I'm ready for yoga! I did the most important thing. I bought this outfit that really shows my...
(Miska KΓ€ppi) I studied yoga for 20 years, and 99% was fake
OK, they say never drink before yoga class, but I think a little booze is not bad. Oops!!!
Bhoja is not bogus; it is "something done for enjoyment," according to B.K.S. Iyengar, says Miska KΓ€ppi, as many bhojis calling themselves "yogis" practice nowadays.
Yoga is not a lot of twisting, breathing, or jumping around in a modern studio; it is to "unite," to bring about "union" of the self (atman, "soul") with Brahman (the Ultimate) and/or breath (prana, "holy spirit"), the conventional divine (Brahma, the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver) usually nowadays in the form of Shiva, the Destroyer
What looks like a repeating gif is actually a remarkable stunt
Yoga postures for balance, strength, and flexibility
Messianic Bikram Choudhury as persecuted Christ figure
What is "the real thing"? One answer is The Eightfold Path: Ashtanga (Integral Yoga sometime Raja/Royal Yoga), a system of achieving "union" with the divine by the practice of eight limbs of the path: Yamas (external disciplines), Niyamas (internal disciplines), Asanas (physical postures), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (sense withdrawal), Dharama (concentration), Dhyana (meditative absorptions, jhanas), and Samadhi (union, integration, coherence). The whole purpose of Yoga -- at least in ancient times between gurus and chelas (teachers and disciples) -- is MEDITATION. Asanas (lit. "seats") allow one to sit longer, more comfortably, and with stability. That is to say, practicing for the meditative absorptions is to reach of Samadhi. Who can say otherwise?
Discover new yoga modalities, wellness innovation, and headliners Travis Eliot and Lauren Eckstrom at Yoga Expo LA 2026. All ages. The Yoga Expo LA 2026 is a Forward-Thinking Gathering of Yoga, Wellness, and Innovation.
Join in on Saturday, February 7th, 2026, at the prestigious Pasadena Convention Center for the nation’s largest yoga-inspired gathering.
Now in its 8th year, The Yoga Expo LA is evolving to highlight the future of yoga, wellness innovation, and conscious community building. This all-day immersive event welcomes 3,000+ attendees and features:
π World-Renowned Headliners: Practice with Travis Eliot and Lauren Eckstrom, co-founders of Inner Dimension TV, as they lead powerful, transformational sessions designed to inspire and elevate.
π§ Yoga for Every Body: Experience diverse styles and new modalities—from vinyasa and restorative to trauma-informed practices, sound healing, and next-generation yoga hybrids.
π± Wellness Innovation: Explore the latest in holistic living, biohacking, functional wellness, mindfulness technologies, and sustainable lifestyle solutions.
π€ Presentations and Workshops: Engage with teachers, healers, and facilitators offering classes, talks, and practices to deepen this journey. Each exhibitor receives a 50-minute presentation slot to connect directly with attendees.
π€ Community and Connection: Network with studio owners, retreat leaders, conscious entrepreneurs, and fellow seekers who are shaping the future of wellness.
✨ Opportunities to Participate: Presenters, Teachers, Facilitators: Share gifts on stage.
Exhibitors and Brands: Showcase products and services.
Sponsors and Partners: Align with a trusted platform and reach a highly engaged audience.
The Yoga Expo LA 2026 is more than an event—it’s a movement of forward-thinking wellness and conscious connection. Be part of a day that inspires, educates, and uplifts.
π Visit TheYogaExpo.org to register as an attendee, presenter, exhibitor, or sponsor.
Saturday, Feb. 7th, 2026
10:00 am-6:00 pm
9:00 AM VIP early entry
WHAT TO EXPECT
Enter the healing salon pyramid.
π Headliners: Travis Eliot and Lauren Eckstrom: Experience transformational practices with Travis Eliot and Lauren Eckstrom, world-renowned yoga teachers and co-founders of Inner Dimension TV, leading main-stage sessions that will inspire, challenge, and uplift.
Yoga and Movement: From energizing vinyasa flows to restorative practices and cutting-edge new modalities, there’s something for every body.
Move, breathe, and expand practice while exploring the future of yoga. Expect classes all day long led by a diverse lineup of teachers, plus live music, movement, and community networking.
π§πΎ♂️ Meditation and Mindfulness
What would Patanjali do? (Yoga Sutras)
Discover accessible yet powerful meditation practices rooted in ancient wisdom and adapted for today’s world. Learn tools for stress relief, resilience, and clarity from teachers blending tradition with modern insights.
