Konalani Yoga Ashram, Hawaii.
by Konalani Yoga Ashram, Hawaii.
Welcome Konalani Yoga Ashram’s live-online Yoga Philosophy Podcast led by Yoga Acharya’s Satyam and Abhaya. We focus on helping students learn how to FEEL the practice of philosophy as an internal stretch that purifies the intellect, just like yoga purifies your body. It’s one part philosophy, one part meditation, and one part discussion, as the active and vibrant sangha members of ShambhavAnanda Yoga unpack ancient texts like the Shiva Sutras and Vijnana Bhairava through the lens of their personal practice. For anyone seeking inspiration and education in their ongoing meditation journey, this class is a must.
Episodes
-
Dharana 9, Part 2: Meditation & Discussion
Beyond the Void and Union with Shiva: Swami Muktananda's teaching distinguishes our tradition by revealing that beyond the void is Shiva. Dharana emphasizes mindful separation from infinite manifestations, leading to union with true nature, Bhairava, synonymous with Shiva. Surrendering the…
more -
The Mouse of the Mind: Embracing Ganesh through the Story of Mushika
Immerse yourself in the transformative spirit of Ganesha as our Ashram resonates with the joyous celebrations that extend from personal realms to the universal. Delve into the symbolic journey through the story of Mushaka, Ganesha's mouse, illustrating the release of karmic obstacles and the...
-
Dharana 6 • Slow is Smooth & Smooth is Surrender
Embarking on the path to spiritual growth is often framed as a solemn endeavor, demanding ceaseless, mindful effort. But it doesn't have to be a burdensome task—instead, it can be a playful and invigorating journey that engages us fully in every minute of our existence. In a recent exchange with...
-
Devic Stories & Songs: Vishnu
This class will deepen your connection to deity Vishnu through stories and new perspectives, kirtan, and meditation.
-
Vijnana Bhairava Reflections: Grace and Effort
This class reflects further on Vijnana Bhairava Dharana 5 through discussion, free writing, and meditation.
-
Vijnana Bhairava, Dharana 5
This pressure or density is not only natural, but good for us. When diving underwater in the physical world, our body recognizes the pressure and slows down our heart rate, shifting our nervous system down towards a more restful and rejuvenating state. The pressure is also good for our lungs. In...
-
Devic Stories & Songs: Parvati
This class will help you deepen your connection to goddess Parvati, followed by kirtan and meditation.
-
Teaching Moments: Place of Refuge
In this Teaching Moments episode, Sangha member Arati and Satyam discuss their experiences of finding refuge in the heart, our meditation practice, and the sangha. Arati: Talking about my practice is not something I’m very familiar with…I feel like I am still trying to learn, understand, and feel...
-
Creative Consciousness: Writing from Within (Dharana 4)
Join us as we explore our practice through the art of writing from within. We will review Dharana 4 and spend time meditating, writing, and discussing, in addition to some light movement. You are welcome to bring previous writing to continue working on or use the prompts provided.
-
Slowing Down to Open Up: Vijnana Bhairava, Dharana 4
Dharana 4 concludes the breath and pause specific teachings in this portion of the Vijnana Bhairava, and is our focal point for tonight. In this Dharana we begin to lean into the pause skillfully, feeling for the moment when we are ‘all out’ or ‘all in’, and allowing ourselves to be absorbed in a...
-
Devic Stories & Songs: Dancing with Shiva
In this class, we explore stories and new ways of relating to the Deities of our lineage, followed by kirtan and meditation. A deeper connection to our Deities - these powerful, loving spiritual forces - is always available, and our relationship to them is ever-changing. Today’s episode will open...
-
Creative Consciousness: Finding Inspiration in the Shambhavi Mudra
Let your creative juices flow as we recap and are inspired by previous class topics, especially the Shambhavi Mudra - the ability to keep your attention within as your senses are turned outward and you navigate the external world..
-
The Shambhavi Pause: Vijnana Bhairava, Dharana 3
“Whenever inbreath and out breath fuse, at this instant touch the energyless energy-filled center.” When considering the pause between the breath, it is almost automatic to approach it from the outside in— meaning, to watch your breath and feel for the pause to occur. This, we are told, was the...
