Shakti & the Gunas

Moving from tamasic nature to sattva means you are refining the physical body, the mental body, the emotional body and the energy body. If you refine this so much that it became very transparent, you cannot miss the source of creation which is within you. Sadhguru As the Intelligence of …

Krishna, the All That Is

Krishna is the most colourful incarnation – an irrepressible child, an irresistible lover, a truly valiant warrior, an astute statesman and a yogi of the highest order. sadhguru   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sri Krishna Govind Hare MurareHe Nath Narayana Vasudeva~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sharing an excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita (Stephen Mitchell’s translation) in which Sri …

The Power of Silence

The period from Mauni Amavasya (24 January 2020) until Mahashivaratri (21 February 2020) was traditionally considered, on the yogic path, to be a period for the practice of maun or Silence.
Since we are currently in this period, let’s try to understand a little about what is meant by Silence.

Rama, The Lotus-Eyed One

“What effort does a lotus flower need to blossom in the lake? The lotus does not touch the lake even though it lives in lake. Only the legs touch the lake, not the head. So make effort with the legs and no effort with the head and you will see that you will not have any connection or relation with that in which you are living. This samsara is the lake. If you want to live like a lotus, live in the world with no relationship it. Most people are drowned in the lake and are not called a lotus. They are the creepers growing from the bottom. This is a very special method for the few who want to live free of any relationship and yet be involved in relationships totally. This is the secret. If you are aware and if you need it, you can get it, but not otherwise.”

 
 – HWL Poonja (Papaji)

An article looking more closely at why we love and adore Rama…

Tales of Ganga #1: Ma Ganga’s Children

Three hilltops huddled together a long time ago. To pay their respects like a devotee, to watch her beauty like a lover, to care for her like a parent. Looking up at these first adorers of Ma Ganga from this particular spot on her Rishikesh banks, it appeared as if this passage between the mountains led up to another world in the skies hidden by those surreal, swirling clouds… 

Swami Vivekananda’s Message for India

“This is the land from whence, like the tidal waves, spirituality and philosophy have again and again rushed out and deluged the world, and this is the land from whence once more such tides must proceed in order to bring life and vigour into the decaying races of mankind. It is the same India which has withstood the shocks of centuries, of hundreds of foreign invasions, of hundreds of upheavals of manners and customs. It is the same land which stands firmer than any rock in the world, with its undying vigour, indestructible life. Its life is of the same nature as the soul, without beginning and without end, immortal; and we are the children of such a country.” – Swami Vivekananda. Read more about his work and wisdom.

An Enlightened Mother’s Lullaby (Reconciling with the Age of AI)

The story of Queen MadAlasA (Brahmanda Purana) is a lofty though inspirational example of a parent’s role in the life of a child. Her enlightening lullaby to her children produced four sages. Such conscious parenting may seem like a story best left in books but even a casual observer of some of today’s modern parenting can see that we are due for some changes. The age of technology and impending AI revolution calls for a different perspective on education. Can we figure out solutions in time that will avoid us becoming slaves to technology?

Taittiriya Upanishad: Rishi Bhrigu’s Meditation

The Upanishads “are the production of the highest human wisdom” claimed German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.
The Bhrigu Valli, part of the Taittiriya Upanishad is an important text especially for yoga and meditation practitioners since it describes the transformation from the gross to the subtle and the experiential understanding reached in yoga, of the ultimate knowledge.

Art Beyond Aesthetics: the Spiritual Dimension of Natyashastra

The Natyashastra is an ancient encyclopedic treatise on the performing arts, composed by sage Bharat Muni (somewhere between 500 BCE – 500 CE). The ancient Indian view of art as expressed in the text, was much broader than mere aesthetics. Art was profoundly explored as a way to experience the Divine. Read on for a personal experiential account.

Seeking Shiva

“The distinction between “with qualities” and
“without qualities” does not exist in Him;
He’s beyond both attachment and non-attachment;
Stainless, He’s beyond all forms.
He’s beyond both qualities and the absence of qualities;
Though formless, He’s the substance of all forms.
So how can I worship that Shiva, who exists
everywhere, like space!” – Avadhuta Gita |

Exploring the significance of Mahashivratri (the darkest night of the year), for seeking Shiva.

Osho on Sanskrit

“The Sanskrit language is called DEVAVANI – the divine language. And it certainly is divine in the sense because it is the most poetic and the most musical language. Each word has a music around it, a certain aroma”.
Read more of what spiritual master Osho had to say about the Sanskrit language.

