Gary Kraftsow
Free yourself from karmic cycles — attachments, frustrations, and suffering — with the chakra map and Antya Krama yoga, an ancient process that includes āsana, prāṇāyāma, chanting, mantra japa, and meditations to help you resolve karma and awaken deep inner peace and fulfillment.
What if the challenges you keep facing — in your health, your relationships, or even your sense of purpose — aren’t random... but repeating for a reason?
These recurring struggles may not be obstacles to overcome, but invitations to heal the deeper karmic imprints within you. .. patterns that silently shape your reactions, decisions, and emotional responses.
According to ancient yogic wisdom, these imprints live in the body, mind, and breath — often outside of conscious awareness — creating tension, suffering, and disconnection from your true nature.
When illuminated with awareness and compassion, they can become powerful gateways to transformation — opening a path to greater sovereignty, joy, and inner freedom.
Join master yoga teacher Gary Kraftsow — renowned yoga therapist and spiritual teacher — for a transformative journey into Antya Krama, a powerful yet little known yogic practice that dissolves these inner obstacles and reconnects you with the luminous Self beneath the layers.
Traditionally, these yogic practices are used to prepare for end-of-life, but they can also be used by anyone at any age or time of life to awaken to the meaning and deeper purpose of life.
Through the lens of the the cakra system (known as chakras in the West), Antya Krama supports you in illuminating and dissolving the attachments, fears, and conditioning that bind you to the cycle of action and consequence — known as karma — and that keep you entangled in what the ancients called “the world of name and form.”
It can help us resolve our karma and live more meaningful and fulfilling lives...
... as we gain a deeper understanding of the bio-imperatives and psycho-physical aspects of each cakra — such as the need to belong, the need to express ourselves, and the need to be loved.
When we learn how to recognize and work with these dimensions of the cakras, we can experience lasting peace, connection, and happiness.
During this 12-week course with Gary, the founder and director of the American Viniyoga Institute, you’ll be guided through Antya Krama practices, a series of integrated yogic techniques that you’ll apply systematically to each of the cakras, as they each hold a key to unlocking different elements of the psyche that keep us stuck in repeating patterns that stifle our evolution.
The techniques of Antya Krama help us surface and unravel egoic traps of identification, attachment, and aversion that prevent us from understanding what is truly meaningful and important in the face of impermanence and the inevitable end of life.
Gary, who has been working with these practices for over 50 years, will guide you through Vedic frameworks that bring deeper meaning and direction to life’s journey, the Six-Spoked Wheel of Cyclic Existence that reveals the sources of suffering...
... and bhūta śhuddhi (elemental purification) and cakra sādhana (cakra-focused) spiritual practices that prepare you to hold higher frequencies — and free yourself from the karmic loop that is deeply entangled in the “world of name and form.”
You’ll gain a deeper understanding of how the cakra map can be harnessed as a potent tool for unveiling the path to holistic freedom.
You do not need any previous experience in yoga or meditation to benefit from this deeply liberating work.
During this empowering course, you’ll:
- Receive an introduction to the components of an integrated practice — the outer, inner, and secret orientations of the techniques of Antya Krama that bring energy, awareness, and transformation to the places in our energetic bodies where we need to resolve karma
- Understand the symbolism and bio-imperatives of the cakras (chakras) — and heal unresolved issues, projections, attachments and aversions, and fears related to them
- Create physical resilience, manage stress, deepen focus, and train your memory
- Understand the 3 stages of the meditation method, Saṁyama — dhāraṇā, dhyāna, and samādhi
- Discover what the ancients considered to be the 4 purposes that lead to a fulfilled life
- Learn the 3 essential responsibilities of a practitioner on the path of yoga
- Explore the symbolism of the 3 knots that keep us locked into that cycle — kama (desire), karma (action), and avidyā (ignorance)
- Gain a deeper understanding of karma and samskaras (conditioning) — and how we become entangled in the world of name and form
- Explore the traditional view of the life cycle — and how practices should be adapted to each cycle
- Discover the different ways that practices can be adapted depending on one’s personal orientations and goals for practice
What You’ll Discover in These 12 Weeks
In this 12-week transformational course, Gary will guide you through the skills and competencies you’ll need to successfully resolve your karma and free yourself from cycles of pain and suffering.
