PLEASE CHECK IN REGULARLY FOR UPDATESUPDATE: August 30th......POWER OF MANTRA WORKSHOP: GURU AS GUIDE Tuesdays 5:30-6:40pm for 4 weeks starting September 14th
"Oh Gracious Guru, won't you drive this small boat of mine?".......is a beautiful metaphor for making the Lord your Helmsman...... guiding the soul/ the higher SELF home to its Source.......This particular bhajan focuses on the mysterious spiritual entity, Guru......His purpose and mission in the life of a sincere seeker.
Swami Kripalu....our Grandfather Guru and revered Teacher was an accomplished musician, who created many "bhajans".....love songs to God fueled by Hiis own personal practices. The word "Bhajan" means reverence. It is architected like a song with verses and a chorus.
We will spend these 4 weeks learning to sing this bhajan entitled, "Helmsman of Life" unveiliing the cryptic meaning behind each word and each line as we go.....and connecting it with a verse from the Bhagavad Gita as well!
It is truely a blessing to bring this to the world in English!
UPDATE: August 10th....... Yes! We do plan to offer our Teacher Training Program again once it becomes safe to be together at our yoga center....probably sometime is 2022. Our program of study is top-notch owing to the insights and the blessings of our very special Teacher and Spiritual Guide, Swami Ashutosh Muni, who has taken us systematically through the scriptures to bring them to life in our everyday lives over the past 16 years. If you hunger for something more in your life.........I highly reccommend this program of study to turn your whole life around!
UPDATE: July 22nd.....Each month we are offering an Introduction to Bhagavad Gita
for anyone who is interested in exploring this sacred scripture. This introduction will afford you the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about our ongoing scripture study program which meets on ZOOM 1X per month. The literal translation of Bhagavad Gita is the "Song of God". The Bhagavad Gita reveals the hidden, mystical side of our lives........the spiritual side.......the side that is often eclipsed from our view....as well as from our understanding.....for we are spiritual beings navigating our lives in a material world. We are pilgrims here.......just passing through! Please contact me if interested: joannadevi@gmail.com *** we are asking for a small donation of $10 to attend this introduction on Tuesday, August 3rd at 5:30-6:45pm
3 Asana Classes are back in-person at our center:
Tuesdays 10-11:15am....this is a hybrid class
Wednesdays 5:30-6:45pm
Thursdays 5:45-7pm....this is a hybrid class...which means you may attend on zoom as well
*** for all in-person classes we kindly ask that you are fully vaccinated for Covid-19 for the safety of all.......and that you bring yourown mat.
Other Exclusively Zoom classes:
Mondays 5:30-6:45pm
Thursdays 10-11:15am - this class is on hold until August
UPDATE: May 28th.....2nd in-person/hybrid class started this week!
Tuesdays 10-11:15am
Thursdays 5:45-7pm
These are "hybrid" classes......which means that you may join us either in-person or on ZOOM,,,,your choice. We want to make a slow and safe transition back to live in-person classes....AND we want you to feel safe to do so. Coming back in this way allows YOU....the student to decide for yourself when you feel safe to return in-person. Feeling safe in yoga class is very important.......as the body and the mind just cannot relax fully if there is fear lurking inside you.
We continue to follow protocols of maintaining distance, handwashing and masking. Mats have been measured and placed 6 feet apart in the center. PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN MAT! Also we ask that you wear a maskupon entering the center and then once you are situated on your mat.....you may remove your mask for class time. BREATHING DEEPLY is so important.
UPDATE: May 12th.......On Wednesday May 26th 5:45-7pm on ZOOM Hal and I are offering an introduction to Bhagavad Gita. The literal translation is, "The Song of God".
Our lives are precious and time is of the essence.....let's use out time here on earth for good. The Bhagavad reveals the mystical side of life....the unseen side.......and it deals with methodologies for the application of spiritual knowledge to practical everyday life. These methodologies make up the science of yoga.
Of the Bhagavad Gita, here are some quotes:
- Mahatma Gandhi: "When doubts haunt me, when dissappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad Gita and find a verse to comfort me: and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelmimg sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meaanings from it every day."
- Henry David Thoreau: "In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial."