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.

From the Immortals of Meluha to Immortal India – in conversation with Amish

Shruti Bakshi speaks to bestselling author Amish Tripathi about a wide range of topics from his books to his writing process, to atheism in ancient India and current issues in India relating to religion, society and politics. As someone with vast knowledge about India’s past and ancient wisdom and who refuses to be pigeonholed as ‘left’ or ‘right’, Amish’s views are refreshing, insightful and enlightening.

Vedic Chanting: An Amazing World at the Intersection of Tones and Letters

Vedic chants are considered to be the oldest unbroken oral tradition in the world. They are incredibly sophisticated arrangements of tones and letters that have a profound impact on the consciousness of the listener. Here we have the fortune of having a trained practitioner and teacher of Vedic chants, Dr Sivaram Hariharan aka Sydney Kishore, who describes his experience of learning Vedic chanting and some of the technicalities involved.

Primal Divergence : A Contrast of Cultures (Part-1)

Ganesh Varadharajan explores the divergence between the East and West, essentially between Vedanta and Greek thought in the understanding of man and his relationship with the Divine. Setting side-by-side, examples from modern pop culture like Hollywood and the deep spiritual insights as articulated by Sri Aurobindo, makes for an interesting analysis of the diverging world and life views.

Who is Krishna?

How can we understand this most colourful and attractive incarnation of the Divine? His exhalation is the Gita and his inhalation is the Leela, as Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev puts it. If we want to understand the nature of life, we must study the Gita but if we want to know the essence of Krishna, we must become his inhalation. We must approach with the devotion of Radha and Meera writes Shruti Bakshi.

From Vedanta to Plato: the Deep Links between India and Europe (Part 1)

Vedanta and Plato. Mahabharata and Homeric poems. Venus and Vena. Kupros and Shukra. What’s behind the fascinating parallels?

Professor Subhash Kak delves into the deep connections between India and the Graeco-Roman world which show up not only in language, but civilizational ideas, philosophy, mythology, astronomy and art. This is Part 1 in a two-part series.

Visiting the Isha Yoga Centre – a spiritual travelogue

Disclaimer: I am writing this article just as a seeker, as someone who eventually developed that strong urge  to explore beyond the physical world. I am not a follower of any particular spiritual ideology or Guru ji as such, though I respect them all.

I will share my experience of visiting Sadhguru’s Isha Yoga Centre and will try answering questions that seem to generally bother people – Is there really something Divine there? Will you automatically start meditating there for hours? Is there any undesired commercialization? etc.

The background

Rajeev Sharma  and KK  Sharma, two of the people dearest to me, knowingly or unknowingly triggered that first restlessness in me about spirituality about a year ago. Though their approaches towards meditation were relatively different, yet both seemed to eventually converge at the same point.

Spirituality, for most beginners, commences with the excitement of wanting to know the unknown. However, this mystic infatuation with meditation /spirituality lasts for a few days until one switches attention to something new and more exciting when the meditation just doesn’t seem to work despite one’s best efforts. Hence one very conveniently concludes,  “Life is anyway short,  just go with the flow and enjoy your pizza, mate!”  I, and the people around me also probably thought that I would go down the same lane.

But I was wrong!

Here I was at Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s ashram, after a year of lengthy discussions, some deep digging into books/media and watching lots of videos related to this quest of  ‘going beyond the physical world’.

Why Sadhguru?

As stated at the outset, I am not associated with any particular spiritual group/institution as such and I will probably be happy to keep it that way. But of all the people that I heard, read and saw on various platforms, I was drawn towards Sadhguru for what he spoke – every single word just made so much sense. And after going through a few books of Sadhguru, I decided to take a leap of faith, straight to Sadhguru’s ‘energy centre’.

Blessings at 36000 ft

About an hour or so on my flight to Coimbatore from New Delhi, just as I started to feel a little uncomfortable, I was shifted from standard seats to the ones adjacent to the emergency exit door (with relatively better leg room ) as all those seats were unoccupied and probably because I was the only one on the flight travelling alone. Then, I was the first to be served the wonderful corporate meal. Very small incidents, but since I was on a spiritual travel, I concluded, as I enjoyed my paneer wrap, that Sadhguru’s magic had begun.

The first few hours

“Namaskaram Anna!” These polite words welcomed me as I entered the beautiful premises of the Isha Yoga Centre, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s meditation centre at Coimbatore.

