Kundalini Meditation & Shaktipat - TrikaShala
Introduction
Kundalini MahaYoga:
A Path of Transformation and Liberation
This ancient practice awakens and expands the flow of creative energy called kundalini. Kundalini is the energy of the Divine as it is experienced in the individual. As we learn to stay attuned to this vital force within, we experience a profound growth that leads to the maturing of love and fulfillment in our lives.
Kundalini binds us when we project its energy into the world and yet, kundalini liberates us when we return this energy to its divine origin. Our practice focuses on the raising of the kundalini from the chakra at the base of the spine to the chakra in the crown of the head—awakening a powerful transformative energy. This energy has the capacity to wash away our deepest tensions, to expand higher consciousness within us, and to eliminate our misunderstandings about our true nature. The awakening that occurs in our understanding reveals our complete and total unity in the Divine.
Our practice is about finding that sacred space within where the individual heart is merged into the heart of the Divine.
The heart is the most sacred of all places, go there and roam…
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TrikaShala is the Spiritual Program of Sacred Space Yoga Sanctuary
For more information, go to TrikaShala.com
and SwamiKhecaranatha.com
Lineage
Kundalini Meditation & Shaktipat
The Teachings and Lineage
of Bhagavan Nityananda and Swami Rudrananda
The most significant teachers of the lineage from which Swami Khecaranatha received his training are Bhagavan Nityananda and Swami Rudrananda (Rudi).
Bhagavan Nityananda
Bhagavan Nityananda, whose name means, “bliss of the eternal,” lived in southwest India from around the turn of the 20th century until 1961. Nityananda was well known in the major districts of Maharashtra and Karnataka, where he is revered to this day as a great saint.
In its essence, Nityananda’s teaching was profoundly simple—to live within the heart of God. Nityananda demonstrated the goal of spiritual work, which is to merge the individual into the universal.
Swami Rudrananda
At the age of 30, after many years of spiritual practice, an American named Albert Rudolph (Rudi) became a devout student of Nityananda. Even after Nityananda’s mahasamadhi in 1961, Rudi traveled regularly to India to visit his shrine and to study with Swami Muktananda—one of Nityananda’s primary students.
In 1966, Swami Muktananda initiated Rudi as a Swami into the Saraswati monastic order, naming him Rudrananda, or “bliss of Rudra.” One of the first Americans to be recognized as a Swami, Rudi established many ashrams across North America and Europe. He continued to teach until his passing in 1973.
There is a life-size Murti of Rudi in the main sanctuary of Rudramandir, and the public is invited to visit and meditate there. Please call 510-486-8700 to make an appointment at a time when the room is not occupied.
If you would like to view photos and read a detailed description of the PranaPratishta Installation Ceremony for the Rudi Murti, please click here.
History
The practice of Kundalini MahaYoga has always been an inner practice, carefully passed from teacher to student through oral and energetic transmission. While the focus on inner practice remained, the philosophical aspects as a written tradition emerged in the 6-9th centuries. The inspired writings and commentaries arose from the personal inner experience of these practitioners, based on their ardent study of the early tantric practices.
The most significant philosophical expositions that arose from the practice of Kundalini MahaYoga are Tantric Shaivism and Tantric Buddhism. Both are non-dualistic schools of thought that emerged from the inner practice of Kundalini. These practices and traditions blossomed from the hearts of many great tantric masters of early times, called Mahasiddhas. The word Mahasiddha comes from “maha” which means great and “siddha” which means perfection of inner awareness and energy. These Mahasiddhas were the preceptors for the earliest tantric practices, profoundly influencing both the Tantric Shaivite and Buddhist traditions. All of them were adepts in the practice of Kundalini.
Teachers
“The relationship to a teacher who can provide unconditional love, energy, and spiritual nourishment is truly one of the greatest treasures we can receive in our lives. Transforming our lives from one of ordinary awareness to living in Divine awareness is a real challenge, and one that is almost impossible without the love, energy, support, and guidance from a teacher. I am deeply grateful that my teachers provided that nourishment for me, which is one of the primary reasons that I have committed my life to serve and teach—so that I might provide that same gift for someone else. While recognizing the importance of the teacher in each individual’s spiritual growth, I am not at all interested in ‘guru worshipping.’ You are free to decide the kind of relationship you want. I am honored and privileged to unconditionally share the grace of my teachers.”
—Swami Khecaranatha
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Swami Khecaranatha (“Nathaji”) has been teaching Kundalini MahaYoga since 1972. With a mastery etched from four decades of inner practice and selfless service, he is an authentic adept of Tantric Shaivism and an initiated carrier in the Shaktipat Lineage of Bhagavan Nityananda and Swami Rudrananda (Rudi).
