The Entire World Is My Family Inside

Volume XXIV, No. 1, February 2015
The Entire World Is My Family
By Sri Swami Satchidananda
I
n essence we are one. We are all related to each other. All
we have to do is to understand that and to experience it.
We are related in spirit. If we see the spirit in ourselves, we
will realize that we are all one. Our true nature is that of a
spiritual and divine being. We are essentially spiritual beings
made in the image of God. We are all the expressions of God,
God multiplied into various forms and names. So, we can say
that we are the family of God; we are all sisters and brothers.
We are all different colors, sizes, and shapes on the outside, but
inside, the same light shines. We may look different, but if we
see the spirit, we realize, “I am you; you are me; we are one.”
We should rise above all the differences and distinctions and
see our spiritual oneness. We should learn to love each other,
learn to love everyone equally. We should open our minds and
hearts. Even just focusing on this one thought, “I belong to the
whole world and the entire world is my family,” will make one
so happy and peaceful.
Living and working together as one beautiful family with total
love is God. Real spiritual experience means moving around
with a smiling, loving face. To see the spirit in others and to
love everyone, to rise above the differences of the lower nature
and bring harmony wherever you are. Ultimately, everyone
should love you. Make a resolve: “I will live the kind of life that
will make everybody love me, and I will love them.”
(Continues on p. 4)
Inside
The Entire World Is My Family
by Sri Swami Satchidananda
Letter from the Editor by Bharata Wingham
Places for Meditation by Sri Swami Sivananda
Teaching Integral Yoga in Saudi Arabia by Guruda Buss
Bhagavad Gita Study by Swami Asokananda
Playing the Edge Part 1 by Erich Schiffman
Report from Barcelona, Spain by Kirana Stover
The Story of SASTRI by Swami Murugananda IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015
Add a Little Raja Yoga by Durga Glasson
Your Original Sense of Humor by Bharata Wingham
Life is Like a Cosmic Dance by Nalanie Chellaram
Letter to Editor by Ambha Crane
I Believe Yoga Can Change the World
by Dhara Glendinning
IYTA News Column by Brahmi Milliman
Senior Speakers' Schedules
p.10 Calendar of Upcoming Programs at Yogaville
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p. 5
p. 6
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p. 11
p. 14
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The Goal of
Integral Yoga
Integral Yoga
Teachers Association
®
T
he goal of Integral Yoga, and the birthright of every
individual is to realize the spiritual unity behind all the
diversities in the entire creation and to live harmoniously
as members of one universal family.
This goal is achieved by maintaining our natural condition
of a body of optimum health and strength, senses under total
control, a mind well-disciplined, clear and calm, an intellect
as sharp as a razor, a will as strong and pliable as steel, a
heart full of unconditional love and compassion, an ego as
pure as a crystal, and a life filled with Supreme Peace and
Joy.
Attain this through asanas, pranayama, chanting of Holy
Names, self-discipline, selfless action, mantra japa,
meditation, study and reflection.
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
T
he Integral Yoga Teachers Association is a membership
association open to all Integral Yoga teachers. Its mission
is to provide mutual support and spiritual fellowship, to
share information, to provide inspiration, and to conduct
ongoing training and guidance.
Director:
Matthew (Jivada) Fritts
Newsletter Editor:Bharata Wingham
Graphic Design: Bharata Wingham
Photos: Archives
Copy Editors: Brahmi Milliman, Tiffainy Stevenson
Lakshmi Fradianni
Membership Coordinator: Brahmi Milliman
Integral Yoga Teachers Association
Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville
108 Yogaville Way, Buckingham, VA 23921 USA
Tel: 434.969.3121, ext. 177 Fax: 434.969.1303
E-mail (Newsletter): [email protected]
E-mail (Membership): [email protected]
E-mail (Director): [email protected] Website: www.iyta.org
From The Editor
Namaste and Greetings from Yogaville! Welcome to another
issue of the newest IYTA Newletter. Last month our Ashram
hosted an Ashram Retreat for all the staff who serve here.
Having our organization reflect the teachings of Integral Yoga
on the scale of our collective body, is one of the many things
that make Yogaville a unique place to work and practice the
teachings and activities of living a spiritual life.
In this latest edition we are offering a mosiac of teachings,
reports and sharings from many students and teachers from all
walks of life. Beginning as always with Sri Swami Satchidananda
speaking of the entire world as our family. “We may look
different, but if we see the spirit, we realize, ‘I am you; you
are me; we are one.’ We should rise above all the differences
and distinctions and see our spiritual oneness.” For me this is
the only way we can attain the state of peace in the world; by
having more and more people accept the challenge to recognize
our core connection with one another. Make a resolve: ‘I will
live the kind of life that will make everybody love me, and I
will love them.’”
Sri Swami Sivananda helps us understand the importance of
finding a suitable place to meditate and undertake spiritual
practices. “You can hardly get a place that can satisfy you from
all viewpoints. It is an impossibility. You must not shift when
you get some inconvenience. You must put up with it. There is
no benefit in frequent wanderings.”
Swami Asokananda’s offering on Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2
Verse 50, “This wisdom makes the mind unshakeable and takes
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 2
one beyond both virtue and vice. Therefore,
devote yourself to Yoga, Arjuna. Yoga is skill
in action.”
Many of you will be pleased to read about
a project named SASTRI, an acronym that stands for –
Satchidananda Automated Satsang Text Retrieval & Indexing.
Sastri is also a Sanskrit word meaning – “One who is versed in
the Sastra” (Hindu scriptures), which was brought to life by
Swami Murugananda.
Help and encouragement comes from Erich Schiffman in
the excerpt from his book, Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of
Moving into Stillness. His two-part discussion of “Playing the
Edge” makes us aware that, “A large part of the art and skill in
yoga lies in sensing just how far to move into a stretch. If you
don’t go far enough, there is no challenge to the muscles, no
intensity, no stretch, and little possibility for opening. Going
too far, however, is an obvious violation of the body,..”
Other articles include, Teaching Integral Yoga in Saudi Arabia,
Report from Barcelona, Spain, Your Original Sense of Humor, and
I Believe Yoga Can Change the World.
We hope you enjoy all the articles and that our newsletter also
keeps you informed and connected to Yogaville, Integral Yoga
and your fellow teachers.
Om Shanti,
Bharata Wingham
Teaching Integral Yoga
in Saudi Arabia
S
By Garuda Buss
ri Gurudev said that we can change the world to be a better
place through the magic wand of Yoga. Sri Swami Sivananda
also taught: “Convert every work into Yoga with the magic
wand of Right Attitude.”
Several years ago, I was living at Satchindanda Ashram-Yogaville
in central Virginia. One day, while asking for guidance in
meditation at Chidambaram (Gurudev’s Mahasamadhi Shrine)
I received His clear guidance: “Teach, Teach, Teach!” So I
opened a spiritual center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that offers
the teachings and practice of Integral Yoga. There is a certain
spiritual consciousness that pervades this part of the Arab
world, as reflected in their greetings– “Salam Al Laykum”(“May
peace be upon you”), and “Inshallah” (“It is the will of God.”)
Below, I offer five stories from the center I developed, with
the hope that they may serve as examples of how IY Teachers
might adapt Integral Yoga teachings in a way that honors
local cultural values and religious traditions – in the spirit
of Gurudev’s teaching that “Truth is One, Paths are Many.”
he world will not suit you for meditation. There are many
disturbing causes. The environments are not elevating.
Your friends are your worst enemies. They take away all your
time through vain talks. It is inevitable. You are puzzled. You
are worried. Then you try to get out of the environments. To
save time, money and wanderings, I shall mention some good
places. You can select one of these places.
• Laila is a 10 year old Saudi school girl that takes a class with her
father, who happens to be rather stiff. Having completed their
4th session with me together, I see how Laila’s father is rapidly
gaining improvement and can now do most poses to some
degree. I’ve offered him a chair but he refuses. Sometimes he
remarks that he’s had enough of the Hatha, after which he gets
off the mat and goes to the corner of the room, kneels and says
his prayers-- consistent with his practice of Islam. So my yoga
center is also a Mosque! I believe that Gurudev would love this!