-
Devic Stories and Songs: Ganesh
In this exciting new class rotation, we explore stories and new ways of relating to the Deities of our lineage, followed by kirtan and meditation. A deeper connection to our Deities - these powerful, loving spiritual forces - is always available, and our relationship to them is ever-changing.…
more -
Teaching Moments: The Pause
The pause between the breath gives us an anchor of stillness amidst the constant fluctuations of mind and karma. Because the breath is as ceaseless as manifestation is infinite— and flowing with our breath, like flowing with our karma, takes practice and surrender. This is why the pause between…
more -
Creative Consciousness: Turns and Curves
This class revisits the Vijnana Bhairava's progressive training of awareness, particularly focusing on Dharana 2, which introduces the turns and curves of the breath. By following the turns and curves of the breath closely, we naturally arrive at the Shakti filled experience of the pause without...
-
"To Everything, Turn, Turn Turn...": Noticing the Turn of the Breath, Vijnana Bhairava (Dharana 2, Part 1)
The Vijnana Bhairava is a ceaseless pulsation, and the first practices of the Vijnana Bhairava take us through a progressive training of awareness in order to use that pulsation to reveal our true nature. Dharana one teaches us to focus on the pulsation itself in the form of Ham and Sah, Dharana...
-
Play of Consciousness: Philosophy, Yoga & Meditation
“Think of the breath as a vehicle rather than a jackhammer. Often students use the breath too strongly... You will not be using the breath to cut the rock open. Instead, the breath is a vehicle that you are riding on, and you are consciously feeling it move through the chakras, or at least to...
-
Teaching Moments: Flowing through Resistance
“When that flash of awareness arises, when I can say “aha” this is just a feeling and not who I am, then I can move into a place of gentle action…I can’t just jump form a force field of resistance to my cushion and find meditation. I have to take baby steps putting one foot in front of the other...
-
The Creative Center: Sharing the Bliss of Creativity
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 1.17: Through self-enquiry the practitioner gains insight, but eventually all mental logic must come to an end in bliss. Following that is the comprehension that all is the Self (yoga). In our previous two classes, we have taken time to invest in the ‘inquiry’ portion of…
more -
The Creative Center: The Dance of Intention
When we make a work of art, we hope that it speaks of an experience beyond the page it is read upon, or canvas painted upon, or ears it falls upon. Art strives to describe a universal experience, yet it is always of an individual thing— a landscape, a deity, a song, a character. The creative...
-
Ham Sah: The Ceaseless Expression of Shakti: Vijnana Bhairava, Dharana 1, Part 3
Jai Deva Sing notes at the end of Dharana 1 that there is an important interpretation of the Dharana still to be considered- that this is the essential teaching of the breath meditation practice “Ham Sah”. The recitation of Ham Sah is an exploration of the ceaseless pulsation of the Goddess…
more -
Merging with the Breath: Vijnana Bhairava, Dharana 1, Part 2
In our previous class we took time to introduce the concept of Dharana as a method of concentration, as well as to reiterate that this focal point is meant to merge us with a state of being that is beyond the focus of our eyes or mind. Each dharana is a stepping stone to our state of being. We…
more -
Merging Our Inner and Outer Heart: Vijnana Bhairava, Dharana 1, Part 1
“It is an ancient teaching, copied and recopied countless times, and from it Lakshmanjoo has made the beginnings of an English version. I transcribe it eleven more times to get it into the form given here.” Shiva first chanted it to his consort Devi in a language of love we have yet to learn. It…
more -
Shakti Shiva / Shiva Shakti: Preface to the Vijnana Bhairava (8/8)
Shakti is the face of Shiva, ie. we can only recognize Shiva by using our practice in the face of manifestation. When we feel a non-difference between these two, we acquire a state of Shiva, we enter the door of our true nature. “When in one who enters the state of Shakti, there ensues the…
more -
The Murti Within: Preface to the Vijnana Bhairava (7/8)
Though there are many forms of fire, from a cooking flame to a heating element, from lightening to the light of your room, all of these forms of fire belong to the same energy of fire— in the same way all the different forms of Shakti that we see around us are all forms of Shiva, they are...
