833 – Sayings of the Masters

Swami Sivananda

Simple life is a veritable blessing, because it makes one free from cravings and desires, which cause suffering and pain.

Bhakti is a force that will influence our civilization, culture and relationships.

Empty yourself. Tune your radio. Unite your mind. The rest will take place when the proper time is due.

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788 – A Prayer and a Promise

Swami Satyananda asked God to help him only twice.

In 1963 and in 1989, he asked for help from the Divine. He had been told by Swami Sivananda to spread the message of Yoga and to present it in a logical and effective way. From 1956 to 1963 he travelled all over Asia as a wandering sannyasin. On his travels he found that it was almost impossible to become a Seer. Continue reading

662 – Free from belief in luck

Declaration of Freedom

Whatever may seem to bind or limit you
Declare yourself free from it now.
There is nothing in the outer world
No person, no condition, no circumstance
That can take away the freedom
Which is yours in spirit.
Instead of wishing that you were free
To live your life differently
Accept the truth that right now
You are free, free to change your thinking
Free to change your outlook on life
Free to be all that you long to be.
Make this day of freedom, spiritual freedom,
Declare yourself free from anxiety and fear
Free from any belief in luck or limitation.

1977, Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Continue reading

656 – Swami Sivananda’s divine gift

An ashram develops with the blessings of the Guru and his Guru’s august presence. Swami Sivananda was a Ram Bhakta and like Hanuman he always chanted the name of Rama. The Bihar School of Yoga Ashram was established by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, and all his Gurubhais established ashrams wherever they were, when Swami Sivananda left his body. Continue reading

620 – Yoga is within us

Swami Sivananda’s mission and vision was to make people aware of the divine life. He said that material stuff was only one end of the spectrum. In order to experience the evolution of our consciousness, we had to live a healthy life. A healthy life was a balanced body and mind. Continue reading

596 – 5 sacrifices to offer

There are five sacrifices which we must offer daily and these are spoken about by all Gurus. There are five Gods also associated with the sacrifices.

  • The Sacrifice to Rishi or Vedas, Rrushi Yajnya (sacrifice for the source of knowledge). Siva is source of knowledge and universal teacher.
  • The Sacrifice to Devas or Deva Yajnya (protection for the environmental powers as Gods). Durga is an integration of all godly powers.
  • The Sacrifice to Pitris or Pitru Yajnya (responsibility for the parents, ancestors and self-genetic system). Surya is a token of respect and remembrance to the ancestors and forefathers.
  • The Sacrifice to Men or Nrru Yajyna (positive interaction with fellow human beings of the society). Ganesha is the God for this sacrifice and is associated with community activity.
  • The Sacrifice to Bhutas or Bhoota Yajnya (care for the protection of biodiversity). Vishnu is the God for preserving the universe.

Each one of these has an outer and external meaning. Continue reading

553 – Introspect on your actions

It is said that meditation creates a fire which burns away our sins. What is sin? Actions which create uneasiness and abnormal feelings in the mind are sins. – Swami Satyananda Saraswati

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. – Genesis 4:7

What comes out of a person is what defiles them. – Mark 6:20-23

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. – Proverbs 17:22

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551 – Butterflies can’t see their wings

Butterflies can’t see their wings. They can’t see how truly beautiful they are, but everyone else can. People are like that as well. – Anonymous

Behold the joys of beauty. Admire the brilliance of the diamond in the darkest coal mine. Look at the luster of the eyes in the ugliest face. To one blessed with insight, whatever s/he sees is touched by the divine painter, who expresses himself in such infinite and ineffable beauty. – Swami Sivananda

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474 – Interruptions

What happens when we are engaged in a task and we are interrupted? Do we get upset, angry, enraged? We are victim to all these feelings and some of us get so disturbed that our thought process is involved with the disturbance and our day is shot to pieces. Our system succumbs to the fight-flight-fright response and the quality of our task is affected. Continue reading

348 – Satyananda Yoga

The sadhana in Satyananda Yoga is different to Patanjali’s eight-fold system. An explanation is given for the purification of the five sheaths which enclose our spirit. Asana and pranayama are the first and second steps which give us an understanding of Annamaya Kosha (sheath). Continue reading

334 – What Yoga should I practice?

According to Swami Satyananda, in order to understand what kind of Yoga Sadhana is to be practiced, one has to know what is going in with oneself. If one is physically unwell, one has to take up asanas and pranayamas. If one is depressed, consumed with anxiety, blood pressure and insomnia, one must practice meditation. If one is suffering from mental exhaustion, one must practice pranayama. Continue reading

315 – Fear is real

Fear is everywhere. We are terrified of Covid; the wars all over the world are causing sadness and disturbance in our lives. Forest fires have caused terrible damage and there is flooding in different countries. The biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate. It is essential for us to face these fears. Continue reading