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Where do you teach?What is Yoga?
Who was Patañjali?
What are the Yoga Sutras?
What style of Yoga does Yoga At Om teach?
Who is Yogi Amrit Desai (Gurudev)?
What is pranayama?
What do Jai Bhagwan and Namasté mean?
Is Yoga a religion?
I'm [Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, LDS, Muslim, etc.] will Yoga conflict with my beliefs?
Do you use chanting/kirtan/bhajan?
What is a mantra and what is japa mala?
What is Ayurveda?
Do you teach Ayurveda?
Where do you teach?
I will teach where there is room to teach. I do not currently have a studio where I can teach but there are a number of public venues with available space. I can also provide space for a single student in my home. I am willing to teach in your home, at a local church, school, park or any other space that you arrange. I can also make arrangements for larger groups, costs of such arrangements would be an added fee totaling only the cost to rent space. Follow the Descriptions and Prices link at the left and look at Other Fees to see current rental rates.
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What is Yoga?
The current trend in the US is that Yoga is a great exercise program that will lead to improved health. While there is obvious truth to this trend, it ignores the true power of Yoga. Yoga—meaning union—is, according to Patañjali's Yoga Sutras, "the suppression of the modifications of mind. Then, there is an abiding in the essential nature of the Seer." (Yoga Sutra 1:2-3) In other words, as we become free from our habits and past history, we become able to respond to what is happening now rather than being ruled by knee jerk reactions. One gains this freedom through unifying body, mind and spirit.
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Who was Patañjali?
Patañjali wrote 195 aphorisms, sutras, concerning Yoga and its practice. No one is sure when, exactly, he lived with estimates ranging anywhere from 300 B.C. to 300 A.D.
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What are the Yoga Sutras?
A collection of 195 aphorisms describing the practice of Yoga, its tenets and the results of a dedicated practice.
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What style of Yoga does Yoga At Om teach?
Hatha Yoga combined with Raja Yoga.
“After a period of intense study, I realized that while popular Yoga was touting the health benefits of Yoga, there was a mental/spiritual aspect of Yoga that vaguely alluded to on occasion but rarely addressed outright. AS I continued to study, I learned that Yoga was not a form of exercise but that it was an entire system designed to teach right living. A number of years later, my conviction that Yoga as exercise alone was missing the mark was bourne out when I met Yogi Amrit Desai, Gurudev. Drawing on his nearly 50 years of Yoga experience and drawing on the experience and wisdom of his own master, Bapuji (Swami Sri Kripalvanandji), Gurudev has helped to revive the mental, emotional and spiritual benefits of Yoga. As I have studied with Gurudev, I have found his teachings to mirror and enhance those things which I learned primarily through my study of the Yoga Sutras along with other ancient and contemporary texts on Yoga. This being the case, I have become a student of Gurudev and have enhanced my own teaching with his knowledge and methods. I have always combined slow movements and extended holding of postures but with Gurudev's instruction I now blend this with intense inward focus and meditative awareness in my teaching and personal sadhana (practice). This combination draws on the strengths of both Hatha and Raja Yoga to create a very powerful connection between body and mind which brings an intense stillness and calm to the practitioner.” ~ Tyran
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Who is Yogi Amrit Desai (Gurudev)
Gurudev Shri Amritji (Yogi Amrit Desai) is an internationally recognized authority on yoga and holistic living. Widely acknowledged for carrying the authentic voice of yoga to the world, he has been honored both in the U.S. and abroad. Some of his distinguished titles include Doctor of Yoga, Jagadacharya (Universal Teacher), and the rare Vishwa Yoga Ratna, awarded by the President of India.
Yogi Desai began teaching yoga in 1960, making him one of the earliest pioneers of yoga in the West. Following a profound life-transforming Kundalini awakening, he developed a methodology that altered the popular notion of yoga as a physical discipline and reintroduced a spiritual dimension to the practice of Hatha Yoga. He named this approach Kripalu Yoga: Meditation in Motion, in honor of his guru, Swami Kripalvanandji. The yoga society Yogi Desai founded eventually grew to become Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, one of the largest centers of its kind in America. The methodology he developed has evolved into the Amrit Method, which he continues to refine. Today, his approach is practiced by thousands around the world, with certified teachers in 37 countries. Gurudev now resides and continues to teach at the Amrit Yoga Institute in the Ocala Forest of central Florida.
