An Introduction to Integral Yoga
Integral Yoga is one of the most respected schools of Yoga, founded in the 1970s by Sri Swami Satchidananda, who was first invited to the United States by the artist Peter Max. Swami Satchidananda is most known for his interfaith initiatives and for giving the opening speech at Woodstock. He established the school of Integral Yoga and built the L.O.T.U.S. (Light Of Truth Universal Shrine) shrine famous for housing twelve altars to the major world religions.
The goals of Integral Yoga are a body free from disease, a clear, sharp mind, and a useful life. To achieve these goals, Integral Yoga combines six branches of yoga (Hatha, Raja, Bhakti, Karma, Jnana, and Japa) to create a yogic lifestyle that leads to better health, reduced stress, higher powers of concentration, and greater enjoyment of life itself.
The Integral Yoga Hatha class incorporates bhakti yoga (in this case, chanting), asanas (poses/postures), pranayama (breathing exercises), yoga nidra (deep relaxation), and a short meditation. Integral Yoga insists that non-violence begins with oneself and is therefore gentle and contemplative, neither focusing on nor forcing "results", but rather focusing on the present, what the body needs and wants now, keeping faith that health and healing are organic results of the process.
I have practiced Integral Yoga for the last 15 years. Over the years, yoga has been a pillar in an often shaky world, helping me through an eating disorder, failed and troubled relationships, and adapting to life in foreign environments. It has always been a stabilizer, and I enjoy sharing my love for yoga with others. Surrounded by small and large violences, obsessed with achievement, and wearing our to-do lists as a badges of honor, we need to be reminded that peace begins with oneself and that a life without self-torment does not equal a life without meaning. I chose Integral Yoga, because it fully incorporates yoga in one's life without forcing one into uncomfortable habits. Integral Yoga slowly but surely transforms one's life without subjugating the personality or denigrating one's existing belief system. By treating yoga as a philosophy rather than a religion, Swami Satchidananda opened the doors to inter-faith communication, creating bridges rather than divisions. I enjoy the freedom of teaching each class tailored to the group, because, as Swami Satchidananda explained, any yoga practice is a good yoga practice.
Integral Yoga
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