Author: Mandala

If You Want to Live Positively and Joyfully

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If you want to live positively and joyfully, learn to give the fruits of your actions to others, and determine that you will not allow yourself to be bothered by anything in the exterior world. If you do not learn to give, then you are being selfish and negative. A negative person is selfish; a positive person is generous. You cannot rely on a negative person. There are some people who never come in contact with their positive emotions – they only remain negative all the time. And because of this they are unable to give to others.

So learn to give to your own people, those with whom you live, those who are closest to you. Learn to give spontaneously in your mind, action, and speech. That is your first step to freedom. It is attained when you learn to do your actions with love and learn to give. Love means non-harming, so you should resolve that you will not harm, hurt, or injure your spouse, children, or friends – that means that you love them. The expression of your love is not hurting or harming others. Love does not consist of telling someone that you love them and cannot live without them – that is mere selfishness. If you love someone, then don’t harm or hurt them – that is the real expression of your love.

Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from The Art of Joyful Living by Swami Rama, published by Himalayan Institute Press.

From the 2010 – 2013 Practice given by Swami Veda Bharati to the AHYMSIN sangha: “Read Swami Rama’s ART OF JOYFUL LIVING. Keep track of what progress you are making in the paths shown there.”

Himalayan Yoga at LMU—Los Angeles

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It’s not every day that one meets a teacher like Professor Christopher Chapple. He is the Founder of the world-class Yoga Studies Program at Loyola-Marymount University, in Los Angeles. (LMU). I was fortunate to meet him many years ago while assisting Swami Veda on a couple of visits he made to Los Angeles. Years later, after consulting with Dr. Chapple, I enrolled in, and completed, LMU’s Certificate program in Yoga Philosophy and found the program to be phenomenal. I especially loved the weekly Sanskrit class with Professor Chapple in which we worked as a class to translate ancient Sanskrit texts.

Over the years, I’ve come to have the greatest respect for Dr. Chapple, not only is he a distinguished academic (he is the Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology at LMU, the Founder of  LMU’s respected Yoga Studies Program, and the Director of LMU’s Master of Arts in Yoga Studies program), but also a true disciple of Yoga who strives to embody his Gurudevi’s teachings. I’ve have found him to be brilliant, humble, kind and extremely approachable and generous.

In the years since completing the Certificate Program, I’ve worked with Dr. Chapple to bring programs to LMU to familiarize their students with the Himalayan Tradition. We’ve now held several such programs, with teachers including Stoma, Swami Radha, Sanjay Shastri, and myself.

This year, Professor Chapple contacted me with a request for another program, and Swami Ritavan asked me to put it together. So I had the joyous opportunity to work with Dr. Chapple and his delightful staff and teachers to design it.

The two-day meditation retreat occurred over the weekend of January 27th and 28, 2024, at the LMU Center for Prayer and Peace. There is a small plaza just outside where one can view the Pacific Ocean in the distance. It was an exquisite environment for a meditation retreat. Some folks sat on the floor and others on chairs. Dr. Chapple and Zoe Slatoff, who teaches Sanskrit at LMU, offered prayers and mantras to get us started in the mornings.

The retreat provided basic practices that would enable attendees to build their own personal daily yoga-meditation practices, and covered joints and glands practices, sitting, breathing, relaxation, mantra and meditation, and contemplative walking (with a view of the Pacific ocean), spiced with philosophy and stories from my experience in the Tradition. About two dozen people attended over the two days, sometimes more and sometimes less. The participants were very attentive and interested.

I was especially moved when Zoe Slatoff led the group in chanting mantras and when Professor Chapple opened the Sunday morning session by placing us in time and space as one might do at the beginning of a Puja. He even alluded to the indigenous people who lived in the area before America was born.

It was a beautiful weekend, and much was covered. Professor Chapple later wrote to me saying people were very enthusiastic about what they had learned.

Atma Tattva Avalokanam – Swami Veda’s Address to the Gathering of the Sangha, February 2nd 2010

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Meditation: “The Breather Observing the Breath”

Free your mind. Free your mind of all the parigrahas, everything that mind has grabbed onto, hold nothing. Let your mind calm. Come back home, to the divine temple that is your body, that is your being, that is your prana, that is your mind, that is your self. You the Atman.

