Rev. Jaganath, Integral Yoga Minister and Raja Yoga master teacher, has spent a lifetime delving into the deepest layers of meaning in Patanjali’s words within the Yoga Sutras. Our series continues with the 24th sutra of Chapter 1 in which Patanjali goes on to further describe the qualities of “īśvara.” Also, in this sutra Patanjali first addresses the concept of the klesas, the root cause of suffering, according to Yoga philosophy.
    In some Hindu scriptures, the klesas are referred to as viparaya, error or misperception. This is because the root of the klesas is ignorance of our true nature, the Seer. All suffering (duhkha) stems from this basic misperception of self as Self. Ignorance (avidya) is common to all human beings until liberation (kaivalya). This is much like what Christians refer to as original sin, which all human beings bring with them at birth. Why this is so, no one can give an answer that satisfies the intellect. The great faith traditions accept spiritual ignorance (not knowing the Self) as a fact of human existence and instead focus on ways to become free of it and the suffering it brings in its wake. In Buddhism, the klesas are considered to be the properties that dull the mind’s perceptive abilities. They are the cause of all non-virtue and suffering. As in the Sutras, the klesas are also the cause of rebirth. All the klesas are eliminated by the attainment of pure insight. Meditation is stated as the practice that gradually evaporates the klesas. (See sutra 2.3 where the five klesas are listed: ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion, and clinging to bodily life.)  MORE

If you’ve ever danced your way through a Yoga music festival or practiced your poses to music, chances are you’ve heard Donna De Lory’s breathtakingly beautiful voice. The former Madonna vocalist and dancer has been creating the soundtrack to the Yoga movement with albums like The Lover and The Beloved, Sanctuary, and The Unchanging since the early 2000s. Whether she’s serving up mantra music or spiritually-inspired pop songcraft, one thing is for sure: her music comes from an inspired life. In this article she talks about her journey and Swami Satchidananda's inspiration. Plus, she offers our readers a special free download! Touring with Madonna, Donna was on top of the pops. But something was missing. “I wasn't singing my truth,” she says. “I said to myself, ‘Here I am, traveling around the world, promoting my music. I should be happy.’ And in many ways I was, but I felt so empty. My soul wasn’t being fed. I thought, ‘I’ve got to shift this.’ So I wrote a prayer—‘I want my life to change, I want my life to change’—on a piece of paper and put it in my dresser. And my life really did change. I got pregnant, had my first daughter, Sofia, and started making devotional and mantra music.”  MORE

Once, while riding in a van in the Dominican Republic, I was blindsided by an emotion that quickly turned to shame. I had been feeling the familiar anxiety of traveling abroad. I was on my way to a new friend’s wedding at an all-inclusive resort. I don’t speak Spanish, and I had little bearings on the geography. As the van’s young driver darted between scooters and horses along crumbling rural roads, I noticed my shoulders tighten and questions flood through my mind. What do I do if we crash? Why are there only men on the roads? Where are all the women? Why isn’t my cellphone working? But, then, I spotted a familiar red, white, and blue. Among mahogany groves and sugar cane fields, an Exxon gas station sat open for business. To my surprise, I wasn’t disgusted by the sight of an American petro company in a developing country. Instead, I was somehow comforted. For as long as I could keep my eyes on the station, I felt safer, less adrift in a choppy sea of unknowns. The moment was a real-life demonstration of a phrase coined by Buddhist teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche and popularized by meditation teacher Tara Brach: “real but not true.”  MORE

Every morning I look for my obituary. If I don’t see it, I get up and go swimming. I’m in my 70s. I’ve been swimming for over 60 years. I’ve been practicing Yoga for over 50 years. I’ve been meditating for over 50 years. This is a long time to be involved with anything! I’m a good swimmer. I can swim forever. But, actually, I’m a terrible meditator. Even after years of practice, I still space out. I keep thinking about Duke basketball. I’ve tried mantra, pranayama, Zen, shikantaza, koan, mandala, mala beads, watching my breath while sitting. I still daydream about playing for Coach K. I’m the oldest and shortest member of the team, yet I hit the winning 3-point basket to win the National Championship. And I do this every time I meditate! I’m really more of a Karma Yogi— meditation through action and service. I can do that forever too. Just not sitting and counting breaths! I’ve been swimming since I was 6, having learned to swim at the Elks Club in Phoenix. All of us siblings competed as kids on the Phoenix Jewish Community Center swim team. That’s over 60 years of swimming laps. I’m now considered a senior swimmer. That’s a special category of master swimmers.  MORE

Alaska is one of nature’s miracles. Take an unforgettable journey to the northernmost state in a mid-size cruise ship designed to bring you closer to Alaska’s natural wonders and pristine beauty. Experience amazing cobalt-blue glaciers and primeval fjords as you sail the Pacific. You will have the opportunity to see orca whales and otters at play, bald eagles soaring above, and black bears foraging on land. Furthermore, you will enjoy various entertainment and enrichment activities, delicious vegetarian meals, daily meditation, Integral Yoga Hatha classes, and talks, with Swami Divyananda and Ram Wiener, two of the most senior students of Sri Swami Satchidananda. Nourish your spirit with spectacular, awe-inspiring views and healthy yogic practices during this Alaska cruise. More information here.