Assisi Institute Satellite Group/Kriya Yoga of Olean

Yoga Foundations with Christy New Series starts this Wednesday, February 3rd 7:00 - 8:00pm via Zoom, click here for more details and to register #assisiyoga #yogaclass #yogisofig #onlineyoga #yoga @christydelay

Kriya Lifestyle class meets next Monday at 7 pm on Zoom. We warmly invite you to join us for Kriya Lifestyle class, Monday evening February 8 at 7 pm. Email Poo...ja at [email protected] for the Zoom link. #kriyayoga #kriyalifestyle #kriyayogameditation #kriyayogaclass #theassisiinstitute See more

Gospel Truth and Yogananda's Wisdom We are all familiar with the coronavirus and the damage it can do to a person, a country, and even our whole world. Yet we ...fail to realize that there are thought viruses, mood viruses, energy viruses, and spirit viruses. Ultimately, these are more dangerous than the COVID-19 virus because they infect our consciousness with fear, anger, insatiable desires, and distorted perceptions. These viruses cause much suffering and confusion. Stalin’s communism, Hitler’s fascism, the KKK’s racist propaganda, and all other such dynamics were born of nefarious viruses what the Bible refers to as unclean spirits. Just as we must take precautions about the coronavirus, we must all be careful about what we ingest through our fives senses, ponder with our minds, and embrace with our hearts. Just as the food we eat becomes the stuff of our bodies, the energies we inhale become the very fabric of our experiences and determine the trajectories of our lives. In today’s Gospel from Mark 1:21-28, Jesus heals a man possessed by unclean spirits (impure energies): Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit. He cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are the Holy One of God!' Jesus rebuked him and said, ‘Quiet! Come out of him!’ The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.’ His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee." None of us is likely to experience what this man underwent in the gospel story; yet, we all pick up various mental and emotional viruses in our day-to-day lives that impact our mental, emotional, and spiritual health. For this reason, meditation is vital to a healthy, holistic life. Meditation acts as a kind of exorcism of the negative energies and habits embedded within our nervous systems. Additionally, just as we should not knowingly expose ourselves to anyone who has the coronavirus, we should consciously associate with healthy, loving, holy people to safeguard our emotional, mental, and spiritual health. Yogananda tells us, Psychological diseases receive the healing support needed from self-analysis, attentive introspection, and association with and emulation of mentally healthy people. Concentration on spiritualized thoughts in meditation actually eradicates the causes of mental diseases and corroding bad habits. In meditation the mind becomes interiorized and withdraws the externally activating life force from muscles and nerves and concentrates it in the brain cells where evil tendencies are recorded. This concentrated life energy in meditation burns out the grooves or patterns of mental habits that are lodged in the brain. Om Divine Mother, With each breath, Smooth out the grooves Of my poor Thinking habits, And keep me Healthy and safe.

The Soul, Simplicity, and Surrender: Let’s get one thing straight: the soul is always meditating, always at peace, and always in communion with God. It is the m...ind that is the source of suffering; the agitation we deplore occurs only in the mind, not in the soul. We try to bring happiness to the mind by focusing on agreeable things, such as music, poetry, good food or a good movie, and so forth. While it is good to focus on such pursuits, they don’t fundamentally solve the problem because the experience of life cannot always be agreeable. For example, our bodies are going to ultimately fail all of us; we call this failure death. It helps to understand that the mind is like the moon which has no light of its own and only reflects the sun’s light. Our minds possess no inherent brightness or light, but the more we orient our attention toward the soul, toward the guru, toward God’s truth, beauty, and goodness, the more bright and luminous our minds become. When my mind is agitated, I sometimes gaze at an image of Yogananda while simultaneously steadying my breath. This not only calms my mind but also ushers me into a luminous state of consciousness. Prayer, meditation, service, and devotion to the Guru are all infallible doorways into our own souls and God’s presence. Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Yogananda, said Most important of all is an attitude of deep loving receptivity toward one’s God-ordained guru. The magnetism emanated by a true master lifts his disciples above their egos. What the guru does for us is primarily on a level of consciousness. He works from within us, on our thoughts and feelings. Our job, above all, is to offer our hearts and minds up to him, that he may transform us. Divine Mother, Beloved Guru Help me to remember: It is my mind that causes my trouble, But my soul is always at perfect peace. I need only to focus on my soul And my mind will follow. .