Be aware of your self. No names, no conditions, no limitations, nothing that the mind has identified with. Be your own pure silent Self.
Only be aware of your being.

No ripple in your being, only the silent self. Know yourself to be free of all becomings, all motivations, all vrittis, all operations of the mind. Only dwell in Atma Tattva Avalokanam, awareness of Atman the Self.

As the mind wanders, come back to your pure silent being, wherever in you, you experience it.

Maintain this pure being and know that this being receives the grace of Divinity, Shakti energy, that passing through many interior subtle layers comes to manifest itself in the form of your breath. Observe the Being, the Breather, observe the Breather breathing.

Observe the volition, the will that breathes.

So long as you’ll have the Breather being observed, the pure being who breathes, your breath will flow smooth, gentle, slow, without a jerk, without a break between the breaths. Observe the Breather and the Breather’s volition breathing.

While maintaining this flowing observation, observe the maintainer who maintains the mantra, all the maintainer and the breather are one breathing the mantra in each exhalation and inhalation.

Who breathes? Who maintains? Dwell in that one.

Let there be no other ripple in this observation of the one who breathes, of the one who maintains the mantra.

For a moment no awareness, for a moment no awareness even of the breath and the mantra, only the One, you the Self in silence of the heart and the mind.

From this silence the barest stream of consciousness going into the breathing and the mantra.

Dwell in this awareness of pure being, remaining in the stream of the breath and the mantra gently open your eyes but no change in your consciousness. Dwell in the same Atma Tattva Avalokanam even with your eyes open.

Lecture: “Sangha and the Guru’s Mission”

May Gurudeva bless us all;
May the all Lineage bless us all with their presence and their guidance;
Inspiring our way of walking, inspiring our way of conversing, inspiring our way of discussing, inspiring our paths of action, inspiring how we eat and how we sleep.

While you are here, do all activities of mind, speech and body in this awareness of pure being, Atma Tattva Avalokanam; keeping the inward doors open to receive the inspiration.

Do not speak from your thoughts; speak from the inspiration received from the Atman, from the Divine self, from the Gurus.

Hari Om Tat Sat

While you are here please think in your mind, “The Guru’s mission is alleviating pain and suffering in the world. All pain and suffering arises from our mind: from the conflicts in our mind, from the selfishness in our mind, from the greed and anger and desires in our mind. Meditation serves as a way to heal the wounded mind.  You are all training to be doctors. Some to provide first aid to the wounds of the mind, some to give the medicine of meditation to the mind, some even to do surgeries on the mind. That privilege is very sacred and limited to a very few on this earth. My master was a master of that surgery and I’ve gone through that surgery. The surgery is not completed on me. I’m just slowly, slowly learning. So in your mind decide what area of the pain of the world you want to alleviate, by what means, and offer your services there. People who have been serving for a long time, people who have been serving outside the circles come up and come forward and say, “I’ll do this.” Not, “Swamiji, what shall I do?” Not, “Committee, what shall I do?”

Whether you are in a committee or you are not in a committee, you are committed.  Let your commitment come through. Whether you hold or do not hold a position in a committee, you are committed.  Come up from your self, seeking no credit, seeking no position, and above all this process of Atma Tattva Avalokanam.Don’t let it be only something you attempt while the Swami is guiding.

Let it be your state of consciousness while you are eating, remaining in that Atma Tattva Avalokanam so that you are eating, not the act, as is stated in the scriptures. Eating becomes a Homa (Fire Offering): Pranaya Svaha, Apanaya Svaha, Samanaya Svaha, Udhanaya Svaha, Viyanaya Svaha. You can set a time, this fire into which you make the offerings, the fire of the navel center, that is called eating. What is called eating? People don’t know the art of eating, people don’t know the art of sleeping.

In the Veda there is a passage:

ahamannam ahamannam ahamannam
ahamannado ahamannado ahamannadah.

I am the food, I am the food, I am the food.
I am the eater of food, I am the eater of food, I am the eater of food.
The food is food. This body, sa esha purasho’nnarasamayah, is made of food. Food is eating food.  Atma is not eating food.

Be aware of That when you are eating, be aware of That when you are walking. Who is the walker? Who is the sleeper? Go into your sleep with that state of consciousness and wake with that state of consciousness.

So when you go back, you feel you are truly in a spiritual Ashram and you did something with your consciousness that you don’t ordinarily do.