The people at the Help Desk at the main entrance were really very helpful and they quickly completed all the formalities and handed over an ID card which read ‘Nadhi’ (Cottage) beside my name.

On my way to my room at Nadhi cottage, I could feel the extremely soothing vibes as everyone there was so calm and smiling. After checking into my room, I immediately rushed through the map and the instruction leaflet which had information about the various activities that happen throughout the day at the centre.

Testing my luck

Soon after checking in, I was informed that it was Poornima (full moon night) that day and hence a special pooja was scheduled in the evening at the Linga Bhairavi temple in the premises.

I was really happy at the thought of participating in a special pooja that I had not even been aware of! “Sadhguru’s magic, Rahul, Sadhguru’s magic”,  I whispered to myself.

And since everything seemed to be going so well that day, with utmost excitement I decided to ask the obvious question, “Will I meet Sadhguru? Will he be there?”

“No Anna,” said the guy at the help desk very politely, “Though Sadhguru is in the ashram today,  yesterday only he met everyone at Satsang and since his diary is full of meetings/work assignments planned months ago, your meeting looks unlikely”.

I felt a bit sad. But since there were still three more days to go, I was still hopeful.

Amidst these thoughts, I headed straight to the Linga Bhairavi temple. Actually, when you reach Isha Yoga Centre, your eyes immediately begin searching for the two popular mystic energy spots – the Linga Bhairavi temple and of course, the energy powerhouse, the Dhyanalinga, located besides the latest attraction, the 112 ft Adiyogi statue (unveiled by the honorable Prime Minister in March 2017). One wishes to be in these spots as quickly as possible and preferably at all the three at the same time which, at least for now, is definitely beyond my capabilities (though with continued meditation, who knows)! Such was my excitement, having read so much about the mystic meditative energy around these spots.

Linga Bhairavi temple

Around 7 pm, on my way to the Linga Bhairavi temple for the special pooja , I passed by the Dhyanalinga. As so much was happening in my first hours at the centre, my thoughts almost froze and I was just witnessing everything, including the Dhyanlinga without any judgement or feeling, just kind of numbly, you can say.

As I reached the Linga Bhairavi temple, hundreds of shining ghee (clarified butter) lamps greeted me. It all looked so spectacular that I literally didn’t bat an eyelid for a few seconds. As everyone calmly sat down and took their positions, pooja and mantra chants began and I actually felt a rush of energy just sitting there.

Source: lingabhairavi.org

Linga Bhairavi, in the words of Sadhguru, is an extremely powerful feminine energy form which is very responsive for people seeking prosperity and well-being. But there is a spiritual side to Linga Bhairavi Devi as well. As I learnt from various people at the ashram, those who find it difficult to meditate when sitting in front of the Dhyanalinga, are advised to first spend some time at the Linga Bhairavi temple as the energy there helps one to focus, and is especially beneficial during the very initial days of meditation.

Dhyanalinga

The Dhyanalinga, in the words of Sadhguru, is the largest mercury based living linga (a form or symbol) in the world which is the centre of infinite energy. In spiritual terms, in the Dhyanalinga, all aspects of life have been woven in the form of seven chakras energized to their peak and locked by Sadhguru after three years of the intense process of prana prathistha.

The Dhyanalinga is enshrined in a dome shaped structure of earth colour and natural stone and is in fact considered to be the best spot to meditate by the ashram-ites, because the energy of the Dhyanlinga is said to naturally aid you in your dhyan (meditation).

So much has been said and written about the unbound energy around the Dhyanalinga that for many, including myself, the Dhyanalinga is the primary reason to visit Isha Yoga Centre, at least for the first visit.

Adiyogi

Shiva is, as we know, among the most popular and widely worshiped Indian Gods. However, after digging into the origins of yoga and meditation, including some of Sadhguru’s writings, I learnt that in yogic culture, Shiva is not considered to be a God but the first yogi – the originator of yoga and the first guru (teacher) who experienced what we call ‘Enlightenment’ and Samadhi for the first time.

Hence, as a mark of respect and as a reminder to the world to move towards liberation through exploring the inner instead of the outer world, Sadhguru consecrated the 112 ft tall face of Adiyogi.

While I didn’t find anyone meditating in front of or around Adiyogi’s huge bust, there was hardly anyone visiting Isha Yoga Centre that did not spend 5-10 minutes in Adiyogi’s  vicinity.

