The word rasa means sap. That which nourishes us as organisms. In us mammals, sap can be construed as plasma. As also lymph, (which is also understood as sap in Āyurveda) that which helps keep our blood plasma free of pathogens. So sap (rasa) does it all.

Rasa is also emotion, that which nourishes us on the subtle level. Circulating like plasma, our instinctual ones such as love, compassion, joy, innocence; and cultivating other positive ones such as wonder, expansiveness, courage and exhilaration. Meanwhile the aspect of emotional rasa that represents lymph would then remove from us draining emotions such as hate, rage, lust, anxiety, delusion, greed and all the other countless negative ones, all based on the trinity of fear, anger and grief.

Yet how does one find the connections between the positives and the negatives? And how does one negate the negative and position the positive in the heart center? The Yoga Sūtra of Patanjali talks about pratipakśa bhāvanā.
That is, every time an unwanted (or unruly) emotion surfaces, we should immediately summon memories of its positive emotional opposite.

As a practical approach, this theme is supported by the set up at the Yoga Farm in Grass Valley: where Rasa Bhāva all started some years ago now.

Here it is only natural that we expand the workshop to include more intuitive tips and traditional practices on how yoga and āyurveda can help us achieve emotional stability, mental clarity and physical presence in our lives. With an expanded curriculum, it is easier, especially in such idyllic settings, to open to the glory of the love we humans are indeed capable of, when we are not troubled deeply ourselves.

If you have already participated in a Rasa Bhāva workshop,

this is a wonderful deepening of the experience. Like a sunrise, each experience is unique and unlike the previous. And for all my friends who may have considered but not done a Rasa Bhāva yet, this could be the place you were waiting for.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS AND TO SIGN UP

With friendship, the greatest of all emotions,
Arun Deva

COMING UP NEXT:

RASA BHĀVA IN LOS ANGELES: CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION AND TO SIGN UP

ALSO ANNOUNCING YOGARASAYANA INDIA 2018!
IN THE PLANNING, THIS RETREAT EXPANDS RASA BHĀVA INTO A TWO WEEK IMMERSION IN INDIA!
TO INQUIRE OR REGISTER FOR A SPECIAL PREVIEW PRICE, PLEASE WRITE TO  adretreats@gmail

TESTIMONIALS

The first time I attended Arun Deva’s Emotional Intelligence workshop, I was literally blown away.  I could not even take notes as it was so fascinating.  I then decided I needed to hear it again – and this time I managed to take notes.  We all know what note-taking ends up being – another pile of papers that are pushed aside somewhere, never again to be referred to.  Not in this case.  Arun’s material is so totally right on, so very timely – I have referred to it many, many times – not only for students and/or clients, but for me as well.  Thank you Arun for sharing this meaningful knowledge – EI is a gorgeous workshop.  I recommend it highly to one and all. 
A. Abhaya Geyer, C-IAYT; AHE-300, C-IAYT Yoga Therapist/Educator, Yoga Instructor, Ayurvedic Health Educator, Las Vegas, NV

What a wonderful workshop! The energy in the room was strong yet calm. I was so impressed with Arun Devi’s intelligence, compassion and warmth. The pacing was perfect- just enough information and physical practice to feel complete, but not overwhelmed. I judge a workshop successful if I take away one lesson that I can I apply and use immediately in my life. I took away six!
Thank you, Wendy Williams, yoga practitioner, Encinitas, CA

Dear Arun, thank you for the absolute clarity and purposefulness with which you presented at the weekend workshop at Centered City Yoga Studio. I enjoyed the layering of Ayurveda practices along with practical application for wellness. I experienced Vinyasa Krama Yoga for the first time. I also learned new ideology regarding the history and practice of yoga (even though I’ve been practicing and teaching yoga for nearly 2 decades)! The emotional aspect of well-being is so important and I was busy taking 20 pages of notes during the two day workshop! So much good information that was explained and experienced in a way that inspired me to continue practicing every day the following week.
I appreciate your wisdom and sharing! Thank you,
Linda Black, The Yoga Coach
The joy is in the journey

Recently I was able to attend the Rasa Bhava Workshop offered by Arun Deva. Arun is a gifted teacher who has a storehouse of knowledge and experience that he offers generously and with humility and humor to his students. My experience of the two-day workshop was very powerful for me.The first day consisted of four blocks of lecture. I couldn’t take notes fast enough. The following day we put all that information into practice. This allowed the information imparted the previous day to be incorporated deeply into my mind and body. One workshop is not enough to absorb and master the gift that Rasa Bhava is to my life. I will attend again. As my awareness deepens I hope that my life shares the benefits with others who cross my path.
Meg Long-Eastman, MPS; Temecula, CA

The workshop was a holistic experience, beautifully designed in two days, and for me, it marked the beginning of a much longer journey. Its effect has been continuous as I’m still learning about myself and my emotions. I cannot put into words the depth of my experience when I am thinking of how it has deeply touched upon parts of me and awakened memories (that) remained dormant for years.
Leila Mesbahi, yoga practitioner, Los Angeles, CA

The link between the mind and the different organs/systems of the body is  well researched and documented in Āyurveda. Now the progressive field of psychotherapy has related our instincts to our reptilian stem, our emotional to the limbic, and the rational to our neo-cortex. In Āyurveda, however, the mind is not restricted to this structure, instead it begins in the heart, reaches downwards into the gut and upwards into the brain. The connections are easy to see as seats of instincts, feelings and sensation/thought. Therefore, all our instincts and our rational thinking revolve around the mediating emotional state. When our emotional state is one of creativity, innocence and joy, we see beauty, feel compassion and instinctually open to universal waves of loving. However, when our emotions are dominated by fear, anger and grief, we become susceptible to the 6 enemies of the mind: lust, rage, greed, jealousy, envy and delusion. And our thinking and functionality begins to operate from these states. In Ayurveda, it is also said that if you wish to conquer these six enemies, there is no better pathway than that of yoga (sattvavajaya cikitsa). After years of personal practice, study and teaching on the relationship of the emotional body to our health and our peace of mind, the results I have gained offer clear, succinct information on the use of these yogic tools. We will do an actual practice to show their effectiveness in transforming fear, anger and grief into creativity, innocence and joy.

RELATED READINGS:

PSYCHOLOGY OF A SAGE

INTUITION, EMOTION AND INTELLECT

AN INTERVIEW ON LEVITATING MONKEY WITH ANJULA DUGGAL

May we always be friends in the light,