Now you have to take responsibility. And I’m not naming everybody but I have my mind on people and I’m waiting to see whether they come up and don’t sit there, “shy.”

Shy?! To serve?! Shy to alleviate pain of others?! Someone lies wounded, are you shy to reach him?! The world is wounded and you are shy?!

I leave you with that thought, God bless you.

Breath Control

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Almost everyone has felt the influences of stress at some point during life, perhaps relating to a situation at school, work or in one’s family. Although the stresses in our environment cannot be controlled, our reaction to them can be. Breath can be used as a very powerful tool in the regulation of both the mind and body, and thus also in the reduction of stress. Most people, however, have never observed their own process of breathing; its qualities and patterns have remained unknown, hidden in the unconscious mind. Although the breath is maintained by unconscious mechanisms in the body, it can be brought under our conscious control, and unhealthy breathing habits can be corrected. In doing this, one can decrease the level of stress in one’s life and feel more balanced and relaxed.

Despite the obvious importance of the breath, a majority of us have poor breathing patterns, which disturb us physically, mentally and emotionally. These improper breathing habits thus create stress and can eventually lead to other imbalances and complications. The importance of good breathing is paramount, for it continually provides us with nourishment and cleanses our body; the oxygen inhaled is utilized by every cell of our body. When this gas exchange does not take place efficiently, the entire pulmonary-cardiovascular system must work harder in order to properly oxygenate the blood.

By paying attention to one’s breath, one can become aware of its irregularities and dysfunctions. Observe your own breathing for a moment and you may notice pauses and jerks that interrupt its flow. The breath should be allowed to flow smoothly. Pauses and jerks arise from poor breathing habits and disturb the nervous system. These irregularities in the breath can be corrected with consistent, daily practice of smooth, even breathing, which in turn will give rise to greater control over the respiratory motion and lead to a state of mental and physical calmness and alertness.

The most fundamental requirement for proper breathing is to breathe diaphragmatically. It is easiest to observe this process and to practice breathing diaphragmatically, when in a comfortably seated position or lying with the back against the floor. Place one hand on the upper region of the chest and the other hand on the soft part of the abdomen just below the rib cage. With each inhalation one should feel the abdomen gently rise and with each exhalation the abdomen should gently fall. One should be careful not to force the breathing or to push the abdomen in and out with the abdominal muscles. As the air enters and exists the lungs, the abdomen will slowly rise and fall on its own accord. It is important that the chest region be still so that one is not breathing with the chest. Accurate diaphragmatic breathing is established by allowing the breath to reach the depths of the lower lungs rather than to circulate only in the upper regions of the lungs.

After ensuring that one is breathing with the diaphragm rather than the chest, one should allow the breath to be smooth and even, so that inhalation and exhalation are of equal length. The mouth is kept gently closed so that one breathes through the nose. Eliminate any noise and jerks in the breath as well as any pauses occurring after inhalation or exhalation. Each breath should be full and relaxed, rather than shallow. The coordination and integration of these important qualities into one’s breathing pattern will occur with a little consistent effort. Although long term changes will occur more gradually, the benefits of practicing these techniques for 5-10 minutes daily will be noticed immediately.

Diaphragmatic breathing leads to autonomic balance and a more relaxed state of being. After some weeks of practice, more subtle changes will be noticed. The rhythm of the breath will become more relaxed and regular. This steadiness leads to a greater efficiency of the breathing process and reduces the amount of work required for proper ventilation and oxygenation of the blood.

By establishing an even, steady breath, a state of physiological balance is maintained, and the mind remains balanced and tranquil. A significant degree of control over the emotions can be achieved when one learns to regulate the breath. This is no small benefit, for it is often our emotions that lead us to feel increasingly stressed in life, and the regulation of these emotions through healthy breathing will greatly aid us in creating balance and equanimity in the face of life’s difficulties.

Editor’ Note

Reprinted from The Hindustan Times, Dec 27, 1992

Art of Stillness

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It is only after you have learned to take care of the body that you can tread the path of inner life. Proper cleansing, nourishing, and exercise are the prerequisites for the next step in the cultivation of health. This step is called being still. It is very important and, if you study it systematically not very difficult. Once you have prepared the body, it is essential that you learn to sit quietly. Even if you eat the best diet, if you do not know how to be still your mind will not yet be under your control. The most magnificent sports car, if it is driven recklessly, will soon be destroyed: so it is also with the human being. A strong body willed by a reckless mind leads to restlessness and ill health. You should become aware of the integration of the mind and body, for the mind and body have such a close relationship that the body can disturb the mind: if the body is in a state of pain or disease, then the mind will also be ill at ease. Likewise, a restless mind creates a tense and nervous body.