The Teerthakunds – Suryakund and Chandrakund

 

There are two Teerthakunds or sacred water pools for purifying oneself within the Dhyanalinga complex – Suryakund for men and Chandrakund for women.

I can obviously speak of the Suryakund only that I visited, which itself looks like a divine water pool with three Shivalingas immersed in water. Ideally, men are supposed to take a dip at the Suryakund  before going for meditation at the Dhyanalinga or the Linga Bhairavi temple. On the first day, I went there just for the sake of adventure but because of the powerful energy that I felt there, I could not help but take the holy bath again and again, even just before check-out.

The strong presence of the king cobra

Image credit: author

No matter where you are at Isha Yoga Centre or whatever direction you are facing, you can very strongly feel the presence of snakes (namely, king cobra) in various forms – be it representations on lamps, walls, pillars, at the Suryakund, or at the Dhyanalinga. On inquiring, I learnt that Sadhguru considers snakes, especially the king cobra to be the most sensitive animal/reptile when it comes to meditative energy. Sadhguru has also mentioned about this in his book Mystic’s Musings.

Besides, since the Velliangiri Hills, where the Isha Yoga Centre is situated, are reportedly home to king cobras, the original inhabitants, in a way, Sadhguru has paid tribute to them.

Luckily, I too spotted a beautiful water snake, swimming his way through the lotuses in the pond between the Nandi statue and the Suryakund.

Image credit: livingwiseproject.com

 

My experience

First things first, of all the locations/energy spots at the Isha Yoga Centre mentioned above, for me the Linga Bhairavi temple definitely needs another mention as I spent the maximum amount of time there and not exactly by choice. I mean there is something really very magnetic there, something very soothing and very, very positive, that keeps pulling you and you just can’t resist going there.

Sitting right in front of Linga Bhairavi Devi, I could actually meditate for the longest time. More than the duration, it’s the feeling that engulfed me while meditating there. On the one hand, I was kind of blank, absolutely calm while at the very same time I could feel extreme joy and an unfamiliar sort of power within. Until my last day there, I could not get enough of meditation at the Linga Bhairavi temple. That mystic feeling is still with me.

As for the Dhyanalinga, I had read so much about it before going to Coimbatore that I had almost made up my mind in advance that as soon as I would sit near the Dhyanalinga, I would feel something out of the world, something really Divine. But honestly and unfortunately, I didn’t feel anything of that sort. Yes, the whole ambiance around the Dhyanalinga is very peaceful and calm with everyone sitting in sadhana completely in peace and I too went to sit there again and again, at least 8-9 times in three days, to have that out-of-the-world feeling that some people have written about online, but I was probably not fortunate enough. In fact, as I have mentioned above, I could feel strange energy goosebumps (giving a feeling of extreme joy) at the Linga Bhairavi temple and even while chanting mantras at the Suryakund, but not at the Dhyanalinga.

FAQs

Finally to answer some common questions as promised at the start of the article:

  • Is there really something Divine there?  Divine I don’t know but yes, I felt an extreme rush of positive energy at some spots, especially at the Linga Bhairavi temple.
  • Will you  see something beyond the physical there? I myself didn’t see or feel anything of that sort.
  • Will you automatically start meditating there for hours? The whole atmosphere at the Isha Yoga Centre is such that meditation is all that you think of while there.
  • What exactly is taught at the Isha Yoga Centre? There are a number of yoga programmes of varied durations happening there. Primarily, introductory programmes include Inner Engineering and Hatha Yoga while advanced programmes include Shoonya Intensive, Bhava Spandana and Samyama. Details about these programmes are available here. I didn’t attend any programme as such but one can still participate in a number of activities even without attending any programme. Among the various things that I saw and learnt there, Aumkar meditation  (the correct way of uttering the sounds “Aa” , “Uu” and “Mm” ) and the knowledge about the  various scientific facts hidden in the Mahabharta are really worth mentioning. Besides, I am now addicted to the Nirvana Shatkam mantra and the Brahmanand Swaroopa Isha chant. They are mesmerising, really.
  • Is there any undesired commercialization?  No, not at all. This was one concern that a few people have written about online and in fact it was also bothering me. But I am happy to write here that there is no culture of commercialisation at Isha Yoga centre. No one asks you for donation anywhere, except for a mere Rs.20 at the Suryakund which I think is legitimate for the maintenance required there.
  • Is it fine to travel with family? What about food? There are absolutely no issues here. It’s just that you go to such a place for a specific purpose, to spend maximum time meditating and hence kids can be a distraction, otherwise the stay is extremely safe and comfortable. You can book your stay at Nalanda or Nadhi cottages based on your requirement. As for the food, two meals a day are covered in your stay where you will be served simple and healthy South Indian food. For the compulsive foodies like myself, there is Peppervine Eatery within the premises which offers various delicious dishes / deserts / fresh fruit juices at a  nominal price.  
Image credit: author

On a lighter note…

My three days were very well spent at the Isha Yoga Centre, although it would probably have been an altogether different experience had I met Sadhguru.

