing

more space. Give me hands
that long to serve. Make them strong
enough to build what must be built.

Make them fall in love with letting go.
Make them unable to hurt. Give me a mind
that leans toward generosity. A tongue

that speaks in only we. Feet that run
toward those in need. Eyes
that see beneath the masks. Ears

that hear the silence
that is the staff for every sound. A nose
that follows the fragrance of truth.

Blood the same red as everyone else’s.
And give me a heart that breaks again
and again, the way ocean waves

break, unpredictable, an endless
breaking, an endless release,
in which nothing is ever really lost.

Kirtan with Acharya Mangalananda, Sat. May 25 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm PDT
Please register in advance, space is limited: https://bit.ly/49zU1to
$25 Day of | $20 In advance, use promo code UNION, exp. 5/24 SIGN UP TODAY TO SAVE!

Acharya Mangalananda has learned by deep immersion the traditional spiritual music of India. His kirtan is couched in the mystical ragas of India and is full of the lively ecstatic joy of the Divine Names.

Mangalananda has toured extensively throughout India, Europe and the USA, presenting kirtan concerts, yoga classes and workshop retreats. He is an Acharya (an appointed Spiritual Teacher) of Ma Anandamayi Ashram in Omkareshwar / Indore in the lineage of Sri Anandamayi Ma.

Chanting mantras and prayers are elements of the Bhakti Yoga path which leads to union with the Divine Consciousness. Chanting calms the nerves, purifies the emotions, heals the body and opens the heart. It elevates and concentrates the mind, preparing one for silent mantra repetition, meditation and communion with the Divine. Chanting done with a devotional attitude lifts the emotions toward selfless, divine love.

Community Living
-Swami Ramananda

These three words—caring, useful and supportive—guide us to approach our interactions with an open heart, and to think of the well-being of others and the needs of any group we are a part of. We express sincere caring by wishing for others to be well and happy, by appreciating their strengths and virtues and ignoring their shortcomings, by forgiving their mistakes, and by making time to listen and understand them.

When we observe behavior in someone that causes harm to anyone, this intention guides us to mindfully offer feedback in a way that clearly expresses care. This means finding the right time to speak to someone, humbly expressing our feelings and observations without judgment or conjecture, and being willing to hear their point of view. Such conversations can be difficult, but if our words are backed by humility and sincerity, we can grow closer with someone as we share the challenges of spiritual growth.

Being a useful member of a community can be understood simply as actively seeking to contribute to the values and efforts of whatever group we are part of. In addition to our own projects and duties, we make time to serve the needs of our families or co-workers. Here at the Institute, we share certain duties like keeping the Institute clean and doing the dishes together after a meal. We are useful when we share the teachings, pray for peace, give others a chance to shine, or cheerfully pick up after someone who left in a hurry.

Join Leslie Howard and Richard Rosen for a deep dive into Savasana with a twist.
Sat. May 18 @ 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm PDT Online & in-person, $72. Please register today as space is limited: https://shorturl.at/afKX8
Most of us spend our days trying to extend our lives, i.e. looking both ways before crossing a street, putting our seatbelt on and checking expiration dates on our food. Nonetheless, nothing we do, not even yoga, can help us escape life’s inevitable end. Yoga can help prepare us to face our fear of the inevitable, maybe even embrace it so that we come to appreciate the preciousness of each day we are alive.

• Find a renewed appreciation for the beauty of our time on the planet
• Increase personal agency around end of life decisions
• Delve deep on what really matters to you
• Realize a new perspective on a very old pose and how it can help you
be more comfortable with the inevitable

Yoga is meant to bring us more awareness and gives us tools to manage the challenges of being human. This workshop is designed to manage the anxiety we all have around dying and to be more comfortable with these types of conversations.
There will be a short lecture on the history, practice, symbolic message of this often misunderstood pose. Then we will do a series of short practices with a savasana. Each practice will begin with a thought provoking question around your own death, like what are some of your regrets in life, or what do you want your legacy to be, who am I. After each practice, you will be given time to journal about each question. We’ll conclude with a group discussion and of course a final (FOR THIS WORKSHOP) savasana.
Leslie and Richard have been talking about the power of savasana for a long time. They got the idea to do a whole book about it and to include some of the teaching of yoga around accepting death. This workshop is a result of many hours of conversation and we hope to pull it all together for a book before we die!

“...Thank you so much, dear Leslie and Richard, for designing such a beautiful workshop that captures the philosophical heart of yoga in the one asana to live and die for.“
– Sarada, class participant