It should be remembered, however, that in general the mind rules the body. The mind moves first, and then the body follows. So your body language is totally dependent on your mental functions. Try this and see. Try to raise your arm without first thinking about it. It cannot be done. In order to raise the arm you must first think “Arm, raise,” and then send this message through the nervous system from the brain to the arm. The arm will not move until the mind tells it to do so.

Furthermore, just as the mind sends messages to the body, the body is continually sending messages to the mind – “This chair is hard; this postures causes a pain in the back,” and so on. When then mind is constantly being badgered by all these body messages it becomes very active, agitates, and dissipated trying to integrate all the data. It cannot remain calm.

Therefore in order to learn to be still you must first quiet the chatter coming from the body. This begins by learning the art of sitting. By developing a steady, comfortable position you free yourself from the distractions of the body and are able to attend to the mind. For if your body is not steady your mind cannot be still; if you put your body into an uncomfortable position it will become a constant source of distraction. In addition, if you sit in a certain position for a week and then change to another position for a week and then change to another position the next week, your mental attitude will change as well. So choosing a position in which you can be still is very important.

The Bible talks about the importance of stillness: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) If you learn this, then that godly part in you will reveal itself. But for that godly part to be revealed without being still is not possible. So you should direct your voluntary and conscious effort to learning how to be still. If you just learn this, there will be no problem. In the beginning this means not moving at all. Later, once you learn what stillness is, you will be able to move the body, to act and live in the world, yet remain still. Calmness, stillness, and a one-pointed mind are identical; when this is realized, it becomes possible to create them at all times. In other words, true stillness does not merely mean the absence of movement: it means having equanimity, and then performing your actions responsibly; it means attending effortlessly to your duties without being unduly affected by external circumstances.

Editor’s note

This passage has been taken from the book, A Practical Guide to Holistic Health, by Swami Rama, published in 1980 by the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the USA.

Charity Initiatives at SRSG – A Glance

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Embarking on the sacred mission of love, serve, and remember, our Ashram has been trying to bring transformative changes to the lives of many for more than two decades through its diverse charitable endeavours. We are thrilled to share with our spiritual family a brief overview of some of the activities we have undertaken.

Our initiatives include:

1. Social welfare projects
2. Women empowerment project
3. Sadhu seva project
4. Covid welfare project
5. Supporting Sanskrit education
6. Education welfare project for economically weaker sections
7. Infrastructure development of schools
8. Free distribution of books and educational materials
9. Adolescent resource centre (ARC)
10. Free yoga meditation sessions in schools
11. Animal welfare
12. Support to Rural Development Institute (RDI), HIHT, Dehradun
13. Support to KHEL charities, Dehradun
14. Supporting Nava Prabhat Public Charitable Trust, Odisha


Support-during-Flood
Women-Empowerment
Yoga-Meditation-Training
Support-during-Flood
School-Projects
Yoga-Meditation-Training
Sadhu-Seva
School Projects
Yoga-Meditation-Training
Women-Empowerment
ARC-Training
Gaushala


Our social welfare project extended a helping hand and financial aid to those facing adversity, transforming the lives of many who were navigating through financial hardships. Our efforts were not limited to financial support only; we also distributed essential items like blankets, quilts, mattresses, furniture, and electrical home appliances to more than 400 families to provide comfort and warmth to the marginalized during severe winter months. Our medical care project provided financial support to many underprivileged families for their critical care.

We created a beautiful space for fitness and fun for families in our local community by building a small public park that is also equipped with some exercise machines. We provided critical support to our nearby local community of 40 families whose homes were flooded during the heavy monsoons this year, offering them with basic sustenance materials and a supply of groceries.

In our efforts to support rural women on their journey towards financial independence, we were able to train 68 women at our various sewing centers. This opened new avenues of income generation through tailoring. We also encouraged and trained a community of women in a rural area in Dehradun to grow organic turmeric, and helped them in selling their cultivation of about 200 Kg of organic turmeric.

