There are two wars we all have to fight. One war is waged on the battlefield and the second war is within us. The first war is waged against external enemies and the second war is waged against our thoughts. Yoga enables us to fight the war within. Continue reading
According to my Guru, keep aside ten minutes for meditation every morning. Decide where you want to fix your mind. Do you want to fix it on a candle flame, or a Yantra? Be only aware of that and nothing else. When the mind is concentrated and one pointed even for a second, then one undergoes a wonderful experience. Continue reading
How do we awaken our potential? One of the major tools is Yoga, which unfolds our different levels of awareness, which are buried deep in our unconscious. Each one of us is blessed with it. We have to learn to awaken it and harness it. It then turns into prana and from there into power and vidya (knowledge). Continue reading
We all want to be self-disciplined, and we wish to remain like that. It is not easy, because our understanding of the word discipline is often a misunderstanding. We think by following a pattern, we are engaged in a joyless life. Indisciplined kids, has been used to describe many of us as children and it meant that we should be punished. Continue reading
Shanti path can be understood in two ways. It is the mantra for peace and prosperity, which is chanted at the end of every prayer and yogic practice. It is chanted to infuse the body and mind with positive feelings and vibrations. It also helps to remind the psychic personality, which is influenced by the vibrations of a spiritual goal and aim. Continue reading
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
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
When children are brought into the world they need nurturing. We find that this is the most important aspect of raising children. A child is like the rose in ‘The Little Prince’. “It is the time that you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important”, said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember. Continue reading
According to Tantra we should be honest and true to ourselves. We can be anybody, a sage, or a criminal. This does not disbar us from seeking a spiritual life. What does this mean? The questions asked are what is a spiritual life? What reward do we get by its pursuit? What is the purpose of our life? Why are we here? Continue reading
We look after ourselves. We take it very seriously. From childhood we are taught to be clean. We are given instructions. Brush your teeth, wash your face, feet, hands, and clip your nails. When you bathed you were reminded by your parents to wash behind the ears, soap your neck, scrub your knees and the soles of your feet. It is embedded in our memory and we repeat it to our kids. The list is endless. 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
When I started the practice of Yoga, I went with the intention of curing my arthritic pain. It was my objective as I had twin sons, who were fearless, snake chasing, 3 years old, and a loving cats. My husband was away at work and I was going crazy. A friend suggested that I go to the Bihar School of Yoga Ashram and get help for my left hand, as I am left handed and found it difficult to brush my hair, plus perform all the other mundane tasks which make up a young mum’s life. Continue reading
“Like the rays of the moon
The light of Yoga is expanding
All religions, beliefs and sects
Are receiving shelter
Under the kalpataru (wish fulfilling tree) of Yoga.
Towards the evolution of consciousness
Yoga has done unforgettable work.
Yoga will become tomorrow’s culture
And will show a new way of life for man-kind.”
Our individual consciousness is known as awareness. It is immortal and it is mixed with sense, body and mind awareness. This awareness is the form of ‘I am’. With this comes awareness of my body, my senses, my mind, and my identity. We learn how to purify our awareness in the sadhana of Yoga. Continue reading
In the satsang we create a sattvic atmosphere that makes it easier
to focus on the knowledge. It is important to keep the knowledge
active when the mind is rajasic or tamasic. When the values are
assimilated the mind stays sattvic and the knowledge stays active.
A change in your lifestyle may be necessary to make the mind
sattvic enough. Deliberate thinking is observing the mind, step
back and think about it before you act. If necessary pause, collect
your thoughts, you can edit your thoughts as they come up. Pay
attention that the information is appropriate, kind, timely and
credible. Impulsive thinking has the need to react immediately. 11.
Dispassion towards sense objects, for example music, food, sex. No
obsession, except obsession for Vedanta. Assimilating these values,
starting with an intellectual understanding brings you a lot of
experiential and emotional satisfaction. 12. Renunciation and
Austerity. Eagerness to get rid of things and to live simply. Do not
accumulate stuff. 13. Absence of egoism. It’s about a simple
recognition about the difference between my (real) Self and the ego
(reflected self). Sadhana: Whenever you say the ‘I’ in the day-to-day
activities ask yourself which ‘I’ is meant. This helps to
discriminate. Keep track of your speech. Keep a short leash on your
ego and let it walk in front of you. 14. Appreciation of time. Don’t
waste time and go on with self-inquiry. 15. Absence of ownership. Is
it your body or your children? Everything comes from isvara.
Sadhana: Pay attention to the word ‘mine’. 16. Absence of
excessive attachment to loved ones. Serve the people in your field
with love but don’t get excessively attached. 17. Sameness of mind
under all circumstances. Cultivate the value of a quiet mind and for
sattva. Read the book Yoga of the three energies. Importance of
the management of the gunas. You can remove most of the
physical pain with guna management. Most of the daily pains are
caused by blocked prana or tamasic energy. 18. Non-dual devotion
to God. 19. Love of solitude. You can hear the silence speaking.
Gradually work to it if you have a busy life. 20. Absence of craving
for company. People can be in your life but you should have no
need for it. 21. Constant practice of self-knowledge. 22. Value for
completing or resolving things. Too much agitation prevents you
from finishing projects and brings to starting new ones. Karma yoga
reduces your karmic load. The degree to what you reduce your
karmic load is the degree to what your mind is peaceful. Tamasic
people don’t want to complete things. Rajasic people want to
complete things but they are too busy to do the completion.
Consequence is that they are always agitated. 23. Precaution,
deliberation and restraint. Think ahead and make a plan before you
judge. Value for holding back. Rajasic people want to do things
immediately. If you can’t hold on you find yourself doing a lot of
things you don’t have to do. 65. Offering all activities to the Lord,
one should direct negative feelings – desire, anger and pride – to
Him. 66. Transcending the gunas, the devotee should act only out
of pure love of God and remain perpetually in the relationship of a
servant to his master or a lover serving her beloved. 67. Among the
Lord’s devotees, the greatest are those who are dedicated solely as
intimate servants. Sakhya bhava and further bhavas. Secret love
affair with God behind the back of your husband. What is your
dominant way to express your love? Love with understanding is
better than only emotional love, for example sakhya bhava. 68.
Conversing among one another with throats choked, hair
standing on end and tears flowing, the Lord’s intimate servants
purify their own followers and the whole world. 69-83. 84. Anyone
who has faith in these auspicious teachings will attain non-dual
devotion. Indeed he or she will attain unconditional love.
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