Join the Livestream — or Stream Later to Watch at Your Convenience
You’ll connect with Gary and experience his teachings through livestreaming video via any connected device. This connection is easy to use and will enhance the impact of Gary’s transmissions. Can’t make it live? After each class, you can stream the video and audio recordings to enjoy anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
Course Sessions are on 2025-06-16 11:00:00 am
This course will feature LIVE teachings, interactive sessions, experiential practices, and Q&A with Gary. Each session will build harmoniously upon the previous ones, so you’ll develop a complete holistic understanding of the practices, tools, and principles you’ll need to help you free yourself from unhealthy and unhelpful karmic patterns.
Module 1: The Human System & the Integrated Practice - Outer, Inner, and Secret Orientations for Holistic Health & Wellbeing (2025-06-16 11:00:00 am)
In this session, we’ll explore the most important practices that evolved in the yoga tradition — including āsana, prāṇāyāma, chanting, mantra japa, and the meditation method, Saṁyama — and consider their outer, inner, and secret orientations.
Gary will guide you in an integrated practice, exploring how these practices work together in preparation for the deeper work of Antya Krama that is the focus of sessions 6-12 of this series.
In this session, you’ll:
- Receive an introduction to the components of an integrated practice — the outer, inner, and secret orientations of āsana, prāṇāyāma, chanting, and mantra japa
- Learn how to create physical resilience, manage stress, deepen focus, and train your memory
- Understand the 3 stages of the meditation method, Saṁyama — dhāraṇā, dhyāna, and samādhi
- Experience an integrated practice in preparation for Antya Krama techniques
Module 2: Puruṣārtha-s, Āśrama Dharma & Tri-Krama - Tools for a Peaceful & Purposeful Existence (2025-06-23 11:00:00 am)
Explore key Vedic frameworks that bring deeper meaning and direction to life’s journey. You’ll discover the four puruṣārthas — life’s essential aims — and how they guide a balanced and purposeful existence.
You’ll also delve into the Tri-Karma: tapas (self-discipline), dana (generosity), and yajña (ritual or self-offering), which form the heart of yoga practice and serve as tools for personal and spiritual evolution.
Traditional views on the four life stages (asrama dharma) and the Viniyoga lens on the three practice stages (Tri-Krama) will provide context for tailoring your practice to meet you where you are.
A special emphasis will be placed on Antya Krama — the inward, releasing orientation traditionally associated with life’s final phase, but deeply supportive at any age for resolving karma, letting go, and cultivating peace.
This module concludes with an integrated practice for embodying the transformative power of tapas, dana, and yajña.
In this session, you’ll:
- Discover what the ancients considered to be the 4 purposes that lead to a fulfilled life
- Learn the 3 essential responsibilities of a practitioner on the path of yoga
- Explore the traditional view of the life cycle — and how practices should be adapted to each cycle
- Discover the different ways that practices can be adapted, depending on one’s personal orientations and goals for practice
Module 3: Dukha Paramparā and Hdaya-Granti Bhedanam - Cutting the Knots of the Heart to Free Yourself From the Ongoing Succession of Suffering (2025-06-30 11:00:00 am)
In this session, you’ll explore the human condition, the sources of suffering, and the symbolism of the Knots of the Heart that perpetuate the ongoing succession of suffering — and the yoga path to cut the knots and free yourself from suffering.
Gary will guide you in an integrated practice that includes a meditation on the Ajña Cakra and the knot of ignorance.
