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Take Care of Your Inner Peace
“Don’t be affected by circumstances. If anything comes, scrutinize it; see whether it will help you move more quickly toward your goal. If so, take the help. Otherwise say, ‘No, I am not interested right now.’ That’s what we should be doing to take care of our inner peace.
“God bless you. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.” —Sri Swami Satchidananda
(photo: Swami Satchidananda meditating in North India, mid-1970s)
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While the term "Guru" has many uses and meanings today, traditionally it refers to a spiritual master. Yet, as Swami Satchidananda explains in this video, "Guru is the ominpresent consciousness which pervades everywhere, which guides the entire universe constantly." An external Guru is often helpful in teaching us how to access our inner Guru and so we are grateful to Sri Swami Satchidananda, the founder of Integral Yoga and Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville, and pay loving tribute to him on this Guru Poornima. He taught that during Guru Poornima, we should honor all the teachers—not just our own. As Krishna Das so beautifully shares at the end of each of his kirtans, "If we know anything about a path at all, it's only because of the Great ones that have gone before us. Out of their love and kindness, they have left some footprints for us to follow. So, in the same way that they wish for us, we wish that all beings everywhere, including ourselves, be safe, be happy, have good health, and enough to eat. And may we all live at ease of heart with whatever comes to us in life."
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In this monthly series on the Yamas and Niyamas, Swami Karunananda offers wisdom and reflections on applying these foundational principles of Yoga in daily life. This month’s teaching is on Satya, truthfulness.
Swami Satchidananda taught that: “If we can control the tongue, we can control everything and attain self-mastery. We have five organs of perception (eyes/sight, ears/hearing, nose/smell, tongue/taste, sense receptors/touch) and five organs of action (hands, feet, organ of procreation, organ of elimination, and the tongue as the organ of speech). Only the tongue is both an organ of sense and an organ of action. Thus, it plays a pivotal role in our life." According to the yogic teachings, speech should meet the four qualifications described above: non-harmful, truthful, pleasant and beneficial. If it doesn’t meet these criteria, we can try to rephrase it or not say it. Over a month, focus on one quality per week, and then try to observe all four the fifth week. Since speech is a main way we interact with others, we can learn a lot about ourselves, our relationships, and about communication in general by observing and adjusting our speech. MORE
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The Lunar Eclipse and Guru Poornima
On Tuesday, July 16 there will be a lunar eclipse. Vedic astrologer, Sam (Sadasiva) Geppi explained to LAYoga.com that, "The eclipse in Sagittarius takes place on Guru Poornima, the day to celebrate your Guru. Needless to say, this is an important date spiritually, perhaps one of the most important of the year. It is also a meaningful day to study. If possible, actually spend time with your important teachers. On Guru Poornima, your mind most easily grasps the true nature of the teachings themselves. The Nakshatra of this full moon is Uttara Ashada which literally means 'later victory.' This is the time when your wisdom teachings can emerge victorious over your darker nature – but you need to put them into practice."
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The Most Important Meal of the Day — According to Ayurveda
By Dr. John Douillard
When do you consume the majority of your meals? Have you ever wondered if the timing of your meals can affect your mood and overall health? In 1984, during my first year in practice, I found myself exhausted at the end of a long day of seeing patients. To figure out why I was so tired after work, I went to see an Ayurvedic doctor. Before my exam, the nurse took my blood pressure and informed me it was high, which surprised me as I did Yoga and breathing meditations, I was a competitive triathlete, and I had finished an Ironman—why would I have high blood pressure at 27? The first thing the doctor asked me was, “What do you eat for lunch? I told him that I had a busy practice and struggled to stay on time. I found myself typically with only 10-15 minutes for lunch and would quickly grab a bite or one of the chocolate truffles that were always gracing the staff lounge. I told him that I would have a nice big breakfast and a nice big dinner, but lunch was on the run. He told me that I should schedule more time for lunch: “Go home and have a nice, relaxing, warm cooked meal in the middle of the day and you will never have blood pressure problems again.” MORE
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Dianne Bondy has been leading a Yoga revolution: empowering students to come to the mat as they are, educating teachers on the need for inclusivity in Yoga and leading systematic change within the Yoga industrial complex. In this video, she shares the journey that led her to Yoga and inspired her to make Yoga more accessible for all.
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Yoga teacher Maty Ezraty, the founder of YogaWorks, passed away suddenly last week in Japan, at age 55 (cause of death is still undetermined). She created YogaWorks in 1987, though she stepped away from it in 2004. She continued to teach Yoga and calling for an understanding of the further reaches of the practice, noting in an interview with Yoga Journal: "At the end of the day, the technical aspects of Trikonasana are not enough. And you cannot get enlightened doing a fancy pose—no matter how perfect it is. It’s just not gonna happen. Asana is just a stepping stone. At some point, a meditation or pranayama practice can lead to deeper understanding of yourself and your surroundings." In a beautiful tribute to this teacher gone too soon, Sarah Ezrin writes: "How do you sum up a life? How do you put into words the amount of love so many felt for one woman? How do you convey the luminosity of a light that shone so brightly it radiated across the entire globe? Maty Ezraty was more than just a Yoga teacher, she was our Yoga mama. She helped birth the modern Yoga scene as we know it and we are all better for it." MORE
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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 2.33. This sutra is considered such a key Yoga practice that Swami Satchidananda recommended that the sutra be memorized by all sincere and aspiring yogis.
If we look deeply at the implications of pratipaksha bhavana (thoughts, images, or feelings with the power to uplift, invigorate, inspire, and steady the mind as a a counterforce to wayward thoughts), we find that it can expand to a very powerful and beneficial dimension. This practice is not just for momentary first aid when the mind is disturbed. It is also a blueprint for transformation — a chance for new beginnings, a practice that can help us turn our life around, opening new horizons and providing a clear path for a spiritually prosperous future. Pratipaksha bhavana works because it reflects back to us what is true, deep, and abiding. It provides opportunities to transcend an ego hampered by desires for limits, boundaries, the need to always be in control, and right (rather than in right, i.e., productive, relationship with truth). MORE
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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 9, Swami Asokananda gave commentary on the 20th verse of Chapter 1. He advised that it is the practice of meditation that helps us to cultivate the equanimity or balanced mind that Arjuna was seeking. In part 10 of this video series, Asokanandaji leads us on a "life review," that can aid us in seeing ourselves more clearly.
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Last week, Energy News Network ran a feature story about Yogaville entitled: "Energy Audit Inspires Virginia Yogis to 'Stand Up for Something That's Important.'" That something important is opposing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and at the same time investing in alternative energy sources for Yogaville. The article contained an interview with Jeeva Abbate, the director of Yogaville Environmental Solutions, who explained, "Solar lets Yogaville begin weaning itself off fossil fuels and sends a message about opposing the pipeline. As part of a week-long "solar boot camp," the participants toured Yogaville to examine all aspects of the new solar arrays. (photo: Jeeva Abbate engages solar trainees with a primer about the inverters that are part of the rooftop solar system atop Yogaville’s Sivananda Hall. Photo by Elizabeth McGowan.)
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Inspiring Meme of the Week
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