INTEGRAL YOGA
REALIZE YOUR SPIRITUAL NATURE
“The goal of Integral Yoga, and the birthright of every individual is to realize the spiritual unity behind all the diversities in the entire creation and to live harmoniously as members of one universal family. This goal is achieved by maintaining our natural condition of a body of optimum health and strength, senses under total control, a mind well-disciplined, clear and calm, an intellect as sharp as a razor, a will as strong and pliable as steel, a heart full of unconditional love and compassion, an ego as pure as a crystal, and a life filled with Supreme Peace and Joy.” - HH Sri Swami Satchidananda.
Integral Yoga is a blend of the various branches of Yoga. It is a comprehensive system for the harmonious development of every aspect of the individual: physical emotional, and spiritual.
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Integral yoga was developed by the Sri Swami Satchidananda, who came to the United States from India in the 1960s and eventually founded the famed Yogaville Ashram in Buckingham, Virginia and many other yoga institutes. Integral yoga is a gentle, hatha practice and classes each class include breathing exercises, chanting, krias, and meditation. The Integral yoga seeks to integrate the mind, body, and spirit, is intended to give students the tools they need to live peaceful, healthy, joyful, useful lives.
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Satchidanada’s teachings go beyond the physical practice of yoga postures: He sought to inspire students to find fulfillment in themselves and promote a peaceful existence with others. Sachidananda is also the author of many books. His translations and interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali make these arcane texts comprehensible to contemporary readers and applicable to modern life.
BRANCHES OF INTEGRAL YOGA
HATHA YOGA
Focuses on the physical aspects through asanas (postures), pranayama (breath control), mudras, kriyas, yogic diet, and deep relaxation.
RAJA YOGA
Balance and control of the mind through ethical practices, concentration and meditation.
BHAKTI YOGA
The path of devotion, by constant love, thought, and service of the Divine. Bhakti Yoga can be practiced by everyone. All that is needed is faith and constant remembrance of God.
KARMA YOGA
The path of action and selfless service. Serving without attachment to the fruits (or results) of the action.
JNANA YOGA
The intellectual approach. Through the knowledge of what really exists, that is, what is not changeable, one who engages in the Path of Wisdom realizes Oneness with the entire Universe.
JAPA YOGA
Japa means repetition of a mantram - a sound structure of one or more syllables which represents a particular aspect of the Divine Vibration.
YOGA CLASSES OFFERED ON OUR LOCATION
HATHA YOGA FOR BEGINNERS AND INTERMEDIATES
This class is designed for students interested in the traditional form of gentle Hatha Yoga. A comprehensive, balanced class with a steady flow, relaxation between poses (asanas), and guided instructions. During this one-and-a-half hour class participants are given an opportunity to experience harmony and self awareness. Class incorporates yoga poses, beginning with Sun Salutation, gentle stretching, deep relaxation (yoga nidra), and concludes with breathing practices and a brief meditation and visualization. Ages: 12 and up as well as first-time students are welcome.
PRIVATE YOGA CLASSES
Personalized Integral Yoga Hatha sessions work with inner awareness and the breath, fostering an individual experience. The session can be performed at your own or the instructor’s residence. This session allows the student to work at his or her own pace, yielding maximum benefit and preventing injury. Personalized poses tone every organ and system of the body, while optional poses challenge and strengthen. A unique sequence of poses, followed by deep relaxation, breathing practices and meditation, leads to the experience of one’s own true Self. Session includes asanas, deep relaxation, breathing techniques, chanting (if requested) and meditation. Please have a Yoga mat if session is performed at your residence. Wear comfortable clothing that does not restrict your movement.
All yoga and meditation classes are taught by IRINA MARYANCHIK, EHH-MA, EEM-CP, PLT. Irina completed 200 hours of Integral Yoga teachers' training. She was trained and certified by the founder of Integral Yoga Center of Highland Park, Prema Janice Spozdzial.