Meanwhile, I continue to finish the Hatha session with Laila.
Her father returns to the mat just in time for deep relaxation,
and to finish pranayama and meditation with his daughter.
It has been a privilege to witness this unfolding before me.
The place must be of a temperate climate and must suit you during
summer, rainy season and winter. You must stick to one place
for three years with firm determination As all places combine
some advantages and disadvantages, you will have to select
that place which has more advantages and less disadvantages.
Everything is relative in this world. You can hardly get a place
that can satisfy you from all viewpoints. It is an impossibility.
You must not shift when you get some inconvenience. You
must put up with it. There is no benefit in frequent wanderings.
• Ahmad practices yoga on his own and attends class fairly
often. Recently, he brought his wife to a class—which was the
first in her life. A Saudi couple customarily would not have a
female attend when other non-family males would be present.
Being sensitive to that, I gave them separate areas in which
to practice, so they could receive the full instruction while
still enjoying privacy. I believe that this couple’s experience
is an example of how the magic of Integral Yoga can support
positive change—however culturally-dissonant it may seem.
Do not compare one place with another. Maya tempts you
in various ways. Use your Viveka and reason. Mussoorie will
appear to you most charming when you are at Simla*. Simla
will appear more delightful when you are at Mussoorie.
• I offer a third example to illustrate how Integral Yoga can
be successfully integrated into cultures and countries in which
successful integration might seem impossible to some readers.
Two students are teenage brothers who were born in Lebanon
but are now residents in Riyadh with their family. In Lebanon
Christians and Muslims live side by side in peace. The boys
were raised Christian, so in Saudi Arabia they are happy to
Places for Meditation
By Sri Swami Sivananda
T
Do not believe the mind and senses any more. Enough, enough
of their tricks. No more. Be on the watch, to guard yourself
from sense-deceptions and temptations.
* Mussoorie and Simla are two municipalites in India.
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 3
(Continues on p. 11)
‘The Entire World is My Family’ continued from p. 1
A real spiritual experience means to see the unity in diversity. See the same spirit in everything. Be gentle be nice, and be loving.
See your own Self in all, and treat everything properly. That is how to show the unity in diversity visibly and powerfully.
Let us know that we are all one in spirit. Essentially, we are one appearing as many. The moment that kind of understanding
comes, almost all other problems, both physical and material, will be solved. Anything that is done to bring this knowledge to
people is the greatest deed. Any charity that is used for this purpose is the best form of charity. If we work toward real universal
love and understanding, then we are going to the very root of other problems. Do what you can for this cause. Learn to care and
share, to love and give, and inspire others by your example.
We need to use the spiritual teachings of our chosen faith to help us have real love for one another. It is religion that should help
us to understand the spiritual oneness, to make us feel more at home as one family. If there is anyone who separates another
individual, saying to that person, “You are different from me,” using religion to make that claim, then he or she is not a religious
person at all. Thinking about these kinds of situations has made me pray, “God, use me in any way you want. I would like to see
that in Your name we become one family.” If we want to be happy, we should work for the happiness of all people everywhere.
That is the only way to achieve real peace and contentment.
In order to have a better world, we must learn to think of the globe as a whole. Your neighbor is God in a visible form. So, let us
have communion with our own neighbors—next door and around the globe. Let us feel that the whole world is our home, that
everyone is our brother and sister. It's time to know each other and to live as one global family. To make the world right, each
individual should find the ease and peace in their lives. Once you have that peace, others will find many things for you to do to
serve the world. Think that you are a nice instrument, ready to be used for the good of all. Serve one and all. Then you will have
served God.
(Excerpt from a Vision of Peace, Pp 69 - 70)
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 4
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 50
By Swami Asokananda
“T
his wisdom makes the mind unshakeable and takes one beyond both virtue and vice. Therefore, devote yourself to Yoga,
Arjuna. Yoga is skill in action.”
In this verse, Sri Krishna speaks of the importance of the buddhi—the discriminating intelligence. He uses the term “buddhi
yuktah,” the wisdom that comes from uniting the mind (manas) with the buddhi. As long as the mind is outgoing and united
with the senses, as the Rolling Stones said: “I can’t get no satisfaction,” it is searching in the wrong direction. When it unites with
the more subtle higher faculty of the buddhi, then the soul is finally on the right track; we will find ourselves receiving the proper
guidance to find our way Home.
Vice puts us in a rusted iron cage. Virtue puts us in a beautiful golden cage. As long as we are operating at the level of ego, karma
will leave a mark on everything we do, good or bad, and it will be bound to face the results. As long as we are operating at the
level of ego, even our good actions have the capacity to disturb the mind.
But since most of us are operating on the level of ego, let’s egoistically do good deeds for now! We don’t need to rush to “go
beyond virtue.” We can start by going beyond vice. Our ego will become more sattwic and a sattwic ego can be transcended by
“yogaya yujyasva”, devoting or yoking ourselves to yoga.
In verse 48, Krishna used the word “samatvam”, evenness of mind to define Yoga. Here He adds another nuance: “Yogah karmsu
kausalam,” Yoga is skill or perfection in action. For example, I may think that the best way to keep my mind even and peaceful is
to avoid work. Krishna seems to understand how my mind works, so He added to the definition in a way that closes this loophole.
Life is going to keep our bodies and minds moving and doing. We can forget about not doing; it is not an option. “Skill in action”
is doing without creating any karmic residue. This happens when we combine two things that rarely go together: putting our
whole heart into what we’re doing and doing it without a selfish motive. This leads to purity of mind and that pure mind can
experience that the individual is not doing anything; it is the Divine Consciousness that moves everything.
Because my motive is no longer the reward of my actions, it does not give me an excuse to do a bad job. I could mess up and
say, “See, this proves that I’m not interested in the fruit of the action, which proves that I am a spiritual person.” A poor work
ethic is not the sign of a yogi. The “skill” that Krishna is referring to is to be able to be detached from the result of the action after
doing our best.
“An act becomes perfect when you do it with all joy and without
expecting anything in return. All other acts, however wonderful
they are, however beautiful they look, whatever religious label
they get, are still imperfect acts because they will affect the
mind.” –Sri Swami Satchidananda
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 5
Playing the Edge
By Erich Schiffman
Excerpted from Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness
Published by Pocket Books
A
large part of the art and skill in yoga lies in sensing just how far to move into a stretch. If you don't go far enough, there is
no challenge to the muscles, no intensity, no stretch, and little possibility for opening. Going too far, however, is an obvious
violation of the body, increasing the possibility of both physical pain and injury. Somewhere between these two points is a
degree of stretch that is in balance: intensity without pain, use without abuse, strenuousness without strain. You can experience
this balance in every posture you do.
This place in the stretch is called your “edge.” The body's edge in yoga is the place just before pain, but not pain itself. Pain tells
you where the limits of your physical conditioning lie. Edges are marked by pain and define your limits. How far you can fold
forward, for example, is limited by your flexibility edge; to go any further hurts and is actually counterproductive. The length of
your stay in a pose is determined by your endurance edge. Your interest in a pose is a function of your attention edge.
In daily life, we tend to remain within a familiar but limited comfort zone by staying away from both our physical and mental
edges. This would be fine except that as aging occurs these limits close in considerably. Our bodies tighten, our range of
movement decreases, and our strength and stamina diminish. By consciously bringing the body to its various limits or edges and
holding it there, gently nudging it toward more openness with awareness, the long, slow process of closing in begins to reverse
itself. The range expands as the edges change.
Sensing where your edges are and learning to hold the body there with awareness, moving with its often subtle shifts, can be
called “playing the edge.” This is a large part of what you'll be doing in your practice. Your skill in yoga has little to do with
your degree of flexibility or where your edges happen to be. Rather, it is a function of how sensitively you play your edges, no
matter where they are.
This is a very freeing idea. Normally, we have an idea of how the posture “should” be. We have ideas about how deep we should
be able to go into a pose, what we should look like while we are there and how long we should be able to stay. We are often more
aware of where we aren't than of where we are.
