Happy New…
For many this is the time of year when we look forward and look back, wish a “Happy New Year” upon others and ourselves, and reflect upon changes, what we’d like to change in ourselves, or “resolve to improve,” all dipping into the sense of renewal, of fresh start-ness, of a cycle beginning anew. Which [...]
Yoga & Healing: An ongoing discussion
We held an event Sunday Dec 4th to reconnect, celebrate life and gather as a community of like minds seeking to learn about ourselves and this life through yoga. See below for comments and discussion, feel free to share your thoughts. If you went please comment here on your experience and insights, if not, feel [...]
The Bhagavad Gita, an introduction. Dec. 18 and Jan. 8
Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita: A two part course Sunday Dec 8th, Sunday January 8th The Yoga Loft, San Francisco Register Here or call 415.626.5638 Why study the Bhagavad Gita? We move through life with varying degrees of self-acceptance, happiness, sorrow and so on. In essence, discontent arises from finding our self, our current state, [...]
Why Meditate? Part 2 … thoughts on intention and effects.
New FREE Meditation practice Sundays, 8:20 am – 8:50am, Yoga Tree Valencia San Francisco Yoga is first and foremost a practice, a means, of purifying the heart/mind. The yoga sastra, or source texts, the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, tell us this. Asana, or the posture practice is but a small part of the [...]
Healing & Rebuilding, round two
I am currently at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Pennsylvania, studying Vedanta, meditation, walking, rebuilding. I began study of Vedanta with Swami Dayananda Saraswati here in 1996, coming every year for over for over ten years, so it has had a big influence on me and the place is a familiar, comfortable refuge full of rich [...]
Beyond Tribal: On Empathy, Wholeness, Yoga & Vedanta [books, J. Rifkin, video]
![Beyond Tribal: On Empathy, Wholeness, Yoga & Vedanta [books, J. Rifkin, video]](http://www.yoganexus.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jrifkin_anmated-150x150.png)
For some years now I have been pondering ‘identity’ as I study and seek to practice Yoga and Vedanta. Identity meaning sense of self – in community, in society, in relation to spirit and divinity, in relation to our apparent tribal nature.
Yoga and Vedanta teach the nature of Wholeness, brahma vidya, knowledge of Brahman, and the practice of karma yoga…
Recent studies in neuroscience, psychology and behavior point to empathy and compassion being strong biological drivers[...]
Beyond Belief: Yoga & Vedanta are for Understanding
It really struck me one year at Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s place when he said “Vedanta is not a matter of blind faith or unverifiable belief, but a matter of understanding.” It hit me then why his teachings sat so well with me. The primary message is listen, inquire, question, discuss and if you disagree speak [...]
