by Swami Sitaramananda | Jan 1, 2017 | 4 Paths of Yoga
17 Loving Reminders for a New Year
Om Namah Sivaya,
Blessings and New Year greetings from the Sivananda Ashram in Dalat Vietnam!
I am sitting on top of the mountain in Central Vietnam looking out to the lake, the distant mountains, and the pine trees moving in the wind.
There is a feeling of gratitude and awe to be in such a healing environment.
I am sending you some reminders of the teachings for your successful, healthy, and fulfilling Yogic New Year.
- * Happiness is within, calm the mind with Yoga practice to find happiness.
- * Peace inside will lead to peace outside. If you want the world to have peace, start with yourself.
- * Everything happens for a reason. Develop faith that you will understand everything and see the bigger picture in due time.
- * Fears make you limited and powerless, cultivate courage. Have self-confidence. Do not worry, be happy.
- * Accept yourself and others, respect yourself and others. This is the beginning steps for positive changes in yourself and others.
- * Let go of the past, it no longer serves you. Do not worry about the future, be aware and awake to be good and do good in the present. The present contains all possibilities.
- * What makes a wise choice? Something that will bring maximum good, and less harm; something that will bring you closer to the Truth within.
- * Detachment does not mean that you are losing something. Actually, you are gaining yourself back instead of losing yourself.
- * Attachment gives you a sense of fulfillment mixed with a sense of fear of losing. Free yourself from fear, by enjoying without losing yourself.
- * You can not get true and lasting freedom without self-discipline.
- * Yoga asanas move your prana and remove your stress. Do them daily.
- * Pranayama gives you balance and renewal. Learn to feel subtly and not just sensually.
- * Meditation a little per day builds up a habit of turning inward and gives a break to the mind.
- * Replace doubts with satsanga, company of those with no doubts.
- * Satsanga means going to the ashram and centers to meet people like you, but also includes reading and contemplating some daily words of wisdom from books of the Masters.
- * Pay attention to Kusanga, bad company. It includes too much indulging in social media, endless chattering of self and others.
- * Keep your mind focussed on your goal of Self Realization.
Om shanti, prostrations to you,
Swami Sitaramananda
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by Swami test | Jul 20, 2016 | 4 Paths of Yoga
Everybody knows there is such a thing as Yoga, but only a few are aware of what it could and should mean for them and for the whole world. Many in the West regard it as a system of physical culture with only a few knowing it as a self-realization practice.
What is really meant by Yoga?
The very word YOGA, a very simple one indeed, conceals much more than it reveals: hence the misunderstanding for want of a fuller comprehension and a deeper perception of the value of all its aspects: the physical as well as the spiritual ones, the outer and the inner. A fruit cannot be judged by the outer husk, which is no less an inseparable part of it, needed for its development and ripeness: we must taste it to know it truly and be nourished by it. So is Yoga.
Yoga stands in the same way as truth, balance, wholeness, rightness, a peaceful outlook and a benevolent attitude toward everybody, a progressive spirit and a deep faith in life and the deeper reality, of which life is everywhere a manifestation. Perhaps, its chief characteristic is deepness of vision, consciousness, thought, outlook—in spite of the utter simplicity of its rules and prescriptions—and for this very reason it may be little understood and not appeal too much to the mind which appreciates mostly the outer appearance of things. It can scarcely agree with a superficial frame of mind, bent on the little things and glamour, a lover of opinions rather than truth, since it needs maturity and true discernment: viveka or spiritual discrimination.
Proper Diet
Now, before going on, we should say something about eating. A Yogi must of course be a vegetarian, since under any circumstances, meat-eating means a complicity in killing. On the other hand, man is frugivorous being by nature and meat was never intended to be a food for him: it is the beginning and the way to human degeneration, and, apart from moral reasons, it always shortens human life.
8 Limbs of Yoga
As you most probably know, Yoga is said to be made of or comprise several aspects. Some even go so far to say that there is a Hatha Yoga and a Karma Yoga, a Raja Yoga and a Jnani Yoga, a Bhakti Yoga and a Laya Yoga, and that one can choose among them up to the point of accepting the one and rejecting the others. That would be the same as to pretend to use, for instance, the head only and neglect the hands and the feet.
