Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco

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Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco A non-profit organization dedicated to serving the community through living and sharing the classica
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Connect with a vibrant community dedicated to the classical teachings of Yoga.

10/14/2026

Beyond the Asana: Decoding the Yoga Sutras 📜
The 2,000-year-old blueprint that turned ancient philosophy into a science of the human mind.
Before yoga was a physical practice, it was a map of human consciousness. If you want to dive deeper into the roots of your practice, everything points back to a foundational text: The Yoga Sutras.
Here is a quick look at the history, culture, and enduring significance of the text that structured the yogic tradition:
📜 The History: Systematizing the Sacred
Compiled roughly 2,000 years ago, the Sutras consist of 196 aphorisms (dense statements of truth). The word Sutra literally means "thread"—each line acts as a concentrated thread of wisdom meant to be memorized, chanted, and unraveled through deep contemplation.
🌍 The Culture: Patanjali, the Great Synthesizer
Yoga existed for centuries as a vast, scattered sea of oral traditions and competing philosophies. The text is credited to the sage Patanjali. Rather than inventing these concepts, Patanjali acted as ancient India’s ultimate editor, masterfully unifying disparate spiritual ideas into one cohesive psychology.

💡 The Importance: Mind Over Body
• The Original Scope: Out of nearly 200 verses, physical postures are only mentioned a handful of times—and strictly as a stable seat for meditation.
• The Hatha Evolution: The physical yoga postures we practice today actually evolved centuries later out of the Hatha Yoga tradition, which built upon Patanjali's mental blueprint.
• The Definition of Yoga: Patanjali defines the ultimate goal right at the start: Yogas Chitta Vritti Nirodhah—Yoga is the intentional stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.
Ultimately, Patanjali’s work endures because it approaches human suffering scientifically. It doesn't ask for blind faith; it provides a rigorous methodology to transcend the ego and reclaim your truest nature. 🕊️
👇 The Sutras teach us that the ultimate battlefield is our own mind. How do you bring yoga philosophy off your mat and into daily life?
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10/10/2026

✨ OM: The Sound That Built the Universe. ✨

Ever wonder why we chant "OM"? It’s not just a yoga tradition—it’s an ancient technology that re-tunes your mind, body, and spirit. 🪐
Here is the cosmic breakdown:
📜 THE HISTORY: In ancient Vedic texts, OM (written as A-U-M) is the primordial frequency of creation. It represents the entire cycle of existence: waking (A), dreaming (U), deep sleep (M), and the absolute silence of pure consciousness.
• Did you know OM physically resets your nervous system?"
🧠 THE PHYSICAL BIO-HACK: Chanting "OM" vibrates your vocal cords, stimulating the vagus nerve to instantly calm your heart rate. It down-regulates stress, resets your nervous system, and boosts brain oxygenation.
👁️ THE SPIRITUAL ENERGY: Vibrating at 432 Hz—the natural geometry of the universe—OM clears blockages in your Third Eye and Crown chakras. It purifies your aura, dissolves the ego, and aligns your frequency with the divine source.

Swiping through life out of tune? Take a deep breath, chant OM, and tune back into the cosmos. 🧘‍♂️✨
👇 Do you feel the vibration when you chant OM? ~ Integralyogasf

10/07/2026

What is Chandra Namaskar?
Translated from Sanskrit, Chandra means "moon" or "bright and shining," and Namaskar means "salutation or greeting"
It embodies the feminine, cooling, and receptive Ida Nadi (yin) energy, contrasting with the dynamic, heating energy of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
Best practiced in the evening.

The Ancient Art of Cooling Down ✨
While modern yoga often focuses on the fiery, dynamic Sun Salutation, the ancient Chandra Namaskar (Moon Salutation) was historically passed down as a quiet, reflective practice to honor the lunar energy (Ida Nadi).
Unlike heating practices, this cooling flow was traditionally used to balance the body's internal thermostat, quiet a overactive mind, and cultivate receptive, feminine (Yin) energy.
Historical & Holistic Benefits:
• 🧠 Soothes the Nervous System: Deeply calms the mind, making it the perfect ancient remedy for modern stress, anxiety, and burnout.
• 💤 Prepares for Restful Sleep: Gently lowers heart rate and shifts the body into a restorative state before bed.
• 🧘‍♀️ Opens Pelvic & Hip Channels: Historically used to improve circulation to the reproductive organs, relieve menstrual discomfort, and release trapped emotional tension in the hips.
• 🩰 Spinal Flexibility: The lateral bends and deep lunges keep the spine supple without exhausting your physical energy reserves.
Flow with the moon tonight to ground your energy and find your inner calm. 🕊️👇

10/05/2026

Keep Calm & Nada OM with Raama and Renata

Sunday, November 15
2:00PM - 4:30PM
In-Person and Online
$49 | $44 Early bird exp. 11/8/26

What happens when we truly experience Om?

