IY Teacher Feature: Retreat and Reset with Silence
Seeking silence? Overwhelmed with the constant flurry of talk, and wishing there was a pause button on life? If so, you might be ready for a Silent Retreat. For this month’s Integral Yoga Teacher Feature, three Yogaville teacher—Rukmini Ando, Roy Rodriguez, and Rev. Kumari de Sachy—share the benefits of silence and participating in a Silent Retreat. Benefits of Silence and Silent Retreats It feels so good to find silence within. It’s a reset button. The mind fights it at first, but after even a few moments of stillness, the mind sees more clearly. Nothing on the outside needs to change, only how we look at it.Rukmini Ando, E-RYT 200, RYT 500, YACEP “Like fasting, a silent retreat allows you to process things, such as thoughts, experiences, and emotions that haven’t yet been processed due to so much activity. A lot of the things we carry, that have been unaddressed, will most likely come up in a silent retreat. And that’s the best place to process these things because there’s so much...
4 Reasons To Practice Kirtan
In recent years, the practice of kirtan, or devotional chanting, has become increasingly popular in the West—and for good reason. Saints and Sages have claimed that it not only increases happiness and quality of life, but can lead to God realization. Not sure if...
Rewire Your Brain With Silence
Sound affects the human body on a deep cellular level. All of the sounds we hear throughout the day (alarms, music, traffic, etc.) vibrate every cell of our body, whether we are aware of it or not. In recent years, studies have suggested that Mozart’s sonatas have a...
More Recent Articles
How Yoga Enlightens
it originally evolved as part of an eight-limbed path to experience enlightenment, the realization of our true nature.
God Wanted Fun by Sri Swami Satchidananda
We should know how to take things easy and see in this light that it’s all a great, Divine play, and we are being made to play our roles.
Bhagavad Gita: Translation and Commentary
Sri Krishna is clear about what our priority should be: before it is time to leave the body, we should realize that we are not the body. That is the core of our sadhana.
Gratefulness by Swami Satchidananda
We always give and take, give and take, give and take; therefore we should be thankful to each other, and to each and everything in Nature—and, ultimately, to that one great power, the one great intelligence that we call God. It’s not possible for us to return in kind all that we get from Nature. How can we fulfill our obligation? It’s impossible. The only way is to remember and to be grateful.
Steady Mind Through Sadhana
The best way to develop any muscle is to build it up by repeated use. Developing a steady mind and an inner ease – strong enough to last in the midst of activity—also takes practice.
Ahimsa and Vegetarianism by Sri Swami Satchidananda
e say we want a loving world, a peaceful world; but we cannot cultivate that love if negative vibrations get into us. One way in which we can bring negative vibrations into ourselves is through our food. That is why food should come to us as an offering of love.
Hatha Yoga as Spiritual Practice
The goal of Yoga is to experience this innate nature and to allow that aspect of our being to guide the way to everything. At peace with ourselves, innately we are in a loving relationship to what is outside of us. It is our nature to express love. When our action is an expression of love, there is joy in that.
Memorial Message by Sri Swami Satchidananda
Remember you will never be without me!
Hatha Yoga as a Tool for Self-discovery
In Hatha practice, we attempt to move and think about our movements in ways outside of our patterned thinking and moving. We practice being and acting free of our conditioning by moving with complete, non-judgmental awareness and in loving response to the capacity of the body in this moment only.
The Art of Giving by Sri Swami Satchidananda
If you ever have selfish expectations when you give something, this will eventually disturb your inner peace. Anytime you expect something in return for your effort, it’s karma
Yoga for the Special Child
I also work with two-year-old twins who have cerebral palsy. The yoga therapy has improved their balance, strength and flexibility and, equally as important, it has given them the ability to develop stillness in their mind and body.
In Celebration of Sri Swami Satchidananda: A Collage
You are not given the light by anyone—not even by a spiritual teacher. You are that light.