General Articles 
Christian Meditation Retreat in November 2017
26 October, 2017 @ 6:36 am
A Christian Meditation Retreat is scheduled for November 20 – 25, 2017, at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG), Rishikesh, India. This retreat will be guided by Ma Tureeya Bharati and others. Ma Tureeya, a practicing Christian nun and the spiritual guide of Jeevan Dhara Sadhana Kutir in Rishikesh, has also taken sanyasa vows in the Himalayan Tradition with Swami Veda.
Index of AHYMSIN Newsletters with Table of Contents
17 October, 2017 @ 8:24 pm
Below is an index of the AHYMSIN Newsletters with their Tables of Contents. Also there is a link for each edition so you can access any edition. (Archive here).
Talk with Nina Johnson
2 October, 2017 @ 11:04 pm
In 1971 I was teaching hatha yoga at the YMCA in Milwaukee. I heard that a Swami was coming to town, and that he could initiate people, so I went to him. He gave a talk, and I thought, “Well, he didn’t say anything that I didn’t already know.” Later on, a friend took me to him, and he initiated me. It was July 22, 1971, at 1:30 pm. After the initiation, we talked, and I said, “I’d like to ask you some questions about Jesus.” I was born in Kentucky and was raised as a Southern Baptist, and I had talked to a lot of ministers and priests about Jesus, but they had no knowledge about the things I wanted to know. Swami Rama answered all my questions, and afterwards, he said, “Now I want something from YOU. I want you to open a yoga center for me.” “No, I can’t do that,” I said, and I got up to leave. He was sitting cross-legged, but when I got to the door, he was already there, blocking me. He would not take no for an answer. “I am your master,” he said. “You must open a yoga center.” I thought, “Well, I’ll say ‘yes,’ because it’s the only way I’ll get out of here.”
How do we break the bonds of karma, what is the method?
26 September, 2017 @ 6:49 pm
Mindful awareness, starting from simple awareness of breath, grounds your attention in buddhi which is causally prior to ahamkara, the source of self-identification with samskaras and the “glue” that sticks them to our mindfield.
Ashram Life
4 September, 2017 @ 10:48 pm
I met Dr. Usharbudh Arya, later known as Swami Veda Bharati, in Minneapolis in 1970 after a year in Europe seeking and not finding. He had been initiated into a higher state by his master months earlier. In 1971 Swami Rama came back to Minneapolis and met with Dr. Arya’s students. He was a mountain of a man. For the first 5 years, there was satsang nearly every evening with Dr. Arya, who was himself a full time seeker, father, husband, university professor, and guide.
The River of Crocodiles
4 September, 2017 @ 9:54 pm
Faith, fear, and freedom in the face of mortality Throughout my life, I hankered to meet true mystics—those very few who neither laid claim to nor profited from miracles. Yet, miracles seemed to abound around them like wildflowers along country roads. Having relinquished all possessions, they were paupers, but nevertheless walked like kings who owned the place! We had the good fortune of having one of them stay with us for a few days. All he ate his entire life was boiled rice and vegetables meshed together without salt. For a lover of food like me, the absolute control over one’s palate was no less a miracle. I asked him whether he ever missed having meat. He said his stomach was not a graveyard to bury dead animals! Past seventy, he did not look a day over forty!
How can I increase the energy level of the mindfield?
23 August, 2017 @ 6:53 pm
The best way to increase the energy of the mindfield is to practice mindful awareness all the time, not just when you are sitting on your meditation seat. This is awareness which is intentional, near-present focused, non-judgmental, open, and accepting of whatever comes.
Travelling with Swamiji
4 August, 2017 @ 10:53 pm
Lots of people were involved behind the scenes in organizing Swamiji’s travels, and he masterminded it all. Swamiji’s itinerary round the world usually started around mid-March or April, and he returned to Rishikesh early to mid October. Sometimes he also had to make short trips in winter if it was needed. He planned his itineraries with great care. He took into account the Centre Leaders’ convenience of hosting him, incorporating any conferences that he was invited to, the travelling teachers’ itineraries, how much time he would have to give in between venues and resting places in between.
How can we know when it is 5 mouthfuls less than enough to fill the stomach?
26 July, 2017 @ 8:08 pm
“Five mouthfuls less” is a figure of speech to get a certain point across, like in hatha yoga, saying to go two steps under your comfortable capacity. Swami Veda also said, “Systematically under eat,” and “Leave the table feeling a little bit hungry.”
Something Swamiji Said
14 July, 2017 @ 1:51 pm
Swami Veda Bharati took to a vow of silence on 10th March 2013. The column “Something Swamiji Said” is to celebrate his many years of traveling and teaching and also to honor what he has given us through this. What is the Something Swamiji Said that has impacted your life?