Yoga Teachers Training at the Sivananda Ashram: Ashram Life
An overview of ashram life at the Sivananda ashram in Kerala, India while pursuing the Yoga Teachers Training Course. Read about the location, food, schedule at the ashram and more.
Category: Wisdom
At the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple
A visit to the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Trivandrum, Kerala, the abode of Lord Vishnu on the Anantha Shayana.
The Gateway: A Visit to the Dwarkadhish Temple
Beloo Mehra describes her visit to the Dwarkadhish temple in Gujarat. Read more to experience the divinity of this ancient temple in the city of Krishna, through the eyes of a bhakta.
What is Dharma?
Dharma is perhaps the most important term in the culture and spiritual philosophy of India but also perhaps the most difficult to understand. It is roughly understood as the law that upholds or the law of life. This explanation by Swami Krishnananda (Divine Life Society) illuminates its real meaning.
What really is Om?
Advaita master Sri HWL Poonja ji (1910-1997) explains the power and significance of Om, the primordial sound. He also recounts an incident when he was challenged by a French Cardinal who insisted that light came before sound.
Pointings from the Kena Upanishad
The famous Danish physicist and Nobel Prize winner, Laureate Niels Bohr said, “I go into the Upanishads to ask questions.” Bohr as well as other physicists like Erwin Schrödinger and Werner Heisenberg were avid readers of the Vedic texts and observed that their experiments in quantum physics were consistent with what they had read in the Vedas. The 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer was so impressed by the Upanishads that he called them “the production of the highest human wisdom”.
The Kena Upanishad begins with enquiry into the Self and contains the most profound wisdom and direct pointings towards Brahman, the Absolute.
Legend of Govardhan: Shelter in the Divine
The day after Diwali is celebrated as Govardhan Puja. The legend of Mount Govardhan serves as an important reminder for seekers of Truth.
Meaning of Diwali
The ‘light’ has always been associated in Indian culture with wisdom and joy, with our higher Self – such references can be found in the Upanishads, ancient mantras and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras to name a few.
Shruti Bakshi delves into the meaning of Diwali – from the traditions associated with the five days of Diwali, to the deeper spiritual significance – in the very first LWP Digest released at this auspicious time of Diwali.
Mind & Meditation – A Saint’s Advice
Sri Sarada Devi (1853 – 1920) was the consort of the great saint Sri Ramakrishna Parmahansa and was considered as the Divine Mother incarnate herself. In this excerpt from her teachings, she explains the nature of mind and the importance of meditation in this Kali Yuga.
Where Science and Metaphysics Fall Short
Sri Aurobindo’s words on the limitations of science and metaphysics in explaining the world. As he writes, “Metaphysics seeks to tell us What the Universe is and Why it is; in other words to explain the Inexplicable; but the end of this process is inevitably a juggling with words which must repel all clear-minded thinkers”. The approach of Hinduism is altogether different.
3 Stress-Busting Pranayamas
Suffering from stress, tension and anxiety? Try these three pranayamas (breathing techniques) to restore calmness and peace of mind.
Saraswati, the Vedic Goddess and River
One of the earliest goddesses worshipped in India since Vedic times, Saraswati devi, goddess of speech, wisdom, and expression, was believed to have found physical expression on earth also in the form of the ancient river Saraswati. The Rig Veda adores and praises this goddess as the ‘best of all mothers’, ‘best of all rivers’ and ‘best of all goddesses’ as Shruti Bakshi notes.
Ramana Maharshi on Birthdays
Should we be happy to remember our birth day or sorry for it? These wise words of Sri Ramana Maharshi (or Bhagavan as he was called by his disciples), show a different perspective and make one think about whether being reborn into ‘samsara’ life should really be a celebration or rather be a reminder for us to enquire into our real nature.
Navdurga: the 9 Forms of Durga
The Navratri festival in India is a celebration of the nine nights of the Divine Mother. The Mother Goddess manifests in many different forms. In Hindu culture, each of the nine nights is associated with a particular form of the Mother Goddess, Durga or Shakti (Navdurga). Read more.
Making the Most of the Navratri
Shruti Bakshi explains the significance of Navratri and the best way to make use of this period dedicated to the Mother Goddess.