π‘ Keynotes, Panels, and Wellness Innovation: Join inspiring talks, panels, and forums led by industry leaders, exploring yoga philosophy, integrative health, wellness tech, biohacking, longevity, and conscious business. This is where movement meets personal and professional growth.
π️ Marketplace: Explore over 125+ conscious brands from local artisans to global innovators. Discover yoga apparel, retreats, clean skincare, wellness products, cultural crafts, and sustainable solutions—all curated to inspire conscious living.
πΏ Organic Food and Beverage Sampling: Fuel the day with delicious, health-focused food and drinks. Enjoy tastings and options ranging from vegan, organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO to innovative wellness snacks and beverages.
✨ Community and Connection: Beyond classes and products, The Yoga Expo LA is about connection—meeting teachers, practitioners, conscious entrepreneurs, and seekers who are shaping the future of wellness. Be Part of a Transformational Experience Step into a day of yoga, movement, and mindful living, hosted by Arianne Traverso and Sandra Tribioli. Together, they bring decades of expertise in yoga, wellness, and transformational community experiences, curating a space where ancient yogic traditions meet modern innovation.
π Exhibitors and Sponsorships: For exhibitor and sponsor opportunities, connect with: Sandra Tribioli | sandra@theyogaexpo.co
WHAT ATTENDEES SAY
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"There was a great variety of classes offered and lots of different vendors to shop with. It was a fun-filled day, and well worth it! I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next one!"
"Amazing experience. Tried so many classes—there were endless choices. All the instructors were inspiring and unique!"
"Spent the entire day at the expo and was able to enjoy four different classes. The marketplace was out of this world. Already planning for next year!"
"Such a beautiful event filled with amazing people and conscious vendors. As a beginner, I felt so welcome—I explored so many styles of yoga. Best weekend ever!"
"It was a day full of laughter, joy, and unforgettable memories. The kids were glowing with happiness exploring yoga life."
WHERE TO STAY
⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Hotel Dena (formerly the Sheraton Pasadena) π Right inside the Convention Center 303 Cordova Street, Pasadena, California, USA, 91101 π Toll Free: +1-800-457-7940. Why? Exclusive discounted group rate with breakfast included. (Call hotel directly for updated rates if needed.)
WHAT TO KNOW
π΅ Cash-Friendly — Please support vendors. Discover innovative yoga mats, tools, clothing, jewelry, travel destinations, and more.
π VIP & Ultra VIP (High Life) Passes — Enjoy early entry, skip the lines, receive a premium gift bag, and access extra perks.
π§ Classes — First come, first served. Arrive early to secure a spot.
π« Ticket Policy — All ticket sales are final. No refunds. π¦ Rain or shine — the event will go on regardless of weather.
✨ Learn more or subscribe at TheYogaExpo.org. Thanks to sponsors and partners! Holistic Wander Global Sound Bath and Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal
Anyone who has ever danced or done yoga postures (asanas) has to marvel at the impossibility of Assam's 8-year-old BINITA CHETRY, who blows even jaded judges away with the most flexible dancing audition ever on the show.
Do frog pose for 100 years to get ready to dance. - Next, let's work on strength and balance.
Hobert: Hey, I can dance AND sing.
In the little book An Experience of Enlightenment, there is a kingdom at the nexus of two great rivers in Northern India (perhaps the Brahmaputra and Saraswati). And there a temple dancing girl lives until a handsome traveling stranger comes through the area and wins her heart. But her jealous handler won't stand for it. One is reminded of that strange tale retold by a European after a seance in the book's true story.
BOOK REVIEW: I read this little book in Finnish, and it was a vivid, charming, and interesting experience of [spiritual] search[ing], enlightenment, and meditation. The book was published a long time ago, and it seems rare to find personal experiences of women of this age on the path of meditation (without being lifestyle-obsessed). Source(rare book)
AUBREY HOBERT (born 1999) is an American singer and songwriter from NYC. After co-writing several songs with Gracie Abrams on her 2024 album The Secret of Us, Hobert released her debut single, "Sue Me," in 2025. Her debut album, Who's the Clown?, was released on Aug. 15, 2025. More
Yeah, Aubrey, okay. Thank you. Next. NOBODY was prepared for this 8-year-old's power on Britain's Got Talent Replay. Aug. 23, 2025: An 8-year-old dancer from Assam, India, may look sweet, but she performs with the power and ferocity of a tigress. Her unique routines combine breathtaking yogic acrobatics with fierce martial arts moves, set to epic, cinematic music. From embodying "Wonder Woman" to unleashing her inner feline power, she takes control of the entire stage, even dancing on the judges' desk in a stunning display of girl power.
