Sama Yoga – The practices and disciplines that bring us to harmony and balance in all aspects of life as well as understanding the choices that bring us equanimity.
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Recharge for Winter Retreat
Find through our retreat list our beautiful Autumn retreat at Shambala Gatherings in November
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Teacher Training Course
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Sama Yoga vision in a nutshell
Sama Yoga offers practices and wisdom that brings you back to yourself. To land in relaxation, trust and contentment with whatever your life brings. How to discover balance and health; physically, mentally and emotionally
We provide support and training in all aspects of Yoga. Offering teaching that is based on the Vedas and guided by a traditional teacher, one who has been living a life of yoga for many years, has practiced all the disciplines and has integrated them into daily life. Encouraging self development, study, practice, and living according to Universal Values and Vedic values. Emphasizing knowledge of oneself, the world and God, and understanding what is the purpose of life and the common human goal. Ultimately, we want to help you live your life with an open heart, free from suffering.
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One meaning of the word Yoga is “upayah” – a means to reach an end. The end being emotional maturity, objectivity. The means are described in Bhagavad Gita – Value of Values, Yama, Niyama, disciples of Asana and 5 daily sacrifices are all included in the meaning and need to be discovered by the student of yoga. A life that is balanced, free from extremes, recognizing oneself as a spiritual person, taking guidance from Gita and from a teacher who has followed and assimilated the disciplines.
Yoga also includes Karma Yoga – an attitude of receiving gracefully what each moment brings, turning challenges into learning experiences, and responding intelligently, with wisdom, connected to our hearts. Remaining in equanimity in and through the ups and downs, and when we’re not ab le to remain harmonious – taking refuge in the practices that help us, as well as seeking guidance and help. -
Teaching Sama Yoga includes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects, therefore the teachers go through a complete course of training and are required to work with themselves on all levels, have a steady practice of yoga, mantras, prayers, and listening to spiritual teachings (Vedanta) as well as developing self acceptance and healing. Having absorbed and assimilated the teachings, practiced well and consistently for years, Sama Yoga then flows intuitively from the heart of the teacher who is relaxed and open, totally present, and responding to the students needs. The teacher will draw from their own life experiences and offer a class that is aligned with assimilated yoga principles and also allows their own creativity and passions to shine through.
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More info to come...
The name Sama Yoga
The name Sama Yoga feels perfect. The more I understand about yoga and how it serves us, the more I resonate with it. It has tradition and depth, it tells what yoga is meant to give us, what its main purpose is.
The name came like this. I was spending a great deal of time with Swamiji, mostly in his little house listening to him unfolding the wisdom of Advaita Vedanta and Yoga shastra. I was also blessed to teach Swamiji what I knew about Hatha yoga. Actually I feel I learned much more than he did as he constantly shared the behind the pose meanings of yoga and also clarified the deeper purpose of yoga as a means of maturation rather than just an “energy transforming” action.
We were collaborating and offering combined Yoga and Vedanta retreats. Swamiji said once upon a time, almost as if it was known that he would need it sometime; that he was given the name “Sama Yoga” to use from his teacher Pujya Swami Dayananda. Seems like an amazing co-incidence! It was clear that this was the name we should use and Swamiji said to me, like all names of consequence, it’s an ongoing contemplation for you.
Sama Yoga is an auspicious name from the Bhagavad Gita, which talks about yoga as giving Samatvam; Equanimity, balance and harmony in all aspects of one’s life. It’s what we really want from life, actually.
What we teach in Sama Yoga is dharma (values), psychology, Vedanta and assimilated wisdom from all the spiritual teachings and practices received, that has blessed us and given us emotional stability and objectivity. This is Sama Yoga.
Even the Asanas, Pranayamas and Meditations are delivered with careful attention to words that lead to accepting oneself fully and resolving into the heart deeper.
Sama Yoga has this profound quality of being Simple but deep.
Om Shantih Shantih Shantih /Sky
Emotional growth using wisdom of the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita in a practical, appropriate way.
