Where there are kindness, humility and purity, there spirituality springs up, saintliness shines, divinity descends and perfection manifests itself. -- Sri Swami Sivananda
* The Daily Quote can always be seen on the Sivananda "Om" page:
http://www.sivananda.org
OM NAMAH SHIVYA THIS MONTH:- Swami Mahadevananda extends an invitation to all Sivananda Yoga Teachers, to attend a gathering ‘Yoga for Inner Peace’ at the Yoga Camp, Val Morin, in August 2010. Details will follow on a monthly basis, check www.sivananda.org for up-to-date information
- Is Diwali! Read below for an explanation on this holy festival
- As relevant now as it was when originally asked, Master is questioned on the fall in ethical values as a result of global economic development
- The wide legged Halasana, plough pose
- From the sutras, how contentment brings happiness
- How to make PINEAPPLE PACHADI
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SPIRITUAL CALENDAR
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OCTOBER 2009
04 - Full Moon
14 - Ekadasi
17 - Diwali
18 - New Moon
29 - Ekadasi
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THOUGHT OF THE MONTH
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All misery in the World is due to ignorance and false identification of the
perishable body. - Sri Swami Sivananda
God walks in the garb of a beggar. He moans in pain in the guise of the sick.
Open your eyes. See Him in all. Serve all. Love all.
- Sri Swami Sivananda
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SIVANANDA YOGA FAQ ~~~ Frequently Asked Questions
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Q 1: Is there a remedy for the fall of ethical laws and standards due to the global economic revolution?
A: Any revolution does not compel anyone to lower the moral standard. No doubt, it can facilitate this fall to some extent. The real mischief was done by the misleaders of mankind who deliberately exalt material values over spiritual values. It is never too late to mend, however. Even now, if the heart of man be cleansed of the impurities selfishness and self-aggrandizement, and righteousness enthroned in it, the moral standard can be kept high in spite of the most exaggerated commercial development.
Q 2: What standards measure true greatness?
A: The true greatness of a human is to be measured, not by the amount of wealth, nor by the number of bungalows, nor by the exercise of personal influence, but by the degree of selflessness, all-embracive outlook, generosity, liberal views, cosmic benefaction, self-sacrifice, egoless, self-effacing nature, grade of perception of unity in diversity and humanitarian services. A truly great person is pious, spiritually elevated, magnanimous and noble-hearted. He/she can never have a thought for their self and prefers the welfare of humanity, casting aside all petty, selfish and personal interests. He/she ever prays for the welfare of humanity. Where there is an open, un-constricted, expansive, large heart, there lies true greatness.
There is no virtue like Truthfulness.
- Sri Swami Sivananda
Previous FAQs at http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/faq/faq.html
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HATHA YOGA TIP
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WIDE-LEG HALASANA – Plough Pose
Halasana is usually performed after Sarvangasana for anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes. From Salamba Sarvangasana, exhale and bend from the hip joints, keeping the legs straight, slowly lower your toes over your head to the floor. As much as possible, keep your torso perpendicular to the floor. Press into the back of the head. Soften your throat.
You can continue to press your hands against the back torso, as in Salamba Sarvangasana, pushing the back up toward the ceiling as you press the backs of the upper arms down for support of the posture, or release your hands away from your back and stretch the arms down on the floor, parallel and on the mat. For wide-leg Halasana, while in Halasana, walk the legs apart into V-shape of wide-leg Halasana. Inhale. Exhale. Walk feet back together into Halasana. Option 2:
While in Halasana, clasp the hands together behind the back and press the arms actively down into the mat as you lengthen the back of the leg & knee toward the ceiling.
To exit the pose return your hands onto the small of your back as in
Sarvangasana, lift legs from Halasana, back into Sarvangasana. Lower arms to the mat on sides of the body, then slowly roll the back onto the mat, one vertebrae at a time, on a slow exhalation.
Benefits:
* Calms the brain
* Stimulates the abdominal organs
* Stimulates the thyroid gland
* Stretches the shoulders and spine
* Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
* Reduces stress and fatigue
* Therapeutic for backache, headache, infertility, insomnia, sinusitis
Cultivate strong patience, under crushing trials, and intense forbearance in the face of malignant persecution. You will succeed in every attempt.