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What is pranayama?
Prana means breath or breath of life and Yama means control; pranayama, therefore, literally means breath control. Pranayama are breathing exercises that are practiced to focus the mind inward by focusing upon the breath (prana) and upon the energy (Prana) with oneself. As one learns to control prana, then one also learns to feel and consciously guide the ebb and flow of Prana.
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What do Jai Bhagwan and Namasté mean?
“Jai Bhagwan is Gujarati and translated directly means victory to the light. Jai Bhagwan is a Gujarati salutation used both as a greeting and farewell. Namasté literally means I bow to you and it is also used as a greeting and farewell. While both salutations have very simple meanings and translations, they are also both full of subtler meaning. Jai Bhagwan can also be said to mean "victory to our glorious/divine nature!" Namasté can similarly be said to mean "I respect/honor/revere you/us/that which makes us both divine" In both cases, the hands are placed in prayer position (palms pressed together, fingers pointing up) and generally placed in front of the heart. Here again there is subtle meaning, the higher the position of the hands, the deeper the love, respect and reverence that is being given.” ~ Tyran
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Is Yoga a religion?
Yoga is a way of life. Yoga does not care if you are trying to reach heaven or if you even believe in God but whether you have peace within your life right now.
“I tell my students that religion is about living right. Yoga is about right living.“ ~ Tyran
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I'm [Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, LDS, Muslim, etc.] will Yoga conflict with my beliefs?
Here is the sum of Yoga: Live in harmony with those around you, including yourself. Live a pure, content life full of devotion to and discipline in following the ideals you espouse. Be healthy in body, mind and spirit. Give this moment, right now, your full effort and accept the fruits of your effort for what they are and not what you want to prentend them to be. If these conflict with your beliefs then yes, Yoga will conflict with your beliefs. This is not to say that you will not find some things taught by Yoga teachers that conflict with your belief. A Christian who believes in life, death, resurrection and final judgement who is being taught by a Hindu who believes in reincarnation will find conflict the moment the Hindu teacher talks about karma and how Yoga can free one from it. The same would be true if the roles were reversed and a Christian teacher explained how Yoga brings one in tune with the Holy Spirit.
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Do you use chanting/kirtan/bhajan?
First a quick explanation of what kirtan and bhajan mean. Kirtan is call and response chanting. For those familiar with camp songs, "I Saw a Bear" is a perfect example of call and response. Bhajan is devotional singing sung in chorus. Kirtan may also be considered a form of bhajan.
“In my personal sadhana (practice), yes I chant frequently. As I am usually alone for my sadhana, kirtan is not exactly an option! I do not, however, require chanting of any form when I teach. I am, however, more than willing to include chanting as part of any sadhana. The benefit of chanting is that it quickly creates a connection between the chanters just as singing your favorite song with your friends does.” ~ Tyran
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What is a mantra and what is japa mala?
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word or phrase that is repeated. A mantra may be considered a prayer or be used as a form of meditation or as a reinforcement of what one wants to become. Japa mala can refer to either a string of 108 beads or to using such a string of beads to count as one repeats a mantra. As this may cause some confusion, mala generally refers to the beads and japa mala refers to using the beads to count mantra.
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What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is the science of life, it is sometimes referred to as traditional Indian medicine. This is somewhat of a misnomer as Ayuveda deals more with keeping one's body healthy by balancing the elements—ether, air, fire, water and earth—within one's body. Ayurveda uses three doshas to determine a person's body type: Vatta (air/ether), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (earth/water). Foods are also categorized using the same three doshas. One is then encouraged to eat foods to lower their natural dosha and thus balance out their bodies. Ayurveda also describes specific qualities of a food or herb and how it can be used to treat specific ailments and symptoms. Ayurveda does not discount the very real and obvious benefits of Western medicine but merely highlights that there is more than one way to cure a cold. “If you have a head cold, you must decide whether to use Ayurveda or Western medicine. If you have a broken arm, go to the emergency room as it's too late for an ayurvedic tea!” ~ Jyotindra
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Do you teach Ayurveda?
In short, no. We can point you to a number of excellent resources on the subject and even help you determine your own dosha but we are not qualified to teach Ayurveda.
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