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Pleasure and Pain
“Know that pleasure and pain come together, they a part of the world. Your happiness is something that is above pleasure and pain.
“God bless you. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.” —Sri Swami Satchidananda
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Are Pilgrimages Necessary for Spiritual Growth?
By Sri Swami Satchidananda
Pilgrimages are made to develop physical and mental strength and purity. Most pilgrimage destinations are in a difficult place to reach. If you can gain physical and mental cleanliness right here where you are, you can have the same benefit. That's probably one of the reasons we practice Yoga—it cleans up your entire system. According to Yoga philosophy, we have five bodies: physical, vital, mental, and the bliss body. The Yoga practices help to cleanse and balance the bodies. Asana cleans the physical body, while pranayama cleanses the vital body. Through meditation the mental body is cleaned. There are kriyas for cleaning the stomach, nasal passages, and intestines. So, instead of going far away, practice Yoga as your pilgrimage. When you are clean, your body and mind reflect the inner Light. The Light is there always, but it doesn’t come through clearly when the bodies aren't clean. The bodies can be like chimneys—colored, smoked up, blocked, and dark. You don’t have to do anything with the Light inside—you just have to clean up the chimney and the Light shines through! Pilgrimages help do that. Yoga practice does that. Whatever is comfortable for you, do it. But either way, the aim is to clean up your body and mind so that the Divine Light within will be experienced.
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You Have the Buddha in You
By Thich Nhat Hanh
The three jewels (Buddha, dharma, sangha) are inside of you. You have the Buddha in you. It is your capacity to wake up, to understand, to love. If someone has plenty of these things, he or she is a Buddha, and we want to have as many buddhas as possible. You have the dharma in you. There must be a method to produce compassion, understanding, and freedom, and that is the dharma. The dharma in you may be weak or strong, according to your practice. Then, in order to produce the powerful energy of enlightenment, compassion, understanding, you need a sangha, a community. You build a sangha and together you help each other nourish the Buddha and the dharma in you. The three jewels are very concrete. They are not objects of belief. You cannot deny the existence of the three jewels. They are not something outside of you. They are inside of you. The Buddha is not on a cloud. The Buddha is awakening, understanding, and compassion, and you have buddhanature. Practice helps buddhanature grow and that protects you. That is your refuge. It’s very scientific.
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Here's the trailer for a new documentary opening at the Rubin Museum (New York), the Laemmle Royal (Los Angeles), and theaters in the Bay Area, on September 6. A national release will follow. Becoming Nobody represents the core arc of Ram Dass’ teachings and life: through his turns as a rock-star Harvard psychologist, counter-culture rascally adventurer, Eastern holy man, stroke survivor and compassionate caregiver, Ram Dass has worn many hats on his journey, the narrative of which is revealed in this film. His ability to entertain and his sense of humor are abundantly evident in a conversation that brings us around to address the vast question of ultimate freedom. In Becoming Nobody, historic clips balance an engaging conversation with director Jamie Catto. The film captures a loving man full of joy, wit, honesty and wisdom, at ease in conversation while sharing his considerable pains and pleasures. The life experiences that have freed him from the attachments of his ‘somebody-ness’ have transformed him into the radiant soul who now inspires a new generation.
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Before I had any experience with Yoga—the practices, the principles, the lifestyle—I assumed it was for people who already had their act together. You see, I was in rehab for my fourth time for drug and alcohol addiction. I couldn’t stop doing dope, let alone imagine dedicating time to stretching or breathing or whatever Yoga was. I had very real problems and needed a very real solution; I just assumed Yoga wasn’t it.... I thought I was unique in my struggle, but as the years go by I learn that the human condition is full of self-defeating behaviors. We may drink too much, eat too much, shop too much, sleep too much, seek validation too much. We may sleep too little, speak up too little, eat too little, leave our homes too little. If Yoga was a practice to enhance an already perfect life, I can’t think of one person I know who could benefit from it. Yoga is real. Pain is real. Suffering is real. And the need for connection and acceptance is real. So I started practicing—not because I wanted to but because I had to. Literally, I was in a facility where participation in all programs was mandatory. But slowly, over time, I saw benefits from the mindfulness involved. I saw others around me start to benefit. It wasn’t necessarily about the postures, but the lessons they taught. MORE
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In the long days of summer (as well as year-round), we want to enjoy the benefits of our time in the sun while protecting our skin from excess exposure. According to Dermveda expert dermatologist Raja Sivamani, MD MS AP, “Sun protection used to be about avoiding a sunburn. But, we have come a long way from then and have become more sophisticated with our science and our approach. Good sun protection means you reduce or eliminate overexposure to ultraviolet type A, ultraviolet type B, and high energy blue light.” While sun protection is important, so is protecting our sensitive coral reefs; the delicate ecology of coral reefs can be affected by some of the chemicals in conventional sunscreens. Two of the ingredients that have been identified as being the most problematic are oxybenzone and octinoxate. Kate Solomon is the founder and CEO of Babo Botanicals. She’s one of a group of skincare companies who are committed to making products that are healthy for both people and the planet. She says, “Millions of people visit beaches each year and it has been proven that chemicals in sunscreens can destroy reefs, as well as be an endocrine disruptor in humans.” MORE (Find some recommendations on sunscreens that are good for you and for the planet here.)