-
Indeed, This Too is Shiva: Preface to the Vijnana Bhairava
The maxim, “Don’t miss the forest for the trees” reminds us not to forget the big picture while we move through life’s details, and has been a prevailing message in the preface to the Vijnana Bhairava— don’t get too caught up in the technique, the path, and forget the goal. And the opposite also...
-
Inclusive, Not Reclusive: Preface to the Vijnana Bhairava
Episode Note: When we bring our attention inside, do we miss out on what’s happening around us? When we draw our awareness within, do we become reclusive or do we become inclusive? Take a moment to pull your awareness within, picture a single point in the center of your chest. Let your awareness…
more -
The Spirit of Transformation: Preface to the Vijnana Bhairava
A recent holiday movie began with the question, “Do people really change? Like real lasting positive change? I hope so, because we are in the business of change.” In classic holiday theme, an angelic character seeks to change a Scrooge for good. But the twist occurs when we see that the only way...
-
The Spirit of Being: Preface to the Vijnana Bhairava
It’s easy to feel stress around the holidays, to get caught up in all the particulars of getting the right presents for everyone, cooking the best meal, and even spending enough time with loved ones. It’s true, we have to do a little extra during the holidays, or a lot extra, but we shouldn’t…
more -
Class Discussion of "The Shock of Shiva"
The Vijnana Bhairava begins with a timeless question as Parvati asks Shiva, ‘which is the path we must tread to our enlightenment? There are so many techniques, please clarify this process for our listeners.’ Shiva replies that this is indeed the question of questions, the ultimate question. (I...
-
The Shock of Shiva: Vijnana Bhairava Introduction Pt. 1
The Vijnana Bhairava begins with a shock from Shiva: “Whatever form of meditation technique you find in the tantras, whatever mantra or form, are all Bogus!…They are deception, they are delusion, they are cities in the sky.” Whoa, let’s take a moment to let that settle! Parvati then responds with…
more -
Recalling Shiva Class Discussion: Shiva Sutra 3.45
Thanks everyone for this lively and insightful discussion to conclude our four year study of the Shiva Sutras. We are so grateful to have such a dedicated sangha to make these discussions real. I’d also like to extend immense gratitude to Sri Shambhavananda for making these teachings accessible…
more -
Recalling Shiva: Shiva Sutra 3.45
The practices of yoga help us ‘recall’ or ‘recognize’ our true nature, meaning we are constantly forgetting who we are, and then using our practice to remember who we are. And this is no coincidence, as the power of Maya, illusion, is Shiva’s very real ability to cloak or conceal themself. When...
-
Shiva Center: Shiva Sutra 3.44
“In all the channels left (ida), right (pingala) and middle (susumna) - there is prana sakti. By the constant practice of bringing one’s awareness to this inner state of prana sakti, there abides the awareness of that central Reality under all circumstances, and in all conditions.” Our center is...
-
Shiva is Breathing: Shiva Sutra 3.43
The breath you’re taking right now may not be your own. According to the yogic tradition your inhale and exhale are quite literally the dance of Shiva and Shakti manifesting your reality 22,000 times a day. That’s right— the natural pulsation of breathing in and breathing out is the literal...
-
Seeing Stars: Shiva Sutra 3.42
When we look up into the night sky, scientific analysis has shown us that we can see about 2,000 stars with the naked eye. Funny, I don’t ever remember seeing 2,000 stars— I just remember seeing this star or that constellation, or maybe saying, “that’s a lot of stars”, but not 2,000. How many…
more -
Heart Space Time: Shiva Sutra 3.41 Part 2
Einstein’s theory of relativity showed us that the sheer mass of a black hole bends space time so dramatically, that if you were to sit and meditate on the edge of one for a year, you would have missed the entire dawn of mankind since the neanderthal, 255,000 years would have passed on earth in...
