Heart Yoga: The Sacred Marriage of Yoga & Mysticism

Andrew Harvey returns to YogAsylum for an experience of Heart Yoga that will deepen and inspire your yoga practice, fill your mind with the wisdom of the Divine, open your heart to the compassion of the Beloved, and strengthen and infuse your body with the radiance of the Mother's all-transforming shakti.

Andrew Harvey, renowned spiritual writer, and Karuna Erickson, long-time yoga teacher and psychotherapist, have been working together for many years to birth a revolutionary approach to yoga. Heart Yoga fuses at the most passionate depth the ancient traditions of yoga with the wisdom of the mystical traditions concerning the sacred heart and the divine light. Their intention is to inspire the yoga community to become the crucible for the divinization of the body and the birth of the divine human. Heart Yoga is grounded in the universal mystical vision of the Sacred Marriage, the marriage of transcendence and immanence that is continually birthing the cosmos and irradiating it on every level with compassion, joy, sacred passion and sacred peace.

In their book, Heart Yoga: The Sacred Marriage of Yoga and Mysticism, Andrew and Karuna ground the splendor of the vision of the marriage in an unfolding of the five great joys that radiate from it: the joys of transcendence, creation, love for all beings, Tantra, and service. For each of these joys, Andrew and Karuna offer precise and beautiful combinations of classical asanas with sacred poetry, meditations, and visualizations drawn from the classical mystical traditions. These enable each joy to be experienced simultaneously in the illumined mind, ecstatic heart, and increasingly conscious and spiritualized body.

What they have discovered over their years of practice and study is that when yoga practice is infused with the inspiration of sacred texts and poetry, and with precisely tailored mystical meditations on the heart center and on the chakra system, yoga becomes a holy way of experiencing the greatest mystery of all---that of the embodiment of the divine in the human.

Andrew Harvey and Karuna Erickson are both longtime devoted Sacred Activists who believe deeply that the challenges of our times call for a fusion between profound spiritual wisdom and compassion with clear focused radical action in the world. They also believe that in order to act from sacred consciousness in the demanding circumstances of our world crisis we will need not only illumined minds, passionately compassionate hearts, and wills surrendered to the Beloved, but also bodies that have been opened tenderly to the all-empowering energies of the Divine. Heart Yoga is a yoga that can tremendously help this creation in a human being of a unified force-field of embodied divine energy and love.

Andrew and Karuna have already taught this yoga in Canada, the US, and Europe, to mystics, activists, and yoga students of all levels, and have been awed and humbled by its power. It both grounds and inspires the kind of living faith and radiant energy that we are all going to need to co-create with the Divine a new world out of the ashes of the old one. They have also been awed and humbled by the extraordinary response to their new book from many of the world's major spiritual teachers and leading teachers of yoga. What they have created is an embodied prayer for all human beings to enter into the fullness of the birth of the divine human.

www.andrewharvey.net

This workshop will be a mix of gentle, beginner-friendly yoga and lecture. Andrew will be introducing his 7 part body prayer that he has evolved from all the mystical traditions and which is being taught all over the world. All ages are encouraged to attend.

"Yoga? That's just stretching, right?"

The system of yoga is vast, even a bit complex. Which makes it interesting when it is passed off as stretching or meditation or breathing. Well, yeah, those are all elements of the practice, however, none of those elements alone sum up the system of yoga.

Yoga is a science, a finely tuned system that was developed to create a sense of balance on all levels, mind-body-spirit. Here in the West, we are most familiar with asana, or posture, practice. Most of us have experienced a yoga pose in one way or another, whether seeing the poses in a movie or magazine, or attending a yoga class. Did you know that asana practice is actually step three in the system of yoga? So what steps are we typically skipping when we step on the yoga mat for posture practice?

The first two steps in the yoga practice are Yamas & Niyamas. Yamas are a basic moral code that is universal and compliments most belief systems: the principles of non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, responsible sexual behavior, and non-grasping/non-attachment or non-greed. The Niyamas are personal observances, practices that develop a sense of relationship to the Self, as sort of code for living a soul-centered life: the principles of purity or cleanliness, contentment, discipline, self-inquiry, and connection with Source, or God.

Next comes asana, or posture practice. Postures are designed to balance the energies of the body, keeping the body strong and flexible. Asana practice is one of the best ways to improve and maintain overall health and well being.

The fourth step in yoga practice is Pranayama, or breath control. Prana is the Sanskrit term for Life-Force, the vital energy within that animates all living beings. Pranayama practice guides the flow of prana in specific methods to achieve balance.

Next comes Pratyahara, or sense withdraw. This practice is one of letting go of external stimulus, and bringing the senses inward to soothe and calm the nervous system. This is typically done during meditation, and brings our attention inward to a space of calm and peace that is always present. Sometimes we forget that peace exists within, and we are only disconnected from peace when we are relying on external circumstances and stimulus for our sense of peace.

