General Articles 
Breath
17 September, 2012 @ 10:24 pm
NOW, it is time to change our language according to the breath flow and Asana. Most Yoga teachers think that we have to link Asana and Breath in such a way that they always say:"While you do this, breathe in, and while you do that, breathe out ". Students are coming to the teacher asking: "Did I do this right or wrong"? Now the teacher can realize that he taught in a way making the student dependent instead of guiding him into the freedom of self discovery.
Purusharthas: The Four Purposes of Life
17 August, 2012 @ 10:28 pm
When I got the “job” to talk about “the four purposes of life,” I was puzzled. As far as I understand, each one of us has a purpose of life; that’s why we here on this planet! A divine spark, surrounded by subtle mind-stuff - yes, you could call it Purusha - chose this incarnation, infused by life-energy (prana) and called it “me,” as far as time, space, family, problems and joys are concerned. I am here, we are here, because there is something to work out, something to learn in the school that we call life on earth.
To Be Born
17 July, 2012 @ 10:39 pm
Everyone loves a baby. It turns the edgiest person into the softest mush. It brings out the instincts to protect and take care of in all of us. Recently I met a baby who was only a few days old named Somayaaga. Spending a little time with him allowed me to see a glimpse of the world from his perspective. He came into the world with seemingly no knowledge at all, but he instantly became my teacher. He reminded me that to be born means you are starting over again. Every single thing has to be learned about the world. It is all new. Someone has to feed you, bathe you, change your diaper, treat any health problems, and basically take care of your every need. Someone needs to teach you all the basic skills and knowledge that allow you to operate in the world.
The Yoga Youth and Children’s Retreat
1 February, 2012 @ 12:08 am
There is a river. Sometimes you see it, sometimes you don’t. The long line of Gurus is that river, the Light that ties us all to one another. Swami Nityamuktananda spoke of this light in one of the noon-time classes for adults. It goes beyond all religio-cultural, racial and linguistic lines. In the boundlessness of the Guru, there is no room for smallness. Here in Rishikesh, a strange and beautiful “lila” (cosmic play) of the Guru’s love played out: the Children’s Retreat of 2011. The future of the lineage, the linking to the Guru Presence is alive here.
The Children Are Here!
9 January, 2012 @ 9:18 am
Wonderful laughter and play of children, youth, and families fills Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama as we come together in one global family during the Yoga Youth and Children’s Retreat. The busy days are filled with sharing, learning, playing, serving, and laughing…and also the fullness of silence.
Registration for the 2013 All Teachers and Sangha Gathering
24 October, 2011 @ 5:58 pm
Accommodations, generally speaking, will be allotted on a first come, first serve basis. We have already received more than 200 registrations; not everyone has picked the same arrival and departure dates or accommodations. Deposits are due before March 2012.There has been a truly global response with reservation forms coming in from sadhakas in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Italy, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Svaha: On Giving Up my Father
18 September, 2011 @ 10:36 pm
My father is dead. I watched it happen, as he performed his own funeral service on the banks of the Ganges. I have heard that Sanskrit (Hindu) phrase, svaha, idam na mama: I make this sincere offering: it is no more mine, over and over again, my entire life. It is said with every offering given on the altar, into a consecrated fire or sacred river. In my family, it is said with humor and resignation, over opportunities or items lost. Svaha: our mental shrug: Oh, well, it's gone. I may as well let it go.
We are all his hands and feet
13 August, 2011 @ 5:30 am
Wonderful people pass through this small bit of land. I hope that what they are comes alive in this story. Here in India, soon after I stop wearing my winter hat to bed, Passover comes.1 Though I don’t celebrate Passover in the traditional way here, it finds its place in me, and I feel at home. Along with the flush of new flowers, birds and the wild flurries of Holi colors, Passover brings alive the gratitude that comes with the end of the dark winter cold. It takes its name from the angel of death who passed over the houses of the Jewish slaves in Egypt and protected their children from the 10th plague on Pharaoh’s Egypt, the death of every firstborn. After this, the Pharaoh set the Jews free. In the spring of every year, my mother would tell me to go outside and pick a rock. She would put this rock together with our Passover dishes and utensils in a gigantic pot of water and boil it. She said that we cleaned the dishes like this to remind us that we were a part of the earth. Only then would the dishes be clean like the earth for Passover. It was as if we were not just here for ourselves. We were part of a larger flow. Lately, I have been reminded of this quite a bit.
Challenges on the Spiritual Path
18 July, 2011 @ 10:48 pm
To a person who is increasing his or her commitment or intensity of their practice, the worldly situations will start testing your faith, commitment and your determination. You will all of the sudden start to see things becoming difficult in every aspect of your life. Starting from family, spouse, kids, vehicle, work, boss, your own meditation – everything will have a challenge all of the sudden. From a spiritual point of view – it is positive. Those are good signs.
Reservations for the 2013 All Teachers and Sangha Gathering
18 July, 2011 @ 8:12 pm
This event has three parts. The first part is 28th February - 9th March, the 10 days of inspiration from Swami Veda and others. The second part is 10th March, which is a day of “Sacred Celebration.” The third part is 11th - 19th March, a nine day silence retreat. Not everyone will be attending each of the three parts, but Swamiji is encouraging all who are coming to be there on 10th March.