In this immersive Ta**ra workshop, we will explore Nada Yoga, the profound relationship between sound, vibration, awareness, and inner experience.

The Mantra Om is more than a sound we chant. It can be felt as vibration, listened to with greater subtlety, and experienced as a doorway into deeper awareness.

Through different explorations of Om, we will discover how the sound and its vibration can shift our experience and draw us inward.

We will also enter a meditation practice that brings together breath, awareness, and the subtle experience of sound, allowing the practice to become quieter and more internal.

Our journey will conclude with ,Ta***ic Yoga Nidra, creating space for deep relaxation, integration, and inner stillness.

Come slow down, listen deeply, feel the vibration, and experience Om.

Keep Calm & Nada Om
Experience Om.

Space is limited for these popular workshops so early booking is recommended.
Bring nothing except an open mind and a loving heart - all props are provided.
All are welcome. No previous experience is needed.



10/05/2026

New Beginnings Writing Group
with Susan Ford, C-IAYT, RYT-500

Friday, November 13
4:00PM - 5:30PM
Online

In these times of great change we will explore a path toward meeting ourselves where we are to give voice to all that matters! As we live with interruptions and chaos, we can deepen into the roots of our creativity, encouraging the river of expression to flow. Beginners and seasoned writers are welcome, as we explore various forms of writing: poetry, prose, short stories, memoir, among others. Through writing exercises using everyday life, place, family, images, poetry of others, while using pranayama, meditation and the guidance of the Sutras we will build a body of work. Participants are encouraged to go at their own pace.

Tools we will Practice:

• The Art of Paying Attention
• Acceptance
• Play
• Writing from the Heart

Together we will combine self-care with our writing and discover what a writing practice means to us and how it may take shape.
To ensure a private space for all attendees, this will not be recorded.

Online | $1-$15 Sliding scale

About: Susan Ford, C-IAYT, RYT-500, began teaching in 2011 and has been an assistant trainer for the Basic Yoga Teacher Training at Integral Yoga Institute (IYI) since 2012. She specializes in gentle yoga and yoga therapy working with people with disabilities, cancer, heart disease, arthritis, aging, bone health, anxiety, depression and asthma. Her focus is to help students to meet their bodies where they are by introducing and incorporating Therapeutic Yoga, Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga, pranayama and meditation.
Susan has been a writer of poetry, short stories and plays most of her adult life and has been repeatedly featured in storytelling events in Northern California. She has led writer groups, tutored many in writing, and regularly hosts poetry reading Satsangs at the IYI.



10/04/2026

In the Bhagavad Gita, there is a powerful Sanskrit concept that can instantly shatter your anxiety and change how you approach daily life: Nimitta

On the ancient battlefield of Mahabharata, the warrior Arjuna was completely paralyzed by stress, crushed by the heavy burden of the war's final outcome. Lord Krishna stepped in and shifted his entire universe with a single phrase:
"Just become an instrument (Nimitta-mātram), O Arjuna." 🏹✨

Lord Krishna revealed that a higher cosmic design was already at play. Arjuna didn't need to micromanage the future—his only duty was to show up, align with his purpose, and act with a pure heart.
In our modern everyday life, practicing this Nimitta Bhav (the attitude of being an instrument) completely changes the game:
• Release the anxiety: Give 100% to your work and goals, but surrender the final results. The outcome is the universe's job, not your burden to carry.
• Release the pride: Recognize that your talents, intelligence, and opportunities are gifts passing through you, not things for the ego to brag about.
• Surrender the control: Serve and love the people around you deeply, but release the exhausting urge to control their individual destinies.
THE TAKEAWAY: You are the pen, not the writer. Keep yourself sharp, keep your intentions pure, and let the Divine write the story. 🖋️🤍



10/04/2026

Somatic Practice: A Mind-Body Journey of Rest & Renewal with Joy Ravelli

Sunday, November 08
3:00PM - 5:00PM
In-Person and Online
770 Dolores Street

$30 | $25 Early bird, exp. 11/1/26

Experience a gentle, relaxing, and restorative journey that weaves together meditation, Somatic Movement, Yin Yoga, restorative yoga, Qi Gong, Yoga Nidra, healing touch, and sound healing. Guided by influential San Francisco-based yoga teacher Joy Ravelli, you’ll be invited to slow down, surrender to your natural rhythm, and reconnect more deeply with your body, mind, and soul.