You may, of course, for some time, try to follow one of them only; but you shall not go very far, nor for much time either. No more than you can use the head or the feet only, and leave out the trunk and remaining limbs. Yoga is a Path to Wholeness, if it is something at all, and it needs first and above everything a whole and wholesome outlook. Mind, body and consciousness should be exerted at one in each of its eight steps; neither can we safely fly above or neglect any one of them.
The Ultimate Goal
There is a higher step in which the sense of duality between the Knower and the Known is overcome. One may become so completely identified in his consciousness with the REAL (essence or hidden reality) of that which he contemplates, that the precious sense of implicit distinction between Knower and Known entirely disappears, and the sense of at-one-ness takes its place. And in a further stage still, the subtle difference implied in this at-one-ness vanished entirely, and one has become or is the object itself.
The paths are many, but the truth is ONE
Since Reality and God are synonymous, that is also the essence of true religion—the truth in every religion, above and beyond the outer garment constituted by its symbol and dogmas, beliefs and practices. So, whichever spiritual path one may have followed, he may find through Yoga the way and means of attaining the Reality, under whatever name he may have earnestly sought.
Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp magazine, Summer 1973
by Swami Sitaramananda | Jan 20, 2016 | 4 Paths of Yoga
What is Selfishness?
Selfishness arises from us failing to realize that we gain more from giving than from taking. Our mistaken belief that we are separate from others leads us to behave selfishly. We fail to consider the deep interconnectedness and oneness of all life, and act from the small perspective of our own egos or personalities, creating more separation. Yoga teaches us to open up our awareness beyond our small and limited perspectives, and to begin to recognize the divine Self that is in all.
In the beginning of my days of being a karma yogi in the Ashram, I did not believe I was selfish, but I was selfish without knowing it. I remember my first reaction: having to serve food to the guests and the students, I thought to myself, “I am not a waitress.” Having to wash the clothing of the residents in the community I thought, “How terrible that I have to wash peoples’ clothing!” Always there was an “I” that gave judgment to everything, and there was a very strong sense of, “I like this, but I don’t like that.”
Selfless Service
Yoga teaches us that we are far more than our ego and the stories we assemble about who we are and what we like or don’t like. It teaches that we are happier when we begin to move out of our egoism and away from these thoughts, beginning to serve others, regardless of whether the mind likes it at first. Through this service, one begins to experience an expansion of his or her sense of self, feeling the deep joy that comes from moving beyond separation.
Give Love
We all know this great feeling when we manage to let go of our individuality and feel a sense of oneness with another person or a group, and we also know the feeling of separateness that leads us to feel of isolated, unsupported or unloved. In life we often strive to define ourselves through our personalities, seeking to stand out in an egoistic way; but this is a mistake that leads to suffering. We forget that the way to get love is to offer love, not to try to be loved based on the limited personality. The more love we give, the more our lives will fill up with love.
Therefore, the secret to happiness is to love selflessly. This love in action that leads us beyond selfishness is called Karma-Bhakti Yoga, or the Yoga of Selfless Love in Service.
Working on our Karma
This conscious service and love redeems our selfish actions from the past. Nothing happens by accident; everything and everyone we encounter in life, the people and circumstances, even if they are difficult, are opportunities for us to serve and to love, and to work out our karma.
In yoga we often speak of moving beyond the bondage of karma. We need to remember this purpose. This means reaching a place where we are completely fulfilled and desireless. This is the state of love without selfishness.
by Swami Sitaramananda | Oct 20, 2015 | 4 Paths of Yoga
The essentials of Vedanta philosophy are based on the understanding of the way we see ourselves and our world. This understanding will guide us to know what to do to alleviate ourselves from our suffering which comes from mistakes in our way of seeing. This will help us eventually to realize our blissful true nature.
Our habitual way of seeing the world under our likes and dislikes:
We normally see our world and ourselves with our own eyes, i.e. the eyes of our mind. The way we interact with this world is through our likes and dislikes, based on past experiences. Our objective world is split in two, one side what we like and the other side what we do not like. Constant reactions to what we like and do not like constitute our life and the perpetuation of our suffering.
