What's the "BUZZ" on Jivamukti? Back to The Centers

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"Without Jivamukti, yoga in the U.S. would still be the obscure practice of a few devotees."

—New York Times

The Jivamukti Yoga method is a style of Yoga created by David Life and Sharon Gannon in 1984. It is a vigorously physical and intellectually stimulating practice leading to spiritual awareness.

We promote the educational aspect of the practice and give students access to where these ideas have come from. Each class focuses on a theme, which is supported by Sanskrit chanting, readings, references to scriptural texts, music (from the Beatles to Moby), spoken word, asana sequencing and yogic breathing practices. The average Jivamukti student is more educated about the philosophy of yoga than most yoga teachers.

"I always learn something at Jivamukti; they really educate the students."

— Christy Turlington, Time magazine

The name Jivamukti means Liberation while living. Jivamukti is taken from the Sanskrit term, Jivanmukti, which is used to describe the state of enlightenment or God realization. We named our yoga method Jivamukti because we wanted the student to be reminded of the ultimate aim of the practice.

"David and Sharon have inspired and encouraged us to think of yoga not just as a system of exercises but as a door to the infinite."

—Sting (preface, Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for the Body and Mind That Liberate the Soul, published by Ballantine, 2002)

The Jivamukti method of Yoga is one of the nine internationally recognized styles of Hatha Yoga. The other eight being: Ashtanga, Iyengar, Viniyoga, Sivananda, Integral, Bikram, Kripalu, and Kundalini.

To teach the Jivamukti method, all teachers must be certified after completing one month intensive teacher-training program.

The main tenets of the Jivamukti style are:

1. Scripture

The sources for the teachings are drawn from ancient Sanskrit scriptures, most notably:

	Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
	Hatha Yoga Pradipika
	Bhagavad Gita
	Upanishads
	Study of the Sanskrit Alphabet and grammar

2. Bhakti

Recognition that God realization is the goal of all yoga practices is a tenet of Jivamukti Yoga.

	The promotion of inter-religious understanding and tolerance toward all forms of religious and spiritual beliefs
	Creating a mood conducive to a devotional state of mind through altars, religious pictures and iconography, and providing a large selection of books and spiritual tools
	Chanting of the names of God

3. Ahimsa

Promoting and providing educational information about:

	Ethical vegetarianism
	Animal rights
	Environmental concerns
	The need to take social/political action

4. Music

Promoting the study of Nada Yoga (the yoga of sound) as an essential part of Hatha Yoga practice.

	Listening to elevating music.
	Kirtan (call and response singing)
	Inspiring the composition of spiritually motivated music.
	Providing and distributing the newest, most cutting-edge of spiritually elevating music

5. Meditation

Encouraging meditation as an essential part of Hatha Yoga practice

	Each class includes meditation instruction and practice
	Once a week in-depth meditation class is offered
	Guest meditation teachers

Lafayette Street in lower Manhattan, a promenade long associated with cutting-edge trends in fashion, music, and fitness, is also the home base of the Jivamukti Yoga Center, one of the busiest, most popular and innovative yoga centers in the world. Described as "the wild child of yoga" by Paper magazine, Jivamukti certainly attracts its share of wild children from a wide mosaic of backgrounds who are undoubtedly drawn to the vigorous Hatha Yoga classes and the deeply spiritual sense of community found at the center. The thousands of students that pass through Jivamukti seven days a week are proof that Westerners are ready for Jivamukti’s mix of the earthy and the ethereal.

Jivamukti Yoga has been featured on the BBC, NBC, ABC, PBS, MTV, CNN, Discovery and in the New York Times, Time magazine and New York magazine. Read what people are saying about Jivamukti...

Read about Jivamukti and American Popular Culture: http://206.20.14.67/achal/archive/Apr98/music.htm

 

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