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“What is Yoga?”

AUDIO

Swami Radha uses the Divine Mother mantra to show us how we can transform our everyday life into a practice of awareness, the essence of yoga.

TEACHING & REFLECTION IDEAS

  1. What is your “yoga” right now? What does “yoga” mean to you?
  2. Choose a text, such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras or Swami Radha’s Kundalini Yoga for the West or Woodroffe’s Shiva and Shakti and explore, What is yoga? from this perspective. Choose a sutra or the kundalini mantras and make your own commentary. Or create your own yoga sutras, stringing the pearls of your knowledge into a guiding text.
  3. Consider your life in terms of “Yoga is Dance. Dance is Yoga.” How is your life a dance? How is yoga a dance? Use a dance practice to help you explore. Review your diaries… can you see the flow of movement in your life?
  4. In Light and Vibration Swami Radha says the universe is an open question. How do you stay open to continuous learning? What are you doing at home and at work (personal and professional development) that sharpens your awareness? How does self-inquiry and questioning keep your mind open?
  5. “Tapas” in Sanskrit refers to a burning away, a purification. Choose a tapas and see what you learn. Renounce a habit or start a particular practice. Set a length of time and follow through. Examples are giving up coffee or sugar for a month, creating an extra waking hour and devoting it to a spiritual practice, or consciously restraining speech. Follow up by writing your observations. What happens to the mind when you direct your will in this way? What is self-will?
  6. “Yoga” translated means to “yoke.” What is separate in your life that needs to be joined together? How does acceptance come in? What about uplift and transcendence?
  7. Yoga is sometimes defined as a path of Liberation, a path of Light, a path to Higher Consciousness, a path of Self-Realization. What does “path” mean? What do any of these expressions commonly used to define yoga actually mean to you? Can you approach “beyond mind” through the mind? Through devotion? Through work? What is your way?
  8. Start where you are and build your foundation. One example would be going back to the basics of the Divine Light Invocation, renewing and revitalizing your practice.
  9. Focus on living the Divine Mother mantra. Choose a line every day and bring attention to it. Or choose one line for a month and observe what happens. What is yoga from this understanding?

ascent magazine

ascent crafted a yoga magazine unlike any other. An award-winning resource for those living a spiritually, socially and creatively engaged life in today’s world, ascent mixed inquiry and discovery in one beautiful package.

ascent translated the philosophy of yoga into practical realities by exploring the intersection of spirituality with social and political issues, art, culture and contemporary thought. Each issue offers features, profiles, and columns that take yoga out of the studio and into the world, exploring creativity and the integrity of individual paths toward personal growth.

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Cancellation Policy

To reserve your space we require a non-refundable $300 deposit at the time of booking. If you cancel prior to 14 days before the start date of your program, the deposit is non-refundable but may be transferred to another stay at the Ashram booked within a year of the original registration. Deposits for stays cancelled within 14 days of the start date will not be refunded and cannot be transferred to another stay. If you depart early during a program, full tuition and room charges still apply. Thank you for your consideration that will help make space available for other guests.

Cancellation Policy

To reserve your space we require a non-refundable $300 deposit at the time of booking.

  • The $300 deposit is non-refundable, but if you cancel with at least two weeks’ notice, your payment may be transferred to another stay at the Ashram. 
  • If the cancellation is made less than 14 days before the start of the course, the deposit is not transferable. 
  • Deposits transferred following a cancellation are converted into a booking credit. This credit must be applied to a retreat scheduled within twelve (12) months of the cancellation date. 
  • If the credit is not used within this period, it will expire and be forfeited. Expired credits have no cash value and will not be refunded or extended.

Thank you for your consideration that will help make space available for other guests.