717 – Sankalp and Abhyas

Fasting is a Yogic practice. It reduces the tamasic element in the body. Tamas is the greatest obstacle to meditation. While fasting, one sheds extra weight from the body and gains strength and clarity of mind. One cannot advance in the practice of Meditation, with an unhealthy body and weak mind. Continue reading

581 – Atma deepo bhava

Be your own light.

Heraclitus’s famous analogy of life to a river: “Upon those who step into the same rivers, different and ever different waters flow down.” Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher. The central idea of his philosophy was the unity of opposites and the concept of change. He observed the world as being in a state of constant flux. Nothing remains the same and the world is impermanent. It is changing continuously. Our ignorance is responsible for this false perception. Adi Shankara calls this ignorance avidya and to remove this we need that light, which is from within. Continue reading

560 – Chant with your heart

Ajapa Japa Sadhana as explained by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

When we chant, we are uttering from the mouth, when we chant from the heart, it is called Ajapa. Ajapa Japa is a complete sadhana and through it one can have direct experience of samadhi. Continue reading

499 – Gratitude

What do we understand about gratitude? Is it acknowledgement, appreciativeness, responsiveness, gratefulness, obligation, thankfulness or all of the above?

Our Gurus, wise men and seers say that we must be indebted to the universe and its inhabitants. However, we are enamored of the word that we use it in daily affirmations without understanding the meaning and absorbing it in our life.

How do we perform a gratitude sadhana? Continue reading

276 – God is knowledge and bliss

A quote by Sant Kabirdas

Kabirdas was a mystic poet and saint. His writings influenced the Hindu Bhakti movement in the fifteenth century. He believed in living life very simply. He makes us face up to the lies that we tell ourselves, that we are devout and are not afraid of death. He described the process of ajapa japa and the mantra So ham, as a continuous process. Continue reading

273 – Be selfish and engage in meditation and prayers

We are in a state of misery. We are deluged by misfortunes. Famine, floods and war. There are shortages everywhere. Innocents are being shot in schools, fires raging. Our miserable nature is overtaking us. We are crushing and destroying what is dear to us. Hurting others who have not harmed us. Wars are erupting everywhere. War does not only mean a battle but there is also an ongoing war against disease and pestilence. It has afflicted our thinking. There are politicians who are talking about maintaining peace but actually they are preparing for war to preserve peace. Continue reading

077 – What is the sadhana of Ajapa Japa

The basis of Ajapa Japa is the repetition of the mantra So Ham with Ujjayi pranayama in the sushumna passage. This process incorporates ujjayi (psychic breath), mantra (psychic sound), sushumna nadi and psychic awareness. It is the best and easiest practice to awaken Prana. The practice of Ajapa Japa is essential for developing the psychic passage, psychic breath and psychic sound, which are the important keys to Prana awakening and wellbeing. Continue reading

076 – Ajapa Japa

Ajapa Japa is chanting from the heart. It is the spontaneous repetition of the Mantra Soham for developing awareness of the psychic breath in the psychic passages of the body. The meaning of psychic is spiritual in the Yogic sense and Ajapa Japa sadhana enables the flow of prana. Continue reading