The teachings of Integral Yoga are a significant part of my Yoga foundation. They have largely inspired how and why I teach and gave rise to the opening and naming of Mukunda Studio.
My practice started in 2001 with Ashtanga Yoga as a way to increase my flexibility and manage injuries while I was a modern dancer. I discovered various styles of Yoga over the years which led to exploring Yoga as a lifestyle, not just for body maintenance. I embarked on a 2-month trip to India in 2007 in search of the teacher or path of Yoga to deepen my practice. I traveled to 15 different cities and found connection with the spirit of refuge in Bodh Gaya, the magic within The Golden Temple in Amritsar, strict teachers in Lakshman Jula and Varanasi, and studied the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in Pondicherry and Auroville. I found connection at the Sivananda ashram in Kerala and the vibration and presence of Ramana Maharshi in Tiruvannamalai. I enjoyed meeting people all along my travels and found a reminder that we will forever look outside for answers and perfection when what we are seeking may be inside and not via the ego. In 2009, I took my first Yoga teacher training at the Satchidananda Ashram in Virginia led by Swami Divyananda, a dedicated Integral Yoga teacher. It was a brilliant moment of transformation and I’ve been teaching and practicing the Integral Yoga teachings steadily ever since.
Integral Yoga’s central organization has met a number of challenges and some question what will be the road ahead. As with change or the resistance to change, there is potential to learn, grow and forge new paths. Here in San Francisco, we are incredibly fortunate to have Swami Ramananda as the Director of the SF Integral Yoga Institute. He is a longtime Integral Yogi who eloquently shares the teachings of Yoga in a way that adapts with the changing times. There are many teachers here in the Bay Area and across the globe who have benefitted from the teachings of Integral Yoga, and specifically from the way that Swami Ramananda interprets and shares them for personal and collective healing and transformation.
More about Swami Ramananda:
Swami Ramananda, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, is the Executive Director of the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco, C-IAYT, and a greatly respected senior teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition who has been practicing Yoga for over 45 years. Ramananda offers practical methods of integrating the timeless teachings and practices of Yoga into daily life and transforming the painful aspects of human experience into steps toward realizing one’s full potential.
He leads beginner, intermediate and advanced-level Yoga teacher training programs in San Francisco and offers a variety of programs in many locations in the U.S., Europe and South America. Ramananda co-developed the Stress Management Teacher Training program with Swami Vidyananda, has trained many teachers to bring Yoga into corporate, hospital and medical settings, and has taught mind/body wellness programs in many locations. He is a certified Yoga therapist and founding board member of the Yoga Alliance, a national registry that supports and promotes yoga teachers as professionals. He co-founded The Spiritual Action Initiative (SAI), which brings together individuals committed to working for social justice for all beings and for the care and healing of our natural world. His warmth, wisdom and sense of humor have endeared him to many.
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Mirabai and I met years ago and even worked together briefly at Fan Asylum on the second floor of 1250 Folsom Street – which is yes, now Mukunda Studio! This is a wonderful full circle moment as we come together after our years of being immersed in our Yoga paths. I’m thrilled Mirabai and I will be “co-workers” again this coming Saturday. We’ve actually partnered a handful of times over the years for Integral Yoga silent retreats with Swami Ramananda. So this is a joyful reunion and a first for the three of us to be at Mukunda Studio.
More about Mirabai:
Mirabai Warkulwiz planted her yoga and meditation roots in San Francisco at the Sivananda Center in 1998. Amazed at her healing of a back injury and many other positive life changes, she became yoga certified through 200-hour teacher training programs both at the Integral Yoga Institute in 2004, and at the Greenpath Ashtanga Studio in 2005. In July 2008 she completed another 170 hour Intermediate Teacher Training program in Asana and Pranayama through the Integral Yoga Institute in Virginia. She is attuned to Reiki Level 1, studies Aryuveda, is a dancer, and enjoys being in communion with nature. She invites all of her yoga students to transcend physical, emotional, and mental blocks to experience more spaciousness, comfort, happiness, clarity, and inner peace. As a Kirtan musician (Mirabai and Friends Kirtan Band) Mirabai leads Kirtan around the Bay Area, and enjoys implementing chanting, sound, and music into class.
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All to say, this will be a very special evening to highlight the expression of Bhakti Yoga and Integral Yoga with Ramananda and Mirabai. I urge you to join whether in-person or livestream. This is being offered through Integral Yoga’s website but if there’s any barrier with scheduling or cost, please simply reply to this email or email: info@mukundastudio.com and we’ll be sure to add you to the event.
Let’s stay connected,
Marc
