General Articles 
Dignity to Every Moment of Life
20 March, 2020 @ 11:56 am
In deep meditation I heard one of the most beautiful definitions of Yoga: YOGA MEANS TO GIVE DIGNITY TO EVERY MOMENT OF LIFE. Now is the time and opportunity to practice it without disturbances from outside activities. Samkhya Philosophy is teaching that the only faculty which can lead us to freedom is the discriminative faculty of our mind.
Silence. Stillness. Love.
20 October, 2019 @ 12:45 pm
Why Talk About Silence? For me, it is not something I am at all inclined to do, but a kind invitation came not once, but twice. I took a few moments one day out of the ninety days to write crystallized moments below photos I had taken, and the reason was this: Spiritual Insurance Policy. Should the mind arise with the drunkenness of doing, should the ego cleverly attempt to talk a good game again, should Illusion present itself, there is this insurance policy to review. To remember. To Know—the wordless words, that rang through the canyon where I sat--This alone Is Real.
Self-Regulation and Stress Management
20 September, 2019 @ 4:10 pm
Last winter my wife Nikki Strong and I co-taught a Meditation 1 class at The Meditation Center in Minneapolis. As I glanced at the students on the first day of class, I could see tensed foreheads, clenched jaws and fists, elevated shoulders, rapid chest breathing, and fidgeting. The students were exhibiting common symptoms of stress. When I asked the students why they signed up for the class, most said they were looking for healthier ways to manage their stress. I remembered very clearly that I had said the same thing at my first meditation class. Later on, the practice of meditation became more of a spiritual endeavor for me. But in the beginning, it definitely started out as a desperate plea for help with stress management.
Why Do We Do Joints & Glands Exercises?
21 August, 2019 @ 11:50 am
What we did this morning – three-quarters at the beginning when we did the leg stretches and the ankle rotations – this was not classical yoga asanas. This was known as Joints & Glands movements. These are the preparations for classical asanas. We were preparing. Three-quarters was preparation. And then we went into just a few postures: Spinal Twist, Sitting, the Cat, and the Sideways Stretch, etc. The rest was preparation which was needed; otherwise you suffer when you practice asanas. Why do we do it? I want to relate this to what we have practiced.
Paradise on Heart
21 August, 2019 @ 11:41 am
I lived for three years, almost continuously, at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG). I felt that as my home, and people there as my family. I was a Gurukulam student, and when the program was over, I left. Then life takes its courses, back to my country, reorganize a life after three year spent only in yoga, meditation, studying philosophy… it took some time. Everything was different; any meaning of life was different. It took me quite some years to decide to come back to India (who knows who decides?). One’s own karma, fears, difficulties, insecurities…
Japa, Silence and Atma-tattva-avalokanam, part 4
21 July, 2019 @ 12:21 pm
Question: What is the distinction between atma-tattva-avalokanam and ishvara- pranidhana. Is it a matter of perspectives? Stoma: The distinction is really just the words. Ishvara pranidhana is a particular aspect of it. If you are watching for the essence of atman everywhere around you, of course you are going to be placing your mind close to divinity which is the real definition of ishvara pranidhana. And in response to that meditation on your part, Patañjali says or Vyasa says ishvara does its abhidhyana, its responsive meditation, in your mind. So it isn’t that we do meditation, we prepare the seat, and then the Guru comes and meditates our mind. That is really how it goes most of the time, at least for me.
Japa, Silence and Atma-tattva-avalokanam, part 3
21 June, 2019 @ 12:32 pm
I remember when I was for a few years on the board of The Meditation Center in Minneapolis. One of the things that is important to remember about Swami Veda’s organizations is that they always ran rough. Always. No such thing as a smoothly running organization with Swami Veda. There is always lots of back and forth and contention about stuff. Being a well-trained therapist for a long time and an organisational consultant, I ran around trying to fix it. Then one day I was sitting and watching some kind of conflict go on between two people and the thought suddenly came in my mind, “Stoma, it is not supposed to get fixed. It is supposed to be this way. This is how he facilitates emotional purification in people.” And if there wasn’t enough rough running going on, he would create it! He’d give a job to somebody and then two minutes later, after that person had left, he’d call in somebody else and give him the same job. And he usually picked two people who didn’t like each other. He’d set up a big conflict about it.
2019 Spiritual Festival
8 June, 2019 @ 5:09 pm
“We are all here for a purpose; it is an on-going spiritual process. We are all here for spiritual liberation and serving that mission. For that purpose we are purifying ourselves of our pride and ego. For these reasons we train ourselves in constant self-observation: to see oneself, to hear oneself to develop this internal dialogue. I have used one criterion for all my thoughts, my words, and my actions: ‘Is this conducive to spiritual liberation?'"– Swami Veda
2019 Breath and Pranayama Intensive Workshop
28 May, 2019 @ 3:39 pm
This is a chance to come and immerse yourself in an intensive practice of Pranayama. This retreat will include the foundations and deepening of the subtleties of breathing and pranayama practices, as they are taught in the Himalayan Tradition. You will learn and practice different techniques; diaphragmatic breathing, complete breath, kapalabati, bhastrika, brahmari, ujjayi and nadi shodhanam in a systematic manner, at beginning and more advanced levels. This seminar can be attended while remaining in silence to deepen your own personal inner journey.
Silence, Svadhyaya and Steadiness of Mind
22 May, 2019 @ 10:38 am
I used to crack a joke that by the completion of the HYT Teacher Training Program the students are expected to attain samadhi. Now I’m not so sure it is a joke. There is the pedagogical side of the course where you are taught how to teach and there is the more subtle aspect of adhikari which teaches self-criticism and to know what you know clearly so you can communicate it both rationally and intuitively. There are levels of adhikari all the way from developing confidence in oneself as a teacher to communicating from mahat. So the TTP does more than teaching how to teach, it teaches adhikari by the development of sadhana for personal transformation. This adhikari is given a boost on one’s own in silence practice.