This idea of the “completed” or “ideal” posture as a specific destination somewhere in the future is often a lurking presence in
the back of our minds as we do the poses. Because of this, there will necessarily be a gap between where you are in the posture
and where you think you should be. This gap, more often than not, contains a subtle frustration, a conflict, a feeling that where
you are is insufficient; or worse, who you are is insufficient—and that if you were truly doing yoga properly and were a “good”
or “evolved” person, you would be somewhere other than where you are. If this is the case, your practice will be permeated with
the effort of going somewhere else. It will be future-oriented, the present moment being significant only as a stepping stone to
the future. And you will miss being present.
Envisioning the postures in advance can yield dramatic results, however. And watching someone else do an advanced and
difficult posture that you would like to achieve can be especially helpful, both because you see it is possible and can be performed
with ease, and because your nervous system, simply by watching receives a tremendous amount of nonverbal information about
how to perform the pose correctly. Having that information in your nervous system and the back of your mind as you practice
can make that pose easier for you, as long as you use it as a general guideline that you understand will be expressed differently
in your body. The way to realize these changes is by focusing your attention on the process of what you are doing. This involves
flirting with the tight spots, your edges, with sensitivity and attention.
The main thing to understand is that there is no such thing as a “completed” or “ideal” posture. Each
posture is an ever-evolving, constantly moving energy phenomenon that is different from day to day,
moment to moment, and person to person. The process of sensitively flirting with your edges and
achieving perfect energy flow is not merely the means to achieve the pose—it is the pose.
This is what the physical aspect of yoga is fundamentally all about. Your body is limited in movement
not only through its genetic makeup, but through the conditionings that have accrued over the years.
As you age, this becomes more and more apparent. Yoga is a way of exploring these limits. It's not a
matter of “How can I attain this or that final posture?” It's a matter of gently pressing into the various
edges you encounter within the template structure of each particular posture. And your edges and
limits will change as a by-product of this exploration; you will change.
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 6
Intensity and Pain
You should never be in pain as you practice yoga. Your practice should not be a painful ordeal, but rather an expression of joy.
Pain is most easily defined as any sensation you do not like, and it always invokes a natural withdrawal mechanism. When you
put your hand on a hot stove, for example, instantly you take it off. Before you’re even aware that your hand is on the stove, it's
off. This is a built-in self-protective device.
The same withdrawal mechanism is activated whenever a yoga stretch begins to hurt. Muscles clamp down and contract in order
to protect themselves from overstretching. They are suddenly less willing, fearful, and they resist the stretch—naturally. And they
do this, to whatever small or large degree, before you are even aware it's happening. This is blatantly at odds with your initial
intention to stretch, open, and expand your physical boundaries. Therefore, by pushing into pain you are actually working against
yourself. One foot is on the accelerator, and one foot is on the brake.
Pushing and working hard are frequently appropriate and can be thoroughly enjoyable at the right moments, but they should
never result in pain. You may want to approach pain and get near it, but not actually be in it. You want to be in the place where it
“hurts good,” where you know you are dealing with what needs to be dealt with—the contracted parts of your energy field—but
where it's not so intense that you resist, tighten up to protect yourself, or prevent yourself from going too far.
The ideal state for practice is to be as willing and relaxed as possible, as non-resisting as possible, so that one part of you is not in
opposition to another. You can then comfortably press your edges open. The practice becomes one of being relaxed and willing
at your deeper edges; and this isn't necessarily easy. It's difficult to stay relaxed in the midst of a high-intensity stretch.
You want to stay within your comfort zone where you are safe and, at the same time, press into the various tight areas. By pressing,
stretching, and breathing into your tight areas, you can ease them open, thereby expanding the boundaries of your comfort zone.
It's like being inside a bubble and gently pressing outward from inside to expand its shape, so that you experience more space
and comfort within the bubble.
Pain lurks just beyond your deepest edges as a reminder that you have gone too far. It's important for anyone who spends time
nudging edges open with yoga to have a healthy understanding of pain—and to have a feeling for the distinction between pain
and intensity.
The word pain actually stands for a variety of different possible sensations ranging anywhere from sharp and intense to subtle
and dull. Physical pain may arise from a variety of causes; a pulled muscle, for example, or from a stretch that is too intense.
Psychological pain often involves the feeling that you are in a place you don't like, doing something you would rather not be
doing.
Herein lies one of the reasons for the frequent confusion between intensity and pain. A powerful stretch, whether or not you
have gone too far, will generate an intense sensation. Someone who is not used to intensity or is excessively worried about getting
hurt may be afraid of the intense sensation and resist it. Resisted intensity becomes pain. Therefore, even relatively mild levels of
intensity can be experienced as pain if you go beyond your psychological edge.
If fear prevents you from going deeper or staying longer in a posture, it is wise to avoid overriding the fear by being brave or
courageous, since this makes injury more likely. Instead of pushing past psychological limits, open more slowly by finding a less
intense level of stretch just before fear enters. Hold the position there as you deepen the breath, relax, and acclimatize to the
stretch. By playing the edge of fear like this, you never have to experience psychological discomfort.
This can have a very profound influence on all aspects of your life. One of the things you learn in yoga is to enjoy working with
intensity. Intensity is simply more “energy” at any given moment, more feeling. Happiness and sadness, for example, can both be
experienced with more or less intensity. If you are unable or unwilling to deal with an increase in intensity, however, not only in
your yoga but in your daily life as well, your range of life experience will necessarily remain limited and narrow. Yoga can teach
you to enjoy and learn from a broader range of experience. It will encourage you to seek out and process more intensity. The more
you do this within the safe arena of yoga practice, the more it will influence all of your life. This is not as intense as it may sound.
More intensity isn't even noticeable as you become strong and open.
This has two distinct advantages. First, you will be able to allow more pleasure into your life. More good will come to you
because you are open and receptive, no longer pushing it away. You will experience more joy and find yourself able to handle the
heightened intensity of happiness. Haven't you noticed that even in the midst of joy, something you thought you wanted, there
is often a part of you that wants to turn it off? Or at least turn it down a bit? It's difficult to handle intensity of any kind, even if
you like it. Yoga can change this for you forever.
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 7
As you are able to generate more energy and process more intensity in the poses with enjoyment and full willingness, you will
correspondingly be able to receive and process more goodness in your life.
Secondly, yoga teaches you to experience the so-called “negative” emotions and intensities without being overly disturbed by
them, without having to run away from them. They will feel less intense than they previously would have. You will then be able
to learn from the “bad” and painful experiences in life without being bowled over by them. And therefore, because your full range
of life experience is being broadened and enlarged in all directions, you are now able to learn from both the “good” and “bad,”
making your life that much richer.
It is important to learn how to generate voluntary intensity deliberately and willingly, by deepening the breath, increasing the
current, strengthening your lines, and flirting with the various edges that arise in each pose. This is best learned in postures that
are easy for you. In these postures any intensity you experience is largely self-generated. Learn to create voluntary intensity in
these easy poses and in the early stages of any pose you do, and then delicately press into your tight areas in order to nudge them
gently to greater openness. This will prepare you for the intensely pleasurable sensations that come with the territory of advanced
yoga. Intensity is pleasurable when you are prepared for it, when you are able to let go into it; it becomes unpleasant when you
resist it or generate too much. Skill in yoga involves creating the perfect amount of intensity—not too much, not too little. (End
of Part 1. Part 2 will follow in our next issue.)
Erich Schiffmann teaches a healing, opening style of yoga emphasizing creative sequencing, intuitive alignment
and moving into stillness while being guided from within. A practitioner for forty years, Erich teaches Yoga as
the art of living. He can be seen on the award-winning DVD Yoga Mind & Body with Ali MacGraw. Erich
can be reached at: www.erichschiffmann.com
Report from Barcelona, Spain
By Kirana Stover
I
n February of 1993 I completed the Basic TT program in Yogaville. In October I moved from Richmond, Virginia to Sant Pere
de Ribes, a small village about 40 km south of Barcelona, Spain. For eight years I taught Hatha I classes in Sant Pere de Ribes,
in a neighboring village (Sitges), and in Barcelona. In 2000, one of my students suggested I open a yoga center in our village. I
was a bit uncertain, as the village is small. As yoga teachers know, people come and go from classes. However, I decided to try it.
