Monthly News
Greetings to all our friends and fellow seekers.
We want to wish each and every one of you a Very Happy and Most Auspicious New Year 2020. May the teachings and practices of Yoga light our path and bring Peace and Love to our sadly neglected world.
We will begin this months message with a quote from our very own Guruji Swamiji Yogiraj as derived from his book "Spiritual Essence”:
“One should be ones own master. Dependence of any kind is Not desired whereas slavery is a curse. Be a Master of your own Self”
This is a very powerful message and a great wake up call to all of us at the start of our New Year. A time we all look towards New beginnings, being engulfed in Newness and Freshness, and welcoming Auspiciousness and Grace to light the path for our lives this year in making as we begin a new decade. This awareness itself should give us an extra boost of energy/shakti, compel us to be courageous, independent and proactive, to turn things and circumstances around that we know as a fact didn’t work out too well for us in past year(s). Here and Now is our Golden opportunity to enrich our lives and become Whole again.
Please examine this interesting clarification below on Nurture vs Renunciation by Swami Satchidananda. His wisdom can be most revealing and helpful to us All :
Question:
"Because I had a difficult childhood, my therapist told me I need to nurture myself to become whole and balanced. You teach renunciation and that renunciation is the key to peace. Then what is the difference between self-nurturing and renunciation? Are these two opposite of each other or is there a way to reconcile these two?."
Reply by Swami Satchidananda:
“ First, nurture yourself. Nurturing yourself to become whole and balanced has to do with the condition of your mind. Your mind should be well-developed and it should learn to balance itself. And that’s what Yoga is all about.
What are you balancing?
You have to balance the pleasure and the pain, the profit and loss, praise and blame. The entire nature is filled with these dualities. You have to learn to balance them. If somebody always praises you, then you may be happy, and you’ll find yourself attached to this as a source of your happiness. But suppose somebody says something very nasty to you and about you, then you must accept this as well. If Not, you are Not balanced. You are Not whole.
So the mind has to be trained in this way. That is what Nurturing the mind means, and this is the ABC of Yoga.
Once the mind is balanced, you do Not have to renounce anything. Everything is already renounced.
Then what is renunciation?
It is when the mind does not get affected by adverse things. When we like some things and we dislike other things, we are always in trouble. That’s because when you like something and get it, this only makes you happy. But when you don’t like something you are annoyed by that, so your happiness is gone. So stay away from the likes and dislikes. Is it possible to live like that? This is up to your perspective, so training the mind in the way and it is well worth it!
Once you renounce your connection with the dualities, being affected by the dualities, then you can use them. But don’t let them use you !
As an example in my life, I was traveling on a train in India with a friend. At breakfast time, the train stopped and travelers could get off and purchase food at the station. After my friend went out, another man who just boarded saw the empty seat. He asked to sit and I told him that the seat belonged to my friend who would soon come back. Then, assuming that I was just trying to have more room for myself, he said, “I’ll just sit and when he returns I’ll get up.” “Okay.”
When the friend returned, this man refused to budge. I reminded him of the agreement, and he replied, “Well, you’ll just have to make me move!” I puffed myself up and put on a very scary face and said, “Oh, so you want me to show you what I’ll do??..” This frightened the man and he instantly got up and off he went. Once my friend sat back in his seat I spoke with him as if nothing had just happened. I just asked, “What did you get for breakfast?” He said, “You are a Swami and you’re not supposed to ever be angry. How could you get so angry a few minutes ago? You got angry one minute and now you are all calm. Who are you?” I explained, “Don’t worry. Sometimes it’s necessary to keep anger in my pocket. I keep it there and use it in situations like this.”
It is alright to use anger when necessary, but never let anger use you. Anger is Not bad as long as you know how to use it. If you know how to use things, everything is good, but if you don’t know , then even the good things will turn out to be bad. So, we need to have a completely balanced mind. And that is what it means to have a nurtured mind. Once the mind is nurtured, it is balanced, and there is nothing left to renounce. So nurture yourself first. Find the balance, and in this manner remain renounced”.
We at Yogavani are always grateful for having had the opportunity over many, many years to spend time with our beloved Guru Swamiji Yogiraj, to receive His teachings and Blessings directly, and to continue to experience His Omniscient presence in our lives.
Take time to browse through our website and especially check out the section of his abundant insights
http://yogavanimission.org/?Words_of_Wisdom
Guru Mantra initiation is offered at the the Full moon along with personalized guidance in making this direct omniscient connection a reality in our lives.
For those interested in learning more, contact us directly at hlistopad@gmail.com
We are Always here to help serve your Higher Self.
With Love and Blessings
Om Shantih, Shantih,Shantih
Eternal Peace
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Email: hlistopad@gmail.com