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Integral Yoga® Magazine, Issue No. 78 "Universal Love"
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Universal Love   
 
 “Let us see the same light, the same spirit, dwelling everywhere as everything. If we see the spirit, we realize: I am you; you are me; we are one. My prayer is always that universal love will light our paths.

“God bless you. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.  Sri Swami Satchidananda

(photo: Interfaith service at Annhurst College during Integral Yoga retreat, 1971. )

Who Am I?
By Swami Satchidananda

To know who you truly are, you need a mirror. Have you ever seen your face? You only know that you have a face because you have seen the reflection in a mirror. To see your face clearly, you need a straight, clean mirror with no distortion. If you look in a mirror that is unclean or crooked, you see a crooked face. Do you run to a doctor? No, you make the necessary changes in the mirror, making sure that there is no wobbly surface. Then you can see exactly what your face looks like. In the same way, if you want to see your Self, you should have a clean mirror. Nature has given you such a mirror. It is your own mind. To reflect your Self clearly, the mental mirror should be absolutely clean and steady, without any waves in it.  MORE

THE 1970 WORLD PEACE TOUR Part 5

1970 World Peace Tour: Part 5

 In 1970, Swami Satchidananda took a small group of his new American & European students on a world peace tour. Many viewers have asked if the film is available. It is available on DVD and we've serialized it as a 6-part series, in response to our readers' interest. We continue with part 5—journey to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) and includes music from jazz great, Narada Burton Greene, who was on the tour. Last week's part 4 had some copyright music issue so the video was unavailable for awhile. It's now been resolved and you can view that part here. We hope you enjoy this unique documentary!
(Thanks to Halina Listopad for the heads up regarding the earlier issue with part 4).

The hashtag for this year’s International Women’s Day (March 8th) was #PressforProgress. LA Yoga editor, Felicia Tomasko called for everyone to "Take a look at how we can #PressforProgress in all areas of our lives. We can ask ourselves a variety of questions: How are we pressing for progress? How are we collaborating? How are we moving ourselves forward in all areas of our lives? How are we helping lift each other up? How are we putting our practice into practice? How are we living our lives with our values first? How are we engaged citizens?" She suggested reading Gauri Brienda-Ramnath's article, "The 5 Steps for Creating a Purpose-Driven Life" to jumpstart this process.

Oprah's Realization in India
 
In 2012, Oprah was invited to join Deepak Chopra on a tour of India. In this video, shot during the last leg of the tour (Jaipur), Oprah shares what she learned during her journey. Her closing message echoes the very same message Swami Satchidananda dedicated his life to: a message of oneness.
(Thank you to Dr. Amrita McLanahan for this video link.)
“Whether these ever-present characteristics or forms are manifest or subtle, they are composed of the primary elements called the three gunas.” ~Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras

In his Yoga Sutras, Patanjali outlines three psychological states present in all of us, otherwise known as the three gunas. Rajas (creation) represents passion, activity, and energy. Imagine rajas moving around like a ping pong ball, or a pinball bouncing around inside the machine. Tamas (destruction) is inertia, inactivity, and passivity. Imagine tamas as a sloth slowly moving across a branch in a rainforest. Sattva (preservation) represent homeostasis and equilibrium, that sense of calmness we feel when all is right, our minds are clear, and we have a sense of serenity. Imagine a calming water as a breeze blowing to represent a state of sattva. Our minds and bodies are always bouncing from one state to the other.  MORE

Looking back now, I guess my life is another testimony to “Ask and ye shall receive.” I was serious about religion as a child and, in one way or another, was always trying to find the truth and do the right thing. It was questioning and seeking that gradually led me step by step to become a sannyasi, or monk, in the tradition of Yoga. I grew up as a Catholic in Kentucky in the 50s and 60s, which exposed me to a rather narrow spectrum of spiritual paths. I did well in school and was crazy about baseball, though I was completely inept at it. In our religious studies and in church, I aspired to be holy. I learned the Latin prayers and became an altar boy, helping the priests at mass. I purposely befriended the unpopular kids on the lunchtime playground in an effort to practice the words of Jesus. I also remember thinking that those who lived when Jesus was alive had an unfair advantage over the rest of us, since they could be inspired by him in person.  MORE


Here is a practice I have been working with for more than a decade. I recite, usually silently, these two sentences: May I meet this moment fully. May I meet it as a friend. In recent years, I find this blessing comes to mind naturally in times of stress as I go about my life. Recently, I decided to track its activity through a particularly stressful day: I arrive at the airport well in time for my early morning flight to Orange County, where an old friend has taken quite ill. I notice the flight is delayed. I feel myself starting to cry. May I meet this moment fully. May I meet it as a friend. I realize that I am feeling sad because I love my friend, and am sad to be losing her. I think about how long we’ve been friends. The pleasure of that thought settles my mind. Then, I hear the announcement that the flight has now been cancelled.  MORE

Stories from the Path
 
I remember the moment in this photo (above) vividly. There was a group of us doing Karma Yoga, clearing brush, outside Ananda Kutir (Swami Satchidananda’s residence) at Yogaville East. I had been working on removing this stump for a while, when I started thinking that the stump was like my ego and was never going to come out! The woods had been full of people and then I looked up from the work and they were all gone—the only ones left were me and the Guru. I said to him, "Thank you for being here." He replied, "I am just here for you." I immediately had a flash of a photo that I’d seen in National Geographic. It was a photo of one of Gurudev’s brother monks standing waist deep in water in the Himalayas flinging a stream of water back over his head. I took that to mean that a God-realized being looking for maximum pleasure would be living alone amid the rock caves and Himalayan waters, but a Bodhisattva serving humanity would be doing his dharma (helping us remove the obstacles to our spiritual growth).  ~Ganesh MacIsaac
Inside Yogaville (East)
 
This week we take you for a video tour (above) of Yogaville—the former Yogaville in Pomfret, Connecticut. This was the beloved home of the first East Coast ashram from 1973 until Yogaville Virginia was established in 1979. Though ownership remained with Integral Yoga for a few years after (during which summer programs were held there), it was eventually sold. The 30,000-square-foot, three-story brick and stucco mansion has almost 40 rooms, including 14 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms, and 15 fireplaces. "Elsinor" was built in 1911 by Mary Vinton Clark, a Pomfret native who became wealthy when the family invested in copper mines in the late 19th century. The current building replaced a wooden building (photo below) that Mrs. Clark built in 1877, which burned in December 1910 while the family was abroad. The 1911 building included plumbing and electrical systems. For those who never visited—and for those who did!—enjoy this video tour of the present estate.

Inspirational Meme of the Week
 
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