Through authentic movement and sound you’ll cultivate embodied awareness, nervous system regulation, stress relief, and deep relaxation. These nourishing mind-body practices create space to listen inwardly, reconnect with your true nature, and discover what you need to feel supported, nourished, and renewed.

About: Joy is the founder of Purusha Studio in San Francisco and Holistic Joy Yoga School. Joy's professional yoga school of over 25 years has thousands of graduates world wide. Throughout Joy’s life, she has been drawn to creating spaces where people feel welcome, seen, and encouraged to be themselves. She loves witnessing a smile, a tear, a breakthrough, a deep breath, a moment of courage, or a spark of inspiration.

This workshop will be recorded and shared with enrolled participants for two weeks.







10/04/2026

While modern yoga often focuses on physical flexibility, Raja Yoga—known as the "Royal Path"—is all about mental flexibility, clarity, and inner peace.
Think of your mind as a kingdom. Usually, your thoughts, impulses, and distractions run wild like an unruly crowd. Raja Yoga teaches you how to become the peaceful "king" or "queen" of your own mind, taking back full sovereignty over your emotions and reactions.
The 8 Steps (The Eight Limbs)
Raja Yoga uses a famous, step-by-step blueprint compiled by an ancient sage named Patanjali. It treats mind control like a science, moving from outer behavior to deep inner silence:
1. Yamas (Social Ethics): Being kind, truthful, and not stealing or hoarding. You cannot have a calm mind if you are causing drama in the outside world.
2. Niyamas (Personal Discipline): Cleanliness, contentment, and self-study. Taking care of your personal habits.
3. Asana (Postures): This is the physical yoga most people know. In Raja Yoga, stretching is used simply to make the body comfortable and strong enough to sit still for long periods without pain.
4. Pranayama (Breath Control): Using breathing exercises to calm your nervous system. Calm breath leads directly to a calm mind.
5. Pratyahara (Tuning Out Disractions): Pulling your attention away from outside noises, sights, and phone notifications. It is the mental equivalent of closing your eyes and windows.
6. Dharana (Laser Focus): Training your mind to focus on just one single thing—like your breath or a candle flame—without wandering.
7. Dhyana (Meditation): The state where that focus becomes effortless. You are no longer "trying" to focus; you are simply flowing in uninterrupted awareness.
8. Samadhi (Pure Absorption): The final goal. A state of complete inner peace, enlightenment, and oneness with life, entirely free from the ego.
Why People Practice It Today
You do not have to live in a cave to benefit from it. In modern everyday life, Raja Yoga is practiced to move from reactive living to conscious living.

10/01/2026

Ever wondered what "Hatha Yoga" really means beyond just a slower studio class? Let’s break down its ancient roots, benefits, and the psychology that makes it the crux of all meditation.

The Origins: A Toolkit for the Soul:
Hatha Yoga emerged around the 10th-11th century CE as a sub-branch of Raja Yoga (the yoga of mind control). Ancient sages realized something highly practical: It is incredibly hard to sit in quiet meditation if your body is stiff, restless, or in pain.
• Hatha (Ha = Sun, Tha = Moon) was created to balance active and receptive energies.
• It is a physical preparation system. By mastering the physical body, you clear the path to master the mind.
• It is the root "Yoga Tree" blueprint for nearly all modern styles like Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Iyengar.

The Crux: Patanjali’s Mind Blueprint
In the Yoga Sutras, Sage Patanjali outlines the ultimate definition of yoga: calming the waves (vrittis) of the mind.
In Yoga Sutra 1.3, he explains the reward: Once those mental waves are stilled, "the Seer abides in its true nature." You finally see who you truly are beneath the mental anxiety, memories, and noise.
This is the ultimate bridge between Hatha and meditation. We twist, stretch, and breathe in Hatha poses to calm the restless "monkey mind" so we can finally access that deep, quiet inner stillness.
“Yogas chitta vritti nirodhah”

The Dual Benefits
✨ Physical Benefits:
• Nervous System Reset: Slow breathing flips your body out of "fight or flight" into deep relaxation.
• Strength & Alignment: Holding traditional poses builds stabilizing muscle power and joint health.
👁️ Spiritual Benefits:
• Mental Silence: Calms the internal chatter, leaving you with a profound sense of peace.
• The Observer State: Trains you to watch your thoughts pass by like clouds rather than drowning in them.

The Takeaway: The next time you step onto your mat, remember: you aren't just stretching your muscles. You are quite literally calming the waves of your mind


Address

770 Dolores Street
San Francisco, CA
94110

Telephone

+14158211117

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