In this session, you’ll:
- Discover the causes of the ongoing succession of frustration, tension, and suffering that we all experience
- Explore the symbolism of the 3 knots that keep us locked into that cycle — kama (desire), karma (action), and avidya (ignorance)
- Gain a deeper understanding of karma and samskaras (conditioning) — and how we become entangled in the world of name and form
- Experience the process of meditative self-inquiry — svadhyaya — and its role in cutting through the Knot of the Heart
Module 4: Ṣadaraṁ Saṁsāra Cakram — Cultivating Non-Attachment by Understanding the Six-Spoked Wheel of Cyclic Existence (2025-07-07 11:00:00 am)
Explore teachings about the four links to the chain that binds us to what the ancients called the Six-Spoked Wheel of Cyclic Existence — Ṣadaraṁ Saṁsāra Cakram — and how these four links play out in our lives.
Gary will guide you in an integrated practice focusing on Sutra IV.11 from Patañjali’s Yoga Sutra, which presents the teachings about these four links, and how they bind us to the world of name and form.
In this session, you’ll:
- Discover the 4 links to the chain that binds you to the Six-Spoked Wheel of Cyclic Existence — and how they play out in your day-to-day experience
- Explore the relationships between your actions, corresponding experiences of happiness and suffering, and patterns of attachment and aversion
- Experience the power of meditative self-inquiry as a means of weakening the links of the chain and their power to bind us
- Cultivate non-attachment to objects that will never be true sources of freedom, or fulfillment
- Discover who you truly are, according to the ancients, and the true source of freedom and fulfillment
Module 5: Laya Yoga - Bhūta Śhuddhi & Maṇipūra Cakra Inner Practices of Tantric Yoga to Dissolve Blocks & Activate Greater Awareness (2025-07-14 11:00:00 am)
Explore the Tantric Laya Yoga practices known as bhuta shuddhi (elemental purification) and cakra sadhana (chakra-focused spiritual practice). These two are foundational inner alchemical processes designed to purify the subtle body and awaken deep spiritual awareness.
Bhūta śhuddhi purifies the subtle body and prepares the energetic system to hold higher frequencies, dissolving emotional blocks, fears, and karmic imprints associated with each element.
Cakra sadhana activates our higher potentials and opens a path of return from our physical manifestation, through our subtle body, back to the Source from whence we came.
Gary will guide you in a practice that includes asana, prāṇāyāma, and chanting to prepare for the meditative practice of bhuta śhuddhi on the maṇipūra cakra.
In this session, you’ll:
- Discover the purpose and method of the practice known as bhūta śhuddhi — purification of the elements — as it applies to Antya Krama practices
- Explore the practice known as cakra sādhana for resolving karma
- Explore the purpose and method of the practice known as cakra sadhana
- Understand the symbolism of the maṇipūra cakra (solar plexus chakra)
- Delve deeply into the relationship between light, the sense of sight, attraction motivation, and your capacity for movement — enabling you to move towards the people and things you need or want
Module 6: Antya Krama - Bhūta Śhuddhi & Cakra Sādhana on the Mūlādhāra Cakra Fulfill Its Survival & Safety Bio-Imperative (2025-07-21 11:00:00 am)
Now that you’ve learned the series of techniques at the heart of the Antya Krama orientation, you’ll begin applying them to each of the cakras to bring healing to recurring patterns of karma.
You’ll start by exploring the symbolism of the mūlādhāra cakra (root chakra), its relationship to the bio-imperative of survival, and to psycho-physical issues of safety and trust.
Gary will guide you in the Antya Krama orientation to practice that integrates āsana, prāṇāyāma, chanting, and bhūta śhuddhi to prepare for the meditative practice of cakra sādhana on the mūlādhāra cakra to resolve recurring patterns of insecurity and instability and cultivate feelings of safety and trust.
In this session, you’ll:
- Recognize how the bio-imperative of survival underlies your desires, which then shape your feelings, thoughts, and behavior
- Surface, explore, and resolve unresolved issues, projections, attachments and aversions, and fears around issues related to safety and trust
- Reframe your understanding of what is truly meaningful and important in the face of the inevitability of change, impermanence, and the ultimate end of life from the perspective of the root chakra
- Recognize and awaken to the true source of safety that is independent from your identification with, and attachment to, the world of name and form
Module 7: Antya Krama - Bhūta Śuddhi & Cakra Sādhana on the Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra Fulfill Its Reproductive, Joy & Creativity (2025-07-28 11:00:00 am)
Explore the symbolism of the svādhiṣṭhāna cakra (sacral chakra), its relationship to the bio-imperative of reproduction, and to psycho-physical issues of pleasure, joy, and creativity.
