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Things Neither Bind nor Liberate
“Things outside neither bind nor liberate you, only your attitude toward them. Only when you forget and identify yourself with the body or the mind do the clouds come and block your view of the sun. Remember, the sun is always there; clouds come and go.
God bless you. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.” —Sri Swami Satchidananda
(photo: Swami Satchidananda at Haleakala Crater, Maui, Hawaii, late 1970s)
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How to let go of or make peace with a desire in the mind? Try to stay away from the object. Then the thought will slowly die away because the thought is not being fulfilled; the desire is not being fulfilled. Even though the desire comes in, when you don’t give it the opportunity to get fulfilled, it loses its strength. It’s something like when you throw a stone into a pool of water and it creates a ripple. If you don’t continue to throw in any more stones, that one ripple slowly fades away and the pool becomes calm and balanced again. If you still feel that the want is there, if the thought is still waiting, then you can take the thought itself as an object for your meditation. You can ask, What is the benefit of my having this thought? Am I not disturbing my mind? Before the thought, I was happy. The moment the thought came in, it disturbed my happiness. I’m unhappy now. Without the thought, I’ll be happy again. So what is the point of having it? Analyze. Then slowly the thought will dissolve. Don’t try to reject it or suppress it. Those are not correct methods because once you suppress a thought, it will wait for another opportunity to come up. You can also have another stronger thought, an opposite kind of thought. MORE
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As a follow-up to her popular novel, Downward Dog, Upward Fog, Integral Yoga teacher and award-winning writer Meryl Davids Landau again takes women on a spiritual journey that incorporates lessons in mindfulness, meditation and Yoga woven throughout a captivating narrative. In her new book, Warrior Won, the main character, Lorna Crawford, faces internal agony when she’s told her unborn baby could have a life-threatening illness. Throughout her personal struggle, Lorna calls upon the inspirational spiritual teachings to keep herself calm. Lorna has an amazing husband, a new job, an adorable 2-year-old daughter, and another child on the way. But her ability to stay calm and hopeful is seriously challenged by this diagnosis threatening her unborn baby, nicknamed Deuxie. Lorna is helped along by her longtime eclectic spiritual practices, culled from the numerous contemporary teachers Lorna takes solace in. Lorna meditates, does Yoga, and other techniques. But are all these spiritual practices enough to keep Lorna centered in the face of this serious life challenge? Read an exclusive excerpt from the book here.
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Nalanie Chellaram, senior Integral Yoga Raja Yoga teacher trainer and center head, has just completed a video series on the Yoga Sutras. In this 18-part series, Nalanie takes viewers through this foundational text on classical Yoga philosophy. Nalanie has an inspiring and accessible approach to some of the more complex concepts in the Sutras. This approach makes it easy to apply these important teachings in one's daily life. This link to the video playlist enables viewers to easefully proceed from one video to the next.
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For far too long, but particularly in the modern Western world, we have thought of the heart as simply a pumping mechanism.... Gregg Braden’s latest research elaborates on the ancient technique of using the heart as an intelligent organ. The heart’s intelligence has been ignored for far too long. What we’ve learned about the heart’s wisdom, however, in the past several years through the Heart Math Institute and through the research of psychologists, neurobiologists, and resurfaced wisdom teachings from our ancient past, should inspire everyone to look at the heart in a completely new way.... There is an ancient term that does not have a direct English translation that describes this intelligence of the heart. Hridaya, is the energy which is contained within the heart chakra. This is not just the physical heart, but the spiritual heart. It contains the intelligence of God or the transcendental mind. The word comes from the Sanskrit language, and the closest meaning to English would be something like this: Hrid = center Ayam = this. Thus, the spiritual heart always brings you to your center. It will not veer away from your highest self, always taking in a 360-degree (and beyond) view of any situation you could possibly face. MORE
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In this series of short talks, Swami Asokananda shares his insights from years of study and contemplation on the great Indian scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. In part 2, he explains how he personally approaches this text during his own study of it, which can offer viewers a context and perspective on how he will share reflections on the text in upcoming episodes. If you would like to submit questions to Swami Asokananda to answer during the series, please email them to us.