In line with Swami Rama’s instructions, we continue our support for the Sadhus in Gangotri as well as in other areas by providing them with necessary and required grocery items, vegetables, woolens, heaters, water heaters, solar lights, medicines, quilts, shoes and everything else they might need to survive the harsh winters in the Himalayas.

During the Covid-19 lockdowns where millions suffered across the globe, we offered essential grocery items to more than 1000 families in Rishikesh who lost their livelihood. We also offered our support to more than 500 front line workers by offering them 5000 N-95 masks and hand sanitizers. We also extended financial aid to those families who lost their
only earing member and to those children who were unfortunately orphaned because of the pandemic.

As we know, our beloved Swami Veda Bharati loved the Sanskrit language dearly, we are doing our small bit to preserve this ancient language in the changing times. We have supported four Sanskrit schools by helping them develop their infrastructure (hostel buildings, classrooms, furniture etc.), by providing books and uniforms to the stude

nts, and by also sponsoring teachers’ dakshina. More than 300+ students studying at these schools have been benefited by these efforts.

We also have an educational welfare project to help students from economically weaker sections in Rishikesh and nearby ar

eas. In addition to supporting their school fees, we also provide resources tailored to meet their educational needs including books, notebooks, stationary, uniforms, yoga mats, etc. This project has benefited more than 800+ students in 20 schools across various districts of Uttarakhand.

In addition, 1500+ students have undergone transformative training through our Adolescent resource centre (ARC), which sensitises them about physical and emotional changes that they are going through. This includes sharing age-sensitive and culturally appropriate knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene, personal hygiene, gender roles, physical and psychological well-being, etc. They also receive personality development, effective communication, life skills, and time management training. All the students under the ARC training also learn yoga meditation within the Himalayan Tradition, including joints & glands exercises, hatha yoga, diaphragmatic breathing, relaxation, and meditation.

We are happy to share that apart from taking care of the beautiful cows in our gaushala, we have also extended support towards other organizations who are dedicated to taking care of stray animals, including sick, abandones cows and dogs. One of them houses more than 250 abandoned, sick, paralyzed and old dogs, including 25 receiving intensive care in their dedicated Special Care Unit.

In addition to our internal charity projects, we have also extended financial aid to our sister charitable organizations including the Rural Development Institute at HIHT, KHEL Charities and Nava Prabhat ashram in supporting their mission to serve the society.

In our journey of selfless service, we seek the guidance of our Guru and lineage, expressing heartfelt gratitude to our benevolent family members whose generous donations have been a constant source of support.

The Solar Principle

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The Sun is the very source of light within and without. It offers us energy, warmth, and vitality, shining its brightness upon all without any expectations and discriminations.

The Sun is life giving and life affirming. We did not create the Sun, and yet it is so vital to our existence that we cannot sustain ourselves in the absence of the Sun. The same is also true for all the other elements (Pancha-Maha-Bhutas), ie the space, air, water, and earth.

The solar principle can be contemplated as the energy of creation, sustenance, and dissolution. Without the energy of the Sun, nothing can be created. It is also considered as the prana force flowing through all the living beings, sustaining life. Sun is also the fire of dissolution, dissolving all darkness through its light of inspiration, destroying ignorance through its light of wisdom. The Shanti Mantra prayer­—tamso-ma-jyotirgamaya—is a prayer to the Divine to lead us from the darkness of ignorance towards the light of wisdom. The Sun is also the fire of purification. We may contemplate upon what is it in our lives that we want to create, sustain, and what is it that we want to remove or dissolve from our lives?

When we behold the Sun within, like fire, it burns away all the impurities that are held within us. We will be purified only after we pass through this fire. This path of purification could be an uncomfortable and unpleasant process. When we thus allow ourselves to be burned in the womb of fire, that nurtures, sustains, and destroys, we can then experience the immaculate presence of the True Self within.

Fire element defies gravity. When we watch fire, it always has an upward rising vertical movement. In every religion, fire is worshipped as it always is uplifting, and it propels us forward and upward. Without having enough fire, a rocket cannot be launched into space. To be launched to the Divinity, we also need the energy of fire.

Fire is considered as a messenger of Divinity. Fire is a messenger to the Divinity. To connect with fire, we offer ourselves completely and surrender to its power. Through this offering, we pray to the fire for cleansing and purification, so that the doors to ascension are opened.