Nathaji is the in-house resident spiritual teacher of Sacred Space Yoga Sanctuary at Rudramandir. He lives and teaches full time in Berkeley, California, providing deep spiritual nourishment and guidance to students in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Swami Khecaranatha’s books (Depth Over Time, Kundalini MahaYoga: A Path of Transformation and Liberation and Merging With the Divine, One Day at a Time) and guided meditation CDs can be purchased on his website.
Assistant Teachers
Swami Khecaranatha has trained some of his students to assist him in the teaching of Kundalini Meditation. The classes taught by these teachers are held on Monday and Wednesday nights.
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Sonia Foscoli has been committed to spiritual practice since 1987. She was initiated as a teacher in this lineage in 2003 by her teacher and partner, Swami Khecaranatha. Professionally Sonia has a private practice in massage, movement coaching and structural bodywork. Sonia’s background includes training and experience in Bio-Dynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy, and Swedish Massage. She is a certified Aston-Patterner®.
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Sassi Lamuth first discovered Kundalini MahaYoga when she read Swami Rudrananda’s book, Spiritual Cannibalism, in 1978. For the last 30 years she has dedicated her life to her spiritual practice. She is devoted to her teacher, Swami Khecaranatha, who initiated Sassi as a teacher in this lineage in the fall of 2003. Sassi and her husband David Lee currently serve as office managers of Rudramandir.
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Elena Portacolone discovered Kundalini Yoga in September 2002. The teachings of Swami Khecaranatha have had a profound influence in her spiritual growth. Starting in 2003, Elena became increasingly involved in the activities of Sacred Space, and she became acquainted with the teachings of Swami Rudrananda and Bhagavan Nityananda. In July 2005 Swami Khecaranatha initiated her as a teacher in this lineage. Elena has a Ph.D. in Medical Sociology from the University of California, San Francisco and is currently teaching at California State University, San Jose.
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Ellen Jefferds began attending class with Swami Khecaranatha in July of 2007. She soon after began to volunteer her time in support of his programs, serving as webmaster for Nathaji’s websites and as the editor of Depth Over Time, Kundalini MahaYoga: A Path of Transformation and Liberation (pub. date October, 2010). Swami Khecaranatha accepted Ellen into the teacher-training program in 2010.
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Jim Rodseth had his first contact with Kundalini Yoga in the summer of 2002 when he initially met his teacher Swami Khecaranatha. He has since devoted his life to its practice and teaching and Swami Khecaranatha initiated him as a teacher in this lineage in the summer of 2005. Jim serves as the president of the Sacred Space Yoga Sanctuary board of directors and practices family law.
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Peter Leopold has been a student of Swami Khecaranatha since 2008 and was accepted into the teacher-training program in 2010. He has his bachelors in religious studies from U.C. Berkeley, and is currently studying Hatha yoga and energy medicine. Peter is co-chair of the Sacred Space yoga program and is deeply grateful to have Nathaji as a teacher.
Calendar
Monday
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7:45am - 8:20am
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7:00pm - 7:45pm
Tuesday
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7:00pm - 8:30pm
Wednesday
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7:45am - 8:30am
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7:00pm - 7:45pm
Thursday
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7:00pm - 8:30pm
Friday
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7:45am - 8:20am
Kundalini Meditation classes are offered free of charge.
First-time students must sign up for a free introductory session prior to attending the kundalini meditation classes. Intros are offered on Tuesday and Thursday. Call 510-486-8700 to enroll.
Download Kundalini MahaYoga Flyer
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May 2 2012 - May 23 2012
All Meetings Are Free of Charge
Public Talk by Swami Khecaranatha
Wednesday, May 2 at 7:15 pmLearn Tantric Series: Wednesdays - 8:00-9:15 pm
May 9, 16 and 23Tantric Meditation is the foundational method of an ancient spiritual practice that allows each individual to deeply experience their own inner connection to the Divine. This practice awakens and expands the flow of inner creative energy called “Kundalini.”
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Jul 5 2012 - Jul 8 2012
Discover the stillness of Divine Presence through the awakening of the powerful forces of Kundalini, always present, already within each human being. In this intensive you will receive the transmission of shaktipat that provides you with the energy and clarity to make that discovery in yourself. You will make contact with the highest forces within you through learning to tune in to the “inner breath” and the subtle inner vibration often called “spanda.”
“Swami Khecaranatha’s teachings coincide with the Kashmiri Trika school of Shaivism. He has attained, through the transmission of his teachers and a lifetime of practice and profound personal experience, a deep understanding of the teachings of Anuttara Trika - considered by the Kashmiris to be the most elevated teachings of all the Tantric practices.”
Mark Dyczkowski - One of the world’s foremost authorities and authors on Kashmiri Shaivism
2012 Kundalini Meditation Retreat Dates:
July 5-8
October 25-28
TrikaShala.com
info@sacredspaceyogasanctuary.com
510-486-8700