Nevertheless, many old questions were answered, some new ones started sprouting but a phone call at the time of check-out brought me back to square one. It was my lovely wife Nishtha. “Coimbatore’s silk sarees are world famous,” she said. I was supposed to understand the rest and act accordingly. Which I obviously did, to make sure that inner peace is maintained back home!

 

Read this and other articles in the LivingWise Project Digest – available as an ebook and a glossy coffee table magazine

 

 

See also: Winding through the Streets of Sanskardhani, Jabalpur
See also: 7 Amazing Shiva Chants/Songs
See also: Life is Inclusiveness – Sadhguru

 

Ayurveda & Yoga: Introduction & Tips

This article discusses Ayurveda and Yoga. I start by explaining both systems and the way they view the world, and then I give some tips on how to implement both systems in daily life.

Ayurveda

 

A 19c. roundel of Brahma depicts him with 4 heads and holding the Vedas (wikipedia.org)

Ayurveda came down to earth with Lord Brahma. It is first mentioned in the Rig Veda (the earliest Veda 1500-1100 BC) in the form of Agni (one of the most important aspects in Ayurveda).  Lord Brahma taught it to Prajapati, who in turn taught it to Ashwini Kumaras (the twin doctors of the Devas). It continued to be passed down until Lord Dhanvantari emerged with it in the churning of the ocean of milk. It finally reached humanity through Charaka and Sushruta, who wrote two very important treatises: the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita respectively. Ashtanga Hridayam, written by Vagbhat came next. Together, the three texts are known as Brihat Trayi (the three grands).

 

Ayurveda looks at the world as composed of five elements: Space, Air, Water, Fire, and Earth. Everything in the universe is made of these five elements. There are three pairs of these elements which compose the doshas. Dosha is a force which can go out of balance.

There are three doshas, Tridosha: Vata (Space+Air), Pitta (Fire+Water), Kapha (Water+Earth). Vata governs movement in the body, Pitta, transformation and Kapha, stability and strength. These three doshas are always working simultaneously in order to make our body fit and free of disease.

Read also: Understanding the Ayurvedic Principles of Panchamahabhuta and Tridosha

In Ayurveda, we look at ‘taste’ as composed of the elements as well. Shat-Rasa, the six tastes are: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Each of the tastes affects  the doshas.

According to Ayurveda, we look to keep the doshas in balance in order to achieve good health.

Yoga

Yoga came to the world through Lord Shiva, Adi Yogi, the first Yogi. The legend says that when Lord Shiva taught it to his consort Parvati, the snake (Vasuki) around His neck heard it, and from him emerged Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Matsyendranath learnt it while Lord Shiva was teaching it, and so is considered to be the one who brought Hatha Yoga into the world.

There are few books and treatises on Yoga – Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras being one of the most important. Shiva Samhita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Gheranda Samhita are more concerned with asanas and pranayama and how to perform them correctly.

As per the Yogic tradition, Yogis are doing all these practices in order to have control over the body, breath, and reach the ultimate goal of Self-Realisation.

Yoga sees the world with the same eyes as Ayurveda, as they both arose from the Samkhya philosophy of creation.  This is why they are called sister sciences. The difference between them is that Ayurveda is more inclined towards the body and its health, while Yoga deals more with realisation of the Self.

Using Ayurveda and Yoga in daily life for better health

  • Wake up before sunrise, and go to sleep by 10 PM.
  • Eat at specific times every day. That way Agni will be balanced.
  • Do not suppress the natural urges of the body, like flatus, belching etc.
  • Practice asana and pranayama in the morning after evacuation.
  • Do not drink anything an hour after food, and an hour before food.
  • Eat food which is compatible with you. Experiment with food and observe your digestion to know what is beneficial for you and what is not.
  • Avoid ice cold drinks and food. Occasionally it’s OK, however, do not make it a routine.
  • Eat hot fresh food. Avoid eating stale and overcooked food.
  • Drink when you are thirsty. Don’t just drink water because you think it is needed. The body will send you signs when it needs water.