Gary will guide you in the Antya Krama orientation to a practice that integrates yogic techniques to prepare for the meditative practice of cakra sādhana on the svādhiṣṭhāna cakra to heal cycles of repressed emotions or unfulfilled desires and foster joy and pleasure.
In this session, you’ll:
- Recognize how the bio-imperative of reproduction underlies your desires, which then shape your feelings, thoughts, and behavior
- Surface, explore, and resolve unresolved issues, projections, attachments and aversions, and fears around issues related to pleasure and creativity
- Reframe your understanding of what is truly meaningful and important in the face of the inevitability of change, impermanence, and the ultimate end of life
- Recognize and awaken to the true source of joy that is independent from your identification with, and attachment to, the world of name and form
Module 8: Antya Krama - Bhūta Śhuddhi & Cakra Sādhana on the Maṇipūra Cakra Fulfill Its Bio-Imperative for Self-Esteem & Sovereignty (2025-08-11 11:00:00 am)
Explore the symbolism of the maṇipūra cakra (solar plexus chakra), its relationship to the bio-imperative of competition and territorialism…
… as well as to transformation and psycho-physical issues of self-worth, self-esteem, and self-empowerment.
Gary will guide you in the Antya Krama orientation to a practice that integrates yogic techniques to prepare for the meditative practice of cakra sādhana on the maṇipūra cakra to release karmic imprints of low self-esteem and awakens personal empowerment.
In this session, you’ll:
- Recognize how the bio-imperative of competition and territorialism underlies your desires — which then shape your feelings, thoughts, and behavior
- Surface, explore, and resolve previously unresolved issues, projections, attachments, and aversions — along with fears around issues related to your sense of self-worth and self-esteem
- Reframe your understanding of what is truly meaningful and important in the face of the inevitability of change, impermanence, and the ultimate end of life
- Awaken to the true source of self-worth and personal power, independent from your identification with things, people, and your worldly accomplishments
Module 9: Antya Krama — Bhūta Śhuddhi & Cakra Sādhana on the Anāhata Cakra Fulfill the Bio-Imperative for Connection, Belonging & Love (2025-08-18 11:00:00 am)
Explore the symbolism of the anahata cakra (heart chakra), its relationship to the impulses toward group formation, family, and social connection…
… and to issues of compassion and your ability to form healthy and loving relationships.
Gary will guide you in the Antya Krama orientation to a practice that integrates yogic techniques to prepare for the meditative practice of cakra sādhana on the anāhata cakra to release anger and judgement and replace it with feelings of love, tolerance, and generosity.
In this session, you’ll:
- Recognize how the impulses toward group formation, family, social connection, and relationships underlies your desires — which then shape your feelings, thoughts, and behavior
- Surface, explore, and resolve issues, projections, attachments, and aversions, along with fears around issues related to your sense of belonging, of being accepted, of being loved — and of being loving
- Reframe your understanding of what is truly meaningful and important in the face of the inevitability of change, impermanence, and the ultimate end of life
- Awaken to the true source of your sense of being accepted and belonging — and understand why being loved and being loving are never dependent on individual relationships
Module 10: Antya Krama — Bhūta Śhuddhi & Cakra Sādhana on the Viśhuddhi Cakra Fulfill the Bio-imperative to Communicate & Express Yourself (2025-08-25 11:00:00 am)
Explore the symbolism of the viśuddhi cakra (throat chakra), its relationship to language, speech, and the impulse to communicate…
… and to issues of communication, self-expression and listening, and creativity.
Gary will guide you in the Antya Krama orientation to a practice that integrates yogic techniques to prepare for the meditative practice of cakra sādhana on the viśuddhi cakra, to release patterns of repressed emotions and not being heard and foster authentic expression and communication with others.