- Dr Albert Schweitzer: "The Bhagavad Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by our actions."
We will avail ourselves to answer any questions you may have.....to see if you would like to join our study group which meets 1X per month on Sunday mornings on ZOOM. PLEASE email me if you are interested: joannadevi@gmail.com We are asking for a donation of $10 for the introduction.
UPDATE: April 26th.......As we move forward thoughtfully and cautiously to open our Lakulish Yoga Center.........we have resolved that all in-person classes at this time are reserved for those people who have either already been fully vaccinated OR who have tested negative for covid 19 in the last 48 hours before class. This is important for the protection of all the people who would choose to participate. Your safety and sense of comfort in yoga class is a priority for us.
For those people who have not yet been vaccinated for whatever reason......we welcome you as well to join our fantabulous yoga classes via ZOOM.
UPDATE: March 27th......This has been a defining year for us all in many ways. Yes, there has been loss, heartache, injustice, pain and major disruption of our lives.......no one could deny that.......however.....at the same time.......it has brought healing to our planet........awareness that our earth's resources are not unlimited and a chance to notice that we have been living too fast........that we have become slaves to our smartphones and internet connections, urgent appointments, endless do-to lists and addiction to non-stop stimulation by the external world.
This time has freed us from being swept away in our excessive time-driven.....fast-paced lives.....
This time has forced us to SLOW DOWN.......
To smell the flowers again......
To delight in nature........
To be creative....
This time has afforded me the opportunity to connect more deeply with my own inner Being. My inner Self.....this is where I find..... my own true freedom. My inner Self roots me to my Self.....and to the ground beneath me....and to the mystery of life.
The sunlight and the soil that nourish my inner Self are solitude and silence......and personal reflection. When I listen to my inner Self....I hear the voice of my Spirit within. That voice is so subtle and tiny and delicate.........I need stillness to hear it. I need slowness to hear it. I need vast silent spaces to hear it. And without this space......I become a prisoner of this frenzied world around me.....a slave to a job, money, clothes and constant busy-ness. I lose sight of meaning and depth and purpose.
Could a more contemplative lifestyle be good?
The joy that exudes from a mind calmed from the constant assault of life....is a wonderful experience! Think about it!
AND JOIN US FOR YOGA PRACTICE!
UPDATE: March 1st..... The Ancient Mystical Teachings Divulged - Bhagavad Gita Zoom course starts in March.........one Sunday a month 10-12:30pm for the entire year 2021 (exact dates will be forthcoming) This course is sure to inspire a sense of the spiritual mystery mystery and awe of life! We shall dive deep into the principles of metaphysics which examines the fundamental nature of REALITY....the spiritual and the material world....and the differentiation between these 2 sides of life. If this interests you PLEASE contact JoAnna at: joannadevi@gmail.com very soon. Cost $175 for the whole year......will go to support our yoga center.
UPDATE: February 5th......All classes continue on Zoom at this time for everyone's safety. Please see Current Classes for asana classes. Hal is doing kirtan most Saturdays 4-5pm. You can email him for a link at halmonth@hotmail.com
The supreme and everlasting happiness that we long for lies in inner purity alone. Through chanting the mind becomes saturated with the mantras and easily achieves one-pointedness. The heart is stabilized in the BLISS that comes from synchronizing with the vibrations and frequencies of the sacred sounds. It is one of many bhaktiyoga practices......and it is GLORIOUS!
UPDATE: January 1, 2021 Happy New Year!
Lakulish Yoga reopens for ZOOM classes on Monday, January 4th.
Please consider joining us for weekly asana classes to enhance your health and well-being. Yoga and meditation are proven tools to promote emotional balance and psychological contentment. Through its effects on the whole central nervous system we can actively fortify our sense of groundedness in PEACE within. Yoga works!....on many levels of our being. SEE CURRENT CLASSES
Power of Mantra workshop on ZOOM with Hal....Begins Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 5:30-6:40pm for 4 weeks. Cost $45
Swami Kripalu was, among other things, an accomplished musician and He created many love songs to God out of his own personal practice. The word, "bhajan" means reverence. It is architected like a song with verses and a chorus. The particular bhajan that we will dive into deeply in this class makes a case for chanting the name of the Lord..........as the BEST means to attain union with Him.