- Sri Swami Sivananda
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YOGA SANSKRIT GLOSSARY
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DIWALI - "a row of lights". It falls on the last two days of the dark half of Kartik (October-November). Some celebrate the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu during Deepavali. In Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Kali. It also commemorates that blessed day on which the triumphant Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya, after defeating Ravana. On this day also Sri Krishna killed the demon Narakasura. In South India people take an oil bath in the early
morning and wear new clothes. Everyone forgets and forgives the wrongs done by others. There is an air of freedom, festivity and friendliness everywhere. This festival brings about unity. It instills charity in the hearts of people. On this day Hindu merchants in North India open their new account books and pray for success and prosperity during the coming year. The homes are cleaned and
decorated by day and illuminated by night with earthen oil-lamps.
Meditation leads to Samadhi or the super-conscious state.
- Sri Swami Sivananda
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RAJA YOGA
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From Chapter II: "Sadhana Pada - On Spiritual Disciplines"
II.42. SAMTOSAD ANUTTAMAH SUKHA-LABHAH
'From contentment comes supreme happiness.'
Commentary:
Man is ever searching for happiness in external objects, but it can
only be attained when the mind is satisfied with what has been allotted and is no longer looking. When the mind is stilled and contented, happiness is automatic.
He Knows, who realizes the Atman Self (Big Self) within the self (small Self).
- Sri Swami Sivananda
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VEGETARIAN CUISINE - from 'The Yoga Cook Book'
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PINEAPPLE PACHADI – Lightly spiced pineapple and yogurt, served in a Kerala, used as an accompaniment for Sadyas (Feast). Serves 4
Ingredients:
25g (1oz) desiccated coconut
1 green chili, seeded and chopped
pinch of mustard seeds
½ pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into small cubes
125ml (4 fl oz) natural yogurt
½ tsp ghee
½ tsp black mustard seeds
1-2 curry leaves, shredded
¼ tsp salt
Preparation:
1. Place the coconut, chili and pinch of mustard seeds in a blender and grind finely.
2. Mix this powder with the pineapple cubes and yogurt.
3. Heat the ghee in a small frying pan.
4. Add the black mustard seeds and roast them until they “pop”
5. Pour the seeds over the pineapple mixture
6. Stir in the curry leaves and salt
7. Serve hot with rice
There should be a great demand from within for God. You should be spiritually hungry. Then alone will the Lord fill you with His grace.
- Sri Swami Sivananda
Meditate. Go down into the chambers or your heart. Go down deep, deep. Realize Divinity.
- Sri Swami Sivananda
This month deepen your practice The Boat pose, Navasana; cultivate the virtue of friendliness as explained by Swami Sivananda’s commentary on the Yoga Sutras and make peaceful pizza.
Html formatted version of this guru-gram available at
http://www.sivananda.org/gurugram
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THOUGHT OF THE MONTH
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O’ Traveller in this Earth-plane! Thou art a pilgrim here. Awake, awake. Life is short. Time is fleeting. Pray fervently. Return to your original home of immortal bliss - the eternal abode. - Sri Swami Sivananda
The Upanishads are not the products of the individual mind and the intellect. They are revelations. - Sri Swami Sivananda
SIVANANDA YOGA FAQ ~~~ Frequently Asked Questions
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Q 1: What are the marks of a wise man and a fool respectively from the ultimate point of view?
A: The fool reacts outwardly and emotionally under all circumstances, while there is no reaction in the sage. If at all the latter acts, such actions are not reactions to any immediate action, but are born out of the sage's Satsankalpa to serve humanity. Secondly, in all situations, the fool places himself first but finds himself last, while the wise man places himself last but finds himself first. Thirdly, the wise man retires silently as soon as he has done his work, but the fool remains to hear, others praise him, and in some cases if nothing like it is coming forward, he shamelessly asks for it. Kindly read also the Second Chapter of the Gita, wherein you will find a nice description of the Sthitaprajna.
