Das Mahavidyas are the divine forms of the Goddess. They are very powerful forms of the Goddess and can be worshipped in their individual manifestations. Their origin is when Sati manifested herself into the ten forms of Adi Shakti because Shiva would not allow her to attend her father’s Yagna uninvited. Both Sati and Shiva had not received an invite. When Shiva found that he was surrounded by these Goddesses in every direction, he agreed to attend the function. Continue reading
Find your roots within yourself. If you belong to a crowd, there is no further growth. You are dependent on others for company and this gives you anxiety. You seek groups, organizations to give you an identity. It is described as social anxiety and it is discussed intensely. What one is forgetting is how is one connected to oneself. Continue reading
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
Is it steady or is it wavering? When one meditates with a lighted lamp, it plays a lot of games with one. Sometimes the light whooshes and wavers from side to side, or it consumes the wick. Often one keeps lighting it and it does not light. Continue reading
There is a very old song called, “Playground in my mind. “It was written in 1972. I had just got married; I was 22 years old. It is a lovely song and remains a favorite of mine. Please listen to it. It is a song about simple joys and the pursuit of happiness. It is still relevant and many of us can enable others to visit the playground in their mind. Continue reading
It is so wonderful to know that we are alike and yet we are different too. I am in Mexico and am enjoying and embracing the culture. The air outside of Mexico City is fragrant and smells of oregano, sage, and rosemary. I wrote earlier about our visit to a carpet factory, where all the colors were sourced from plants. Continue reading
Do we understand the meaning of this word? It is used so liberally and also in fun. In India, while growing up, as children we would describe an inattentive person as being in samadhi. The actual meaning is the culmination of Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga. Continue reading
Karma and Yoga are brothers. When they unite, they form a very powerful relationship. Through this relationship it is possible to lead a spiritual life for an ordinary individual. None of us can avoid the actions of our karma. It is not the objective of Yoga to send us on a road, where one neglects one’s karma in the form of our daily responsibilities and duties. Continue reading
An ancient tale describes an elephant calf chained from its childhood. The years of conditioning affect it and even when it became a bull, it could not lift a one-ton load. It had the strength, but it continued to feel that it was in shackles and it could not free itself from its chain. Continue reading
Concentrate on the mooladhara chakra. Practice ujjayi pranayama. While inhaling visualize the breath rising from the mooladhara in the spinal passage and reaching ajna chakra, directly behind the eyebrow center. Contract throat, hold breath for five seconds. Exhaling, mentally chant a-u-u-m-m-m-m-m. Feel the vibrations going down your spine and piercing visshudhi, anahata, manipura, swadhisthana and mooladhara in the spinal passage. Concentrate on mooladhara for five seconds. Then inhale and ascend again with the breath. Practice for ten minutes daily.
Given by Swami Satyananda Saraswati in Satsang in 1979.
Aim Hrim Klim
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
Antar Darshan means inner reverence. It is a practice of Pratyahara, which comes from the word pratyaya. Pratyaya are the basic tendencies of our inherent nature. They form our personality. The word ahara means food or nutrition. Pratyahara means withdrawal of our senses. Continue reading
Tripura Sundari is also known as Sodasi, Lalita, Sri Vidya and Rajarajeshwari. Her worship centers on the worship, meditation, mantra and Sri Yantra. Tripura Sundari is identified with three channels of Kundalini Yoga. She is the cosmic queen. Continue reading
Who does not have obstacles in life? We can be weighed down by them or overcome them. Obstacles are described as hurdles, shackles, chains, handicaps or embarrassments. How do we view them? Continue reading
What is the meaning of Parmahamsa? Its literal meaning is supreme swan. Why a swan? The swan is at home on land and water. A true sage is equally at home in the realms of matter and spirit. To be in divine ecstasy and simultaneously to be aware in the world is the state of parmahamsa. Continue reading