The emphasis of yoga is about growth. One grows through meeting challenges and overcoming obstacles. Ultimately it’s a cognitive journey, owning up one’s emotions and learning how to express them in a healthy way. We learn how to take responsibility for our own life situation, which includes settling account with our dark side, accepting our past and find forgiveness in our hearts.
Living a Yoga life helps us to see our holding patterns expressed in our bodies as tension and pain, expressed in our behavior as lies and complications and ongoing conflicts. Yoga can also help one to break free from this suffering and establish new, healthy habits based on Universal Values and teachings from the Vedas. For this reason Samayoga teacher trainings include the study of Puja (sacred ritual and offering), and learning how to effectively pray, bringing devotion into our life in a meaningful way. Understanding that prayer is only for the individual to grow and expression of our emotions in a healthy way (Dama). The metaphor of a blooming lotus helps us see that from the mud and decay grows a most beautiful flower. This is our heart when we allow the yoga to work, to nourish and fertilize our desire for freedom from suffering.
Sama Yoga includes the study of Vedas and Bhagavad Gita as these are the primary authorities of yoga life. We look into the verses with a teacher who has the key and can unlock the meaning of the scriptural words. We listen and discover how brilliantly they guide us to live a lifestyle of yoga, which means: balanced, healthy, bright and emotionally stable in and through life’s many challenges.
These sacred texts teach us about what is the essence, the nature of oneself, the world and God, and that all three are really one non-dual being. With that knowledge our hearts relax in fearlessness (moksa). The teachings help us to gain objectivity, seeing the big picture and not getting lost in the forest of emotions. They emphasize understanding the Value of non-injury, truthfulness and many more ethical values common to all human beings. Without this there can be no yoga, it will remain a mechanical exercise program.
Sama Yoga is a School
Sama Yoga is officially recognized as a School by the Yoga Alliance
Ultimately, the wish is for the students to recognize themselves as acceptable and valued. To have the confidence to teach because they know they can, not because they have a paper of certification.
“Dear friends on the journey of life, it’s a great honor to share with you the Yoga Knowledge and tradition that has been passed down through the grace of teachers who’ve walked before us. Yoga is a vast topic and takes some years to understand and a lifetime to master. However, even one sincere step towards knowing more will greatly benefit your life and bring a transformation that profoundly shifts your way of seeing the world and your purpose in this life.” /Sky
Understanding what spirituality means and why it’s important
When the students are ready and in their hearts they truly wish to know, “What is the goal of life? Is there a defectless goal? (nirdosha sadhyam)” they are prepared to listen to Vedanta, the end portion of the Vedas, also called Upanisads, which deals with Atma-jnana (self-knowledge), liberation from all forms of suffering through understanding that the individual is not separate from the total. This teaching is super therapy! In the understanding that you’re better than the best, a very powerful transformation takes place, and the student who stays with this study for some time will erase all sense of emotional disease, smallness, separation and doubts about who they are essentially.
Teaching Vedanta requires many years of study with a traditional teacher who has a clear understanding of this most subtle of topics, and can handle the words with the utmost care and accuracy so the student doesn’t get further confused or lost on another trip. This is immediate knowledge, that we are absolutely ok in and through all the human conditions, and this knowledge will profoundly impact the one who listens and understands this fact.This teaching is rare, and the teacher is also rare, which means the one who can stay steady and understand is also rare and exceptionally blessed!
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“Living, teaching and practicing yoga in this way will help us be in harmony and balance – which I remember now is the actual definition of Sama Yoga.”
Erin Petaski, Sama Yoga Teacher in Manitoba, Canada
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“The teacher sensed my needs and delivered just what i wanted” is a common feeling after a SamaYoga class.”
Malin Nauchman, Sama Yogalärare i Göteborg
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“So grateful for this journey taking me deeper and deeper into my heart and knowing myself. The teachers have so many jewels to share and I´m finding more and more peace and harmony thanks to the sama yoga adventure”
Annika Forsberg