Question: If the Self is already realized and if it is already Divine, why do we need the experience of enlightenment to know this?
Swami Satchidananda: Who said the Self is already realized and already Divine? Do you know positively? If you know this positively, you won’t have any question. But because you don’t know it, you are trying to know that. The Self is always clean, and never gets into any problems because the Self, or your I, the big capital I, is the image of God.There is a Self in everything. Don’t you see that in the English language? The microphone itself, the speaker herself, the chair itself, the tree itself, himself, yourself. What is the ending of all these phrases? Self, Self, Self. That shows there is Self everywhere. It appears differently but it is the same Self. You just don’t realize it. You don’t see the Self clearly. Or, you don’t see your Self as God’s image clearly. In other words, you don’t see yourself as Divine. You can’t see yourself as Divine unless you see that divinity reflected in something. Do you have a face? Have you ever seen it? You say you have a face but you have never seen it. You need a mirror to see your own face. But what you see is the reflection of your face. You are the Self, but you have never seen it.  MORE

Many of us think of joy as an experience we have when something special happens. We may plan specific activities, such as a vacation, some entertainment or dining out, that we think will bring us joy. This thinking is so prevalent in our culture that we don’t realize how limiting it is, since it is built on an unconscious belief that we need something more to be happy. This month, we decided to practice the understanding that joy is a natural state and we will be exploring what it means to enjoy the present moment and what prevents our enjoyment of it. Sri Swami Satchidananda often spoke about peace and joy as our birthright, our very nature. He encouraged us to think carefully and avoid anything that would disturb that natural condition. Many things we desire can have that disturbing effect: expecting things to go my way, hoping someone will love me, or counting on some specific outcome from my efforts. In all these cases, I am unconsciously depending on something that I cannot control as the source of my happiness.  MORE

Hatha Yoga: The Art of Change
By Mia Velez

Change is the act of becoming different, a natural occurrence that makes life possible. So why does it cause so much stress? Change comes into our awareness at the end of comfort. When life is good, there is no need to change. Only when things are uneasy do we begin to shift. Even the act of denying, resisting, or escaping from the discomfort is a form of change – but the kind that leads to unbearable circumstances. If we are interested in a transition that leads to harmony and liberation, that’s when our Yoga practice comes in. Yoga has provided me the tools to anticipate the uncertainty of change and gracefully accept it by teaching me how to have a relationship with my inner self. Because the body does not decipher between actual and perceived threat, we can tap into our stress induced reactive patterns within the safety of our Yoga mat. During a Hatha practice, we center our movements and poses around our breath. When a pose challenges us, we check in with our breath to see how it has changed and work to steady the breath. With a steady breath, we can make choices on how to proceed: do we ease back from the challenge and practice self-care, do we hold the pose and observe in stillness, or do we challenge our limits by pushing our boundaries?  MORE

Perhaps you are a fan of "Old Town Road," the chart-topping country/hip hop song? Well, that old town road has nothing on walking the LOTUS Road, which should be a song—is such a joy! Not only does it lead to the magnificent Light Of Truth Universal Shrine and Chidambaram (the Mahasamadhi Shrine of Sri Swami Satchidananda), but you also never know who you are going to meet on the road! A few days ago, it was Joe and Bharati Gardino.