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In this series of short talks, Swami Asokananda (Integral Yoga) shares his insights from years of study and contemplation on the great Indian scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. In part 8, Swami Asokananda discusses the 20th verse of Chapter 1. Here, we find our story unfolding on a battlefield. Asokanandaji explains the symbolism of the setting and those involved in the battle. Arjuna represents the sincere spiritual seeker. Sri Krishna, who is his charioteer, represents the highest consciousness at the core of our being. The battle is the battle waged within ourselves each day: to awaken or stay asleep.
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Rev. Jaganath, Integral Yoga Minister and Raja Yoga master teacher, has spent a lifetime delving into the deepest layers of meaning in Patanjali’s words within the Yoga Sutras. Our series continues with sutra 2.30. In sutra 2.29, Patanjali explained how the kleshas can be removed by following the eight-fold path of Yoga. In sutra 2.30, we learn more about the first of the eight limbs: yama.
Ahimsa is the highest of the yamas because the impulse to engage in violent thoughts, words, and deeds arise from feelings of fear – from real, exaggerated, or imagined threats. Competition for resources, lust for power and wealth, uncertainty and change, all played against the underlying background of duhkha, creates a fertile ground for violence. Note that the other yamas all help create and support ahimsa. On a personal level, the impulse to do harm, to dislike, even hate others has to be pacified and transcended in order to progress spiritually. Certainly all of the Yoga practices and principles help accomplish this, but perhaps faith and the four locks and four keys (Brahma Viharas) stand out as the foremost. MORE
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Integral Yoga Publications is pleased to announce the release of The Woodstock Guru. This new book was published in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Music Festival, which was opened by Swami Satchidananda in August 1969. When he first arrived in the West in 1966, Yoga was largely unknown here. There were no classes at the local YMCA. Health food stores contained only bottles of vitamin supplements and photos of body builders. Few understood the meaning of karma. When most people thought of a yogi, they remembered a popular cartoon man sleeping on a bed of nails. All this changed when Swami Satchidananda arrived in the West. This new book, illustrated with the artwork of pop artist icon Peter Max, tells the untold story of the Woodstock Guru’s journey to Woodstock, the inspiration and legacy of Woodstock, and the Yoga movement it inspired. Available now from Shakticom.
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Hersha Chellaram, director of Integral Yoga Hong Kong, is a pioneering Yoga instructor and therapist who has been working to make the Yoga accessible to some of Hong Kong's most disadvantaged people. In a recent interview, she spoke with the South China Morning Post about her work with special needs children and disabled adults, and her success improving the lives of people in a community she loves.
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It's been an especially fruitful few years in Yogaville with nuptials and new babies! Two years ago this past week, Parker Narada Williams (Yogaville programs administrator) and Alex Anandi Williams (Yogaville blog editor) were married. Then, last year, their beautiful daughter Veena Naomi was born! Also last year, Richard Young, Yogaville's Operations Manager (and talented chef!), married Santoshi Dowden (former assistant to Yogaville's Executive Director). Last weekend, Integral Yoga Teachers Association director Avi Gordon and Alexandra Cummins were married by Rev. Bhagavan Metro at the Overlook in James River State Park in central Virginia. This short video sampler of the blessings they shared offers snippets of the day. Avi and Alex's baby daughter, Zen, took it all in with studied elegance and calm. And yes, that is Mataji on violin playing “Here Comes the Bride.” (Report/video by Jeff Ananda Kamen)
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Inspiring Meme of the Week
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