Q 2: I meditate every now and then on God's glory and omnipotence, but seem to derive no tangible results there from. Reasons for it please.
A: There is no use of praying to the Lord by fits and starts or every now and then. Just as you do not give up tea and meals even for a single day, and just as you do no forget them too, so also, do not forget Sadhana. Do Japa and meditation regularly without any break even for a single day. This is a sure and potent way of goading and compelling the mind to penetrate itself deeply and unavoidably into the spiritual practices. By following this procedure, you get used to doing Sadhana regularly at least for the sake of the meals that is necessarily to succeed, in spite of the unwillingness of the mind. When the mind undergoes phases of transition in enjoying the charm of the world, it cannot concentrate upon itself and direct the gaze within itself. Pull the reins of the mind back towards itself as it goes out hither and thither. Continue this process several times in a day. When you develop strength of will to realize the Lord by intense efforts, progress automatically sets in. Read the Second Chapter of the Gita with meaning. You will have a clear understanding of the remedy for setbacks in Sadhana.
Science analysis classifies and explains phenomena, but Brahma-Vidya, or the science of the Self, teaches you to transcend phenomena and attain immortality.
- Sri Swami Sivananda
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HATHA YOGA TIP - NAVASANA - Boat Pose ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Press your hands on the floor a little behind your hips, fingers pointing toward the feet, and strengthen the arms. Lift through the top of the sternum and lean back slightly. As you do this make sure your back doesn't round; continue to lengthen the front of your torso between the pubis and top sternum. Sit on the "tripod" of your two sitting bones and tailbone. Exhale and bend your knees, then lift your feet off the floor, so that the thighs are angled about 45-50 degrees relative to the floor. Lengthen your tailbone into the floor. If possible, slowly straighten your knees, raising the tips of your toes slightly above the level of your eyes. If this isn't possible remain with your knees bent, perhaps lifting the shins parallel to the floor. Stretch your arms alongside the legs, parallel to each other and the floor. Spread the shoulder blades across your back and reach strongly out through the fingers. If this isn't possible, keep the hands on the floor beside your hips or hold on to the backs of your thighs. While the lower belly should be firm, it shouldn't get hard and thick. Try to keep the lower belly relatively flat. Press the heads of the thigh bones toward the floor to help anchor the pose and lift the top sternum. Breathe easily. Tip the chin slightly toward the sternum so the base of the skull lifts lightly away from the back of the neck.
At first stay in the pose for 10-20 seconds. Gradually increase the time of your stay to 1 minute. Release the legs with an exhalation and sit upright on an inhalation.
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RAJA YOGA
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From 'The Yoga Sutras’ – commentary by Sw. Sivananda
From Chapter I: "Samadhi Pada- On Contemplations"
33. MAITREE-KARUNAA-MUDITOPEKSHAANAAM SUKHADUKHA-PUNYAAPUNYA-VISHAYAANAAM BHAAVANAATAS CHITTA-PRASAADANAM
'The mind becomes clear through the cultivation of friendliness, kindness, contentment, and indifference towards happiness, vice and virtue'.
Commentary: Taming of the mind requires the development of good will and universal love toward all. Any kind of negative feeling or identification with the dualities of good and bad destroys peace of mind. In essence, you are pure Soul. Desire, weakness & imperfection of the mind touch thee not. Thou art not the body, nor the mind. - Sri Swami Sivananda
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VEGETARIAN CUISINE - PEACEFUL PIZZA
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This recipe comes from Ganesha. He is probably the best vegetarian pizza maker. If you have wheat allergies, substitute wheat with spelt flour. The variety of toppings is infinite. Serves 4-8. Recipe per person:
Ingredients for Base:
* 350g (12oz) white bread flour
* 4g yeast
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 2 tsp demerara sugar
* ½ tsp sea salt
* about 200ml (7 fl oz) tepid water
Ingredients for Topping:
* Tomato Sauce
* 110g
* 2 red or yellow peppers (or 1 of each), cored, seeded, and sliced
* 12 olives 9otinal)
* olive oil for drizzling
Preparation:
1. To make pizza base, combine all the ingredients, in a bowl, except the water.
2. Gradually add the water, mixing by hand until the dough forms a slightly sticky ball. The exact amount of water will depend on the flour used.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead well for about 10 minutes, adding a little more flour if necessary. Alternately, mix ingredients in a food processor until slightly sticky dough is formed then turn out and knead for about 1 minute.
