Jivamukti Yoga

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Incorporating chanting, meditation, pranayama, philosophy, and music into a vigorous flowing asana, or vinyasa, practice, Jivamukti is a physically and intellectually stimulating method. This system emphasizes bringing ancient teachings alive in a contemporary setting. Jivamukti was founded by David Life and Sharon Gannon. The 5 tenets of Jivamukti yoga are Ahimsa (Non violence), Bhakti (Devotion), Dhyana (knowledge), Nada (Sound), Shastra (Science). Jivamukti Yoga is a path to enlightenment, ⁠through compassion for All Beings. ⁠ ⁠ THE JIVAMUKTI METHOD ⁠ ⁠ Our approach to the Practice is grounded in the original meaning of the Sanskrit word āsana as “seat, connection” - a relationship to the Earth. And we believe “Earth” implies ALL of life.⁠ Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras state that āsana should be sthira and sukham. ⁠So if our āsana is truly a relationship to the Earth (all of Life), then our relationship to others (āsana) should be mutually beneficial - and come from a consistent (sthira) place of joy and happiness (sukham). ⁠ When put into practice, this radical idea can dismantle our present culture, which is based on the notion that the Earth and all other animals exist for our benefit and to be exploited for our own selfish purposes. ⁠ So the practice of āsana becomes more than mere physical exercise to keep one’s body fit or to increase strength or flexibility; it becomes a way to improve one’s relationship to all "others" and thus lead to enlightenment – the dissolution of the sense of separateness, the realization of the oneness of being, the discovery of lasting happiness.⁠ ACTIVISM⁠ ⁠Yoga means “to yoke” or “to unite”—to know oneself as one with all that is. Yoga practices are a means to overcome avidyā, the ignorance that distorts one’s perception of oneself and others. ⁠Using āsana as a method to attain Self-realization or enlightenment means exploring the true, practical, physical meaning of the term asana as “our relationship to the Earth”—that is, to other humans, animals, plants, things, the planet itself and all of manifestation. ⁠What could be more physical than what we eat, where we live, and who we live with? So we believe that activism is a crucial part of living our Yoga. ⁠