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The Art & Science of Raja Yoga

  • Ananda Temple 2171 El Camino Real Palo Alto, CA, 94306 United States (map)

Thursdays, Feb 2nd - Apr 6th 2023
Fee $345 for new students
$295 for those who have completed lessons in meditation with Ananda

One of our most popular offerings, Raja Yoga is a comprehensive course on meditation and yoga philosophy as taught by Paramhansa Yogananda. Raja yoga or the “royal” yoga encompasses all the different types of yoga, including meditation, devotional practices, dispassionate discrimination and wisdom, as well as scientific techniques for working with our body and mind to develop greater self mastery.

Each class will begin with 45 mins of guided practice that will include gentle yoga, meditation and other techniques for stilling the breath and the mind. Students will also learn the energization exercises as taught by Yogananda for developing willpower and control of life force. The practice of these exercises aids in going deeper in meditation and developing a daily habit of it.

This course serves as a foundation and a pre-requisite for advanced meditation lessons leading upto Kriya yoga (a sacred meditation technique brought to the west by Yogananda)

Class outline:
6:30pm Guided Sadhana
7:15pm Potluck Dinner
8pm Lecture, discussion and Q&A

More info here.

Swami Kriyananda’s book The Art and Science of Raja Yoga will be provided for free with course registration.

Students who have completed this course before are welcome to audit the class free of cost. Contact one of our staff to register as an auditor.

Please contact us if you are in need of financial assistance.

Fee $345 for new students
$295 for those who have completed lessons in meditation with Ananda

Art & Science of Raja Yoga
 

Instructors

Featured
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Nayaswami Shanti

Nayaswami Shanti is a lifelong devotee and is now a co spiritual director here at Ananda Palo Alto. She teaches, counsels and still maintains a practice of medicine through her coaching practice of “Transformational Medicine.” Her talks are rich with stories from her life as a physician and her many years on the path. With her warmth and wisdom, she is a much-loved counselor and teacher. Shanti’s talks online.

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Saiganesh Sairaman

Saiganesh is an Ananda minister and one of the co-managers of Ananda Palo Alto. He is a deeply thoughtful, clear speaker, and connects easily with people. He has a passion for sharing the teachings of Kriya yoga and meditation. A world citizen, he grew up in a traditional Hindu family in India and was trained as an Indian Classical musician. He is a former tech manager in the silicon valley, and applies his tech acumen to many Ananda projects.

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Brahmacharini Lakshmi

Lakshmi is an Ananda minister and one of the co-managers of Ananda Palo Alto. She also serves as an English teacher and a mediator at a local high school, dedicated to merging mindfulness and academics in a professional setting. She is a thoughtful and delightfully engaging teacher at Ananda, as well. Lakshmi serves Ananda Palo Alto in many ways, with a rare gift for organizing major projects with ease.

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James Noh-Kuhn

James Noh-Kuhn is a former senior executive with a San Francisco based coffee company. His calm, cheery management style in a fast-paced environment is born of many years of yoga and meditation practice. He directed the yoga program at Ananda Santa Rosa in 2003. In the corporate world, he was often asked how he remained so calm. He joyfully answered by sharing Ananda's breathing and meditation practices. He brings years of management and strategic planning experience to the Sangha staff.

 

More testimonials

“The teachers individually and together are wonderful, experienced and caring people. They create a community where the energy is clear and high.”
—S. M.

“I could keep coming to this class for years and never get tired of it. On a scale of 1-10, this is an 11!”
—A. Trowbridge

“...a philosophy and way of being that far surpasses anything I’ve studied before.”
—B. Gallup

“This is a fun class with like-minded people. The content was excellent and made me want to learn more. Great teachers, great energy—and great food.”
—A. Manolov”
Earlier Event: February 15
Guided Sadhana - Movement & Meditation
Later Event: February 17
Gentle Yoga for a Healthy Spine