-
Life is but a Dream: Shiva Sutra 3.41, Part 1
It’s time for a thought experiment— ready? Imagine for a moment that you are in a dream, and that this is that rare occasion in a dream setting where you actually realize it. We all know how rare that is, and how valuable that moment is within a dream. And we all know how slippery that…
more -
Space & Flow: Shiva Sutra 3.40
There’s a little gap, a space inside of all of us that makes us feel incomplete. Take a moment to look away from the screen, and you’ll feel it right away. The Sutras describe this gap as “insatiable and insistent”, a space that no taste, face, or place can fill. Swami Rudrananda once said that…
more -
Sustainably Sourced: Shiva Sutra 3.39, Part Two
It is the source that sustains us, not the object that entertains us. In this Sutra we are urged to take time to cultivate our Bliss from within, to fill ourselves with Bliss as a means of sustainably sourcing our Bliss so that it will last a lifetime. We do this regularly through gratitude...
-
Who's Look In'? Shiva Sutra 3.39
Class Timeline: 0:00 Shoutouts to Contributing Writers 2:01 Discussion of Previous Sutra, 3.38 24:19 Presentation of New Sutra, 3.39 42:30 Meditation on Sutra 3.39
-
Catching the Bolt of Bliss: Shiva Sutra 3.38
Class Time line 0:00 Class Discussion of Sutra 3.37 22:31 Presentation of Sutra 3.38 41:07 Meditation on Sutra 3.38 Class Overview: This Sutra teaches that there is a shining sun of Bliss radiating from our hearts constantly called Turya, and many times throughout our day the light of this…
more -
The Creativity of Reality: Shiva Sutra 3.37
3.37. karaṇa śaktiḥ svato’nubhavāt // “The power of creation is the experience of every individual.” (Time Lines of Podcast below) 0:00 Pocket Sutra Potential! 1:36 Discussion of Previous Sutra, 3.36 18:17 New Material: Shiva Sutra 3.37 39:31 Guided Mediation on Sutra 3.37Raise your hand if you...
-
The Power of Pause: Shiva Sutra 3.36 Part 2
Sb 3.36 Part Two Time Line 0:00 Intro to Pocket Sutra Concept 4:19 Discussion of 3.36 Part 1 18:40 Presentation of New Material & Discussion 41:58 Guided Meditation on the space between the breaths
-
Driving Away Difference: Shiva Sutra 3.36 Part 1
For full text, be sure to download the Pocket Version of the Sutra on Konalani’s Website:
-
The Cave of the Heart: Shiva Sutra 3.34
3.34. tadvi-muktastu kevalī // “Separated from pleasure and pain, the yogi is established in real seclusion.” Over the past couple of years, we have all had different doses and experiences of this aspect of reality. When you think of a yogi, you might think of them in a cave, secluded from the...
-
Teaching Moments: Loving Your Karma
In this heartfelt and inspiration talk, Acharya Abhaya Goldstein takes us on her path to achieving her teacher's teaching to "Do your best, Be happy, and forget about the rest". Simple on the surface, but deeply transformative in practice.
-
The Witness of Emotion: Shiva Sutra 3.33
“sukhaduḥkhayorbahirmananam // “The Yogi experiences their joy and their sadness just like an object, with “this-consciousness” separate from their being.” There was an experiment done at the University of California at Los Angeles that asked four groups of people who are afraid of spiders to see...
About this show
Welcome Konalani Yoga Ashram’s live-online Yoga Philosophy Podcast led by Yoga Acharya’s Satyam and Abhaya. We focus on helping students learn how to FEEL the practice of philosophy as an internal stretch that purifies the intellect, just like yoga purifies your body. It’s one part philosophy, one part meditation, and one part discussion, as the active and vibrant sangha members of ShambhavAnanda Yoga unpack ancient texts like the Shiva Sutras and Vijnana Bhairava through the lens of their personal practice. For anyone seeking inspiration and education in their ongoing meditation journey, this class is a must.
Hosted by
Konalani Yoga Ashram, Hawaii.
Categories