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Bodhichitta: The Excellence of Awakened Heart
By Pema Chödrön
When I was about six years old I received the essential bodhichitta teaching from an old woman sitting in the sun. I was walking by her house one day feeling lonely, unloved and mad, kicking anything I could find. Laughing, she said to me, “Little girl, don’t you go letting life harden your heart.” Right there, I received this pith instruction: we can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder and more open to what scares us. We always have this choice. If we were to ask the Buddha, “What is bodhichitta?” he might tell us that this word is easier to understand than to translate. He might encourage us to seek out ways to find its meaning in our own lives. He might tantalize us by adding that it is only bodhichitta that heals, that bodhichitta is capable of transforming the hardest of hearts and the most prejudiced and fearful minds. Chitta means “mind” and also “heart” or “attitude.” Bodhi means “awake,” “enlightened,” or “completely open.” Sometimes the completely open heart and mind of bodhichitta is called the soft spot, a place as vulnerable and tender as an open wound. MORE
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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 sutra: 2.18 in which Patanjali delineates the nature of "the seen" (prakriti) and the pivotal role it plays in spiritual unfolding.
The second sentence of the sutra presents the purpose of prakriti. We can see a picture of prakriti emerging that reveals a profound understanding of Nature. If the purpose of the seen (prakriti) is to give us experiences that bring liberation, why couldn’t the relationship between Seer and seen be regarded as love, a quality innate in any healthy relationship? Need further indications of this understanding of prakriti? Look to sutra 4.2 which, along with sutra 4.3, describes the nature of prakriti’s manifestations. The acts of creation result from an abundance, an overflowing, of prakriti. Here, we have a picture of prakriti as if it is intent on flowing and filling the universe. Why? To provide experiences and liberation for the individual.There’s still more that supports this intimate relationship between Purusha and prakriti. For this, we’ll look to Sankhya philosophy upon which much of the Sutras rest. MORE
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"As the cliché goes: 'If you can remember the 1960s, you weren't there.' BACK TO THE GARDEN provides a way for people who weren't there to remember them. And for anyone who was there, perhaps this will jog their memory," according to Rhino Entertainment, who just announced in this video, a new boxed set of ALL the audio from the original festival. The audio CD set (complete track list here) includes the opening address by Swami Satchidananda and as Rolling Stone described it, "The massive 38-disc box includes nearly every note of music played during the festival’s three days in 1969." The boxed set features 38 CDs, 432 tracks, Blu-ray of the Director’s Cut of the Woodstock film, Woodstock Hardbound Book by Michael Lang, and much more—all housed in a box designed by Grammy®-winning graphic designer Masaki Koike. The limited edition (1,969 copies!) releases in early August and is expected to sell out. But, you can pre-order here. Special thanks goes out to Andy Zax, the Los Angeles producer and archivist who co-produced the set with Steve Woolard, for his incredible vision and for collaborating with Integral Yoga Media/Archives on Swami Satchidananda's track.
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Dr. M. Mala Cunningham has a new course through the "Learn25" platform. Dr. Cunningham, is an Integral Yoga teacher and minister, a licensed counselor, and clinical professor at the University of Virginia. She draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research as well as more than 35 years of experience teaching Yoga. In this audio (CD-set or downloadable) course, she lays the groundwork with the foundational concepts in Yoga and mindfulness theory. She then explores the mechanisms and effects of stress. Integrating insights from a broad range of topics, she shows how the mind works and she offers practical step-by-step strategies for healing the body and regulating the emotions. In each lecture, Dr. Cunningham gives listeners takeaway points and activities for stress reduction, emotional resilience, and self-care, guiding you to deeper levels of inner peace and happiness. Topics covered include: Powerful Yoga Concepts for Healing, Healing Our Emotional Blueprint, Activating Happy Hormones and Self Assessment Strategies and more. To see a full list of topics and for more info on the course, visit the Learn25 website.
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Shakti Mist is Yogaville's new day manager's name. Her first name, which means "primordial cosmic energy and the dynamic force that moves through the entire universe", and her prior work experience, perfectly prepared her to serve in this challenging position that includes watching out over the many moving parts of this complex Yoga village, with its classes, dorms, staff, students, guests, farm, transportation, and security. For more than a quarter century, she was an Occupational Therapist specializing in helping people with brain injuries. That service requires deep knowledge, empathy and patience. Following her inspiring career and the passing of her husband (a US Navy SEAL) she journeyed to Yogaville for a life reset. Shakti first participated in the the ashram kitchen apprenticeship, which she loved! During that time, hundreds of visitors, staff, and community members enjoyed her cooking. Yogaville is blessed to have her here. If you visit, make sure to say hello. (Report/photo by Jeff Ananda Kamen)
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Inspiring Meme of the Week
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