Tag Archives: swami satyananda

Law of Opposites and Yoga Nidra

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How are we affected by the law of opposites. Prince Ram in the Yog Vasistha said to Sage Vashisht that he did not long to live and he did not long to die. He remained neutral about life as well as about death. Duality exists around us and there is uncharted space which Krishna describes as being free from opposites.

The karma yogis, who neither desire nor hate anything, should be considered always renounced. Free from all dualities, they are easily liberated from the bonds of material energy. – Gita 5.3

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Ode to my Guru

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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 →

My distracted mind

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Those who collect strings of attachment
With mother, father, relations, sons, wife,
Body, wealth, house, friends and family,
Make a rope out of them and tie it to my feet,
Those who are impartial, having no desires,
In whose heart there is no place
For happiness and sorrows, courage and fear.
Such bhaktas reside in my heart,
In the same manner as riches
Reside in the heart of a greedy man. – Ramacharitamanas

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998 – Our quest for mysticism

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Mysticism is the belief that one can experience a direct connection with God, or a unifying principle in life. It can also refer to any altered state of consciousness or ecstasy that has a spiritual or religious meaning. In Hinduism one seeks the union with a higher being and this can be described as a mystical dimension. Continue reading →

980 – Do I accept myself?

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Swami Satyananda Saraswati said that one must accept oneself as one was. ‘An important step in yoga is to accept your nature as much as you’re able.’ He spoke a lot on self-acceptance and the reason is that acceptance of self is crucial to yoga and tantra. Tantra is called the way to acceptance. Continue reading →

882 – Change is the law of the universe

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Whatever is happening is also for good.
Whatever will happen, shall also be good.
What have you lost that you cry for?
What did you bring that you have lost?
What did you create that was destroyed?
What you have taken, has been from here.
What you gave has been given here.
What belongs to you today,
Belonged to someone yesterday.
And will be someone else’s tomorrow. – Bhagavad Gita

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833 – Sayings of the Masters

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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