General Articles 
From Gurukulam Student to Pandit
6 March, 2015 @ 2:44 am
Pierre Lefebvre was conferred the title of Pandit by Swami Veda Bharati and will now be known to his spiritual family as Pandit Priyadarshan. The term ‘Pandit’ denotes someone who is esteemed for his learning and wisdom and is proficient in Sanskrit. ‘Pandit’ may also be used to refer to one who is proficient in Vedic scriptures. The title Pandit is traditionally conferred on one by the Guru.
2015 Yoga Youth and Children’s Retreat, 22nd – 31st December 2015
25 January, 2015 @ 5:04 pm
All parents like to have their children grow up with spiritual values but do not always have the opportunity to make their wish fulfilled. So far we have had two children’s retreats at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama. It had children of all ages; there was even one 82 year old child by the name of Swami Veda Bharati!
Breath & Prana Intensive Seminar, 1st – 7th November 2015
6 January, 2015 @ 8:55 pm
"An intensive practice of Pranayama's 3 times a day! It is a true gift to yourself...Complete breath, kapalabati (different levels for beginners and advanced), bhastrika (different levels for beginners and advanced), brahmari (different levels and beginners or advanced), ujjayi, nadi shodhanam (different types). This seminar can be done while remaining in silence to deepen your personal inner journey. Beginners and advanced practitioners are all welcome and will be guided according to their level."
Yoga and Martial Arts
8 December, 2014 @ 9:52 pm
This is an interview that was done with Ingo Beardi in 1997. Between 1997 and today, he has continued his sadhana. He was initiated into Sanyasa in 2005 by Swami Veda Bharati and is now Swami Tat Sat Bharati. He is also an initiator and a member of the AHYMSIN Adhyatma Samiti, or Spiritual Committee. Swami Tat Sat lives in the Berlin, Germany, area. He is the founder and director of Institut für Yoga & Aikido where yoga is taught in the tradition of Swami Rama.
Are You Prepared?
8 December, 2014 @ 9:46 pm
One time, many years ago, I was visiting the Himalayan Institute, in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and encountered Swami Rama, surrounded by several people. He was so big, so confident; such a mystery. Screwing up my courage, I walked up to him, and asked, “Will you teach me to meditate?” He looked at me gently, and said, “Yes.” My body relaxed a little. Then, still looking at me, he said, “Are you prepared?” Prepared? “I don’t know if I’m prepared, Swamiji.” “Get prepared and I will teach you!” he said forcefully. Our dialogue ended.
Learning to Forgive
8 December, 2014 @ 9:40 pm
The practice of non-harming begins with forgiving yourself. Before you can feel compassion toward others, it is necessary to forgive yourself. Resentment and grudges we hold against ourselves are every bit as destructive as those we harbor toward others. When we treat ourselves with love and compassion, we become nicer to everyone else. In the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist author and monk, “To truly practice forgiveness, we must first forgive ourselves for not being perfect.”
Morning and Evening Prayers in the Himalayan Tradition
22 November, 2014 @ 12:12 pm
Verses 1 and 2 are from the Guru Gītā in the Skanda-Purāṇa and verse 3 was composed by Swami Veda Bharati for the frontispiece to his Yoga¬sῡtras. (Volume I: Samādhi-pāda)
Forests & Trees
8 October, 2014 @ 10:11 pm
Forests & Trees by Gary Gran CYT, DAy. Often times, when we are studying ayurveda we get caught up in the details and lose sight of the big picture. For example, as an ayurvedic educator, I receive lots of comments like “I’m not sure what constitutional type I am,” or “the diet list tells me not to eat carrots.” So let’s review some of the guiding principles of ayurveda to give us a proper perspective. The first guiding principle is life itself. The word ayurveda can be translated as “the science of life” or “the science of the life force.” The life force is also known as prana. Anything we do that enhances or wakes up our life force is considered helpful. Anything we do that detracts from or depletes our life force is considered harmful.
Yoga from My Experience – Kindness
8 October, 2014 @ 10:07 pm
Ahimsa is the primary conviction in yoga. It’s similar to the Golden Rule, communicated in virtually all religions: treat others the way you wish to be treated. This is so simple, yet so incredibly difficult. For instance, some think it’s all right to act rudely and disrespectfully on the Internet. Others are brusque and condescending toward store clerks, believing they will never see them again -- as if there are no repercussions! Ahimsa is the very reason many people in the world eat a vegetarian diet: to not harm another life in order to sustain one’s own.
Willem Meijer, 1952 – 2014
9 September, 2014 @ 3:12 pm
So these two souls somewhere in their journey though time, through many incarnations have silently said to each other our paths must cross for such a deep relationship and we shall keep this rendezvous in time. We shall meet at a place that is appropriate for the fulfillment of our karma. At a time which is appropriate for us to pick up from where we have left off and invite another soul or two to join us.