The Guru also represents the solar principle in our lives, selflessly guiding us, always nurturing us, directing us toward the path of self-purification and self-transformation. The Guru leads us to our inner sun—the divine light within. So, the Sun is also the Guru Force. In the mythology, the Sun taught the Vedas to Lord Hanuman. We are all aware that the solar principle is invoked through the practice of Gayatri mantra, that helps purify the buddhi (intellect) and direct it towards the Highest. The Sun’s feminine (nurturance) as well as masculine (transformation) qualities are both found in all the great Masters of the world.

The Sun, like the Guru is a tough taskmaster, inspiring us to get out of our comfort zone. Even if a disciple doesn’t like it, the gurus put one through the fire of purification. Once purified, only then can we become a fit vessel to receive the grace of the Guru and the Divine that allows to be established in our True nature. We need to expose ourselves to that fire of the Sun so that it may destroy our narrow thinking, unhealthy emotional bondages, habit patterns, etc. that limit our being.

The Sun is the source of inspiration within us. Every sunrise, marking the beginning of a new day, brings with itself an opportunity and motivation to get up and to act. When we use terms like “full of enthusiasm or fire” within an individual, we are recognising the presence of the solar principle in their life.

People often complain about lack of inspiration or an inability to get out of bed. Where is that physical and mental lethargy coming from? If I was going on a holiday, I will get up early to catch my flight. But I will not be able to get up every day to go to work? Is there a dynamism or some inspiration in my everyday life? When I cook, is there an inspiration behind my cooking? When I clean, is there any inspiration behind my cleaning? When we invoke the solar principles within us, its transformative quality is extended to our everyday activities, thus little challenges that come up along the way will no longer have the power to affect us or disturb us. We would remain enthusiastic about contributing towards something beautiful and higher. When we connect with something higher in our life, then our actions become a worship. And we are able to approach life with a sense of sacredness and purity.

The Sun is one of the greatest of Karma yogis, who burns itself, selflessly serving the entire universe since the time of creation, bringing its light and warmth to all of us. It is always on time and is never late; neither it ever takes a holiday. If we truly feel connected with the solar energy, how can there be a space for lethargy and laziness within us?

In Indian mythology, Sun is also known as Lord of Dharma. Dharma can be understood as rightful living, so that our way of living is not a burden to the world as well as upon ourselves. The Sun never wavers from its own duty of bringing light and warmth to the world. It also never demands anything of us, never discriminates against anyone, and never complains. Thereby the Sun serves as a daily reminder for us to perform our duties and responsibilities in the world, lovingly and selflessly. It reminds us of our duties and responsibilities in terms of what is right versus what I like. It illuminates our path, encouraging us to live purposefully, with a higher vision.

We may begin to honour the Sun as a part of our daily rituals, dinacharya. This may include getting up early in the morning before sunrise, taking a bath, and offering our salutations to the rising Sun to express our gratitude. There are various prayers with mantras and stotras dedicated to the Sun in the Vedas.

Similarly, we see that the Sun is also worshipped in all the religions of the world. The Sun is a symbol of Jesus Christ in Christianity. In Sufism, this light is called Nur, the divine light, which also symbolizes understanding of our inner self. When we worship the sun, we attune ourselves to the highest life affirming energy and express gratitude for this perennial light of nurturance in our lives. 

“When you stand before the Sun, you should not stand just before an ordinary natural phenomenon. The whole process of yoga depends on the philosophical realization of one fact that we have spoken of repeatedly: the correspondence between the microcosm (the small world of the personality) and the macrocosm (the universe). What is in this egg, the roughly oval outline of the body in a meditative posture, is in the cosmic egg. Whatever is in the cosmic egg is in this egg also. The idea in Yoga (yoga = yoke, join) is to establish the connection between the two, to unite the two.”

– Swami Veda Bharati

Editor’s Note:

[Rabindra Sahu, Acharya of Swami Rama Dhyana Gurukulam, taught a class on ‘Attitude of Worship and Surrender in the Practice of Sun Salutation’ at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama on 21 November 2023. You may watch a glimpse of the session by clicking on the video below.]

