An Update on Satchinananda Mission

While Satchidananda Mission is closed indefinitely for most in-person classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to maintain our sadhana and the sacred space for practice. We have really missed you all! Who could have imagined, that as things seemed to be turning around so that we could come back together for practice, the CDC guidelines discourage holding in person classes again? We have continued to maintain the intention of Satchidananda Mission with regular yoga practice, meditation, scripture studies and retreats. Rich and Manjula both have taken this past year-and-a-half to deepen our their practices and to enrich the space here at Satchidananda Mission. It has been a time of deep reflection as I am sure it has been the same for many of you. Over the past few weeks we have felt safe to offer, by appointment, the following for those that have been fully vaccinated for Covid-19. For more information about these offerings please contact Manjula at satchidanandamission@gmail.com or Rich at richpanico@gmail.com.

Current center offerings are:

  • Therapeutic classes to stream

  • Self-retreat for fully vaccinated individuals

  • In-person masked meditation on Sunday at 6:30p in the Yurt

  • Zoom classes with Manjula by appointment

  • In-person private individual and small group classes with Manjula for fully vaccinated individuals

  • Explorations in Mindfulness with Rich Panico via Zoom every Thursday evening at 7p.


    Updated 2021-08-15

 

Here you will find Swami Ramananda’s Teaching to practice each month. For more information about Swami Ramananda please visit https//integralyogasf.org.

Teaching of the Month: Sharing Abundance

In the northern hemisphere, autumn is a season known for harvesting all that one has grown and for giving thanks for the abundance of the earth. Celebrating the fruits of our labors with gratitude is a beautiful practice. But as spiritual aspirants, we want to take a further step and explore how we can make good use of all the blessings we receive to make a difference in the world.

The most fundamental use of the abundance we have received is to focus our energies on our own spiritual growth. Some of us have our basic needs fulfilled, and both the time for spiritual practice and access to a tremendous wealth of spiritual teachings. It is our responsibility to apply these gifts to free our hearts and minds from selfishness and learn to see the spiritual oneness behind all names and forms.

This requires committing ourselves to some regular, sustained spiritual practice. That practice may take many forms, all of which enable us to shift from a “me-centered” to a “we-centered” way of living. As we make peace in our own hearts, they will naturally open with compassion for others, and we can become a presence of peace and compassion wherever we go.

We need not wait until we have achieved some level of spiritual growth before we more outwardly share the benefits we have received by serving in the world. Service is itself a form of Yoga practice called Karma Yoga, in which we act with the welfare of others in our hearts and without attachment to the outcome of our efforts. There are endless opportunities to do things with such mindfulness and care.

We can share the abundance we have received in numerous ways, such as serving in a soup kitchen, donating to an environmental organization, praying for those who suffer, or tutoring disadvantaged children. We have many opportunities every day to be loving, to listen and understand others, and to give without expecting something.

Sharing the abundance we dwell in can also take the form of caretaking our planet and all the beings that inhabit it. I believe it is our duty to stand up for our spiritual values by supporting the healing of our natural world, and by defending the rights of the oppressed, marginalized and underserved.

Sharing the gifts and blessings we have received with others is a natural impulse when we acknowledge our abundance and free ourselves from the self-centered messages of our culture. Actions performed with genuine care for others are healing for our hearts, and we find joy in giving rather than looking for a reward or outcome. This is how we really bring our Yoga practice to life.

About the Author:

Swami Ramananda is the president of the Integral Yoga Institute of San Francisco and a greatly respected master teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition, who has been practicing Yoga for more than 35 years. He offers practical methods for integrating the timeless teachings and practices of Yoga into daily life. He leads beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level Yoga Teacher Training programs in San Francisco and a variety of programs in many locations in the United States, Europe, and South America. Swami Ramananda trains Yoga teachers to carry Yoga into corporate, hospital, and medical settings and has taught mind/body wellness programs in many places. He is a founding board member of the Yoga Alliance, a national registry that supports and promotes Yoga teachers as professionals. 




  • Kirtan (chanting of sacred names) gatherings are every third Sunday of the month and we are happy to join with our brothers and sisters from Mindful Breath Sangha to chant Kirtan and introduce songs from Plum Village. Kirtan is from 4:00-5:30. Chant sheets are provided and a kirtan group leads the response. Donations are greatly appreciated in support of this event.


  • Meditation is every Sunday evening from 6:30-7:15. This is a seated silent meditation. We open with Vedic Chanting (chant sheets provided) followed by pranayama (yoga breathing practices optional) and then 30 minutes of silence. Instruction on pronunciation of the Sanskrit chants and instruction on the breathing practices are offered upon request. All are welcome. By donation.