Jun 11

Jun 11 How Sattva Yoga Changed My Life

By Lexi Faith

Sattva Yoga changed my life in a myriad of ways. Most importantly, it gave a language to an unspeakable experience. It is an integrated practice that works on both the intellect and the nervous system, and it is also a sangha that has made the evolution process that much sweeter. When I arrived in Rishikesh, India, in November 2017, I was experiencing what is called a kundalini awakening, although I had no language or understanding of what was happening within me at the time. Three months into the most profound journey of my life, I met a man who I later went on to find out worked at Sattva Yoga. We connected, and I shared my experience with him. He responded by bringing me to Sattva Yoga. The practice of Kriya Yoga (as taught by Anand) and the space created at Sattva Yoga Academy serve as a profound vessel for healing and transformation. This practice has changed my life because it has taught me to increase my intellect, shift my awareness, and balance my nervous system so that I can maintain optimal emotional and mental health while experiencing large amounts of energy.

The practice of Kriyas, which incorporates mantra, repetitive movements, and breathwork to create a moving meditation, works on all levels of the subtle energy fields and creates a flow state in which repressed emotions, stories, inspirations, and dreams can resurface in my consciousness and come into present awareness. These hidden areas of my consciousness come up to be highlighted, edited, and deleted. Sometimes I would receive inspiration to take action, sometimes I would receive a message or piece of guidance from my higher self, and sometimes I would re-experience old pain that I thought had left my system...only to find that it had hidden away in the corners of my consciousness, waiting for an opportunity to show its face again. Having access to the wisdom of meditation, the practice of emotional awareness, means that we allow these experiences to arise. When they do, we watch them and we allow them to leave. Every experience that arises is relevant for our personal evolution of consciousness.

Ultimately, Sattva Yoga gave me a teacher who could see my innocence, my potential, my fears, and my intelligence, all while offering a constructive practice, personal teachings, and wisdom to guide me through an insurgence of energy moving through me. The benefits of this integrated practice include: the support (kriyas which work to balance the nervous system through breath, body, and voice) and the creative expression which creates a flow state in which healing can take place. It has also given me a community of like-minded souls who value evolution above all else. You can find more information on the integrative practice of Sattva Yoga here.

For those who are interested in experiencing the benefits of kriya yoga, I recommend Sattva Yoga. Sattva Yoga, founded by Anand Mehrotra in Rishikesh, India, offers the practice of kriya yoga. In what are called “yoga journeys,” Sattva Yoga integrates the use of kriyas, mantra, pranayama, meditation, asana, and freedom movement in an all-encompassing experience of yoga, allowing the student to drop into a deep state of awareness.

You can study kriya yoga around the world. Here are a few Sattva Yoga teachers you can check out:

Sattva Yoga in India:

Anand Mehrotra, Sattva Yoga Academy - Rishikesh, India

Sattva Yoga in Europe:

Carina Jacobson - Sweden
Caleb Jude Packman - London, England
Valentina Limetti - Lecce, Italy
Paul Selvey - London, England
Beth Payton - Manchester, England

Sattva Yoga in North America:

Chad Woodford - San Francisco, CA
Deidre Norman - San Francisco, CA + Jackson, WY
Cathy Connors - Sacramento, CA (Owns a Sattva Yoga Studio)
Corrin Vecchitto - Hawaii
Adam Schomer - Santa Monica, CA
Jennifer Goodman - Chicago, IL
Somah Devi Ma - Castle Rock + Denver, Colorado
Erika Guerra-Todd - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Sattva Yoga Retreats Worldwide:

Yogamare Retreats with Ela Mare, in Bali, Italy, and Geneva, Switzerland
The Inside World with Lexi Faith, in Bali, USA, Worldwide

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Lexi Faith

Lexi Faith is a 1000 RYT Yoga and Meditation Teacher, Reiki Master, Transformational Coach and Artist. She has been practicing for over 14 years, most extensively after living in India for nearly two years in several ashrams and teacher training centers where she studied traditional hatha yoga, Iyengar, vinyasa, yin, yoga therapy, kriya yoga, and tantric and vedantic practices. Her style combines the transformational experiences of Kriyas, which include mantras, breathwork, and repetitive movements to create a moving meditation that release trauma and shift consciousness, along with the therapeutic effects of Iyengar alignment with traditional hatha yoga. Lexi has also trained and worked professionally as an actor and an artist, which she believes is the most empowering way to express the energetic experience that yoga gifts us with. She has traveled to over 40 countries around the world for the past three years sharing these practices in studios, resorts, retreats, workshops, private sessions, and in NGOs and refugee camps.

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