Join Yogini Stella for the 8th Annual New Year 108 Sun Salutations event, Round 2!
Practice yoga for a cause:
50% of proceeds go to the charity Yoga Gives Back.
In Eastern philosophy (and other spiritual traditions such as Catholicism), 108 is considered an auspicious number that represents a complete cycle (an alpha and omega, an ultimate beginning or ending phenomenon).
As a meditator and long-time yogi, I’m fully aware of how the discursive nature of my mind often keeps me from engaging with the present moment (being where we are, doing what we're doing, remaining mindful of this very moment).
The internal chatter of “pick up some greens for dinner, her comment felt judgey, should I change jobs?” is relentless and often painful.
The human desire to avoid pain and get comfortable is at the root of every addiction. We over-eat, shop, drink, and get high to numb the pain of our situations.
And more recently, we scroll and scroll through our social media feeds, looking for something to validate our lives, even as our lives are happening around us.
In this way, discursivity (the habit of letting the mind wander endlessly in search of something to amuse it and satisfy its cravings) is just one more thing we’ve outsourced to our cell phones.
No, it's okay, I can talk. What's up?
When the vulnerability of our situation becomes too much, a never-ending stream of status updates is there to provide distraction and relief.
Knowing this, compassion seems like the only thoughtful response to students checking cell phones in class. (Who needs mindfulness? I mean, I thought that was why you came to moving-meditation of the postures, but I guess not.)
As a yoga teacher, I want to encourage my students to work with their vulnerability, discursivity, and addiction, so I hesitate to take a hard stand on cell phones in yoga class.
It's not because I condone them, but because I see them as symptomatic of a much larger issue: a widespread and almost pathological aversion to discomfort of any kind.
How do we learn to stay with discomfort? We learn by doing it. Say we notice an itch, whether it be to scratch our nose or check our phone. Then like a patient and loving master says to her dog, we say to our own reactivity: "Stay."
We practice staying, breath by breath, mindful moment by mindful moment. We stay with the discomfort, the itch, the burning, the agony of not reacting to everything in our habitual ways.
In this way, we cultivate resilience; we cultivate an ability to hold our seat (asana, posture) when things get uncomfortable. (What do we do when things get tough? We get going.) Stay. More
Mindfulness practice takes courage. It’s contrary to how most of us live our lives! But where better to nurture the seeds of resilience and non-reactivity than on our yoga and meditation mats? Once we’ve practiced sitting with "benign discomfort" on our mats, we can take the qualities of attention, presence, non-reactivity, and resilience off the mat and into the world. Who would we be in our daily lives if we actually stayed present? We might hold our position when things really matter: when we’re with our partner, kids, friends, enemies, the boss or stuck in traffic.
THE YOGA & CONSCIOUS MUSIC EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME IS BACK.
After a three-year hiatus Bhakti Fest is making its long-awaited return. The revival of a premiere 3-day Yoga & Conscious Music Festival, offering music all day, a wide variety of yoga, breathwork, sound healings, spiritual and wellness workshops in a magical high-desert setting (Joshua Tree Lake and Campground).
There will be much to do and see at Bhakti Fest, including an incredible line-up of amazing conscious musicians on multiple stages, premiere yoga classes, and a wide variety of spiritual and wellness workshops.
Favorite artists and yoga teachers will be returning, plus plenty of fresh faces. Enjoy an expanded KidsLand experience, beautiful art installations and live art, sound healings, bodywork in the healing sanctuary, a large array of amazing artisan vendors, and more.
Bhakti Fest features festival favorites such as Krishna Das, plus other beloved artists including Michael Franti, Ayla Nereo, Sol Rising, MC YOGI, Satsang, Ragunath, DJ Drez and Marti Nikko, Govind Das and Jacqueline Michelle, Kirtaniyas, and many more.
Practice with the world’s top yoga teachers and spiritual leaders such as Shiva Rea, Kia Miller, Andrew Sealy, Sujala Roy, Yogrishi Vishvketu, Michael Brian Baker, Jai Dev Singh, Kristin Olson, and many more to be announced.
(Visit Bhaktifest.com for the full line-up coming soon).
