PRAJNA YOGA
Join us on a journey through the pathways to embody flexibility, wisdom, and radical kindness.
ABOUT PRAJNA
In Sanskrit, the word Prajna means insight, deep understanding, and mindfulness. It suggests a dynamic embodied wisdom that permeates every cell and every tissue in the body. Prajna Yoga is a profound journey inward.
We believe that yoga is a pathway that begins in the outer layers of the body and mind and navigates inward to the mystical, subtle, and rarely seen interior. We combine meditative practice with the power and grace of asana training. In a process that requires sensitivity and inner listening, we explore the sheaths of connective tissue, muscle, and bone in order to bring about greater wakefulness, luminosity, and space within.
Underlying our teaching is that we do not do poses for the sake of the pose, but for the quality of the attention within the pose. Through yoga postures, dharma study, guided meditation, the yoga of sound, somatic awareness, and dream work, this is a practice that allows for unique and personal transformation.
Prajna Yoga makes its home in the foothills of Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the founders’ home, Tias and Surya Little, where they have lived since 1997. After directing local yoga studios for 11 years, Tias and Surya established Prajna Yoga in 2004 to integrate yoga discipline with contemplative practice and study. They built a retreat center that provides a serene setting for students to deepen their practice and studies. The Prajna Yoga Temple, handcrafted with the aesthetic of Japanese temple design, is an exquisite facility to support students who want to explore the healing arts of yoga.
THE KNOT OF ETERNITY
The Prajna Yoga symbol is the Knot of Eternity—what the Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh calls Inter-Being. This design was chosen as it represents the inter-connectivity of all beings. The Knot of Eternity (sandhi naityam in Sanskrit) is one of the eight symbols (ashtamangala) that express veneration for the teachings of the Buddha.
Suggested in this symbol is that there is no such thing as an isolated “I” or “me” apart from the weave of everything else. The key to this teaching is that the purpose of the path of yoga is not to get outside of or away from one’s relationships in the world. Rather, through understanding the inter-connectivity of all life, one participates more wholeheartedly and fearlessly in the fabric of life. In the same way, via the community of Prajna Yoga, we actively create the bonds that tie us together.
PRAJNA TEMPLE
Nestled in the majestic trees of the high desert landscape in northern New Mexico, the Prajna Yoga Temple is 10 minutes outside the enchanting city of Santa Fe. Constructed entirely from natural, non-toxic materials, the building is meant to “breathe.” It is a living structure. Unique and spectacular, the Temple is a beautiful setting for your yoga practice.
The design-builder team, Paula Baker-LaPorte and Robert LaPorte of Eco Nest Homes, are forerunners in the field of natural building. Handcrafted in the timber frame style, the building is ecological and sustainable utilizing active and passive solar power and an extensive rainwater catchment system. The building’s exterior is made of clay and straw and the interior is finished in earth plastering. Featuring a Japanese aesthetic, the building has clean, elegant lines. Also influenced by the Vastu principles of Indian architecture, the design provides a very serene, harmonizing environment. The natural Japanese gardens, walkways, pond, and rock benches complement the overall retreat atmosphere.
The architecture of our building has been featured in Yoga Journal, Natural Home Magazine, and Mother Earth News. Read the article in Mother Earth News, “How to Create a Healthy Yoga Studio”.
STUDY WITH US
Whether you are looking to return to your center in your personal practice, become a certified yoga teacher in the methods of Prajna, expand your practice into yoga therapy or simply looking to learn from us online, we have offerings to meet you where you are.
OUR STUDENTS
“I have gained so much from my time studying with Prajna. If you want a school that will provide a space of deep healing, high-quality instruction, and profound wisdom, Prajna is the school for you.”
– Cassidy Geppert | Williams, OR