In this session, you’ll:
- Recognize how the impulse to communicate and express yourself underlies your desires — which then shape your feelings, thoughts, and behavior
- Surface, explore, and resolve unresolved issues, projections, attachments and aversions — and fears around issues related to your ability to communicate, express yourself, and listen to others
- Reframe your understanding of what is truly meaningful and important in the face of the inevitability of change, impermanence, and the ultimate end of life
- Awaken to what is truly important for you to communicate — that which will elevate yourself and others towards what is most meaningful and true
Module 11: Bhūta Śhuddhi & Cakra Sādhana on the Ājñā Cakra — Fulfill the Bio-Imperative to Perceive, Imagine & Make Aligned Decisions (2025-09-08 11:00:00 am)
Explore the symbolism of the ajña cakra (Third Eye chakra), its relationship to intelligence and your innate capacity to perceive, cognize, feel, understand, imagine, remember, decide, and choose.
Gary will guide you in a practice that includes asana, pra?ayama, chanting, and bhuta shuddhi to prepare for the meditative practice of cakra sa¯dhana on the ajña cakra.
In this session, you’ll:
- Recognize the role of intelligence to balance our impulses which, symbolically, come from the lower cakras, and our values, properties, and higher aspirations
- Surface, explore, and resolve unresolved issues, projections, attachments and aversions, and fears around establishing values, setting priorities, making healthy choices and decisions, and finding meaning and purpose in life
- Reframe your understanding of what is truly meaningful and important in the face of the inevitability of change, impermanence, and the ultimate end of life
- Realize the truth that your innate intelligence is not dependent on your self-concept and worldview, on your feelings, attitudes and opinions, or on your decisions and choices
- Recognize that all these things are mental constructs, and that your true intelligence is independent from them
Module 12: Antya Krama - Bhuta Shuddhi & Cakra Sādhana on the Sahasrara Fulfill the Bio-Imperative to Connect With Your True Nature (2025-09-22 11:00:00 am)
Explore the symbolism of the sahasrara which, technically, is not considered a cakra but more of a portal between the different planes of existence.
The sahasrara is associated with your true nature, what the ancients called atman, and with Source, the dimension of the Sacred or Divine, however that is conceived.
The sahasrara is associated with revelation, intuition, and inspiration.
Gary will guide you in a practice that includes asana, pra?ayama, chanting, and bhuta shuddhi, to prepare for the meditative practice of cakra sa¯dhana on the sahasrara.
In this session, you’ll:
- Reflect on the meaning of revelation — and the role of intuition and inspiration in our lives
- Learn the path to awakening intuition — and to receiving inspiration
- Realize that your own true nature is pure being — and that you are never separated from this reality
- Experience practices for working with sahasrara
SPECIAL BONUS OFFER
In addition to Gary ’s transformative 12-module course, you’ll receive this special bonus offering to complement the course and take your understanding and practice to an even deeper level.
Mahāvākya-s: A Path to Freedom — Tat Tvam Asi From the Chāndogya Upaniṣad
Video Exploration With Gary Kraftsow
The Mahāvākyas are short statements, usually taken from the Upaniṣads, which distill and reveal profound truths about the Divine (Brahman), the Self (Ātman), and the Universe. They offer a path to find answers to life's key questions, and ultimately Self-Realization (Ātmavidyā) and/or ‘God-Realization’ (Brahmavidyā). In this practice, explore the classic Mahāvākya, Tat Tvam Asi from the Chāndogya Upaniṣad. Learn the meaning of each word as well as a deeper translation. Chant within the short āsana practice followed by a deep meditation.
Profiling 5 Dedicated Yogis at Different Life Stages
PDF With Insights From Gary Kraftsow
This Yoga Journal article profiles five dedicated yogis at different life stages. What do you do when your yoga practice no longer serves you? How can you adapt your practice to suit your needs at any stage of life? Gary offers suggestions to five dedicated yogis — ranging in age from their 20s to their 70s — so that their practices can continue to serve them now, relevant to their age and situation in life, and into the future.
