Why Yoga?

"The aim of Yoga is to realize that we are all connected. We share one heart, one consciousness and one Divine Source. Yoga's method is to provide us with experiences that help us to grasp this." -- Sharon Gannon & David Life, Jivamukti Yoga.

Yoga is a healthy way to achieve freedom of your soul and thoughts. Freedom that goes beyond rules and normality. Yoga shall, above all, also happen in the time you are not on your mat. To be free and to live a non-violent life and to avoid violent thoughts is achieved slowly, just as it can be a long process to learn how to do a headstand. Yoga is usually defined as Union. The term yoga comes from the Sanskrit word "yug" which means to yoke or bind together. Yoga is Enlightenment. Yoga is the experience of bliss that lies beyond the veil of thought. A comprehensive yoga practice uses the mind (meditation), the body (posture or asana), and the spirit (Bhakti) to shed the layers that stand between us and our hearts - where knowledge and truth transform into wisdom and happiness. We don't do yoga. Yoga is the goal. We do practices that may lead to yoga.

What is Jivamukti Yoga?

Jivamukti Yoga is a method of yoga that was created by David Life and Sharon Gannon in 1984, which reintegrates the physical, philosophical and spiritual aspects of Yoga. The emphasis in the west has been on Yoga as mostly a physical practice. More and more people are achieving firmer bodies through regular yoga classes. But many are finding something more: what starts out as a purely physical practice creeps into the hearts and minds of even the least spiritual practitioners.

David and Sharon became teachers because they were passionate about communicating Yoga as more than just a system of exercises, but also as a spiritual practice; a path to enlightenment. From their earliest classes, they have taught a living translation of the Indian system of yoga in a way that western minds can comprehend.

That is why Jivamukti Yoga emphasizes vigorous asana as its primary technique, but other practices such as meditation, devotional chanting and study of the ancient texts play an important role as well. And that is why we are happy to say: The average Jivamukti student is more educated about the philosophy of yoga than most yoga teachers. Or, to quote Christy Turlington: "I always learn something at Jivamukti; they really educate the students."

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.

Jivamukti Yoga offers vigorously physical and intellectually stimulating yoga classes. Classes include Vinyasa (flowing asana sequences), hands-on adjustments, Pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation, Sanskrit chanting, Yogic philosophical teachings and deep relaxation. To keep the practice inspiring, asana sequences are ever-changing. with music playing an integral role in the class. Classes are 60-90 minutes and open to all levels.

Union Square at Broadway 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.

What are the main tenets of Jivamukti Yoga?

Jivamukti Yoga is based on five main tenets:

1. Scripture

The study of the ancient yoga teaching, i.e. the yoga sutras of Patanjali, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and 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 (Non-Violence)

A non-violent, compassionate lifestyle which emphasizes ethical vegetarianism and animal rights. In our Jivamukti Yoga Classes we, therefore, also discuss ethical vegetarianism, animal rights, environmental concerns and the need to take social/political action. And Jivamukti Yoga Berlin is active in all of these fields, too. For instance through donation projects and events, by using environmentally friendly power suppliers like Greenpeace Energy, washing detergents and cleaning supplies etc.

4. Music

Promoting the study of Nada Yoga (the yoga of sound) as an essential part of Hatha Yoga practice. We are listening to elevating music, do Kirtan (call and response singing) and provide and distribute the newest, most cutting-edge of spiritually elevating music.

5. Meditation

We are encouraging meditation as an essential part of Hatha Yoga practice. Each class includes meditation instruction and practice Once a week in-depth meditation classes and/or Satsang is offered.