Although various class names may be noted on the Class Schedule (“Gentle Yoga,” “Mindful Yoga”) Ananda Yoga is the primary tradition taught at East Sac Yoga.
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Ananda Yoga
Sandi Russi, E-RYT, is the owner and primary instructor at East Sac Yoga. In December 1999, at an all-day meditation at the Sacramento Ananda Center, Sandi received a clear message to pursue the Ananda Yoga Teacher Training program. This came as somewhat of a surprise to her since previously, the thought had never crossed her mind!
Sandi began training locally for an initial certificate with Maria McSweeney, and received her full RYT certification in 2001 at the Expanding Light in Nevada City, California
Ananda Yoga is traditional hatha yoga designed to strengthen & stretch the body, release stress, calm the mind & enhance self-awareness. The practice facilitates breath, body and energy awareness through the use of distinct rest periods in between postures as well as affirmations held mentally while in the postures. Students are encouraged to listen to their bodies, notice the effects of the poses and with practice, become aware of the energy within, especially as it moves through the “inner” spine.
Ananda Yoga emphasizes:
- Safety and correct alignment
- Relaxation, even during effort
- Working with the body’s energy for harmony and balance
- Using the postures to refine self-awareness and experience inner peace and joy
- Modifying each yoga posture to fit the needs of the individual student
Ananda Yoga is an expression of the Raja and Kriya Yoga precepts taught by Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi. Yogananda was the first great master of yoga to make his home permanently in the West (he became a U.S. citizen in the 1930s). Ananda Yoga arose from his training of close disciples and was later developed from that training into its current form by his direct disciple, Swami Kriyananda, the founder of Ananda, and by those yoga teachers whom Kriyananda commissioned to do so.
You will leave class feeling relaxed, uplifted, re-energized and more aware of your own inner peace! Suitable for all experience levels and body types.
Aroma-Bliss Yoga℠
Combining Ananda Yoga with high quality, therapeutic grade essential oils can bring your experience to a whole new level! We’ll breathe, stretch & move into a higher level of awareness.
Essential oils can help relieve stress, improve sleep, reduce tension and help quiet the mind. Ananda Yoga is known for its gentle, accessible, meditative approach; distinct rest periods between postures; and the use of affirmations. Combined, the synergistic effect of is powerful, transformative.
By taking time to slow down, breathe deeply and listen to your inner experience and feelings, you can enhance your life. Therapeutic grade essential oils are excellent vehicles for this task because their molecules pass directly to the emotional brain, allowing us to make meaningful strides toward resolving past issues in a gentle manner, clearing the way to manifest our true and highest potential.
All experience levels welcome; bring a glass or stainless-steel water container; dress comfortably
Restorative Yoga
Stress. We’ve all felt it. If you experience stress over a prolonged period of time, it could become chronic, contributing to various debilitating diseases and medical conditions.
You may feel stress in both your mind and body. And although we rarely need the actions the automatic response was developed for (say, to outrun an attacking animal), we do confront multiple challenges every day, such as meeting deadlines, paying bills and juggling childcare. This makes your body react the same way. As a result, your body’s natural alarm system — the “fight or flight” response — may be stuck in the on position. And that can have serious consequences for your health.
The antidote to stress is relaxation.
Restorative yoga is very gentle. It focuses on relaxation and renewal, using blankets, bolsters, straps, and other props to safely support the body in various postures for longer durations, gently releasing and balancing the body and mind.
Often, this class will include bringing pure, therapeutic grade essential oils into the practice to further enhance and deepen the effects of restorative yoga, helping to:
- Soothe your nervous system;
- Quiet your mind; and
- Release deeply held tension, with ease & comfort in a supportive environment.
No experience necessary. Gentle & accessible to all; practiced on the floor.
Yoga of Miracles
Explore yoga in alignment with A Course in Miracles. Students will practice with a gentle approach, inviting Spirit into the process as we use the body as a communication device & learning tool, cultivating a deeper awareness of the Inner Presence, while drawing on Course material to inspire our practice in a meditative approach.
This class is offered periodically. Topics covered may include:
- What is A Course in Miracles?
- Pure non-dualism
- Purpose of the body
- Quantum forgiveness of self and others
- Putting Holy Spirit in charge of your day
- True prayer
- Decision-making guided by Spirit
- Becoming aware of the Light of Truth within
Although gentle with plenty of rest periods, this class is best suited to students with a minimum of 6 months’ experience as the emphasis will be on ACIM material rather than beginning yoga instruction.
The instructor, Sandi Russi, has been a student of ACIM for over 12 years. Through practice and study of ACIM, along with her asana practice, she developed Yoga of Miracles as Course material more and more frequently began to come through her, pairing naturally and easily with the gentle, meditative Ananda Yoga.
From A Course in Miracles
This is a course in miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time. The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.
This course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way:
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.Herein lies the peace of God.
Introduction of A Course in Miracles.