Bhakti Fest is a family-friendly, drug and alcohol-free event, and the programs are accessible to all levels.
Festival passes include everything excluding pre- and post-Fest intensives. These intensives take place on Thursday Sept. 14th and Monday Sept. 18th and require a separate ticket. A full festival pass is required to purchase the intensives.
Kids? Children under age 5 are free. The Bhakti Fest Kid Land is full of fun for the entire family.
Senior, local, veteran, and student discounts are also available. Reach out to info@bhaktifest.com for more information.
Accommodations include camping, RV camping with and without hookups, cozy trailers, and glamping yurts. It’s a powerful experience to camp under the stars of the high desert. But for those who enjoy more creature comforts, there are many local hotels, AirBnBs, and unique vacation home rentals available in the area.
For those who choose to camp, please bring own camping gear. Or purchase camping and RV's without hookups on the Afton Tickets website. For all other options, learn more here.
Please do not bring alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to this event.
Note that tickets are non-refundable. Those one have purchased tickets and are unable to attend are welcome to transfer the ticket to someone else to sell or give the ticket away.
Join this heart-centered community for its 12th year of BHAKTI FEST.
,
TO USE A PROMO CODE: Click the ticket link, just below the Event Title in the top left corner. See a link that says ENTER PROMO CODE. Click link and enter code.
Ram Dass -- though he has since passed away -- has been a pivotal influence on American culture for three generations.
Every year, for the past ten years, Bhakti Fest Executive Producer Sridhar Silberfein has had the
honor to meet with Ram Dass for a very special and intimate Bhakti Fest exclusive interview.
Hear the most recent interview and the wisdom he has to share with bhaktas.
WARNING: This is neither the path the Buddha took nor the one he recommended. It does not lead to awakening or Buddhist enlightenment (bodhi and nirvana and the end of all further rebirth and suffering) but rather only to Vedic/Hindu samadhi (a wonderful experience often mistaken for final liberation or Buddhist moksha but far from it). This is also not Guru Nanak and Sikhism's dharma as taught in the West under the brand name Kundalini Yoga, a hazardous mishmash of Ashtanga Yoga limbs, fraudulent Yogi Bhajan inventions tailored to impress Westerners, and cultish nonsense not representative of the Sikh or Hindu religions. See the sex and money scandals of Yogi Bhajan and Guru Jagat as cautionary tales. This discussion of the Eightfold Path of Raja or Ashtanga Yoga within Hinduism, extending to esoteric Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist practices, as these schools are very influenced by Brahmanism and Vedic Hinduism.
The "dark" and "divine" side of kundalini yoga
(Asangoham) The term yoga has its roots in the Sanskrit word yuj, which means "to yoke together, to
conjoin."
Hence, yoga implies a spiritual union of the individual consciousness with the all-pervading,
universal consciousness, or Brahman (Ultimate Reality behind all maya or "illusion"), according to the Upanishads.
In this way,
yoga is the empirical part of religion, says Gopi Krishna in his work, Kundalini: The Secret of
Yoga (3).
Of all the different yoga traditions and schools that developed in ancient Vedic times,
Kundalini Yoga [the Hindu not Sikh version] is considered to be the most powerful and therefore the most dangerous.
It is
part of the Shaiva Tantra system.
Kundalini is considered to be a form of sacred feminine
energy that lies dormant at the base of the human spine, called the muladhara, coiled like a serpent.
This is pure, formless energy which has immense potential if awakened. Shaiva Tantra calls
this "energy" or shakti, Mother Divine, or the formless aspect of the Goddess.
Swami Satyananda Saraswathi, a great master of kundalini yoga and author of
Kundalini Tantra says that although one may be generally aware of what yoga is, one requires some kind of awareness of what tantra is in order to appreciate the mysterious working of
kundalini yoga.
Tantra says that the range of mental experience can be broadened. With the help of the
senses, our mind can have an experience based on an object. There can be an experience
within the framework of time, space, and object. But there can also be an experience beyond
the framework of time, space, and object.
The second form of experience can happen when
the present mind expands beyond its given definitions and borders. When this experience
occurs, energy is released from oneself (Saraswati 6).
This concept is the tantric basis of kundalini yoga.
The dormant kundalini energy, when awakened, will rise in a spiraling motion up
through different energy nexus points in the body called chakras.
The literal meaning of chakra is
"circle" or "wheel," but in the context of kundalini tantra, it also connotes a vortex-like motion.