We found a beautiful space with a secret garden in the back. It had been a dental clinic so we had to do a lot of renovation to get
it looking like a yoga center.
In preparation for opening, I returned to Yogaville in the summer of 2001 to complete the Hatha II and Hatha III (intermediate
and advanced) TT's. By coincidence, there were about ten of us in the ITT who were from international centers which were
all budding new centers (England, Italy, Germany, and Australia). We were privileged to have a small meeting with Gurudev in
Guru Bhavan to ask him how we should run these centers, and how to help them grow. He said, “Let them grow like children,
first they crawl, then they begin to walk. Have them be places where families can come and where people have fun.” I was able to
show him some photos of the yoga center which was still under renovation. He looked at the photos carefully, saying, “Barcelona,
hmm, hmmm.” Then he took one of the photos and showed it around to the group. “Look at this,” he said, “This is how a yoga
center should be. Look at the light streaming through the windows.”
The first class at the new IYC was on September 17th, 2001. This was just six days after the 9/11 events and I remember feeling
like my center would be a place of service and peace in the times to come.
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 8
At the opening festivities in October, there were over 80 attendees.
During that first year, there were around 40 students. We were privileged to have visits from Swami Sharadananda, and from
Nalanie Chellaram. In July of 2002 a small group of us went to Gaunt's House in England to the European reunion. This was
just three weeks before Gurudev‘s Mahasamadhi. Nine or ten of the students here were able to meet him in the body. Actually, he
was going to come to the yoga center on August 27th. Nalanie had helped us arrange the visit as a day of vacation in Barcelona,
but he had agreed to give a satsang at the center. You can imagine how excited we were! When, nine days before, he entered
Mahasamadhi, we decided to have the event anyway. I figured if he said he would come, he'd be there. That evening there was a
really big storm. Those of us who attended felt very blessed indeed.
It's clear to me that Gurudev‘s energy is what keeps the center going. The quality of people who pass through is astounding and
nothing I'd be capable of organizing on my own! We have had several visiting swamis from Yogaville: Swami Sharadananda,
Swami Vidyananda, Swami Divyananda, Swami Jyotirmayananda, Swami Asokananda, and Mataji, as well as some swamis
from other traditions, including Swami Mahesananda and Swami Abuvananda (who has also been at Yogaville and was at the
inauguration of the LOTUS temple in India). We have had other Yogaville teachers including Satya and Sadasiva Greenstone,
Vimala Pozzi and Dijon Carew. We also have had other IY teachers and Sangha come through who found us via the internet
when they were travelling to Spain. The center has also attracted a very high quality of music. Krishna Das played in the garden,
as well as Tina Malia. I always feel Gurudev's presence when Indian musicians arrive. We have some very excellent Indian
musicians including Shubendra Rao and Partho Sarothy, both of whom studied with Ravi Shankar. The Indian fine arts are also
represented by a bharatanatyam teacher who comes every summer from Italy because her mother lives in the village!
As well as Hatha Yoga classes, there has been a Raja Yoga study group at the center since it opened as well as a weekly kirtan. One
of the things I love most about the center is how people, who would never have met otherwise, become friends through coming
to the yoga center. The sangha is strong! People from all walks of life are coming to class: bus drivers, school teachers, a politician,
gardeners, artists, shop owners, fashionable people. Inside the yoga center, all are the same, all getting to know each other from
the perspective of the true self.
In May of 2003 I trained to be an Integral Yoga Teacher Trainer. I have held two TT's and trained 21 teachers. Nalanie Chellaram
taught Raja Yoga at the first TT, and I translated into Spanish. For the second TT, I flew in Vimala Pozzi from Richmond,
Virginia to teach the Raja Yoga section and she taught directly in Spanish! There have also been two students who came to
Yogaville to train, and three who went to Quinta da Calma in Portugal. These teachers are teaching all around the Barcelona
area, and one, in Holland! I plan to hold another TT in 2015. This summer I was in Yogaville completing the Raja Yoga TT with
Swami Karunananda, so maybe I will teach the Raja section myself!
The yoga center is more than the sum of its parts and its effect is far-reaching. I feel especially touched by two international
projects which have, to some degree grown out of the yoga center. The first is the Fundación Vida Útil (Useful Life Foundation).
This NGO grew out of the first TT's spiritual awakening and takes its name from Gurudev's saying “Once you have a peaceful
mind and an easeful body you can have a useful life.” This NGO, directed by IY Hatha I and Raja teacher Marina Nadal, supports
charitable work in Nepal and is directly connected to SIS (Service in Satchidananda). The second is the Save the Gambian
Orphans Foundation. This foundation supports projects in Gambia, West Africa, which encourage young Gambians to stay
in their country and make something of it rather than take the horrific journey to Europe; which the NGO's founder, Kalilu
Jammeh, wrote of in his book Journey to Misery. Kalilu's wife, Mini Shakti Nubiola, is also a Hatha I teacher. One of the projects
in Gambia is a school with one classroom named “Satchidananda.”
Even though the center is far away from Yogaville, I was happy to walk into the new Sivananda Hall this summer and feel the
exact same energy that I feel in “my” yoga center. I feel very connected to the ashram and the worldwide sangha. I would love
to bring a group to Yogaville for a retreat in Spanish. When I meditated this summer in Ananda Kutir I visualized some of our
sangha eating in Sivananda Hall and I suddenly had a giant smile on my face and inside me as well.
We love to have visitors so if anyone is coming through Barcelona, please contact us at:
[email protected]. We are planning a possible cultural yoga retreat for 2016
with Ram Wiener, “Truth is One Paths are Many: Spiritual Catalunya Tour.” This will be
an opportunity for people to practice yoga and meditation, meet the local sangha, and as
well experience life in a Spanish village and visit spiritual centers in Catalunya, including
Montserrat, the city of Girona, the architecture of Gaudi in Barcelona, and experience
Catalan/Spanish vegetarian cooking.
Kirana Stover and Vimala Pozzi
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 9
The Story of SASTRI
The Master Archive of all of Sri Gurudev’s Satsangs
By Swami Murugananda
A
fter 19 years of intense and challenging work, I am delighted to announce that the SASTRI project was completed on 24
November 2014! SASTRI (Satchidananda Automated Satsang Text Retrieval & Indexing) is the master archive database
containing all the transcripts of Sri Gurudev’s satsangs and talks-- covering over 36 years. The SASTRI database has been used for
many of Integral Yoga’s publications and books, including the Integral Yoga Magazine, and also as a research resource for lecture
topics and searches by individuals with personal interests in Sri Gurudev’s teachings.
So many people have been involved in this massive project over so many years, that I cannot remember all their names! Of
course, none of this would be possible without the supreme dedication and love of Sri Gurudev. It is to Him that we owe the
greatest gratitude.
Many people offered their selfless service in preparing the original transcriptions. First and foremost among them was Swami
Hamsananda who over so many years was the sole person doing this job. Many others in our Sangha have selflessly volunteered
their time and skill toward the SASTRI project, including: Fiona Ream, Lisa Dean Hawkins, Anthony Haro, Ananda Radha
Andre, Barbara J. Sims, Sundaram Gross, Donna Strumm, Barbara Dhyana Stiefel, Cindy Nichols, Lynn Mukti Meffert, and
Candy Lavender.
How to access the SASTRI database
Since SASTRI is not currently available online, please use the following procedure to request SASTRI searches:
1.
Send an email (Swami Murugananda, [email protected] with the specific topic in the subject line.
2.
Be as specific as possible—i.e., not just something like “hatha yoga”.
3.
Describe details, such as search parameters, in the body of the email.
4.
Include only one search request per email.
Upon receipt of your request I will compile and send (within 4-5 days) a document with all pertinent citations, including dates.