MEET THE MASTER
His Holiness Sri Swami Satchidananda is one of the most revered Yoga Masters of our time. A much-loved teacher, well known in the world for his combination of practical wisdom and spiritual insight, he has given his life to the service of humanity, demonstrating by his own example the means of finding abiding peace within one's life and within one's self. His message of peace within all people and harmony among all faiths and countries has been heard worldwide.
Born to a devout family in South India in 1914, Sri Swami Satchidananda spent his early years studying and working in such diverse fields as agriculture, cinematography, and electronics. He was successful in all of them, yet he chose to give up a personal life for a life dedicated to inner peace, spiritual knowledge and communion with God. He studied with some of India's greatest saints and sages: among them, Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo, and his own spiritual master, the world-renowned Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj of Rishikesh, Himalayas.
When Sri Swami Satchidananda was asked to serve in Sri Lanka, it was not long before the first Satchidananda Ashram was founded by students who wanted to learn more from him. He spent thirteen years among them. In 1966, he was invited to visit the West, where his deep spiritual realization made a profound and lasting impression. Once again, he was soon surrounded by sincere students inspired to follow in his footsteps.
Sri Swami Satchidananda is the founder and spiritual guide for Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville and the worldwide Integral Yoga Institutes and Centers. Integral Yoga combines various methods of Yoga, including Hatha Yoga, selfless service, meditation, prayer, and a 5,000-year-old philosophy that helps one find the peace and joy within. Integral Yoga is the foundation for Dr. Dean Ornish's landmark work in reversing heart disease. Today, there are Integral Yoga branches and teachers throughout the world.
Satchidananda Ashram Yogaville in Central Virginia hosts more than 2,000 guests a year, 15 Teacher Training programs, and more than 50 inspiring programs throughout the year. A sample of the week-long and week-end workshops presented include: seasonal silent retreats, meditation retreats and instruction, Yoga and Psychotherapy, Self-Discovery through Hatha Yoga, Yoga teachers conferences, vegetarian cooking, and more.
Sri Swami Satchidananda had sponsored innumerable interfaith symposiums, retreats, and worship services all over the world. During private audiences, H.H. Pope Paul VI and H.H. Pope John Paul II praised these efforts to promote interfaith activities. He was invited to share his message of peace with such world leaders and dignitaries as: H.H. the Dalai Lama, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa, UN Secretary-General U Thant, members of the U.S. Congress, and Presidents Carter, Bush, and Clinton.
Over the years, Sri Swami Satchidananda received many honors for his public service, including the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award and the Anti-Defamation League's Humanitarian Award. He was presented with the Juliet Hollister Interfaith Award at the United Nations in 1996. In April 2002, he was honored with the prestigious U Thant Peace Award. Previous recipients of this award include Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandela. In addition, he served on the advisory boards of many world peace and interfaith organizations.
Sri Swami Satchidananda himself did not belong to any one faith, group or country. Dedicated to the principle that "Truth is One, Paths are Many," he went wherever he was asked to serve, bringing together people of all backgrounds and beliefs to learn respect for all the different paths and to realize their common spirit and the universality of their goal. He dreamed of a permanent place where all would be able to come together to individually realize that one Truth behind all the names and forms. The Light Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS) is such a place. Opened in July 1986, the Shrine-inspired and designed by Sri Swami Satchidananda-is located in the United States at Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville in Virginia. It is dedicated to the light of all faiths and to world peace and stands as a beautiful example of the universal teachings of Sri Swami Satchidananda.
Sri Swami Satchidananda is the author of many books, including, Integral Yoga Hatha, To Know Your Self, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, The Living Gita, and The Golden Present. He is the subject of three biographies, Apostle of Peace, Portrait of a Modern Sage, and Boundless Giving: The Life and Service of Sri Swami Satchidananda.
H.H. Sri Swami Satchidananda attained Mahasamadhi (a God-realized soul's conscious final exit from the body) on 19 August 2002. Chidambaram, his Mahasamadhi Shrine, in Yogaville, is open for prayer and meditation.