When we see a buffet of food, that is how we feel: “I like this food, I don’t like this one, I like this dish, I don’t like this one.” You meet with somebody, and immediately you think: “I like this about her, I don’t like this about her”. You see people and you say: I like this person, I don’t like this person. Then you go to places, and again: “I like the ocean, I don’t like the mountains” or “I like this tree, I don’t like this tree.” That is how our mind works. If it looks at anything always there is an idea, I like it, I don’t like it. In Vietnam, there is a fruit called durian. This fruit creates such a reaction in people, not only the foreigners but also the locals. They hate it or they really crave it. When they hate it, they cannot come close and smell it , they don’t want to see it. They put signs in taxis that says “no durian here” . The airlines put up signs that say no durian accepted on board. Family members put your durian outside, if you eat durian, don’t come in the house. Then you have the other kind that is the durian addict,” OOOOH durian, I want durian !!!!! Durian! I dream of durian, I want durian!!!! ” You see the reaction.
In the same manner with food, we have the same swing between likes and dislikes towards people and towards life circumstances. You spend time dreaming about places that you would love to be. Then you hate another place and you are miserable. You suffer in the company of some people. On the other hand, you are crazily attached to the company of other people.
Upon analysis, when one goes deeper and tries to understand the reasons of the likes and dislikes, then we find out that these grooves depend on the experiences stored up in the mind.
Any experience or thought in the mind when repeated over time will become a deeper groove and become familiar, thus creating an impression, a memory of like or dislike. The mind is formed with remembrances of repeated past impressions and it is automatic and repetitive.
We identify with our likes and dislikes
When the past groove in the mind is deep, then you like it and you say, “It is me.” For example, I ate rice 3 times a day in Vietnam for 20 years, so I like rice! I am called Rice Body, Rice Swami, Rice-ananda. I like rice. Someone else will be Pizza-ananda, Pancake-ananda, the bliss that comes from pizza and pancakes. It is like this, do you see? It took me a long time to phase myself out of rice, and now I am “Quinoa-ananda”.
The problem is when we identify with our likes and dislikes, we miss out on a lot of things and we think limitedly about ourselves, “this is me.” I thought rice is me!
A helpful way of seeing or interpreting our reality can be developed:
Instead of seeing the world under the eyes of “I like it” or “I dislike it”, Yoga philosophy and Vedanta gives us the framework for seeing the world through the eyes of the 3 gunas, or qualities of nature; tamas, rajas and sattva.
This will help us to understand:
1. Why we see the way we see; in other words, what is the reason of our suffering.
2. What to do to see it differently. How to change our perception of ourselves and our reality.
3. Eventually be free from suffering, attaining to a vision of oneness beyond duality, frustrations, fears and grievances.
To learn more about Vedanta philosophy, and how the mind works; register for:
© Swami Sitaramananda 2014 No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the author.
by Swami Sitaramananda | Jun 20, 2015 | 4 Paths of Yoga
1) What is the source of all mental problems?
All mental problems are spiritual problems coming from the lack of connection to the source and the absence of the sense of meaning to peoples life; believing themselves to be separate and competing with each other, identifying with their mind and emotions. The idea is the body and mind are only instruments of consciousness. If the body and mind become purified then it can reflect the light. So yoga helps the purification and this will bring the clear reflection of our consciousness, which will remove all mental problems.
2) Why modern science and technology are not capable of solving human beings problems?
Science and technology help material life and physical life, but cannot address spiritual questions. Spiritual growth and scientific growth need to go hand in hand otherwise technological growth will be at the expense of spiritual growth. In other words, we become slaves of technology and become more disconnected towards nature. This is not good.
3) How can we control our monkey mind?
Children need to learn to concentrate in general; but adults need to teach them to concentrate, so their minds can become calm and they can connect with themselves. In order to calm the mind we need to concentrate on mantra with a feeling of self-surrender to a higher power. So, there are three aspects: a concentration practice, a devotional practice of self-surrendering, and understanding that the mind and emotions are only instruments, which consciousness needs gain control over. We need to teach children the mind is not their true nature, that they are pure consciousness, on the journey from imperfection to perfection, using the mind as an instrument of experience, and learning to build their capacity to adjust their fluctuating positive and negative attitudes to a steady calm attitude.
4) What is mind? Where is it located? And how does it work?
Please refer to the chapter in the book Essentials of Yoga Practice and Philosophy about the mechanics of the mind. It is difficult to control the mind because we are not aware the mind is not who we are. In answering the previous question we spoke about the mind as an instrument to gain experience and readjust our attitude to calmness so we can reflect our true nature. If we don’t understand this and only react to the mind perceptions; it’s like driving a car without a driver in the driver seat and the car is out of control.
5) What is your suggestion to release all tensions of the mind?
