“With a strong lens the sun’s rays, focused through it, can ignite wood.
Yoga practice, similarly, so concentrates the mind that the curtain of doubt and uncertainty is burned away, and the light of inner truth becomes manifest.”
—Paramhansa Yogananda
Raja Yoga
Ancient teachings of Self-realization
Most people think of Yoga as physical postures. But Yoga is far more. Raja Yoga is one of the seven schools of Indian philosophy and has been taught for millennia. It offers a scientific approach to the spiritual life, with techniques for stilling the 
mind and expanding our awareness of spiritual realities. It offers techniques for self-mastery in every aspect of life, from calming turbulent emotions to awakening deep compassion and love for others. Ultimately, it is a well-explored pathway, walked by countless yogis and mystics, to union with God.
Raja Yoga encompasses all the different types of Yoga, including meditation, devotional practices, dispassionate discrimination and wisdom, as well as the physical postures well-known in the West.
The teachings are Raja Yoga are compatible with the core teachings of all the great world religions, and many devoted members of other faiths are also an active part of Ananda.
Upcoming Classes in Raja Yoga
The Art and Science of Raja Yoga
Wednesdays, January 6–March 24, 2010, 6–9 pm, plus two Saturdays, Jan 23 & Feb 20, 2010, 9 am–noon
Hatha yoga session, 6 pm–7:15 pm
Philosophy and discussion, 7:30 pm–9 pm
Cost: $350 includes all materials and the 450 page book, "The Art and Science of Raja Yoga" by Swami Kriyananda. Register
One of our most popular classes is this 12-week immersion, offered once each year. Raja Yoga encompasses all the different types of Yoga, including meditation, devotional practices, dispassionate discrimination and wisdom, as well as the physical postures well-known in the West. Raja Yoga offers a scientific approach to the spiritual life, with techniques for stilling the mind and expanding our awareness of spiritual realities. It offers techniques for self-mastery in every aspect of life, from calming turbulent emotions to awakening deep compassion and love for others. Ultimately, it is a well-explored pathway, walked by countless yogis and mystics, to union with God.
The teachings are Raja Yoga are compatible with the core teachings of all the great world religions, and devoted members of other faiths are also an active part of Ananda.
Each class begins at 6 pm with an hour of gentle hatha yoga postures tailored to meet the needs of the group and a brief meditation. The remaining class time is devoted to discussion of Raja Yoga, and especially these areas of study:
Philosophy: karma, chakras, Self-realization, kundalini, guru, attunement, astral worlds, the Yugas, astrology, devotion, and selfless service.
Hatha: postures as a preparation for deep meditation.
Pranayama: control the breath to harmonize, increase, and direct energy in the body. Learn how to reduce fatigue, depression, lack of mental clarity, and other stress-related illnesses through the practice of pranayama.
Meditation:
Experience meditation as a powerful spiritual practice—a way to make God real in your life. Devotion, an understanding of our chakras, and the role of the guru are a part of that exploration.
Healing:
Learn yoga practices to help relieve many conditions, including chronic pain, insomnia, high blood pressure, nervous disorders, weight problems, digestion, heart ailments, and stress.
Diet:
Learn how food affects consciousness, and what types of food benefit your health and your spiritual life.
Main Instructors: Dambara Begley, Stephen Manus, Nirmoha Gladen, Chidambara (Rick) Bonin, Brenda LaCosse; plus several of Ananda’s best yoga teachers.
Manifest Through the Power of Yoga
A study group with Asha Praver, based on Swami Kriyananda’s
lessons in Material Success and Happiness Through Yoga Principles
Tuesdays, 7:30 pm, February 2010 and continuing into 2010, $15/class, drop-ins welcome
Register for a single class ($15). Register for 4 consecutive classes ($60).
Materials are a small additional cost:
Purchase lessons in .rtf format) for printing/reading.
Purchase lessons in .mp3 format for listening; lessons are read by Swami Kriyananda.
“The very seasons are obedient to the man of strong will power and deep faith.”
—Paramhansa Yogananda
Develop the magnetism to draw what you need in life, when you need it. Learn long-hidden secrets of the Himalayan yogis of how to gain influence over the material plane, by attunement to the spiritual plane.
As you well know, this is a time of unprecedented economic insecurity. Jobs and investments once thought rock-solid are not providing the support we counted on. Sages, including Paramhansa Yogananda, have long-predicted that this time would come. Not as a punishment, they reassure us, but to help us achieve a more appropriate balance between our material and our spiritual lives.
Now is the time to develop our inner strength. Not only faith in God, but also the ability to use the power of God within us to manifest what we need at the time we need it. This course is based on principles that Swami Kriyananda learned directly from Yogananda. Using them, without any material resources of his own, he created Ananda from nothing to what it is today.
Instructor: Asha Praver
Discipleship as a Way of Life
Mondays, February 8-22, 7:30 pm at Chela Bhavan in the Community, free, for Disciples only.
Being initiated as a disciple is just the first step to becoming a disciple. You set your intention, you make your commitment, then you have to figure out what it means and how to do it. It’s like the difference between a wedding and a marriage. A wedding is where you start. A marriage is what you end up with after a lifetime of selfless loving. We’ll draw from Autobiography of a Yogi and Conversations with Yogananda as our texts. The class will be free-flowing, though, allowing us to talk frankly and deeply about the real-life challenges of living up to the commitment we have made. Above all, we’ll talk about how to form a living, loving, moment-to-moment relationship with God and Guru.
Instructor: Asha Praver
Karma and Reincarnation
Saturday, February 13, 10 am–1 pm, $30 Register
What unlearned lessons compelled you to be born at this time, in the body you have? Can you escape the influence of past incarnations? Can you control what your future lives will be? The answer to all these questions is karma, cause and effect as it applies to human destiny. Karma is a fascinating, complex weave of personal and planetary forces that determines everything that happens on the world stage, and in each individual life. Learn how to understand and work out your present karma, and create positive karma for the future.
Instructor: Dr. Shanti Rubenstone
How to Become a Saint
Saturday, March 27, 10 am–1 pm, $30 Register
What is a saint, anyway? Why would you want to become one? The bliss of sainthood is the goal we all seek, whether we know it or not. How do we increase our will power, energy, and devotion; surrender to God more fully; and get around the obstructing ego? The true custodians of spirituality and religion are the saints, not religious institutions. We’ll look at modern examples and how we can become more like them. “Everything in future will improve if you are making a spiritual effort now!”
Instructor: Dambara Begley
Visit Meditation to learn more about our extensive meditation class schedule.
How to find us:
Nearly all of our classes and events take place at the Temple in Palo Alto, except for a very few which take place at the Ananda Community in Mountain View (those are specially noted, so you’ll know).
Directions to Ananda Temple in Palo Alto.
Directions to Ananda Community in Mountain View.
When you come to a class or event at the Temple, even if you registered ahead of time, please sign in at the book/gift shop so we can greet you and direct you to the right classroom. The book/gift shop is located in a one-story building just behind the main sanctuary (enter through the sliding-glass door). Map of Ananda Temple grounds.
You may pay and/or register for classes and events. Payments are processed In a secure manner through PayPal. Fees shown are for an entire series unless indicated otherwise. If you need to miss a class in a series, an audio recording is available.