Dharana is the sixth step, and is essentially meditation. Focusing the mind to a single point and developing as sense of deep inner awareness.

Step seven is Dyanna, or devotion. This devotion can be a sense of connection with Source, the Divine, God, or whatever resonates within your own life. In the yogic lifestyle, many practice bakti yoga, or the yoga of devotion, through chanting to the Divine.

Samadhi is the final stage of yoga. Bliss, union with the Divine. This is the ultimate goal of yoga. To exist in a state of union.

At YogAsylum we offer many programs to help students dive into understanding the eight limbs of yoga. Join us each Sunday at 10:30 am for Yoga Ed, a lecture class that rotates in topic and teacher to present the eight limbs. Also watch our workshop schedules for special events, speakers, and concerts that fall under the eight limbs of yoga practice.

Namaste,

Pamela Bliss & the YogAsylum Staff

Communicating with Touch

"We're all born with a great need for touch. To thrive, newborns must be fed touch as much as food. Studies in orphanages and hospitals repeatedly tell us that infants deprived of skin contact lose weight, become ill and even die. We know that premature babies given periods of touch therapy gain weight faster, cry less, and show more signs of relaxed pulse, respiration rate and muscle tension." (from article The Importance of Touch by Debra Moore, PhD.) So what is happening to us as adolescents and adults when deprived of the communication of loving, honest touch?

Touch is in integral part of being. It is easy to forgot that touch is a most basic form of communication and connection. Animals of all kinds use touch as a primary source of communication. Yet as humans, we tend to shy away from touch as we age, sometimes due to unpleasant past experiences, but mostly we tend to mold ourselves to social etiquette and practices. We end up hugging less, holding hands less, touching less in general for fear of crossing a social boundary or having the intention of our touch misinterpreted. As a society, we have put touch into a category of sexual intimacy, forgetting that intimacy has many forms. We have made touch taboo, and in essence put our selves out of touch with this powerful healing tool. Consider the ways in which you come in contact with others every day; what touch to you experience, and how does the contact or lack thereof effect you?

At YogAsylum, we are offering many ways to rediscover communication through loving, honest touch. We offer Partner Yoga workshops(open to all types of partnerships, couples, friends, parent/child, etc.) the second Friday of each month; in these classes we learn how to connect with our partner through listening through touch. June 5-6, 2010 we will be offering a special weekend workshop, Introduction to Thai Massage with Chicago School of Thai Massage teachers Paul Weitz and Paul Fowler, learning to apply gentle pressure and stretching to the body to alleviate stress and bring balance. In October, join us for the Reiki I training, learning to use touch as a medium to heal body/mind/spirit. Visit our in-house Chiropractor, Dr. Don Hundt, and discover a new level of wellness through his gentle approach to spinal alignment (your first visit with Dr. Hundt is complimentary).

On a personal level, explore ways to bring the communication of touch back into your everyday life. Notice what ways you find connection with others. Skip the text message and instead offer a hug to family members and close friends; a hug is a heart-to-heart connection--what a beautiful form of communication. Offer your partner a foot or back/shoulder massage. Hold your child's hand while walking. If you are approaching touch from a place of honest, loving communication, both you and the recipient will reap the benefits of a more positive experience of the day.

Bottom line? Let's all hug more!

Please share your stories of discovering communication through touch, and join us as we explore healing touch here at YogAsylum. Oh, and come in for your free hug today.

Namaste,

Pamela Bliss & the YogAsylum Staff

What is Community?

Community has been the buzzword around YogAsylum this Spring. Our teachers are finding a renewed sense of connection, our students are connecting with one another, and teachers are connecting to students on a new level. We feel this connection creates an invisible, yet palpable web that runs through each of us, creating the YogAsylum Community.

What is community? According to Wikpedia, "in biological terms, a community is a group of interacting organisms (or different species) sharing an environment. In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness."

Community is essentially the modern version of a tribe. In the earliest part of human history, tribes were necessary for survival. Early tribes were made up of extended families, typically under 200 people. Tribes hunted and gathered food, built their homes and traveled as a unit. This sense of tribal unity is a little more than a distant memory from where we stand as a modern day society. Today less and less of our lives are centered around this sense of tribal connection. Even within the smaller tribe of the family unit, there is often disconnect and discord. This disconnect can leave us searching for a sense of belonging, acceptance, deeper meaning, connection, and, well, community!

Our goal at YogAsylum is to create a yoga community; a safe space where seekers from all backgrounds can come together on the basis of commonality. Together we are a family of seekers, together creating a sense of inner and outer harmony, balance, and peace.

Join us this Saturday, March 27th, as we gather our community for an evening of intention. We begin the evening by setting our intentions for Spring, Nature's New Year, with Pamela Bliss at 5 pm, with The Art of Intention. As a group we will then move through 108 Sun Salutations (at 6:30 pm), a physical symbol of our commitment to renewal. And, of course, we will enjoy a potluck to follow (please bring a vegetarian (meat-free) dish to pass).

