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Have No Fear
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If you are already restful and peaceful, why meditate? Meditation is a sort of medication that is needed only when you feel sick. It helps those whose minds are restless. So don’t get disappointed if you are unable to meditate right away. Nothing worthwhile is achieved overnight. You had to crawl before you could even stand up and only then did you learn to walk and run. Meditation is like that. First we learn to concentrate by continually bringing the mind back as it runs here and there. It is a constant struggle, but gradually you get used to keeping it in one place and then meditation happens. If we know why we want to meditate, it becomes easy. Usually it’s because we are sick and tired of running around, looking for happiness outside of ourselves, in wealth, possessions, name, and fame. You have to become sick before you seek. Then you will naturally become hungry and thirsty for the truth; if you don’t, Mother Nature will do if for you by providing a lot of problems. MORE
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Need some inspiration to jumpstart a new year routine of waking up with a few rounds of Surya Namaskar, the Sun Worship? We've got you covered! This amazing animated gif of Swami Satchidananda doing a round of Surya Namaskar was created by Integral Yoga teacher and artist, Jyoti Eloisa Scichilone, from Italy. She is also the artist who created the charming drawings in Integral Yoga Publication's latest book, Yoga Affirmations Color Book. Enjoy the gif, which you can download and share with friends! Thank you Jyoti!
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Can't We All Get Along?
Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day set aside to honor and remember Dr. King and the civil rights movement he championed. In this talk from the mid-1970s, Swami Satchidananda addresses the issues that have never had more relevance in today’s world: How can we find our oneness? How do we stop fighting in the name of religion or country or race? He cautions that if we don’t find what unites us, we fight about our differences. He explains how to find the unity within our diversity—our spiritual oneness.
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Br. David—Swami Satchidananda's longtime interfaith collaborating partner—is often referred to as the "modern day Thomas Merton." In this interview about his life, spiritual journey, and what led him to the path of gratitude, he also talks about his interfaith work and relationship with Swami Satchidananda.
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Inside Yama and Niyama with Swami Karunananda, Part II
In Part II of this three-part video series, one of Integral Yoga's master Raja Yoga teachers, takes us for a journey inside the foundational teachings of Yoga that form the first two limbs of the 8-limbed Raja Yoga system: Yama and Niyama. With her inimitable way of teaching—weaving stories and insights as she unpacks these classical limbs—you will be sure to discover new ways to understand, be inspired by, and apply Yama and Niyama in your life.
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If done right, the holiday season is the gift that keeps on giving, and this is one of those “miracle” recipes that we’re looking forward to drinking year-round for a warm and happy belly. The almond base of the chai provides an ample source of Vitamin E, an antioxidant known to support skin and cardiovascular health, and weight management. The dash of cinnamon, too like the almonds, stimulates blood sugar regulation. The Chai is combined with a "Nog" recipe that includes other yummy ingredients. Find the whole recipe here.
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I've always believed that everything in life is interconnected. What happens in one aspect of my life has implications, reflections, and lessons in another aspect. This became even more apparent when I started practicing Yoga—a quick 10-minute flow inspires me with so many realizations and insights into my everyday life. My trusty Yoga block is one of my favourite Yoga props and I find it fitting that I get a lot of useful revelations whenever I use it. My Yoga block has helped me to learn that beauty and purpose come in the simplest forms.The humble Yoga block is just like a brick really—only a softer version of one. But then again, think of it this way, a million bricks placed together correctly, can build anything from a family house to a huge castle. The simplicity of the form and construction of the Yoga block, is the very reason why it is so useful in the first place. Sometimes all we need is a little lift. MORE
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A wild-style, cryptographic cipher and hip-hop oracle who writes Vedic verses about Ganesha, Hanuman and Shiva, is on his Spiritual Graffiti book tour. Joined by his partner/wife, street artist Amanda Giacomini (aka 10,000 Buddhas), they’ve covered a lot of ground together over the years. The début memoirist and Bhakti-circuit darling who has headlined some of the biggest sacred stages around has now penned an alchemic tale of transmutation. Spiritual Graffiti tells the story of transforming urban-American teen traumas and troublesome past life samskaras through the power of Yoga. “It’s about how Yoga opened the door to this incredible ride I’ve been on as MC YOGI, going to India and studying with masters, traveling around the world performing at festivals,” he says. He’s referencing two of his teachers: San Francisco’s radical yogi, Larry Schultz as his first point of contact as a teen in the early nineties, then, later, with Ashtanga Vinyasa pioneer, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore. MORE (via LA Yoga)
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Inspirational Meme of the Week
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For the past two weeks, Satchidananda Ashram has been bathed in the sounds of silence. First, there was the annual New Year's Silent Retreat, which was attend by over 100 retreatants. That retreat was followed by the annual Staff Silent Retreat. The ashram was closed for the staff retreat, a time when those who serve at the ashram can recharge through silence, the Integral Yoga practices, and inspiring programs such as a talk, via Skype, by Swami Muktananda from Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh; a presentation by Zen Buddhist teacher Carol Stone; and talks by Integral Yoga swamis and teachers, including this Yoga Nidra class that featured a guided experience led by Raam Bell.
(Photo: Jeff Ananda Kamen)
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