Service is gratis for IY publications and all IY workers, for IY lectures & talks.
Please note that there is a $35 charge for individuals living outside Integral Yoga Institutes or the Ashram – this fee goes to
support the Ashram library.
Following is the history of the SASTRI project, offered with gratitude and love!
Sometime in 1994 I was given charge of our reception desk and bookshop. Things went rather well for a bit until it did not, that is
to say, it got crushingly dull. I therefore decided to quit this post and take on something more interesting. In my way of thinking,
I could not just quit; rather I had to propose a new job to focus on. So I put a set of proposals to the administration. These
proposals included getting on the maintenance crew and learning electrical work (only slightly absurd, as I had done stuff for
them previously) and some other things which I have forgotten. One suggestion was that to create a system for cataloguing all the
Continues on p. 12
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 10
Teacher's Notebook
Add a Little Raja Yoga
By Durga Glasson
S
ri Gurudev has said that Hatha Yoga is the “calling card” for all the branches of Integral Yoga. As students progress, the
motivation moves away from the impermanent physical body toward that which does not change. If students continue to
practice Hatha Yoga for the sake of the physical body only, then they may be disappointed as the body gradually ages and finally
passes away.
Instead, the practices can be shifted toward that which does not change. Even if you teach primarily Hatha Yoga, you can expose
students to the other branches of Yoga. Gopal Bello (now of Ocean Ridge, Florida) has always been very creative in introducing
a little Raja Yoga into his Hatha Yoga classes. He taught an accredited course at a local junior college through the Athletics
Department for many years. The class met twice a week for sixteen weeks. He decided to teach one full Hatha Yoga class a week.
In the second class he taught a shorter Hatha session, followed by a lecture. In his first talks he spoke about the benefits of healthy
vegetarian diet, using examples that a student could relate to. Then he gave a few talks on meditation. To his surprise, the talks
were very well received by the students, even though the class was an athletics class.
Gopal would also introduce other aspects of Yoga into classes at the local YMCA. He gave a weekly Hatha Yoga course class for
10 weeks in a series. After teaching the basic asanas, he would teach a slightly shorter session every other week, and spend the
remaining time on diet, meditation, and chanting. In second level classes, he spent some time talking about ahimsa, satya, tapas,
etc. In their third series, he had the students practice one Yama or Niyama all week and share experiences the following week in
class. They had some very interesting discussions on the subject.
You may be a bit hesitant to try this format out in some classes. It may be best to start with meditation, because it is very much in
the public consciousness these days. If you feel that there will be some resistance to the word “meditation,” call it “visualization,”
or teach it as “mental relaxation” techniques. Then try discussing: “Don't make appointments for your own benefit, and you‘ll
never be disappointed,” or some other basic teaching that is particularly meaningful to you. If you have experienced great benefit
in your life, the students will feel your enthusiasm and will probably get interested.
You will be able to tell if your students are interested. If they make eye contact, ask questions, and contribute ideas, it's a safe bet
that you can continue to introduce a little Raja Yoga into your Hatha Yoga classes with no problem. If your students don't look
at you and don't respond, you will probably want to focus on only Hatha Yoga, and try this format again with a different group.
One of our teachers recently told Sri Gurudev that she was teaching Hatha Yoga at a church, and was afraid to introduce Raja
Yoga for fear they would feel it was against their religion. He told her: “You can teach some very profound ideas that will help the
students in their daily lives by eliminating the religious terminology and calling it ‘Stress Management'.”
If we think of Hatha Yoga as an introduction to Integral Yoga, then your Hatha Yoga classes can become the vehicle through
which the students get exposed to more of the teachings. Many of our teachers find that their students want to take several
series of classes when they discover the deeper teachings of Integral Yoga. Your students will inspire you to dig deeper into the
teachings of Raja Yoga so that you can serve them better. That will ultimately help you on your spiritual path. By teaching, we
are continually compelled to grow ourselves, which is the greatest joy.
‘Teaching Integral Yoga in Saudi Arabia’ continued from p. 3
practice Integral Yoga side by side with Muslims. They practice yoga every day on their own. Their Dad takes
private classes with me weekly and their Mom is a yoga teacher who took training from Integral Yoga in California.
• Ambika is a woman of Indian descent who knows Yoga well. She is at the Hatha II level, and is able to absorb my instruction
in refining the poses. She’s already accomplished in pranayama and meditation. One day after class, she asked if I knew anything
about Yoga philosophy. I gave her Gurudev’s book To Know Yourself. We will begin our day-long yoga retreat programs soon and
she’ll cook vegetarian Indian food for the event.
• Finally, I’ll share a recent experience with Hans and Emma, who are an expatriate couple from Germany with whom I share
a close friendship. We spent many hours around a desert campfire this past weekend on a camping trip--discussing yoga,
spirituality, comparative religion and the meaning of life. In the morning several of us rose to begin a Hatha class in the desert.
We saluted the rising sun, and our breathing and meditation were punctuated by the cool, still desert air. The previous day they
had joined a Hatha I class, which they followed nearly perfectly. To my surprise, I found out after the class, that this was the first
yoga class they had ever taken! Yoga is a magic wand, indeed. First, we must wave it over ourselves to gain the peace, awareness,
fitness and confidence.
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 11
‘The Story of SASTRI’ continued from p. 10
satsangs of Sri Gurudev. I observed that, up to that point, all of Gurudev’s public talks were typed up nicely, printed, and then
put into an enormous set of three-ring binders and those binders were neatly shelved into the archives, locked and forgotten. It
then occurred to me that this wasn’t really that useful in that there was no practical way whereby anyone could retrieve something
on a specific topic. What good is even the greatest teaching if one cannot access what one is interested in?
Shortly after I had put my proposals to the Ashram Board, Swami Karunananda let me know that while the other ideas had merit
this was the one that jumped out to them. However, I had NO IDEA how to do this, none whatsoever, except that there must
be a way with computers. Sometimes knowing nothing is good.
Then, a tiny light blinked in the mind–I had heard about a new project at the University of Virginia (UVA) known as the
Electronic Text Project. Through a friend I found out who was in charge and where this project took place. I then boldly went
there to see the man in charge, David Seaman. He had a teeny set of offices in the Clemons Library. David was a very proper, posh
Brit, always in tie, blue blazer, and khakis, very proper indeed. I presented my idea to him and he said the best words of all, “Yes,
this can be done; we are doing that very thing here.” And he then showed me in detail how it was done: the hardware (flatbed
scanner, automatic doc feeder, a good computer, proper back-up system, plus the most up-to-date OCR software.)
It all looked pretty straight-up to me. Well in truth I had half a gazillion questions all of which he answered quite patiently.
Except for one item, he could not tell me of practical data-base software because they used university licensed software which is
REALLY expensive. This was 1995 – and there was no good internet yet, so I did my search in the only way I knew, by checking
the microfiche of old PC mags which I knew had reviews of all sorts of computer stuff including software. I had no idea what to
really look for. But in about an hour I hit on a product that looked perfect and at a great price. The company was called AskSam,
a small company in the Florida panhandle. I called them and got the information. It looked like the perfect application.
Having gotten some preliminary data I composed a brief outline of my idea with a very basic “guessstimate” of its cost and sent
it off to the board members and Sri Gurudev. A week later, at the end of satsang there was the usual crowd surrounding Sri
Gurudev. Being rather shy I just stood there in the middle of the crowd when I felt someone push me to the front right near
Gurudev. Gurudev then turned to me and said, “That’s a good idea, but it sounds costly.”
“Yes Sir, but it’s worth it,” I whispered. “Good, you should do it then,” He replied.
I next compiled a very detailed list of every item I would need including exact prices, and so on. I then wrote a synopsis of my
proposal, submitted this to the Board with a copy directly to Sri Gurudev, and proceeded to play the waiting game. About three
or four weeks later I was in the library (my second home) fiddling with the smoke detectors when the phone rang. It was Sri
Gurudev calling, something that had never happened to me.
