In this episode of "The Heart of Yoga " Rosalind kicks off the Yogic Arts Series with a deep and enlightening conversation with artist and Yogini Melissa Forbes. They explore the intersection of art and spirituality through the study of Yantra, numerology, and Jyotish (Vedic astrology). Melissa shares her personal journey into sacred geometry and how these ancient traditions have shaped her practice, teaching, and artwork. Through this conversation, listeners are invited into the rich, intricate world of sacred Yogic arts and the deeper meaning behind these practices.

• The profound relationship between Yantra, numerology, and the energies of the planets, exploring how specific shapes, colors, and numbers influence one's life and spiritual journey.

• Melissa’s background in sacred geometry and her teachings on how constructing Yantras can help align an individual's energy with cosmic forces.

• The influence of Melissa’s teacher, Harish Johari, and the tradition of integrating chanting, numerology, and sacred geometry into the spiritual practice.

• Insights into the powerful energy of certain colors and planets, such as working with green and emerald to harness the healing energy of Mercury.

• The importance of natural movement and geometry in understanding the true essence of Yoga beyond its physical form.

• "The study of the macrocosm via the microcosm. Tantra offers a holistic approach to the universe through the lens of the individual."

• "The energy of the Yantras is all about alignment—through sound, color, and shape, we can tap into the deeper forces of the cosmos."

• "Working with a spiral in sacred geometry mirrors nature’s own patterns; it’s a theme that’s as universal as the DNA in our bodies or the form of a fern unfurling."

• Books by Harish Johari: Numerology, Tantra, Ayurveda: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Harish-Johari/410046710

• https://melissaforbes.art/retreats
  
  You are invited to join Melissa on her Sacred Geometry luxury retreat in India, January 2025. Melissa leads an annual retreat at Shreyas, member of Relais & Chateaux, focusing on Sacred Geometry. An excellent opportunity to explore the inner dimensions and rekindle our creative energies, and direct it towards spiritual unfoldment. Yoga, Ayurveda and Art in a refined beautiful environment.
  
  
• Connect with Melissa on IG @melissaforbes8

• [00:00:00] Introduction to the episode and guest, Melissa Forbes

• [00:01:00] Melissa shares her initial journey into Yoga and sacred geometry

• [00:03:00] Discussion on numerology and the relationship mandala

• [00:06:00] Exploring the deeper meaning of Yantra and the connection with planets

• [00:20:00] Transition into Jyotish and how numerology ties into personal energies

• [00:36:00] Retreat discussions and how participants interact with the Yogic arts

• [00:50:00] Personal anecdotes about U.G. and Melissa's experiences in sacred spaces

• [00:59:00] Conclusion and final reflections on art, spirituality, and cosmic energy

In this episode of the Heart of Yoga podcast, Raul Petraglia, a former high-flying corporate executive, shares his incredible journey from the high-stress world of luxury hospitality to finding profound peace through the practice of Yoga. Raul opens up about his past life of excess and stress, the physical and emotional toll it took on him, and how a serious health crisis led him to discover Yoga. This transformative experience not only saved his life but also inspired him to dedicate himself to sharing the healing power of Yoga with others, including the corporate world he once inhabited.

They discuss:

• Raul’s early life in Argentina and his rise in the luxury hotel industry, leading to a lifestyle of excess and eventual burnout.

• The pivotal moment when Raul realized his lifestyle was unsustainable, leading him to seek a different path through Yoga.

• How Raul’s journey into Yoga began as a necessity for physical rehabilitation and evolved into a profound personal practice.

• The unique challenges of teaching Yoga within a corporate environment and the impact it has on stressed executives.

• The importance of adapting Yoga practices to individual needs, as Raul did for his own mother.

Favorite phrases:

• "I used to party till sunrise. Now I wake up to see the sunrise and do my practice."

• "There is a special feeling there, Mark. It’s like this is my goal, my dharma."

• "Yoga is participation in reality via the breath."

Resources:

• Books: The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikachar

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56303.The_Heart_of_Yoga

• Websites: Heart of Yoga Studio

https://www.heartofyoga.com/studio

Timestamps:

• [00:00] Introduction: Raul’s background and entry into Yoga.

• [07:00] Corporate Burnout: Transition from a high-stress career to discovering Yoga.

• [16:00] Yoga’s Impact: How Yoga transformed Raul’s life.

• [26:00] Teaching Yoga: Bringing Yoga into corporate settings.

• [40:00] Personalizing Yoga: Adapting practices for individual needs.

• [52:00] Reflection: Raul’s ongoing journey and mission with Yoga.

Teaching at Liliana Lakshmi's teaching training, this question arises.. hear the response.

In this episode, Mark explores how Yoga can provide a sense of unity and belonging amidst conflict and division in the world. He emphasizes that Yoga is not about seeking or trying to get somewhere, but recognizing and participating in the beauty, power and extraordinary intelligence that is always there, the wholeness and the harmony.

Mark argues that religious seeking and presumption of separation are the root of conflict, and Yoga dissolve this illusion. He shares the principles from Krishnamacharya on adapting Yoga to each person’s needs, and the recognition of the Tantras of life’s inherent unity.

His position is that teaching Yoga is the necessary, cultural shift required to end conflict in separation, to end trauma, destructive tribalism and disconnection.

They discuss:

- Why Yoga is needed as the response to divisiveness and terror.

- Krishnamacharya’s emphasis on Yoga as embracing ‘what is’ rather than seeking some future state

- How religious doctrine has been used to create division, but true religion needs Yoga as its practical means

- The end of spiritual seeking and ideas of a perfect future state - wholeness is already here

- The tantric recognition and response

- Adapting Yoga to each person’s body, age, health and cultural background

- Teaching Yoga as a stand against trauma and disconnection in the world

Favorite phrases:

“The yogas of participation in the given reality.”

“Your body is in a profound unity with the total cosmos.”

“Yoga is the practical means by which individuals actualize the great ideals of their culture, of their religion.”

“Trying to come into union implies the two are separate.”

“Your body is the extraordinary intelligence that is the cosmos happening as you.”

Bali teacher training www.heartofyoga.com/bali-ytt

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:02:00] Krishnamacharya's emphasis on adapting Yoga to the individual

[00:05:00] Already being the beauty - no need to get somewhere

[00:10:00] Yoga as actualizing the ideals of religion and culture

[00:15:00] Division created by religious doctrine and seeking

[00:20:00] The body as already in unity with the cosmos

[00:25:00] Yoga as participation versus seeking

[00:30:00] Personal examples of transformative effects of simple Yoga

[00:35:00] Science, religion and Yoga as three stabilizing forces

[00:40:00] Consciousness and objects as a unity

[00:45:00] No separate self or other

[00:50:00] Being beyond gender identification

[00:55:00] Introducing principles of Krishnamacharya's Yoga