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The Art & Science of Raja Yoga

14-Week Immersion into the principles of yoga

Next batch, Feb 6th - May 8th, Thursday evenings, 7 - 9:15pm

Discover how meditation,  pranayama (breathwork), yoga postures and yogic lifestyle practices can give you strength and confidence to navigate life’s challenges and find deeper meaning.

One of our most popular offerings, Raja Yoga, is a comprehensive course on the ancient science of yoga as taught by Paramhansa Yogananda. The course focuses on the practical application of yogic teachings and the development of a personal practice to transform one’s life from the inside out.

Each class will begin with 45 minutes of guided practice, including gentle yoga, meditation, and techniques to still the breath and mind. Students will also learn the energization exercises taught by Yogananda to develop willpower and control of life force. Practicing these exercises helps deepen meditation and establish a consistent daily habit.

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:
7pm Guided Sadhana (Yoga postures or energization exercises, guided meditation)
8pm Lecture, discussion and practicum

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

Fee $325 for new students
$295 for those who have taken meditation lesson with Ananda

This course will also be offered via zoom for those who cannot come in-person. Students can choose either the online or in-person track

Raja yoga

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.

 

Instructors

Featured
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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.

 
““It seems that all questions that life presents to us can be solved using these teachings. The course helped me look at habits I have built up over time that keep me stuck, and gave me tools to get free.”
—L. Williams

“Anyone on a spiritual journey needs the fantastic tools offered in this class. I am walking away with a more in-depth understanding, awareness, and overall feeling of joy and inner peace — everything I need to continue my path.”
—C. Wilkerson

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

“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”
 
 

Raja Yoga teachings come from ancient India, passed from teacher to disciple. Swami Kriyananda (right), author of the text we will be using, received his training from Paramhansa Yogananda, author of the spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi. Yogananda was guided by Babaji to share these teachings in the West.

This spiritual lineage