Himalayan Yoga

Today on World Environment Day, we honor the principal of "Ahimsa," the first yama, which teaches us to do no harm. In approaching our environment with compassion, we honor this yogic teaching.

Starts Monday, June 1.
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Stephen (Stoma) Parker's Monday-evening discussion group continues this spring on four Monday evenings June 1–22, from 7:00–8:30 pm CT via Zoom. The first summer session is this Monday (June 1).

Stoma (PsyD, E-RYT 500) is leading a discussion of Śāntideva’s "Bodhicāryāvatāra." We have been using Pema Chodron’s text "Becoming Bodhisattvas: A Guidebook for Compassionate Action" to ground the discussion.
Previous attendance to the discussion group is NOT required; everyone is welcome. Stoma leads a guided meditation to begin each session.

For more information and to register for some or all sessions, see: https://themeditationcenter.org/class/2026-summer-study-group-via-zoom-with-dr-stephen-parker-stoma-psy-d-e-ryt-500-shantidevas-bodhicaryavatara/

If you live in a time zone that does not allow for you to attend the sessions in real time, register for any or all sessions and you will be sent Vimeo links to the recorded sessions as soon as they are uploaded to Vimeo.

Stephen (Stoma) Parker was initiated in the Himalayan Yoga tradition by Swami Veda Bharati and was given the initiate name Stoma in 1971. Among the first teachers certified by the Himalayan International Teachers’ Association, H.I.T.A., Stoma is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and serves on the faculties of the Meditation Center in Minneapolis and the Sadhanamandir and Sadhaka Gram ashrams in Rishikesh, India.

TOMORROW AT Himalayan Yoga and Meditation...
Meditation is 9-9:30 AM, followed by Satsang until 10:45 AM.

Initiates and newcomers warmly welcomed.

Swami Ritivan:

"On your pilgrimage along the spiritual path, you begin to recognize the depths of light you are pursuing. Such a person searches for the inner light when a calling arises, ‘know thy self’ in relation to the outer world, with its laws and with its causes and effects.

And, one passes through many stages of transformation, thus eliminating the lower for the higher, the gross for the more subtle, merging the smaller into the greater, and uniting the small part of that personality into a wholeness, crossing the boundaries and loosening the ties of bo***ge until the outer world and inner world are realized as one. These infinite divine forces, these universal forces, are the forces within our personality. They are our experiences that express an inner craving, express that quest to know and to love and be loved. This is the quest of light, to be in light, with light, and experience the human fullness of that enlightenment as peace, happiness, and bliss.

This inherent impulse, is felt in every human being, every living being, every sentient being. It is the impulse that becomes the breath. And in that impulse the thought of SoHam arises with each breath. Thus every human being can realize their true nature. The darkness of ignorance and confusion that surrounds, that veils, that diminishes the light of knowledge, remains the bo***ge to which we seek freedom.

Thus your true nature is light. "
Ahymsin

NEXT SUNDAY, MAY 31st:

Following our normal guided 30-minute meditation we will have the chance to be together in community to talk about our practice, our tradition, to ask questions, discuss various topics from a yogic perspective, and make connections within our HYM community. And there will be snacks!

Newcomers and seasoned community members are warmly welcomed.
Satsang will be held from 9:30-10:45 following Meditation, which is 9-9:30 AM.

Practice yoga with one of our senior teachers every Thursday at 10 AM.

Ahymsin : "Hatha Yoga is defined as “the balancing of solar and lunar energies.” In the prana-vidya Hatha Yoga style of doing asanas, one’s concentration is not only the positioning the body correctly, but also on experiencing what is happening within and how prana expresses itself through the body.

There is reverence and gentleness in the mind, moving from outside inwards, and the ability to totally relax non-active parts of the body and move prana into tense areas by means of concentration and the breath.

Hatha yoga in the Himalayan Tradition is taught as an integrated practice, which includes centering, correct breathing, breath-awareness, stretching sequences using the joints & glands movements, asana refinement, subtle-body relaxations, pranayamas, and mediation. Hatha Yoga, as taught by Swami Veda is understood as “a continuum” involving all the limbs of Raja yoga, especially Ahimsa."

Gather with us virtually for a short community meditation. Sign up for our newsletter to receive the weekly Zoom link.