YogaCity NYC Deeper Learning Series
Friday, November 15th at Integral Yoga Institute
5 Senior Teachers Discuss Bhakti Yoga And The Role Devotion Plays In Their Practice
Teachers Swami Asokananda, Eddie Stern, Joshua Greene, Michael Bühler-Rose and Bryn Chrisman will examine how the practice of Bhakti Yoga is integrated into their yoga practice and their teachings. Moderating the panel will be Brette Popper, Publisher and Founder of YogaCity NYC.
The discussion is FREE and open to all.
What is Bhakti? How does it play a role in modern practice? How do teachers and studios bring Bhakti to their classes? And, how does it get integrated into American religious beliefs? This outstanding panel of experts allows us to ponder some of the more advanced and intellectually richer aspects of yoga that get short shrift in the media which tends to focus on celebrity teachers, high priced clothing and asana as pure exercise. 
This is the fourth in a series of Deeper Learning Programs that YogaCity NYC is sponsoring at yoga studios throughout the city. They are intended to open up serious discussions between diverse schools of yoga in New York City, foster growth, greater understanding and community. The series is held at rotating studios to give yoga students a chance to visit places they may not be acquainted with.
Contact
Katie JehensonYogaCity NYC
admin@yogacitynyc.com
The Panelists:
Swami Asokananda – a monk since 1973, is one of Integral Yoga’s foremost teachers, known for his warmth, intelligence and good humor. His teaching comes out of his own practice and experience, having absorbed the wisdom of his guru, Sri Swami Sachidananda, since the age of nineteen. While he enjoys sharing the practical wisdom of the yogic philosophy (especially the great Indian scripture, the Bhagavad Gita), he also loves his practice of Hatha Yoga and is one of Integral Yoga's primary instructors for Intermediate and Advanced Hatha Yoga Teacher Training. In the past he has served as the President of Satchidananda Asham – Yogaville and Integral Yoga International and is currently President of the New York Integral Yoga Institute.
Eddie Stern – has been teaching yoga since 1989 and is the Director of Ashtanga Yoga New York, which opened in 1995 and is dedicated to the teachings and lineage of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Housed within AYNY is the Broome Street Ganesha Temple, a traditional Hindu temple in SoHo. He is long time advocate for bringing health and wellness in the form of yoga and relaxation to under-served and in-need communities.
Eddie also is the co-editor and publisher of Namarupa, Categories of Indian Thought, a monthly Indian philosophical and art journal and in his spare time, studies Sanskrit, anatomy and physiology, and examines the crossovers of science and yoga.
Joshua Greene - is a popular lecturer on yoga philosophy. Since 2006 he has led a weekly discussion group on Bhagavad Gita at Jivamukti Yoga School. His books include Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison and Gita Wisdom: An Introduction to India’s Essential Yoga Text. His articles have appeared in numerous yoga journals. He is also a filmmaker and the producer of several documentaries for PBS on issues relating to the Holocaust and survivor testimony. In 1969 he was initiated by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and given the name Yogesvara Das. After thirteen years in ashrams of India and Europe he returned to America and is now Professor of Religion at Hofstra University on Long Island.
Michael Bühler-Rose – has been a practitioner of bhakti for 20 years since first reading the Bhagavad-gita at age 14, leading him to live in ashrams across the US and India. Supported by awards and fellowships, he studied Vaishnava philosophy and rituals. He is now an Instructor at The Rhode Island School of Design and Cooper Union, as well as a purohita (ritual specialist). His artistic practice explores the relationship between the art object and the artist which he sees as a parallel experience to one between a venerated deity and a priest.
Bryn Chrisman – is co-founder of Yogamaya Yoga Studio and has been practicing yoga for over a decade and teaching since 2003. Her teaching is deeply devotional, transportive and transformational. Deeply drawn to Kirtan and the Bhakti path, Bryn spends her free time singing kirtan with great devotees at RadhaGovinda Mandir. She studies philosophy with Dhanurdhara Swami and other devotional teachers and practitioners from the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. She has run several teacher trainings including immersions in Bhakti and devotion.
Brette Popper – is the Publisher and Founder of YogaCity NYC, New York City’s premiere website for local yoga news, reviews and events. She is also a 500 Hour ERYT.