Centre of Gravity is not a commercial yoga studio or temple. We are a grassroots, community-based centre offering spiritual practice committed to integrating the form of practice (sitting meditation, yoga postures, textual study) with everyday life and social action.

Here is a video of Michael's Tuesday night dharma talk at Centre of Gravity from June 2, 2009, entitled: "Let the Heat Kill You."

On our approach to yoga:

"As interest in yoga becomes more mainstream, many people are beginning to feel a yearning for encounters with Yoga that are as close as possible to the source, possibly less coloured by interpretations or styles. While we know that a truly unadulterated teaching of a text, for example, is not ultimately possible, especially when we study ancient texts from other cultures, there are still ways to get close to the core teachings of Yoga. This happens not through idealizing lineages or old ways of doing things but by bringing teaching to life in community, in the body, in the heart, in our relationships. Centre of Gravity is a place to practice and study.

We can make this dharma a living tradition by practicing and engaging critically with the ideas and methods we encounter. Study groups sometimes speak to the current gap in our culture between practice and theory, but an intellectual approach somehow seems incomplete. Reading and practicing on one's own is also helpful, but some practices are complex and most texts are dense. That is why we aim for intimate contact with Yoga through the integration of committed practice and long-term study, in solitude and also in community. So we practice yoga postures, breathing, meditation, ethics and community relations as a means of waking up and creative self expression."

Michael Stone Dharma Talk: Let the Heat Kill You from Centre of Gravity on Vimeo.