Just by following most of these tips, one can experience digestion improving, and overall health reaching the optimum state.

See also: Yogic Technique to Beat the Cold and Pollution (Jal Neti)

 

Meatless in Korea: Vegan Survival Guide

Koreans love their rice, a necessary staple at every meal, but they also love their BBQ. It’s no secret that meat, dairy, and seafood are widely consumed in Korea. In fact, many Koreans are unfortunately under the illusion that meat, dairy, and seafood are integral parts of a healthy diet.

From my observations, a contributing factor to this disillusion is collectivism vs. individualism. An integral part of Korean culture is living community-oriented lives where sameness is encouraged and differences are concealed, for fear of being shamed. Given their collective approach, it doesn’t come as a surprise that many are ignorant when it comes to meatless diets and the reasons why people choose to go meatless. However I must note that they do understand those who abstain for religious reasons.

Prior to moving here, I researched online and became educated on the challenges I’d face if I pursued a vegan lifestyle.  It seemed likely that it would require extreme effort to be vegan while sustaining my health. As a result, I made a conscious decision to eat a mostly vegetarian diet with a little seafood on occasion, so in other words, pescatarian. Although I’m in rural Korea, I have found a way to make it work and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Don’t get me wrong, there are many instances when I’m frustrated with the situation, but if you adopt a diet similar to mine, then it’s feasible. And even a vegan diet is doable.

Here are some pearls of wisdom that will help you along the way and things you should remain aware of:

1. They really don’t get it.

Many Koreans truly don’t understand the concept. And I’m really not trying to be rude or crass, it’s just the reality. Eating meatless isn’t a diet their culture entirely supports. Not to mention, children aren’t typically exposed to empathy or compassion towards livestock. In their eyes, raising animals for food consumption is just the way of life. You will come across some who understand what a “vegetarian” is, but even so, it’s not widely accepted because of collectivism. They will be polite, but don’t be surprised if your reasons are questioned. On a rare occasion, you may even feel judgmental vibes emanating from an individual who asks. Generally speaking though, Koreans are more so interested in your reasons.

One thing that is particularly alarming is their lack of acknowledgement when it comes to the connection between the meat industry and climate change. Koreans are extremely passionate about the environment and take drastic measures to participate in the global awareness surrounding global warming, hence the hypocrisy is a bit ironic.

2. School lunches are vegetarian friendly.

This is purely based on my experiences working at two schools. Lunches contain meat on most days, but it is generally easy to eat around. Luckily for us herbivores, Korea has this amazing thing called 반찬 (banchan) or, in other words, side dishes. Most of the side dishes are vegetable based, so on days where meat is the focal dish, you can load up on extra banchan. Sometimes they’ll even make a vegetarian version of meat dishes.

Related: are veggies living-wiser?

3. Beware of any hidden ingredients.

Korea is infamous for including ingredients in dishes that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find in there. For example, I bought a vegetable croquette one time and when I opened it up at home, can you guess what I discovered? Meat. It may not be characteristic of you to ask a lot of questions, but don’t be afraid to inquire when you’re purchasing something that you’re going to be ingesting. There’s no harm in asking, especially if it’s due to dietary restrictions.

4. Examine everything (even after questioning).

There have been a number of instances when I’ve ordered something, questioned the cashier, and somehow still ended up with meat in my dish.

There was a time when I ordered a curry dish, asked if it contained any meat, was told no, and it turns out there was ground beef in the sauce. Luckily I caught them in time and instead was served meatless sauce they had set aside. In the end, the dish contained bits of beef here and there, but I still ate it anyways – just took some extra time to meticulously pick around the meat.

Korea is notorious for these mishaps, so for those of you who are strict vegans, I highly recommend that you double, triple, and quadruple check everything before taking a bite.

5 . Tofu is readily available.

So don’t worry! You’ll find tofu in many soups and side dishes. Grocery stores are always fully stocked in that department. Although you may be sick of it towards the end of your stay, know that endless tofu scrambles are always an option. You’ve got to get your protein somehow!

6. Even at BBQ restaurants, you can order bibimbap (비빔밥).

Every single BBQ place I’ve been to has had bibimbap on their menu. It’s a really nice option because BBQ is an extremely popular group activity, so everyone can join in regardless of their lifestyle choices.