“…Give the gift of lights to all sentient beings…”

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Christmas Tree

Be as a tree for this Christmas.
Be as a tree on which are hung many lights
and around which many joyous friends dance.
Give the gift of lights to all sentient beings
and thank those who receive from you.

For their gift to you is your giving to them.
When the gift is given
Let your memory of it be erased forever
And then you will carry no expectation of the gift
And you give again and again
Freeing yourself of your material burdens.

May such remembrance of giving
be with you every day of the year,
every day of your life.

Editor’s Note

This message is from the Revelries in Sanctity, page 24.

Year in Review and Preview

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Swami Ritavan Bharati

A – U – M the eternal pauseless transition moment-to-moment, year-to-year, life-to-next life, created, sustained, dissolved, reflected in the Transcendental Breath. The gift of life is light, the infinite’s delight. The gift of light is love, received in your sadhana as knowledge, devotion, and selfless actions.

This theme, “Aapo Deepo Bhava”, “Light thy own Lamp” has been our contemplation throughout the year. The theme of our Sangha gathering in Rishikesh was also the theme for the regional sangha retreats in Taiwan and Thailand. The light of mantra in meditation, the light of contemplation in the silence retreats of Europe and America, ignited the heart-flame of our initiates across the globe.

Far too often we remain hurried and worried, burdened and buried in habit patterns of desires and possessiveness. We seek freedom from this ignorance of hurt, harm, and hate, but we are unable to discover our innate goodness to support the qualities of non-attachment, forgiveness, sincerity, and truthfulness. This year we have searched our hearts for answers to free ourselves from the limitations of temporary distractions.

Let us resolve to consciously weave the fabric of life through the illumination of our sadhana that ignites hope in reforming and transforming our thoughts, speech, and actions. Resolve to use the inner eye that ‘sees’ with the light empathy and understanding to experience peace and harmony in our relationships.  We are blessed with the firmness of the Ganesha mantra to remain steady in our faith, and through prayer, meditation and contemplation, we continue on the path.

Sadhana ‘lights’ our intellect to reveal our samskaras and vasanas, and illuminates the path with intuition and inspiration from the higher force of Atman. We are continually reminded, from this Centre of Consciousness, to live with the light of purpose and attain the highest goal. Our sadhana remains our path to freedom, to train our intellect, and to reorganize our lives and transform our personalities.

With the Blessings of Gurudev, we are reminded to meditate, thus attuning to the inner light that cultivates a mind-culture of peace, harmony, and love. May your contemplations reveal this truth that the whole world is One family through our intention of loving-kindness and compassion. In this coming New Year, resolve to live in the world selflessly and effectively, becoming resourceful and enjoying the inner light that guides our lives in service of humanity.

With Blessings of the Lineage,
srb

Stillness in Sun Salutation

Posted on by Mandala

[Swami Ritavan Bharati, Ashram Pramukha and Spiritual Guide of AHYMSIN, taught a class on ‘From Darkness to Light’ at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama on 22 November 2023. You may watch a glimpse of the session by clicking on the video below.]

Our dear Swami Veda has said in the Philosophy of Hatha Yoga (pp. 26-27), ‘Now, a truth-seeker is one in whom mind, speech, and body all act together, in unison. In fact, in the ancient tradition, one of the definitions of personal truth, in terms of truthful speech and truthful acts, is that “What one thinks with the mind, that one utters with the speech; what one utters with the speech, that one puts into action; what one thus puts into action is accomplished and fulfilled.” The entire personality is involved. And likewise with hatha yoga, neither worship nor exercise should, then, be separated from each other. The muscles, the mouth, the mind—everything—must be involved. This integration of the entire personality can be experienced with surya-namaskara, the solar salutation.’

So, you cannot practise surya-namaskara without experiencing stillness within. In your hatha yoga practice, continue working with the body, bringing ease into movements by way of the flow of breath and awareness. Slowly work with your body with full awareness. Otherwise, it becomes just an aerobic practise of jumping and it’ll get some aerobic benefits, no doubt, but if you’re doing asana, then do asana.

That means movement with awareness.
Beginning with stillness.
Having a silence, having a volitional, intentional beginning.
A mind watching body, a body watching mind, a body responding.
The way in which those centres of energy are feeling activated.
The flows of those energy patterns.
So, each and every step will be a discovery and, in that way, building this capacity for mastery and translating those beautiful capacities of mind and body as an integrated whole into daily life.