“The purpose of the world is to give us experiences so we can grow spiritually. There will always be calamities and turmoil in the world. Tell me one time when there was no turmoil at all in the world? This is the nature of the world and we can’t stop that. The world is like a big car factory, with everything in a different stage of development. If you can change your vantage point, you will have a better understanding of the purpose and the people in this world. Then, you will see a better world.”
Yoga Nidra is yogic sleep. But, it’s a sort of sleepless sleep. You are awake and at the same time you are sleeping. The scriptures call it “jagrat sushupti,” awakened sleep. You sleep, but you don’t sleep. During regular sleep, you sleep but you don’t know that you’re sleeping. Only after you wake up do you realize that you were sleeping. But in Yoga Nidra you are sleeping and you know that you are sleeping and that is what is called “samadhi,” sleepless sleep. MORE
Last year, Felix Cavaliere (cofounder and lead singer of The Rascals, of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) released his memoir titled,Felix Cavaliere: Memoir Of A Rascal. In it, he recounts some of his experiences as a student of Swami Satchidananda. It’s a wonderful read and in this most recentinterview, Cavaliere talks about Sri Swamiji’s influence on him. He details this even more in the documentary “Living Yoga: The Life and Teachings of Swami Satchidananda.”
My discovery of Yoga and meditation when I was 18 and a college freshman began to change me from an angry and troubled teenager who hated Phys Ed. to a balanced adult comfortable in my body. It took years, of course, for the practices to take hold. But I stayed with them or, more accurately, returned to them in my 20s and 30s and 40s whenever I needed to be rescued from my negativity and destructive habits. Then in my mid-40s, I stumbled into the Integral Yoga Institute (IYI) in New York City. MORE
There were times during this winter when I went deep into the woods to escape my problems. Sometimes I would escape, or think I did, but usually what I found is that the only real conflict is inside myself. When December arrived the days squeezed short until even the sun was too weary to clear the pines. My dog Zoë and I often walked before dinner, and one night as we looped back toward the farmhouse my flashlight conked out. The path was wide and we weren’t far from home... MORE
In this Integral Yoga Podcast episode, Mia Velez and Avi Gordon discuss Yoga and Kung Fu, both of which are integrated into her daily life as a mother, preschool teacher, and advocate for gender, race and class equality through multiple non-profits groups. Mia is an Integral Yoga trainer and a disciple of the Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu lineage. She sees an undeniable parallel in Yoga and Kung Fu, and feels they are complements to each other.
Most of our flexibility comes from Yoga, walking, static stretching, and other forms of exercise. Still, diet also plays an important role. Eating the right foods can help us improve on more advanced poses and become a more well-rounded Hatha Yogi. Collagen: the body’s most common protein, strengthening our bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Body parts like arteries and digestive organs even have specific types of collagen, with unique functions. MORE
In February 2023, the Ashram fully opened its doors once again to guests, program participants, and for residential programs. A full-range of offerings are now available, including favorites like Swami Karunananda's "Raja Yoga Now" workshop (March 17–19, 2023 ). Personal retreats and Integral Yoga Silent Retreats, as well as residential Teacher Trainings and the Living Yoga Training are available to register now for 2023. (Please note: LOTUS is still closed with continued renovations.)