7 . If you’re exclusively vegan, living in rural Korea will be a challenge.

Kimchi

Firstly, kimchi is everywhere and as delicious as it is, it contains fish sauce. Secondly, seafood is commonly found in school lunches and if you’re already excluding meat, then your options are pretty scarce. Thirdly, eating out will pose several challenges because of everything I’ve discussed thus far. Even bibimbap includes kimchi in the mix (more often than not).

In order to make it work, you’d probably have to supplement school lunches with food from home or better yet, pack your own lunch altogether. And when eating out, you should identify a couple dishes you know you can eat, no problem, and stick to those.

8. The 5 survival words you should know.

  • i] Let’s start with the obvious. Vegetable = 야채 (yachae)
  • ii] The next obvious, is meat. Meat = 고기 (gogi)
  • iii] When asking if a dish has a certain ingredient, for example meat, you would use the word 있어요 (isseoyo). Bibimbap sometimes contains meat, so you would say “bibimbap, gogi isseoyo?” Which quite literally means, is there meat in the bibimbap? If the person’s response is “isseoyo,” that means there is meat in the bibimbap.
  • iv] However, if the response is 없어요 (upsseoyo), this means the bibimbap does not have meat. You’re safe to go, most likely.
  • v] Most importantly, without = 빼고 (bbaego). So if the response is isseoyo, then you would say “bibimbap, gogi bbaego juseyo” or in English words, I want the bibimbap without meat please.

9. Practice self-compassion, always.

You may be the strictest vegan in the world, but you’re going to have to make some sacrifices here and there and be okay with compromising at times. You may think you’re doing a fantastic job at avoiding certain things, but chances are you’ve accidentally and unknowingly inhaled some byproduct or trace of meat somewhere along the way. And it’s just something you have to swallow, literally and figuratively, and be okay with.

You can only do the best that you can do. If that means being okay with the lunch ladies using the meat ladle for your vegetable version of the dish or being gracious if you find a piece of meat in your meal or whatever it may be for you, then great. The more you can surrender and simultaneously love yourself despite the slip ups, the better off you’ll be.

Know that you’re already doing the world and animals a great service and enormous deed by dedicating your life to eliminating meat consumption, so if it becomes too difficult and you need to include seafood or some other food group or byproduct to maintain a balanced diet while you’re in Korea, then that’s okay. Be content with minimizing.

No matter what anyone says, you are healing the world and making a difference by choosing this lifestyle. Given your limited control over outside influences, work with what you can. Take pride in your choices and be good to yourself. Most of all, practice self-compassion every single day.

you might also like: A Sanctuary of Peace Atop a Bangkok Hill

A version of this article was originally published on EPIK e-Press.

Tech & Start-up World Hack Spirituality to Boost Performance

Steve Jobs’ obsession with the Autobiography of a Yogi, Mark Zukerberg’s visit to a temple in Nainital and the latest attempts by start-ups to ‘hack’ spirituality – what’s with Silicon Valley’s fascination with spirituality?

 

Perhaps the foremost example of the tech world’s fascination with spirituality is Steve Jobs’ deep appreciation of the book Autobiography of a Yogi by Parmahansa Yogananda. It was the only book Jobs downloaded on his iPad and read every year since he first came across it as a teenager. Jobs even asked for copies of the book to be distributed at this memorial service.

Mark Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com said at a TechCrunch conference in 2013 (2 years after Jobs passed away): “Yogananda…had this book on self-realization…. [Steve’s] last message to us was that here is Yogananda’s book…. Actualize yourself….I look at Steve as a very spiritual person…[Steve] had this incredible realization–that his intuition was his greatest gift and he needed to look at the world from the inside out.”

Seemingly continuing in the company founder’s tradition of an affinity with Indian spirituality, Apple CEO Tim Cook visited a famous 200-year-old  Ganesha temple (Siddhivinayak) in Mumbai on his visit to India in May 2016.

It appears that Steve Jobs also inspired Facebook CEO Mark Zukerberg to visit the Kainchi Dham temple in Nainital, India. “He [Jobs] told me that in order to reconnect with what I believed as the mission of the company I should visit this temple that he had gone to in India, early on in his evolution of thinking about what he wanted Apple and his vision of the future to be,” Zuckerberg told India’s PM Modi at a town hall meeting in 2015. Google’s Larry Page and Jeffrey Skoll, co-founder of eBay, have also made the pilgrimage.