What People Are Saying About Gary Kraftsow…
Vancouver, Canada
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Join the Global Community
Antya Krama — Yogic Practices to Prepare for Sacred Transition offers some of the most transformational online teachings available, within a thriving global community of learning and practice.
Join fellow students and practitioners to support and inspire each other as you integrate the teachings and practices Gary Kraftsow will share in this powerful program.
You’ll join an international community on the leading edge of manifesting a world grounded in the principles of cooperation, harmony, and reverence for all of life.
Here’s What You’ll Receive
Twelve 90-Minute Class Sessions With Gary Kraftsow
Experience a unique opportunity to be mentored by and learn from Gary Kraftsow, founder and director of the American Viniyoga Institute — from the comfort of your own home. Each class session includes a livestreaming video option and will guide you to resolve your karmic patterns and experience lasting peace and fulfillment through Antya Krama yoga. Course sessions are on 2025-06-16 11:00:00 am
Twelve Video Recordings of Class Sessions
After each class, the video will be available for you to stream in a high-quality format. You’ll never have to worry about missing a session, and you can watch anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
Twelve Audio Recordings of Class Sessions
After each class, the audio will be available for you to stream. You’ll never have to worry about missing a session, and you can listen anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
Twelve Transcripts of Class Sessions
You’ll also receive the entire class transcription after each session is completed. You can then review, print, and highlight the most important insights and practices you were given.
Interactive Exercises and Questions for Each Lesson
Between class sessions, you’ll have the option of completing related exercises, practicing new tools, and answering questions to accelerate your learning and integrate each week’s lesson.
Online Community
Our exclusive Facebook online community is the perfect place to continue your discovery process after each class. Here, you can continue the discussion about your course materials and interact with your fellow students to take your exploration to an even deeper level.
An Unprecedented Opportunity to Join the Online Course, Antya Krama — Yogic Practices to Prepare for Sacred Transition
We feel honored that Gary Kraftsow has chosen to partner with The Shift Network to offer this exclusive LIVE online course. This is a unique opportunity to interact directly with the founder and director of the American Viniyoga Institute whose powerful insights and pioneering work are helping us heal and awaken ourselves and our world.
If you’re serious about resolving your karmic patterns, then you owe it to yourself, your loved ones, and our world to take this one-of-a-kind program.
If you’re ready to take the next step in your own evolution, click the register button below to reserve your space now.
Your Satisfaction Is 100% Guaranteed!
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed! If you don’t absolutely LOVE Antya Krama — Yogic Practices to Prepare for Sacred Transition — or don’t feel that it meets your needs — please submit your refund request form on or before June 30, 2025 and we’ll happily issue qualifying customers a refund.
More Praise for Gary Kraftsow
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About Gary Kraftsow
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Gary Kraftsow has been an innovator in the transmission of yoga for health, healing, and personal transformation for over 40 years. He began his study of yoga in India with T.K.V. Deśikāchar in 1974 and received a Viniyoga Special Diploma from Viniyoga International in Paris, France in 1988.
Gary received his master’s degree in psychology and religion from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1983 and opened the Maui School of Yoga Therapy around that time.
In 1999, he founded the American Viniyoga Institute, LLC. Since then, he has become a renowned speaker and teacher of the Viniyoga methodology at many conferences and schools nationally and internationally. Gary developed protocols for two National Institutes of Health studies, one on yoga for chronic low back pain and one on yoga for anxiety. He also helped develop a clinical trial on mind-body stress reduction in the workplace.
He is the director and senior teacher at the American Viniyoga Institute (AVI®), author of the books Yoga for Wellness and Yoga for Transformation, and the educational DVDs Viniyoga Therapy for Low Back, Sacrum and Hips… Viniyoga Therapy for Upper Back, Neck and Shoulders… Viniyoga Therapy for Depression… and Viniyoga Therapy for Anxiety.
He has also produced multiple online workshops and is in the process of creating the AVI Digital Library, which offers both live and on-demand classes.