Gentle Yoga with Annie Assisi Yoga on Zoom Mondays at 6:00 pm Release your tension and shift your energy with Annie! Visit www.assisiyoga.com for more details. ...#assisiyoga #yogaclass #yogisofig #gentleyoga #onlineyoga #yoga See more

What if you could view the Earth from Space? Would this enhanced perspective allow you to approach your life with greater simplicity and ease? If so, then it mi...ght be worth becoming an astronaut, yes? Perhaps. Yet, here is a more down to earth way of arriving at living in greater ease ~ Get to know the practical and brilliant ancient wisdom that is Ayurveda. Allow me to show you the way . Introduction to Ayurveda ~ January 2, 3 - 5 pm Ayurveda, Yoga, and the Chakra System ~ January 9, 3 - 5 pm An Exploration of Inner Discovery ~ 8-week Ayurveda series begins on January 16 For details and to register for any or all of these ONLINE offerings, please follow links in the comment boxes below and as always, all questions are welcomed. You can reach me here [email protected] Here is what Lynn had to say about our most recent 8-week Exploration of Inner Discovery: Love the course! It is so apparent the work you put into putting it together, so much info. Most importantly, it is so evident that the whole course is enveloped in love; and that bathing in love has been such sweetness. Lynn Engineer and Yoga teacher

The Yoga of Advent: Imagine for a moment the first day of creation as described in the Book of Genesis. Yes, it is a mythological story, but remember that myths... often capture existential truths. Adam and Eve are naked, meaning they have developed no psychological defenses; they are open and receptive. They have neither ideological indoctrination nor habits, conditioning, or prejudices. They are free to really see creation as it is, through a radically pure lens. Because they see in this way, they are able to behold the presence of the Divine in every speck of creation. Clearly, we no longer possess such clairvoyance. Part of the grace that comes with Advent is the rediscovery of Christ Consciousness, which restores our capacity to see creation as it is and to see God’s presence in all aspects of our lives. Look for evidence of this truth in the story of Jesus healing a number of blind persons, which we find in Matthew 9:27-31: As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, Son of David, have pity on us! When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I can do this? Yes, Lord, they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, Let it be done for you according to your faith. And their eyes were opened. In order for us to regain our full capacity to see, we must admit to our blindness, which is never easy and always a blow to our egos. Secondly, we must paradoxically undergo a period of darkness, wherein we let go of our cherished assumptions, call into doubt our prejudices, and accept the truth that what we don’t know is far more important than what we do know. Often, this period of darkness is referred to as the Dark Night of the Soul. It takes faith in God’s goodness to undergo such blindness, but the light that eventually comes to us is absolutely liberating. Yogananda tells us, Beholding goodness in everything, you will certainly find that one day the Invisible Power will shatter all the windows of thoughts and sensations and feelings through which you have been seeing only glimpses of the divine harmony in creation; you will behold through an infinite opening the omnipresent Goodness, God. Lord Jesus, Guruji Yogananda, Restore my sight!

Thanksgiving Asana Practice Happy Thanksgiving to our dear yoga community! Christianne is honored to share this practice with you today. https://youtu.be/6_XXBf...-5KQA #happythanksgiving #assisiyoga #thanksgivingyoga #thanksgivingasana See more

Enjoy this 45-minute Yoga Basics class with Jessica. There will be no Facebook class tomorrow due to the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving! https://youtu.be/c-qpVyTq0ao

Did you know that we are back in the studio? We started back early October following every protocol, as no act of precaution is in excess at this time! We’ll... continue as long as the state gives us the thumbs up which hopefully will continue until we can welcome our large classes back into our precious space. Join us? For details on the private or semi private class for you, please email me at [email protected] See more