To release tensions we need to learn to adapt and adjust. One can only adapt, adjust and let go if one doesn’t identify with the mind. It comes back to the question to understand that the mind is not you, and that you are pure consciousness. Meditation is definitely helpful because it gives you the direct experience of consciousness when the mind is no longer operating.
6) What is the best way to focus our mind?
The best are Bhakti Yoga techniques, to focus on mantra which is pure sound with a feeling of acceptance and self-surrender.
7) Why human mind is always busy? Human mind is busy because we think that we know, we think that we can solve our problems ourselves, we think that satisfaction of desires will lead to contentment; but satisfaction of desire brings more desires. Desires leads to the continuous revolving in the wheel of karma, of life and death, without peace and lasting happiness. So the yogic teaching tells us to calm the mind and control the mind to connect with the true Self that is beyond desires and that is the source of all happiness.
8) How yoga instructors can get to know about the secrets of the mind? Yoga instructors need to learn more about yoga psychology and philosophy by studying scriptures to remember the Self, having Satsanga listening to people of wisdom, studying their own mind and performing self inquiry learning not to fall in the trap of their own mind, meditation to have the direct experience of Truth, and by selfless service helping and counseling other’s suffering minds to understand better the process of detachment.
9) How can we focus on only positive things?
To focus exclusively on the positive as this will block out all the negative. Also learn to switch negative to positive by the practice of the 4 classical paths of Yoga. Karma Yoga teaches you to be selfless and adaptable; Bhakti Yoga teaches you to surrender to God’s will and accepting; Raja Yoga teaches you to replace negative thoughts and emotions with the opposite and to concentrate the mind, Hatha Yoga teaches you to channel and balance energies, and Jnana Yoga teaches you to see Unity, the Self in All.
10) What’s your suggestion to alleviate the pain and suffering of human beings?
Raja Yoga scriptures talk about 2 things to alleviate pains and sufferings (afflictions):
1. Concentration – on positive and uplifting object like a mantra and
2. Detachment towards everything else.
11) How much yoga practices can improve the quality of human beings life?
Yoga practices definitely help to alleviate the pains and sufferings by giving people calmness, strength, and detachment so they have Self Knowledge. Their quality of life will improve 100% as they come to understand the source of their sufferings and will not go on repeating the same mistakes in ignorance.
12) What’s your idea about the purpose of yoga seekers life?
The Yoga seekers want peace and Self Realization. Swami Sivananda said until the water of the rivers reach the ocean, we will not be at peace because we are like these rivers whose destination is to merge with the ocean. So Yoga practitioners need to keep practicing and refining their knowledge until the ultimate goal of Self Realization is attained; which is realizing that the individual self and God or the universal consciousness are One.
13) What should we do to have an ideal life without stress and tension?
Stress and tension are unavoidable but if you adopt the attitude of a Karma yogi, offering all results of action to God, you will alleviate stress, because the sense of doer ship will be less and the sense of gaining and loosing will be less. Karma yoga attitude combined with the Bhakti Yoga attitude of surrender and acceptance are helpful. Additionally, keeping the mind strong and stable in Raja Yoga and staying detached, remembering all is all the time perfect, like a Jnana Yogi.
14) What’s your suggestion to guide the youth in right path which is spiritual?
For youth, you can present asana as healthy exercise first. Pranayama and the rest of the five points of yoga can then be explained. In India people offer yoga as competition for young people and yoga is presented like a sport.
15) In an interview with Daneshe Yoga magazine in 2000, we talked about Raja yoga and Hatha yoga…so due to all changes since 2000, we face more sad events so would you please tell us how can we end up all sorrows in the world? All the problems you talk about are perennial; so what I said in 2000 and the situation now is the same. I am happy to hear that they are 300 yoga teachers and 500,000 yoga practitioners in Iran and that you are continuing to bring people to yoga. I believe that underneath the negativities that one might perceive in our world there is a consciousness revolution that is happening with millions of people practicing yoga in throughout the world. Recently the United Nations adopted international yoga day as June 21st.
16) Have you ever think about traveling to Iran? What’s your idea about Iranians?
I have never been to Iran but the people I have met from Persian culture are very spiritual. I myself will not be able to go to Iran in the close future but I am sending my prayers and good wishes to you all and invite students to join my webinar, online teaching, if they can. I am presently teaching yoga in Asia as well as I am of Asian origin. Please ask people to check our website www.sivanandayogafarm.org for the date and time of upcoming webinars, to access the previously presented webinar recordings, and for the schedule of when and where I will be teaching.
