Finally, on my way to India!!!!

Bag is packed, and I dug my sandals out!  Here I come Guruji, Mother India, and warm weather.

Last night I had a wonderful surprise when I checked my grades.  All A's this semester, even in my Physics class that pushed my Yogic equanimity to it's limits.  Many thanks go to Dr.K for the early christmas present and all the Physcis fun.

Jay Shiv Shakti!

Jay Gurudev!!!!

Yajnavalkya and Understanding the Atma

Yajnavalkya, the greatest seer and sage, said: " Maitreyi, verily, I
am going away from this house into the forest to enter another order
of life (Sannyasa); therefore let me divide my property between you
and Katyayani " .

Maitreyi said: " My venerable lord, if this whole world with all its
wealth belongs to me, tell me truly, could I attain immortality " .

" No, " replied Yajnavalkya, " Like the life of rich people will be your
life; but there is no hope of obtaining immortality by wealth " .

Maitreyi: " Of what use would be wealth to me, if I do not become
thereby immortal? Tell me, O venerable lord, any means of attaining
immortality of which thou knowest " .

Yajnavalkya replied: " Come, sit down, my beloved Maitreyi, I will
explain it to thee. Try to understand well what I say " .

Yajnavalkya said: " Verily, not indeed for the husband's sake the
husband is dear, but for the sake Of the Self the husband is dear.
Verily, not indeed for the wife's sake the wife is dear, but for the
sake of the Self the wife is dear. Verily, not indeed for the sake of
the son the son is dear, but for the sake of the Self the son is
dear. Verily, this immortal all-pervading Atman or Brahman is to be
seen, heard, reflected and meditated upon, O Maitreyi: Atma Vaare
Drashtavyah Srotavyo Mantayo Nididhyasitavyah " .

O Maitreyi! When there is duality, one sees the other, one smells the
other, one tastes the other, one salutes the other, one speaks to the
other, one touches the other, one knows the other, but when the Self
or Atma only is all this, how could one see the other, how could he
smell the other, touch the other, know the other? How could he know
Him by whom he knows all this? That Self is to be described by " No,
no " (Neti, Neti). Atma nor the Supreme Self is imperishable. He is
free and unattached. He is not subject to pain or destruction. How
could one know the knower? Thus, O beloved Maitreyi, thou hast been
instructed " .

Having said this, Yajnavalkya went to the forest.

(Source: Essence of Yoga by Sri Swami Sivananda)

Snowed In

Over 12" of snow today, and the windshield is below zero....true Minnesota winter.

The weather outside is frightful, but my asana is so delightful.  The more time to sit the better!  I think this is the first time I have ever really appreciated a blizzard, besides when school was cancelled.

Warm thoughts to everyone stuck in the snow, I hope you make the most of it.

Jay Shiv Shakti!
Jay Gurudev!

The Nature of the Atman, Nature of the Self

I had a lovely chat with my friend today after class...one of those get to know each other a little better talks.  I am pretty open about sharing my past and the things that have happened to me, from all the joyous times to the heartbreaks and traumas.  They are all pieces that make me who I am.  So, she asked how I made it through some of the difficult trials.  


Well I often find my self stumbling along this path, I always come back to my spiritual views.  With the guidance of Shri Guruji, and the teaching of non-duality I have made it this far.  


One of the texts I come back to again and again is the Adhayatma Ramayana.  
This is one of my faviorite parts, Sundara Kandam: Hanuman's sermon to Ravana v.15-19

"The real 'You' or the Self has none of the miseries arising from body, intellect, and the sense, because the real 'you' is only the unperturbed and unaffected witness of all these changes.  The actual involvement in these changes belongs to the body-mind complex.  it is just like the experience of one sleeping.  The series of dream experiences which sleep brings about, end with the dream; they are the effects of the delusive ignorance characteristic of sleep.  As far as the real Self is concerned, the bodily experiences are unreal in the same way.  This unpertubedness and unaffectedness is the truth in regard to the nature of your real Self.  You are by nature changeless; for the Self being non-dual, there can be no cause to effect change in it.  Like the all-prevading Akasa which pervades objects but is not affected by it, your real Self, though pervading the body, is not affected by the bodily experiences because of it's subtlety.  All bondage arises from the sense of identification of the complex, body-mind-Prana- with the real Self.  And liberation consists in experiencing: I am Pure Consciousness, I am Unbound, I am Deathless, I am Pure Bliss."

Jay Shiv Shakti 

Aum Hum Hanumate Namaha

Jay Gurudev!

Tis' the Season to Give of Yourself!

One of the questions I hear most often from my students is, "How do I start to do more advanced Yoga practice?"  I always smile and of course have a long list of things one can do depending on capacity.  But, top of the list is the same for everybody, do at least one hour of volunteer work in your community a week.  One hour of service when you expect nothing in return.  This is the path of action and activity without selfish desires, Nishkaama Pravrutti Marg.

Jay Shiv Shakti

Jay Gurudev!