Namaste,

Pamela Bliss & the YogAsylum Staff

It's a Celebration!

Join us for YogAsylum's Spring Community Event, March 27th, 2010 from 5 pm - 9 pm.

Prepare for a Transformative Spring at YogAsylum. Join us in empowering your intention to grow your practice during the month of April within the supportive community of teachers and practitioners here at YogAsylum as we unveil a new program for building your practice during this event.

We have an exciting lineup of offerings for this evening (this is a FREE event):

5:00-6:15 pm The Art of Intention with Pamela Bliss

6:30-8:00 pm Yoga Mala led by Shayna Broadwell, Mary Dingeldein, & Marty Tribble

A Yoga Mala is a yogic tradition of moving through 108 sun salutations as a symbol of our inner intention to create a positive shift on all levels of being. 108 is considered a sacred number in many spiritual traditions. This class will be led by multiple teachers, with several pauses in the flow for water/rest.

It is not necessary to complete all 108 rounds, simply come with the intention for growth. Remember, as Lao-tzu wrote, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Rather than focusing on the number 108, we focus on one step at a time, one pose at a time, one breath at a time--THIS is how a mala is completed. Join us on the mat and just see what happens, letting go of the end result and immersing yourself in the Journey of Discovery.

Potluck to follow, please bring a vegetarian (meat-free) dish to share.

We are thrilled to be with you on this Journey. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve.

Namaste,

Pamala Bliss & the YogAsylum Staff

Here We Grow Again!

YogAsylum is growing again! Please keep a close eye on our daily class schedule as we are shifting our class offerings.

New classes will include an incredible Sunday lineup!

Hatha Yoga at 9 am with a YogAsylum staff teacher (teacher will rotate)

Yoga Ed at 10:30 am with a YogAsylum staff teacher (teacher will rotate)

Community Yoga at 1 pm ($5 minimum donation) taught by a rotation of teachers

Restorative Yoga at 2:30 pm with Marty

plus Mary's 5 pm Vinyasa will continue

Other new classes include Curvy Yoga with Kimberly Walbrun, who is new to YogAsylum. Welcome Kim! Curvy Yoga classes will be held on Tuesdays at 7 pm and Fridays at 10:30 am.

Additional offerings include more Kid's yoga options. Kid's yoga is now on the regular class schedule (previously a class series) and is open to drop ins. There will be two offerings on Mondays as well as Wednesdays.

Saturdays have a new class lineup, and there will be additional classes with new staff teachers added throughout the month of March.

We are excited about this expansion and our ability to offer more options for your yoga practice. Thank you for being a member of the YogAsylum community. We are so glad you are here!

Namaste,

Pamela & the YogAsylum Staff

YogAsylum is Twittering!

YogAsylum is now on Twitter! Please follow us, for updates on classes, events, as well as tidbits of inspiration. Our username YogAsylum (click username to view).

Let us know what you would like to see in our Tweets!

Namaste,

Pamela & YogAsylum Staff

Community Yoga: Our Seva Offering

Albert Einstein ~ "Only a Life lived for others is a Life worthwhile."

We are pleased to present Community Yoga at YogAsylum: Sundays from 1 pm - 2 pm. This class is a seva offering, designed to support our community through sacred activism. Seva is the Sanskrit term for selfless service.

This class is offered on a donation basis ($5 minimum per class), with all proceeds supporting a local charity (TBA).

Classes will be led by YogAsylum teachers as well as teachers-in-training from the YogAsylum Teacher Training School who have volunteered their time and energy toward this common goal of building community. The class will be a basic level yoga class designed for those new to yoga or coming back to yoga after some time off the mat. Enjoy gentle yoga postures that strengthen and build flexibility, while offering the space to release tension and accumulated stress in a supportive environment.

Marty Tribble, yoga teacher and studio co-manager of YogAsylum, will be heading up this program. Marty will be teaching the initial class, which kicks off on Sunday, February 28, 2010 from 1 pm - 2 pm. She will be present for classes to follow, playing a supporting role to the lead teacher, offering assistance to students throughout the class.

Please, share this blog post with your friends and family members (simply click on the envelope symbol below). What an incredible opportunity to come together and support one another, and our local community!

Namaste,

Pamela & YogAsylum Staff

YogAsylum Blog Launch: Creating Community

Welcome to YogAsylum's Blog! We are happy to have created another outlet for building our yoga community. This blog creates an outlet to explore the many facets of YogAsylum's growing yoga community.

You are invited to join the online conversation; please join the blog to add your comments to blog posts. Please follow the blog as well (click the Follow button on the left), updates can post to your Twitter feed if you choose.

As always we welcome your suggestions. If you have suggestions for blog topics, please let us know so we can consider them as we explore the world of blogging.

See you at YogAsylum soon!

Namaste,

Pamela & YogAsylum Staff