G: “Murugananda?” Me: “Yes, Gurudev.” “What are you doing?”
“Right now I am working on the smoke detectors Sir.” “No, I mean what are you doing about your project?” “Ah, well Sir, I am
waiting for the board to approve it.” “Yes, yes – why do you wait? Tell them I approve.”
Yikes, wow – that was the exact conversation word for word. I was set—The Master gave me the go.“Wowee Zowee”—I said out
loud where no one could hear. I straight away called all the companies and made about a dozen orders for all sorts of hardware
and software etc. Total cost about $1,900. Sri Gurudev had given me “the go.” That was heaven for me.
Everything I needed arrived in a short time. It took about three to five days to assemble all the hardware and install the software.
In those days there was no USB and no CD’s, so all the software was on floppies. The scanner and other big hardware got hooked
up via SCSY (pronounced scuzzy) cards, so it all took longer than it would now. Installing the SCSY cards required opening the
computer, attaching cables, restarting and figuring out the settings for each device and the installing the software for each device.
There were several devices on the system, in a chain. Having to do all of this, one item at a time, and using those floppy discs
took a long time.
Now I was ready to go. Well, almost ready. I needed a name for this project. What to call it? What to call it? What to call it?
The question kept repeating itself. I took a bit of paper—well obviously it had to have the name “Satchidananda” and naturally
“Satsang” must be in there, after a bit I included “Automated”. I wanted a snappy acronym, because in this age that is what folks
do. All of a sudden without any further thought the whole name came and there it was—SASTRI. Kazam.
The next step was to get to the archives building and retrieve those three-ring binders a few at a time—there were about eighty
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 12
of them – each holding some 190–250 pages. And then it was time for the heart of the project itself. Using the automatic doc
feeder (ADF) attached to the flatbed scanner I was able to scan a full satsang in about fifteen minutes, then do the OCR (Optical
Character Recognition) and create a Word doc in 10 minutes more. But since even the top-level OCR program was far from
perfect there was always a massive amount of editing of errors for each talk. I discovered that there were a number of common
errors consistent across all the docs so I created a short set of macros to correct them at one stroke by simply pressing a key letter +
Ctrl. This bit saved a major amount of time. Next step was importing the completed doc into the search engine,—AskSam Pro.
[N.B. A few weeks prior to all this I traveled to DC to meet a fellow who used this app so that he could walk me through the
whole process. That took about half an hour. Then I was set.]
So it went: Scan – edit, edit – import; Scan – edit, edit – import; Scan – edit, edit – import, – on and on and on. During this
time I also managed the library, classifying and cataloguing many incoming books, doing inventories, and all that was required
there. In my spare time, I got our internet connection started; got our domain name registered; created our first web page and
kept that going for three years.
Every year or so we updated the software and after four years we got a new computer. Hooray! At some point, I came to the very
early talks (1966-1970).
Almost all of these were done with very poor typewriters, or the ink on the pages had simply faded out. In any case, none of
them were fit for scanning. I then had to make copies and found a good friend to retype them all. That took many more years.
When all the scanning was done, I thought that was it—I’m done—WaHoo! However, that was not to be. It came to me that
I had to check the archives, you know, “just in case I missed something, just in case.” In checking the archives, the archive logs
and Shakti-com logs, I started finding hundreds of talks that were never transcribed and when I combed through the archive’s
boxes and boxes of cassettes I found even more. I ended up with over 350 tapes. What must I do? - Digitize. But just how do I
do that???
Well, that very day (Jung called this “Synchronicity”), my dear old friend Ramanan Shultz “just happened” to show up and it
“just so happened” that this was his very job at UVA. I asked him how to do it, and he told me, “You need a tape deck, and
software that you can get for free, plug it all in, install the software and you’re good to go.” I did all that. But one must do this in
“real time”; there is no short-cut. I also gathered up boxes and boxes of our special sannyas meetings, “family meetings”, all sorts
of things; including talks done in other countries etc., etc., etc. Thus began the next phase.
Digitize to MP3, create CD’s. That got done. I then had to find the transcribers; people who have the typing skill, can understand
Sri Gurudev‘s accent, and had the time and willingness to transcribe all this. Many, many, many people were involved.
This took a few more years. In between there was still the library. Step by step by step we were closer.
At some point during all this, after I had done eight hundred or so satsangs, I invited Sri Gurudev to see what was happening.
Swami Vidyananda also came by to video this meeting. I showed Gurudev the program and all its parts. He then said. “Very,
very good. You were born to do this.”
“Does anyone else know how to use this?” “No, Sir.”“So what will happen when you are gone?”
Well, since then I’ve trained several folks in the basic methods of searching and wrote up a complete manual on everything one
would need to know.
We are getting close folks. The digitizing of all those tapes took a really long time. Finding people to transcribe also took a long
time – all this took years and years. Added to everything else was the major reconfiguring and renovation of the library which
added 8 – 9 months to the project.
Finally, there were several tapes that were so degraded that none of my transcribers would be able to understand them. As I am
quite used to hearing what He said, and have a fine sound system, I undertook to do those files. But since I cannot type well,
I purchased the Dragon Naturally Speaking app which worked fine after some training. I was, thus, able to do those damaged
tapes as well.
And so at 11:30 am on the November 24, 2014—the last Satsang—March 27, 1975 was imported into SASTRI.
It is with great love and gratitude to Sri Gurudev that I humbly dedicate this work without whom none of this would have been
possible.
Swami Murugananda has known Sri Gurudev since 1966. He has served in all of the ashrams in California
and Connecticut as well as most of the IYI’s in California and NYC serving in various capacities as teacher and
gardener, bookstore manager and herbalist. Murugananda also created and maintains our Yogaville Library of
over 25,000 books, tapes and CDs and other media in some 30 languages in a wide range of subject matter. In
his spare time he also writes and performs standup.
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 13
Your Original Sense of Humor
By Bharata Wingham
“Laughter begins where Logic ends.”
I
believe we are born with a native sense of humor. We bring it with us as part of our natural self. Then society begins to mold
and shape that sense of humor into what fits into the social class, status, etc. into which we are born. In effect we lose one of
the most important and deepest part of ourselves when we are socialized, normalized, and domesticated.
I say this is a tragedy of epic proportions. We are robbed of a source of immense pleasure and enjoyment as well as one of the
keys to our innate sense of who we are and made ashamed of it. Without a sense of humor we wonder what the point of life is,
why even get up in the morning? Now for some this may seem extreme, but I assure you it isn’t, it is tragic. Could it be that when we begin to question what we
find funny, humorous and comic, that we also begin to question our own being and sanity?
As radical as this may sound, or coming out of left field, I invite you to consider the possibility that the way back to happy, joyous
and sane living might begin where we least expect it.
It is important to realize that we can reclaim our original sense of humor with courage and willingness to go against the grain
of our family, friends and society-at-large. We may even have to resist our own private embarrassments of finding that so many
things we find funny we can only admit to and laugh at within ourselves.
In Laugha Yoga I found that each of us has an Original Laugh. It is like our thumbprint; unmistakable to anyone who really
knows us. And my process has been to get in touch with and reclaim my own original laugh. Our original laugh is music to our
ears and the ears of everyone around us. Nothing spells feeling safe like laughter coming out from the depths of our being.
Laughter begins where logic ends. With laughter logic plays the fool
Now it may well be that your original humor doesn’t fit with where you are and with whom you are currently associated. So find
people with whom you have full permission to express your unique way of laughing and the things you like to laugh about.
Friends find each other through laughter
Think about the last time you had a good laugh with someone. Were you somewhat self-conscious? Or were you able to absolutely let go and let the laughs come without censure? If you were able to let go completely and totally immerse yourself in the
intense pleasure that arises when we are unself-conscious, then I say you were with a real friend.
The risk of being you
Trust your own taste in humor. Trust what brings you pleasure. Situations and people around whom we are cautious are a good
indicator of the where we feel we stand with them. As in Hatha Yoga we can “play the edges” to discover where we can gently
move into an emotionally safe space around them. Share a sense of humor with someone and you share who you really are with
them, beyond our social acts and pretenses. With new acquaintances it can feel risky, but consider, “Is it risky to be you?”
