Leaders possess numerous powers, but this should not make them adamant and inflexible. They should have the humility to listen to and accept other opinions whenever appropriate. Vinayaka also indicates one who has Vinaya-humility. – Swami Swaroopananda
Dear ones, do we know how to be humble? It is a missing quality or trait. Call it what you wish. Continue reading
Swami Satyananda Saraswati, my Guru and founder of the Bihar School of Yoga, spent twelve years in Swami Sivananda’s ashram. In that period, he found that many persons wrote to Swami Sivananda, asking for help and treatment for their health problems. He would suggest that they practice Yoga. Continue reading
The two mandalas of form and sound are considered to be the backbone of Tantra, however there are other mandalas which are used. The Mandala of smell is one of these. One can imagine the fragrance of jasmine and smell it. Continue reading
Close your eyes. Be comfortable. Spine straight. Be still as still as you can be. Now open your eyes and pick up an object. You may take a small walk, but be concentrated on finding such an object. It can be a flower, a leaf or a fruit. Now sit down again and be still. Gaze at the object deeply. It is like the practice of trataka. Continue reading
You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen, simply wait, be quiet still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to unmasked, it has no choice. – Franz Kafka
Spiritual progress is only possible with purification of one’s heart. How does one purify one’s heart? Our spirit, Atman is pure and remains pure. No evil can contaminate it. Continue reading
Swami Sivananda defines color and thoughts brilliantly. He also speaks about the color of our thoughts. According to him, a spiritual thought is yellow in color, an angry thought is red in color, a thought focusing on hatred is of a blood red color and a selfish thought is brown in color. Continue reading
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
It is a sweeping statement. However, it is possible. Our body is made up of five basic elements – the panch tattva. The five fingers of our hands are regarded as representative symbols of the panch tattvas. Continue reading
How does your day start? I know how mine starts. I silently chant my mantra for the Goddess and then I sit up and leave my bed. My first response are my guests seated in the balcony. My wild cats, mother and son and their extended family are the guests. I light the incense in the different rooms. I give them their breakfast and then play my chants on the CD player. After that it is one thing after the other. Continue reading
Awareness is the mantra for maitri. Be sensitive of your feelings towards others when you engage with them. Have you built a wall round yourself or are you open? Continue reading
We all suffer from guilt. It is part of our personality. If we were free of guilt we would not be motivated to accomplish anything. We survive through guilt and evolve through it. However there is a stage in life when one can be free of guilt, and there will not be any hindrance to one’s mental and emotional growth. Continue reading
What is a yogic life style? It is a way of life, a sadhana and a philosophy. When we start the practice, initially we think that the asanas are good for us. However when we perform an asana, we are keeping three things in mind. We are watching ourselves, we are aware of our breath and we are counting our breath. Continue reading
We step out and what do we see. Do we see the green of the trees, and the birds twittering about. Do we see how much dust covers the leaves. Thoughts go through our mind, it is so dusty. And the crows are making a racket, I wish they would shut up. I am giving small examples from day to day living. Continue reading
BFF. It is an abbreviation for Best Friends Forever. It is a term of endearment. We all have a BFF. Just saying it makes us happy. It brings a smile to our faces. Everyone knows it, even kids, little ones. I know that we all like the abbreviation very much. We feel good with it. Have you thought what is with you all the time and never let’s go. Your thoughts. Continue reading