4. Put the dough into a lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover with a cloth and leave to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
5. Preheat oven to 230C/450F.
6. Divide the dough ball in half.
7. Knead each portion into a ball, and then roll out to fit two lightly greased 13x10” baking sheets.
8. Place the dough on the baking sheets.
9. Divide the tomato sauce between the pizzas and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce. Decorate with peppers and olives and drizzle with olive oil.
10. Bake the pizzas for about 15 minutes. Check then bake for another 10-15 minutes until base is slightly brown.
Vedanta is a system of life itself. It represents the fundamental recipe on which alone a universal congress of faith can be built. - Sri Swami Sivananda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SPIRITUAL CALENDAR – August 2009
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 01 - Ekadasi05 - Full Moon (Rakhi)16 - Ekadasi20 - New Moon23 - Ganesha Chathurthi31 - Ekadasi God-realization is not a matter to be postponed until retirement. It is a vital urgent need to be attended to immediately. - Sri Swami Sivananda ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THOUGHT OF THE MONTH
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Meditation is the very essence and life of all spiritual Sadhanas. -Sri Swami Sivananda
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TAPAS - (tapasya) - Austerity, practical (i.e., result-producing) spiritual discipline;spiritual force. Literally it means the generation of heat or energy,but is always used in a symbolic manner, referring to spiritualpractice and its effect, especially the roasting of karmic seeds, theburning up of karma.
HATHA YOGA TIP - DHANURASANA
TECHNIQUE - Lie flat, face downwards on the floor. Keep the hands atyour side. Breathe out and bend the legs at the knees, drawing thefeet above the thighs. Stretch the arms back and catch hold of theright ankle with the right hand and the left ankle with the left hand.Make secure the position of the hands, with normal breathing. Raisethe head, body and knees by tugging the hands and legs, so that thewhole weight of the body rests on the abdomen. Retain the posture fora few seconds. Gradually increase the duration. While remaining in theposture, concentrate on the abdomen, thighs and back muscles. Releasethe ankles, stretch out the legs and bring the legs, chest and head torest in a straight line on the floor. Relax in Makarasana for a fewseconds. Repeat this Asana two or three times.
BENEFITS - This Asana relieves constipation and tones up the liver,pancreas and kidneys. The vertebrae of the lumbar and sacrum bonesalso get toned up. Proper blood circulation is effected and thus goodhealth is promoted. This also renders the spine supple and elastic andminor pains in the spine are checked.
OATMEAL YOGHURT CREAM with maple syrup recipe
The Sivananda Yoga International Headquarters at the Yoga Camp in ValMorin, Quebec sits in the heart of a maple syrup harvesting area ofCanada. The Ashram always has ample supplies of maple syrup in hand.For substitute you can use barley malt syrup, rice syrup, date syrupor honey. Serves 3-4 people.
Ingredients:
50g (2 oz) almonds, finely chopped
50g (2oz) medium oatmeal (not flakes)
grated rind & juice of a lemon, or orange
2 tbsp maple syrup
300ml (10fl oz) creamy natural yogurt
1 tbsp chopped almonds, toasted
Directions: 1 - Preheat the grill 2 - Mix together chopped almonds & oatmeal. Spread out on a bakingsheet and place under a hot grill for about 2 minutes, stirringfrequently to brown evenly. Leave to cool. 3 - Mix lemon (orange) rind & juice with the sweetner & stir into theyogurt. Fold in the almond mixture. Spoon into individual dishes.Chill. 4 - Top with toasted almond mixture just before serving.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR MARCH: 07- Ekadasi ; 11- Full Moon (Holi); 22- Ekadasi; 26- New Moon
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