17) What’s your message to Daneshe Yoga Magazines readers?
The final message to all thereaders is the message of Sivananda, “Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realize” and the message of Swami Vishnudevananda of, “Unity in diversity.” Om Tat Sat.
by Swami Sitaramananda | Oct 26, 2014 | 4 Paths of Yoga
Understanding your vehicle: the 3 bodies and 5 layers.
This is a concept in yoga that you need to master because without that you cannot understand the teachings. The teaching is that you are not just the physical body, but also the subtle bodies. You have 3 bodies or vehicles. Subtle is comprised of 3 layers. You have to distinguish.
The main thing you need to understand is the 3 bodies. What that means? You function at 3 different levels.
- One is the physical body (level), the gross body. The physical body is needed to function in the physical world in the awakened state. When you are awake, you are centered in the physical body.
- Second is the astral body, the subtle body that is very connected to the physical body. You use it in the Dream state when you are sleeping and you are dreaming.
- Then third the Causal body is our core functioning. It is also called the seed body. From the seed comes the tree and the leaves. If you dig under tree, you will not find the seed because the seed has become the tree. The causal body is the reason, the core reason of our existence. That means within you there is a core reason why this body and this mind come about. In the same manner, from a banana seed comes a banana tree. And from the banana tree comes the fruit. Can a coconut tree come from a banana seed? No. This means that we have specific reason for our existence and why we are born in a body which is different from one another, and also our mind. That is the reason why we are born is different from one another.
To understand prana you have to understand these different instruments, because you will see that sometimes you don’t know very well and you put too much energy into one and not enough into the other and that is a problem. Yoga helps you to balance and harmonize the energy that goes through all the different instruments or bodies.
Astral Body
Now divide the subtle portion, the astral body, into 3 more layers. These layers are connected. Here we examine the energies of our mind.
- One layer is called the vital air or energy, the pranic sheath. The technical name is the Pranayama Kosha. Here are the feelings of thirst, hunger, heat, and cold. When you are hungry your whole system changes, or when you are thirsty. At that moment of feeling hungry or thirsty you are functioning out of the vital energy body.
- Next comes the mental, emotional energies layer. For some, the emotional energy is very active and can take over everything. The mental body (the emotions) is linked with the senses. The emotional energy can be very active and also very conflicted, overpowering and can also be blocked which creates problem with the vital energy sheath. The emotional energy affects the vital energy sheath. For example if you have fear in your emotional sheath you become cold. If you have anger you become hot.
- The last layer of our astral body is called the intellectual energy layer which is linked to the ego. The ego is also energy. Everything is energy. It takes a lot of energy to be egoistic. Once the energy of ego is there it blocks everything else. It veils the picture.
We are an energy being, very complex. The Physical body is very gross. There is subtle energies playing in our life all the time. We need to know how to balance (harmonize) the energy in all layers of our existence. We need to learn to increase its wavelength. We need to learn to make it work for you. What does this mean? It means make it more worth it. More energy, more power and this will make you free. Yoga is the practice that will set you free. How are you going to do it?
Understanding the subtle
Number 1, you have to understand that you are not this gross body. Get out of the idea that you are this gross body living in this gross world. Here in the ashram we never mention the body. The understanding and training in the world is based on the physical. What you see is the picture of reality. It is what you are. But here is an esoteric school. It is a yogi school. Yoga is a science 1000 years old. The teachings here come from the sages who have much more understanding of what is life. They say the physical is only the gross end of it. The more you can go to the subtle and manipulate things from the subtle level, the more you can understand and be aware and the more powerful it is, because subtle is more powerful than gross. Example, shouting is gross, thinking is subtle. If you tell somebody that you love them they hear you but if you think that you love them it is more powerful.
The core, subtlest of all, above it all is the Self. This is the pure consciousness of who you are. This is the Source of all prana of the universe and it is there for its own purpose. That is a good thing to know. That means the energy is everywhere, but sometimes we feel disconnected and cut off, because we are not driving our vehicles properly or tuning ourselves to the energy of the Universe properly. That is why, we feel unfulfilled and imbalanced. We need to balance the physical and the spiritual. We are not balanced, that is why we are feeling disconnected.
