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 [...]
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 [...]
All is Given Pt. 2: Cultivating attitude of graceful acceptance – karma yoga is bhakti
Here I offer the principles and verses from the Bhagavad Gita that inform the principles in All is Given Pt1 and delve into the essence of Karma Yoga, which includes Bhakti, or devotion. There is no separate Bhakti yoga in essence. Again, I draw largely from Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s teachings. In essence Karma Yoga has [...]
All is Given Pt. 1: musings, Sutras & Gita, and free meditation mp3.
[NOTE: it's a long one, you may want to print from blog for better reading. You have to read all the way through to download the meditation in mp3 format ] Is my body mine? Does it belong to me, in terms of rights of ownership? Am I defined by my physicality (gender, species, health, [...]
Emerson, Vedanta & Serendipity (Karl’s musings, book, conference)
So I’m reading a book on Emerson by Richard G. Geldard I saw reviewed in an old issue of Parabola (a magazine on world mythology and spirituality I’ve been into since high school). I have always been a fan of Emerson since high school or earlier, and Thoreau, Whitman… I realize now much of Emerson [...]
