The Sangha, by Pranakriya
Practicing on my deck to a recording of a Signature Pranakriya Class by Vlad (March 2023). As I prepared for the launch of this new initiative, the theme of (very paraphrased) doing my best and letting go of the outcome, rooted in the Bhagavad Gita, held me in community and lineage, reinforced the importance of our tradition of yoga even in modern day, and kept me moving forward. As a working parent of two small children, I cannot always attend live classes, so I need the replay library too!
(first published in our newsletter on September 11, 2024)
Dear Pranakriya Community,
As the Executive Director of our non-profit yoga school, I am excited to announce that, on September 16, 2024, we will be launching a new initiative:
The Sangha, by Pranakriya.
The Sangha is a new virtual experience for live classes, home to an ever-growing and updated pre-recorded library of classes, live workshops for CEUs, series, study groups, and more! We have been listening to your requests for a consistent Pranakriya yoga class schedule, replays when you cannot be there in person, opportunities to connect with others in the community because you may not have other Pranakriya teachers or classes near you, more workshops, and convenience.
We are a small school that tries to do a lot with a small budget and small administrative staff (it’s me, plus volunteers), and so we needed to prioritize our time in building something out, but also wanted to be sure that we are hosting on a virtual platform that meets our needs and values.
To that end, The Sangha, by Pranakriya is hosted on a platform developed by teachers and faculty in the Kripalu lineage, and we could not be happier to have developed this partnership. During the pandemic, these like-minded individuals started with their own community for teachers called The Thread Yoga Collective, because they could no longer see each other in person as they were accustomed. They then realized that staying connected virtually was not a temporary desire, but an ongoing need to be nurtured even post-pandemic.
As they started to lead regularly scheduled classes and workshops, they added a second space dedicated specifically to that purpose: The Circle of Thread. The Circle of Thread now hosts a number of intentionally curated communities/online studios, with the Circle Community as the umbrella under which we can all interact and get to know each other. The Sangha, by Pranakriya is the newest member of the Circle of Thread. Our members will have access to everything on The Sangha’s platform as well as the Circle Community.
Like Pranakriya, the leadership of The Thread, The Circle of Thread, and The Circle Community is a small group (with Kripalu background), concerned with quality over quantity, and with integrity at the forefront. Their philosophical background, authenticity and honesty, interest in continuing and promoting the practices that they have come to love, and Pranakriya’s focus on teaching and practicing following Swami Kripalu’s and Yoganand’s steps made us natural partners.
The word sangha means to “bring together” into a group and is the general word for “community” in both Pali and Sanskrit. The Sangha is Pranakriya’s new gathering place for practice in community, learning outside of formal teacher training, and interactive communication. We are excited to bring you so many of the opportunities you have been asking for! The details are below, with more forthcoming this week, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions. Jai Bhagwan!
~ Betsy