We all need reassurance and permission
Norman Cousins wrote a book about his recovery from a life-threatening illness called, Anatomy of An Illness, which describes his
use of laughter in healing. “...ten minutes of solid belly laughter would give me two hours of pain-free sleep.” He used funny videos and noticed that an extended period of laughter relieved his pain for some hours. In another book he wrote called, Head First,
he described the therapeutic importance of a person’s diet and types of meals in the healing process. A UCLA School of Medicine
Dean, Sherman Mellinkoff pointed this out to a group of interns and residents as he accompanied them on their rounds at the
hospital. If we look at eating, as a primary source of not only nutrition, but pleasure as well, we can see a relationship between
moderate “enjoyment” of our primary needs and healthy living.
Since laughter is such a “primary need” and expression, I believe it is very worthwhile to our health, both mental and physical, to
spend some time working on developing a greater sense of humor. It is like a muscle that can be exercised with something funny
or in the case of Laugha Yoga we don’t need anything to laugh at at all. We can actually learn to laugh for no reason.
Join Bharata at the next Laugha Yoga Leader Certification on March 13 - 15, 2015. To register, email [email protected]
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 14
Life is Like a Cosmic Dance
By Nalanie Chellaram
“We learn a step at a time, until we master each step.
We continue to learn the sequence of steps
Until we see that there is only so much we can learn with a limited body.
We then transcend the perfected step
And with Divine love and light,
Transform the dance into a masterpiece of love.
In order to do this, we must drop the mind for a while
and dance with our hearts. We then drop even the awareness of the dance and perform for the benefit of the world.
It is only then that we feel the Oneness of all. Audience and performer become One Concert.”
T
he spiritual path is often compared to “a razor’s edge” because it is filled with preconceived ideas, visions and a personal view
of what spirituality should look like. This personal view gets rather cloudy when we embark on the path because we start
observing that every concept we boxed as “right or wrong” no longer makes any sense. Many times, people get confused at this
point and drop the spiritual practices. Or, they become rigid and expect the world to be like them.
However, if one follows the path like a dancer, views and ideas fuse together as jigsaw pieces that fit one at a time to make up a
puzzle.
Having been a dance teacher in the past, I noticed that whenever we started a new dance routine, the students would be
apprehensive and always watched themselves critically in the mirror to make sure that they were performing the step correctly.
I was constantly correcting the dancers so they could keep in time and look as if they were enjoying the dance, rather than
struggling! Once the dancers learned the whole dance routine, then they started to relax. Next came the practice which required
repetition of the steps, focus, concentration and awareness not only of themselves, but others in the group.
As it is with spiritual practice, once we learn the eight limbs of yoga, the next step is to practice them in our everyday affairs. To
separate spiritual practice from life is not spiritual practice. How can you separate the step from the dance?
“By the practice of the eight limbs of Yoga, the impurities dwindle away, and there dawns the light of wisdom leading to
discriminative discernment.”
(The Yoga Sutras of Sri Patanjali, Bk 2:28, translation by Sri Swami Satchidananda)
Spiritual practice is to be constantly aware that we are all part of the same family; aware that the journey through life is truly just
a dance through time; to perfect our actions as best as we can through the practices of non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing,
moderation and non-greed; to work on this every moment in our waking life until it becomes part of us, our breath, our voice,
our words, our actions! Then naturally, by itself, magically, personal, selfish desires that imprison the mind drop us! What
freedom, what joy! We feel overcome by the love and gratitude that surges from deep within. Grateful for the freedom from our
chattering minds, we allow the Spirit to work through us. The practices yield their results and life is no longer a painful place to
live in, but an opportunity to grow and share this freedom with all.
The struggle with the mind arrests itself. We become observers using our hearts to guide us through good and difficult times.
Attaching to nothing, enjoying everything. After all, nothing is ours. Never was. All on loan. Everything is a gift. We then use
our bodies and minds to abide in Spirit and we dance for all. The perfected step becomes automatic after years of practice. There
are no thoughts, just love and joy in being able to dance and allow the Love to flow through us. The audience and the applause
are the bonuses which we offer back to the Divine Source, our Teacher.
These following words from a song I learned long ago at Maryknoll Convent School, describes the feeling so succinctly.
“Spirit of God in the clear, running water,
Blowing to Greatness the trees on the hill,
Spirit of God in the finger of morning,
Fill the earth, bring it to birth and blow where you will.
Blow, Blow, Blow till I be, but the breath of the Spirit blowing in me.”
May the entire Universe be filled with peace and joy, love and light.
Om Shanti, Shanti , Shanti…. Ever at the Service of Love and Light
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 15
I Believe that Yoga
Can Change the World
Dear Editors,
I
am always inspired by the IYTA Newsletters. On August
2nd, we taught a free monthly yoga class in Sholom Park, a
botanical garden in Ocala, Florida.
Many new people were there and so I began by quoting the
benefits of stretching from Jaya Applebaum’s article. Then I
presented the class in a state of humility per Ramanandaji’s
article.
After a brief meditation, I quoted from Pilar’s article about
the Holy Science of yoga–I was reminded of how privileged
we are to “uphold the true essence of yoga’s purity.” Prema’s
and Kalyani’s articles were both so uplifting and hopeful, and
I was inspired to write a little on my mindfulness practice.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never
hurt me,” so the saying goes. But words can hurt. When my
husband Mitra and I were first together, he thought my clip
British accent was “Miss Bossy Knickers.” Over the years I’ve
softened my speech and am aware of how I respond in any
given situation.
I remind myself each morning that I am patient, gentle and
kind, and pay attention to the way I talk and act. Rather than
snapping or being critical, my words are sweet or, if not, I’m
silent! Practice definitely makes improvement. Peace begins
with us, so sweet encouraging words go a long way.
Pratipaksha Bhavanam is so appropriate, especially when we
are overwhelmed by world news. Without adding fuel to the
fire, we are enlightened enough to choose to look for the
Good, the Beauty and the essential Peace of existence. Then
our light shines and we live in Sat–chid–ananda.
Om Shanthi,
Ambha Crane
By Dhara (Jessica) Glendinning
I
am a writer, a yogi, a rebel. Along my path, this has looked
like being a communications assistant at an environmental
law firm, the founder of a volunteer-based startup, or the
executive director of a small environmental nonprofit.
Ultimately, I'm just trying to help people live their lives and
run their businesses while also being good stewards. I care
deeply about our planet and the people on it, and in the long
run my work is about saving them both.
In my personal explorations of world-changing and
environmentalism, I have felt the frustration of the fight–
both against external forces as well as the infighting that
so often detracts from positive change—and believe in the
day when enough people will come to the realization that
our planet is an intricately woven web of environment,
health, agriculture, water, social justice… and that we are all
connected.
Throughout my journeying, I have always felt that something
was missing, that there had to be a better way of looking
at the world, and a more sustainable method for caring for
both ourselves and our mother earth. I spent many years
approaching this from an activist's perspective, on the front
lines of the fight, burning intensely and wondering if there
was an end in sight. Then, five years ago, I found my way on
to my yoga mat for the first time.
It wasn't until this past year that I fully realized what an
important part of my life my practice had become. Yoga had
become non-negotiable; no matter what else was going on
in my life, my practice was to be a major part of it. My life
has taken many turns since that first yoga class, but it wasn't
until I started working with a business coach last year that I
was able to fully grasp the idea that I can help transform the
world through yoga.
The teacher training that I completed last spring (2014)
will provide the stepping stones for me to create a program
that works with activists and other positive change-makers,
helping them embrace the idea that in order to heal and
sustain our world, we must first do the same for ourselves. My
goal is to reach out into the world, empowering thousands
of world-changers to improve their lives through yoga, while
also creating a sustainable life balance as they make their
mark on the world.
Dhara ( Jessica) received her Integral Yoga Basic Hatha (200 hour)
certification in May of 2014 from Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville.
