We skillfully blend the Eastern teachings of Yoga and Buddhism with the Western mind, while encouraging each person to find the Truth within themselves. We are fortunate to have been taught by some of the world’s foremost teachers (see below).
About Yoga
Yoga literally means ‘union’ or reaching fruition; it is the realization of our true nature. The teachings cover every aspect of life, from physical postures and breathing (hatha yoga), to mental alertness and insight (gyana yoga), clarity, concentration and meditation (raja yoga), devotion and unconditional love (bhakti yoga).
About Buddhism
The word Buddha means to wake up to the awareness of one’s true nature. Buddhism teaches the path to such awakening: how to transform greed, selfishness, ignorance and suffering into generosity, loving kindness, compassion, and skillful means, through meditation, service and personal reflection.
Sri Swami Satchidananda
The late Swami Satchidananda, known as the Woodstock Guru as he opened Woodstock, was a student of both Ramana Maharshi and Swami Sivananda in India. He came to the USA in 1966 and became known as ‘The Woodstock Guru’ after launching the Woodstock Festival. He founded the Integral Yoga Institutes worldwide and the Satchidananda Ashram in Virginia. He is the author of many books and was the recipient of the Martin Buber Award for Outstanding Service to Humanity. He is regarded by many as the one of the most important spiritual teachers of this age.
The Dalai Lama
The fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet is both spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. In 1959 he escaped from Tibet to India following the Chinese invasion and successfully established a government in exile. His constant advocacy of nonviolence led to his being awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1989. He is the author of many best selling books and has become one of the worlds’ most prominent and beloved leaders for peace.
HE Tai Situ Rinpoche
The twelfth Tai Situpa, abbot of Sherab Ling Monastery, home to over 300 monks in northern India, was born in Tibet in 1954. He is widely known for his peace work, including his 1989 Pilgrimage for Active Peace, which drew religious leaders from around the world. The author of many books, he is also the principle teacher to HH The Karmapa, leader of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Born in Tibet, the late Trungpa Rinpoche, one of Tibet’s Crazy Wisdom teachers, fled to the West in 1967 and founded Samye Ling Monastery in Scotland. Later he moved to the US where he founded the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and established a worldwide following through his Shambhala teachings and centers. Former abbot of the Surmang monasteries, he is the author of numerous best selling books, notably, Shambala, The Sacred Path of the Warrior.