We will spend these 4 weeks learning to sing this bhajan which has been rendered in English in the meter of the original Gujarati version. Gujarat is one of the dialects of the Indian subcontinent. It opens up our understanding of WHY chanting is practiced by the saints.
Habits, Thoughts, Words.....ZOOM workshop with JoAnna and Hal Sundays for 3 weeks starting January 24th 3:30-4:45pm each Sunday.
The new year is a time for renewal and change. How do our habits, our thoughts and our words contribute to the ongoing development of who we are? This is the subject.........based upon a sutra from the Narad Bhakti sutras which says:
Watch your thoughts, for they become words,
Choose your words, for they become actions,
Understand your actions, for they become habits,
Study your habits, for they will become your character,
Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny.
How would you like to change....be different?
How would you like to further your growth as a human being?
How can our habits suppoprt our goals?
How to create new habits?
How to work our way out of old, established habits that no longer serve us?
Cost: (on a sliding scale) $35-$65
The purpose of yoga is to reconnect with who you are at that deepest level........to reconnect with the stillness.....and the peace that resides deep in the heart. It can be experienced whenever there is total, uninhibited, unconflicted participation in the moment you are in..........when you are wholeheartedly present with whatever you are doing. At this time the mind has ceased thinking. It has taken a back seat and allowed experience to take over.........and with it...... a new sense of aliveness, a renewed sense of calm and renewed ability to deal with life with grace and clear perception.......emerges. It seems magical! Though in reality it is very scientifically induced. This is the science that is yoga.....and it has been around for thousands of years.
A regular yoga practice brings greater flexibility in the body......it also brings greater flexibiltiy in the mind......thus it develops life-enhancing qualities and abilities to manage all the changes and the challenges of this time. By centering ourselves regularly, by opening the breath in the body through movement....and by directing our focus inside...we can call upon our inherent capacity to brave all the storms of life with grace and calm.
Gathering grace and blessings in prayer......let us choose:
Yoga classes are ongoing......you can pay per class or for a 4-class package. weeks. Single classes cost $12 and the 4-week package is $45. Go to Current Classes page and use paypal at the bottom of the page to pay.......THEN please email me and I will send the link to the class you wish to participate in.joannadevi@gmail.com
The essence of yoga is about connecting inside and learning to source our lives from the divinity that resides within that is "brighter than 1000 suns!" It is a journey back home to the SELF, the grandest adventure of all time, merging back to the brightest part of ourselves!
Time truly slips through the windows of our manifest universe whether we are aware or not..................whether we are engaged or not........whether we are making the most of each moment or not...................... it trickles past the vision like grains of sand being poured back into the vast ocean of consciousness............so I urge you to take note............to breathe............to relax..........to be open to the next moment...............for it is all we really have
The ultimate mystery of life is only to be found within. Exclusive externalization of our energy causes distraction, distress, drama and disappointment........in the long haul. To maintain our physical and psychological health and well-being we all need time to go within. Yoga will help you live your life well........and when you are ready it will guide you on the path of the spirit back home to your true nature.
Welcome to Lakulish Yoga! With each passing day, hour, minute, second in time we renew our commitment to the path of spirit! May this time be one in which the inside "catches" our attention more than the outside.....so that we may truly live for a higher goal than our own personal pleasures.........All the practices of hatha yoga.......asana, breathing, chanting meditation yamas and niyamas among them........help to relax the body and the mind and stimulate pranic capacity..........to help us be our very best Self.
Let's breathe new life into the life inside our life!
Studying and chanting scripture is reccommended by Lord Krishna for the spiritual aspirant.....so that we can begin to embrace these principles in our lives....and make it personal! It's called swadhyaya and it is one of the niyamas. Sunday satsangas will begin again when we feel it is safe to be together in person. This will be offered monthly on Sunday afternoons 3:30-5 pm to create such a practice.......and after chanting a chapter of Bhagavad Gita we will chant more together.
Our new Lakulish Yoga sign and Logo is up....come check it out! Bapuji created our logo which is a Shiva lingam....an iconic representation of Divine Energy with the 3rd eye of wisdom....The all-knowing One embedded in it.
Highlights from our Yoga Camp! It was so much fun!