You can visit her website at: www.rebel-yogi.com
Cartoon by Andre Satie
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 16
IYTA News Column
By Brahmi Milliman
“If you want to see a heaven, come to Yogaville.” (Swami Satchidananda)
The Integral Yoga Academy and Teachers Association would like to welcome Matthew Jivada Fritts, MPH, PMP, E-RYT 500 as
the new Director of IYTA and Teacher Training Planning and Development.
Matt is delighted to be back at Yogaville to serve in these roles. He completed Basic Hatha Yoga Teacher Training in 1996 at
Yogaville, where he has also participated in the Living Yoga Training program. He completed Intermediate Hatha Yoga Teacher
Training at the Integral Yoga Institute in Coimbatore, India in 1998. Matt has also lived at the Integral Yoga Institute in San
Francisco, while he was working at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute on clinical research with Dr. Dean Ornish’s
Integral Yoga-based Program for Reversing Heart Disease.
He is returning to Yogaville from the Washington, DC area, where he has been living and working for 15 years. He completed
the Presidential Management Fellowship program at the National Institutes of Health and worked for several years in behavioral
and prevention research at the National Cancer Institute. He then conducted research projects and managed research programs
in the areas of wellness promotion, traditional medical systems, and Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM) at Samueli
Institute in Alexandria, VA. He also worked to help bring mind-body practices—including yoga and meditation-- to our Service
members and veterans, and to underserved populations.
On the side, he has been teaching for 15 years a variety of styles of yoga, as well as meditation and
pilates. The class settings have ranged from meditation centers to gyms, and from private lessons
to large group classes.
He first met Integral Yoga and Sri Swami Satchidananda while he was an undergraduate student
at the University of Virginia; where he studied Eastern religions, music (piano performance) and
pre-medical sciences. He began medical school; but then decided to follow his heart and pursue
a career direction that married his desire to heal and serve with his love of yoga. Toward this end,
he earned a Master of Public Health degree from George Washington University and is certified
as a Project Management Professional. A student and practitioner of Buddhism, he has had the
fortunate opportunity to help plan and coordinate two major teachings by His Holiness the Dalai
Lama in Washington, DC.
You can reach Matt at [email protected] or 434-969-3121, ext. 159.
Transforming Lives
Yoga as Medicine
Timothy McCall, M.D., E-RYT 500
Level 1: March 6—13, 2015
Raja Yoga Intensive
Swami Karunananda, E-RYT 500
March 27—29, 2015
Learning to
Love Ourselves
Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.
March 20—22, 2015
Yoga Therapy
for Chronic Pain
Gary Kraftsow, M.A., E-RYT 500
March 27—29, 2015
1-800-858-9642 www.yogaville.org
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 17
Integral Yoga Senior Speakers’ Schedules
Please contact local representatives for times, costs, pre-enrollment requirements, schedule changes, etc.
(Mataji) Swami Gurucharadananda
Contact
February 6 - 8, Meditation Workshop: Essentials of Setting Up a Meditation Practice
That Will “Last”
[email protected]
February 17 - 20, Mid-Week Retreat “Go Deep”: Deepening One’s Meditation Practice and
Discovering Unexpected Treasures Within
[email protected]
Swami Asokananda
January – March, Yoga Life Training at the IYI NY
www.iyiny.org
IYI NY February 3-24, 7-8:15pm, Explore the Bhagavad Gita Yoga Philosophy and Psychology: Study
Group
`
www.iyiny.org
February 21, Satsang with Swami Asokananda at the IYI NY
www.iyiny.org
February 26 – March 2, Programs in Virginia Beach
[email protected]
March 21 – 27, Yoga Vacation in Guatemala
[email protected]
March 29 – April 1, Yoga Alliance Board Meeting in LA
[email protected]
April 16 – 20, Programs in Victoria BC
[email protected]
Swami Karunananda
February 7 - 21, Raja Yoga Teacher Training, SF IYI
[email protected]
February 12, Teachers Workshop at SF IYI. Topic: “How to Approach Your Own Spiritual Growth”
February 21, Satsang, SF IYI
[email protected]
February 27 - March 1, Pranayama and Meditation Intensive at Santa Barbara Yoga Center
[email protected]
March 7, Satsang at Santa Barbara Yogax Center
[email protected]
March 27 - 29, Raja Yoga Intensive at Yogaville
[email protected]
Swami Ramananda
April 9 - 19, Stress Management, IYI, New York
www.iyiny.org
Swami Divyananda
Sacred India Tour, February 16 to March 4. North and South India
Yoga Sadhana Intensive, March 14 - 22, Rishikesh,
April-May, Beginner Teacher Training, Astanka Yoga Mandhir, Sri Lanka
Satya Greenstone
917 500 3306
917 500 3306
(Mr. Vyasah) 94 77727 4859
February 20 - March 1, 2015 Restorative Yoga Teacher Training Certification at Yogaville [email protected]
April 12 - May 10, Basic Hatha Yoga Teacher Training: 200 hour Certification at Yogaville [email protected]
June 21 - July 12, Intermediate Hatha Teacher Training Certification at Yogaville
[email protected]
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 18
Upcoming Winter 2015 Programs at Yogaville
February
6–8
Healthy Relationships in Yoga & the Path of Heart, with Jeevakan Abbate, assisted by Priya Abbate
13–15
Partner Yoga & Massage, with Renata Gregory Sullivan, C.Y.T. & Dr. Michael Muktan Sullivan, D.C., D.Ay.
17–20
Dive Deep Within, with Swami Gurucharanananda (Mataji)
20–22
Mindfulness, Compassion & Difficult Emotions, with Susan Carol Stone, Ph.D.
20–Mar 1 Integral Yoga® Restorative Teacher Training, with Satya Greenstone, E-RYT 500
27–Mar 1 Body Image & Yoga, with Mala Cunningham, Ph.D.
March
6–8
Awakening to Your True Self, with Revs. Bhagavan & Bhavani Metro
6–8
Aligning the Body ~ Aligning to Spirit, with Trace Sahaja Bonner, E-RYT 500
6–13
Yoga as Medicine Level 1, with Timothy McCall, M.D., E-RYT 500
11–15
Vedic Thai Yoga Bodywork: The Expanding Practice, with Sudevi Linda Kramer, LMT, E-RYT 500, M.A.
13–15
Laugha Yoga® Leader Certification, with Bharata Wingham, CLYT, E-RYT 200
17–20
Surfing in the Sea of Change, with Swami Vidyananda, E-RYT 500 & Rev. Devaja Ciccolella
20–22
Learning to Love Ourselves: the Wisdom of the Heart, with Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.
21–27
Yoga Vacation in Guatemala, with Swami Asokananda, E-RYT 500 & Ram Wiener, E-RYT 500
27–29
Yoga Therapy for Chronic Pain, with Gary Kraftsow, M.A., E-RYT 500
27–29
Raja Yoga Intensive, with Swami Karunananda, E-RYT 500
April
3–5
Yoga of Forgiveness: Retreat with Course In Miracles, with Bharata Wingham, CLYT, E-RYT 200
6–13
Lifeforce Yoga® To Manage Your Mood, with Amy Weintraub, M.F.A., E-RYT 500
10–12
Gongs, Bowls & Drums: Sound Meditation, with Andy Matzner, MSW, LCSW
10–12
Yoga & Life Coaching – Upgrade Your Story, with Stacy Kamala Waltman, E-RYT 500, Certified Life Coach
12–May 10 Spring Basic Teacher Training, with Satya Greenstone, E-RYT 500, Letícia Padmasri, MA, E-RYT 500
16–19
Spring Silent Retreat, with Reverend Prakasha Shakti Capen, Retreat Director & Senior Staff
17–19
Taoist Yoga, with Paul Olko, N.D., Dipl. C.H., Ms.T.
21–24
Energizing Your Life, with Revs. Bhagavan and Bhavani Metro
24–26
Sacred Sounds: Healing Sounds, with Jonathan & Andi Goldman, M.A., L.P.C.
IYTA Newsletter ∞ February 2015 ∞ Page 19
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