There are
many chakras in a human body, but the principal ones within the body are seven. And the highest
one, the seventh, is at the crown of the head.
The mind of a worldly person with base desires and passions moves in the muladhara
and svadhishthanachakras or energy centers situated near the anus and the reproductive organs respectively.
If one’s mind becomes purified, the mind rises to the manipura chakra, or the center
in the navel, and experiences some power and joy.
If the mind becomes more purified, it rises to the anahata chakra, or the center in the
heart, experiences bliss, and visualizes the effulgent form of the ishta devata or the "tutelary
deity."
When the mind is highly purified, when meditation and devotion become intense
and profound, the mind rises to visuddha chakra, or the center in the throat, and experiences
more and more powers and bliss.
Even when the mind has reached this center, there is a
possibility for it to come down to the lower centers.
9. Swami, Sivananda. Kundalini Yoga. Divine Life Society, 1994.
10. Grant, Kara-Leigh. The Hidden
Dangers of a Kundalini Awakening | UPLIFT
DISCLAIMER 01: All ideas expressed on this channel are for entertainment and general information purposes only. There is no advice on what an individual should or should not do. Any response made by anyone after hearing this communication is their interpretation and is his or her own responsibility. Ideas expressed by this channel should not be treated as a substitute for medical advice or professional help. If expert assistance or counselling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
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There will also be special giveaways offered of one (1) All Access Pass* to the Sedona Yoga Festival and one (1) free pass to the Accessible Yoga Online Studio. All attendees will additionally receive a 10% discount code to SYF tickets and a special discount to the Accessible Yoga Online Studio.
SYF Presents: Spring Renewal Mini-Retreat: A Fundraiser for Accessible Yoga (Friday, March 10
9:00–11:00 am MST
(11:00 am–1:00 pm ET // 10:00-11:00 am CST // 8:00-10:00 am PST // 4:00-5:00 pm BST).
The mini-retreat will include:
π± Accessible Asana with Jivana Heyman
π± Yoga Philosophy Lecture with Shanna Small
π± Sound Healing with Reggie Hubbard
π±Accessible Pranayama Practice with Dr. Sundar Balasubramanian
π± Closing with Jivana & Reggie (including a giveaway)
What if there were an easier way to "sit" meditation, zazen style? In yoga, asana literally means "seat." But how we sit, how we arrange our limbs to enter meditative states, is flexible. We need not lock into full lotus. There's half lotus, easy pose, ergonomic cushions, a small bench, a sturdy chair, and even sinking into the tub. We leave the body, and turn our attention to the other three objects/subjects of meditation: feelings, mind, and mind-objects. First, to enter the first meditation (jhana, zen, chan, dhyana), we can focus on the breath. But there are other ways. For instance, there's loving-kindness meditation, focusing all of our attention on well-wishing one respected person. See more at metta bhavana. Draw a bath, get a small bench for the knees, find a support for the lower back. It's even possible to lie down when practice gets better (otherwise we risk falling asleep). This company also has a solution: BRITENWAY Bed Wedge Pillow Set: 4-piece orthopedic wedge pillow set with 45D memory foam pillows for back, neck, head, shoulders support that's ergonomic
The author of the Yoga Sutras Patanjali describes asana practice as the third of the eight limbs (Sanskrit ΰ€ ΰ€·्ΰ€ाΰ€्ΰ€ or aαΉ£hαΉΔαΉ ga) of Raja Yoga. The word asana is from Sanskrit (ΰ€ΰ€Έΰ€¨, "sitting down," from ΰ€ΰ€Έ् Δs "to sit down"), a sitting posture, a meditation seat.
(Jofy/YouTube) What is Intellectual Yoga (jnana yoga) on the various paths to union, like Christian devotion (bhakti), karma ("action"), royal or integral (raja or kundalini), chanting (mantra), etc.
Go to "Alan Watts on Sunday, September 4, 2022, at 8:00 AM" in archives.kpfk.org
.
ABOUT: "Buddhist Radio" is our name for programmer Roy of Hollywood Tuckman's show Something's Happening when, on Thursdays at midnight and Sundays at 8:00 am, it becomes Buddhist-centric, featuring British-Californian Alan Watts and other luminaries like Los Angeleno Shinzen Young, Pema Chodron, Tami Simon (Sounds True) interviews, and other great overnight listening. Tune in to Pacifica Free Speech Radio, Los Angeles (KPFK.org 90.7 FM).
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