Designed and performed by our inspiring Yogea teacher Ruth Rose Rae.

Every morning when I teach class I enter the space delighted. The first thing I do is thank for the opportunity to teach and ask my guides to let me channel what’s best for my students. Next, as I plug in the ipod and take out the lavender oil, I take a moment and “unprepare” myself. I try to erase all the clichéd responses from my body. I delete all the yoga “speak” from my brain, and I just tune to the immediacy of the moment. Then, as I salute my students, I ask them what they would like to address in class. Some of them have specific physical needs; others just want to get more grounded or release stress. But most have a similar request – they just want to be at peace and feel connected. It is so rewarding to weave all their requests into the sequence and to come up with a meaningful message that will help them stay integrated and in touch with spirit.

Every type of yoga, whether asana practice, Qi-Gong, Tai-Chi, Dervish Whirling, Tao Dance, Vipassana Meditation, Sacred Dance has the objective of harnessing personal integrity at its very core. We move the energy in the body through channeled breath and kinetic meditation to open up the mind and expand our consciousness beyond the mundane. We feel more grounded in our purpose and connected to Source. As we shift the mind into the heart and we strip away from all conditionings we nurture our sense of personal candor and sincerity. We see through the veil of impositions and become more honest and virtuous with ourselves. Our personality manifests the soul and our spirit comes through to reveal our authenticity. Everything in our body feels right and the flow of things attracts glad tidings. We become truthful to ourselves and our surroundings and take charge of our lives, while allowing guidance and intuition to help us “walk our talk”.

Walking your talk requires a sense of personal integrity, of conviction and rectitude, of compassion and grace. That subtle state of intrinsic candor is reached when we allow our heart-felt desire to resonate through our actions and impact the world in a positive way. Every time we roll out the mat, or join a yoga class, a meditation or a spiritual gathering this intrinsic state kicks in.

Although, every form of Yoga gives creative outlet to ones true self, there is a particular Integral Yoga movement known as PURNA YOGA, founded by the great Indian mystic Sri Aurobindo in 1921.”Purna Yoga” or the “Synthesis of Yoga” refers to the process of union of all the parts of one’s being with the divine and the transformation of all their jarring elements in a harmonious stage of higher consciousness and existence. This Integral Yoga intended to harmonize the paths of karma (rightful action); jnana (spiritual knowledge) and bhakti (devotion) described in the seminal Yoga treatise “The Bhagavatgita” integrates Eastern and Western approaches to spirituality. Integral yoga develops the sheaths of the outer, the inner and the psychic being. Its ultimate goal is not only transcendent liberation, but also realization of the divine in the physical world. This transformation of the entire being covers the various elements of one’s make-up – physical, mental, vital, psychic and spiritual. Then the eternal dynamic truth-consciousness beyond the mind is attained. This all sounds so exciting in verse, but how to develop personal integrity in our lives here and now? A person cannot have personal integrity, adhering to an internal rudder if they are not in touch with their heart.

In fact, personal integrity is the quality of being honest with yourself and others, and living a life that is aligned with your moral principles, not just liberty. Developing personal integrity requires examining your beliefs and value system, and taking conscious steps to behave in ways that are consistent with your personal moral code. Some claim it is a sort of predisposition that cannot be attained – it is not teachable. To me integrity is the characteristic of behaving and thinking congruently with one’s personal values and beliefs. Put another way, integrity is doing what you believe to be right, irrespective of the costs, downside, hardships involved. Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.

Fear of being candid, transparent, held accountable, truthful, or responsible. Additionally, a person cannot say what they mean if they don’t know what their standards are; a person cannot mean what they say if they are not in touch with their heart and a person cannot do what they say if their mind is confused and scattered. I feel today more than ever, due to the constant bombardment of media, more and more people have lost touch with their internal guidance system – their heart and soul.

When we practice integral yoga we open up the space for personal investigation. We fill up the lungs with more oxygen, the body with endorphins, and more importantly we clear our minds. Through asana, breath extension, chanting, visualization and meditation we integrate the physical with the mental; the emotional with the intuitive; the spiritual with the energetic. We find the center to anchor in the now, and to live from a place of personal conviction and intrinsic candor. Only then can we “walk our talk”.

Integral Yogea Routine: Essential Candor (open level)

This Yogea routine offers a balanced blend of backbends, inversions, forward folds, hip openers, twists, core strengtheners and arm balances to help integrate all aspects of one’s personality. A fluid warm-up opens up the joints, tones the core and elongates the spine. Special emphasis goes to evening out both sides of the body by stretching laterally. A series of low lunges, standing forward bends, kneeling twists and seated hip openers make up for a well-rounded stimulation of all muscle groups, body parts and glands. Balancing positions alternate with reclining and semi-reclining heart openers, gluteus stretches with hamstring lengtheners to create a feeling of personal integrity and mental lucidity. Reclining twists and semi-inversions activate the pineal gland, flush toxins from the bloodstream and decompress the lower back to create an open, spacious and receptive body. A creative visualization wraps the sequence up integrating the physical, mental and vital aspects of one’s self.