There are several other instances of the tech world drawing inspiration from the spiritual domain. Google, for example, is well-known for its mindfulness meditation training (having its roots in Buddhism) offered in-house. The tech giant has also given a platform to the views of spiritual leaders – Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev for instance recently spoke about ‘Developing Inclusive Consciousness’ at an event hosted by Jonathan Berent, Director of Customer Experience at Google.

The Temple of Transition at Burning Man (2011)

A ‘ritual’ of sorts for tech titans like Zukerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk is the annual pilgrimage to the Burning Man festival in the deserts of Nevada, USA. According to Silicon Valley venture capitalist Greg Horowitt, “You come into Burning Man knowing that your values align with the values of the people here, and it’s all about creation and experimentation.” The festival has taken on a ritualistic reputation, almost like a religion or spiritual process for the faithful.

Coming to the new crop of Silicon Valley start-ups, there is a growing fascination with “bio-hacking” techniques. For instance, Nootrobox, a San Francisco company that makes brain supplements, has adopted a practice (what they see as a “ritual”) where the entire company collectively fasts for 36 hours every week. According to the start-up, the fast days are one of the most productive days of the week! Fasting, as we know is an ancient spiritual practice followed by almost all religions in some form or the other.

Then there’s the growing fascination with the mind and consciousness altering herb ‘ayahuasca‘ found in the Peruvian Amazon, that has been dubbed as Silicon Valley’s new craze. Apparently the psychedelic substance is becoming as ubiquitous as coffee. Its popularity with young entrepreneurs is based on its supposed ability to abate the insecurities and pressures they face in the start-up world and the fact that the Peruvian trips serve as much as a networking opportunities as spiritual retreats!

But should spiritual practices be hacked for productivity? Or should increased productivity and creativity be viewed as the beneficial side-effects of a deeper inner transformation which should be the aim? Surely some entrepreneurs’ trysts with spirituality will be more genuine than others’. One can only hope the genuine prevails.

Related: The Need for India’s Spiritual Light

A Sanctuary of Peace Atop a Bangkok Hill

Bangkok is truly a city that never sleeps. At all hours of the day and night, tuk tuks and bright pink taxis zip past street food stalls loaded with steaming pots of tom yum kung. Street sellers hawk their wares, ranging from illegal copies of blockbuster movies to counterfeit Nike sneakers. Wrinkly old women brew potions made of Chinese herbs in the city’s traditional pharmacies. Bangkok is modern and traditional, Asian and Western, all at the same time. There is a buzz and energy to the city that can be matched by few other metropolises. This has made the Thai capital into not only a favourite tourist destination, but also a hub for art and design that attracts creative minds from all over the world.

 

Read this article & more in the LivingWise Project Digest

 

A Song for the Neuroscientists (Avadhuta Gita)


Weekend Thoughts: A Gita for the Neuroscientists

First it was physics, now it’s neuroscience. The scientific community has always delighted in casting its sceptical eye on the spiritual and mystic dimensions of life. And our ‘rational’, modern age, has readily granted them the position of ‘experts’ with few stopping to consider that title for the other side instead.

Modern neuroscientists have been able to make careers expounding theories that play with the mystical. There’s the science of ‘consciousness hacking’ which purports to use technology to enhance human experience. There’s also the ‘Integrated information theory’ which purports to measure the extent/depth of consciousness in each living thing. Most recently, efforts are starting to be made to achieve immortality through AI. In short, the list is long.

In his latest book, Two Saints, Indian journalist and author Arun Shourie has gone so far as to suggest (based again on the testimony of neuroscience) that the sadhana of the saints Ramakrishna Parmahansa and Sri Ramana Maharshi was marked by sleep disorder and unhealthy effects on the mind and brain. I must declare upfront that I have not read the entire book but the excerpts and book reviews that I have read have confirmed that deeper association with the book would be a colossal waste of time and money. Such comments about sleep deprivation showcase a poetic irony in that saints who are ‘awake’ are accused of not sleeping enough!

To our scrupulous neuroscientists, I propose a certain song (gita) of timeless origin in India – the Song of the Avadhuta or the Avadhuta Gita. Credited to the sage Dattatreya, the Avadhuta Gita is the song of every enlightened soul, including the avadhuts Sri Ramana Maharshi and Ramakrishna Parmahansa whose perception of life transcended the senses. Indeed, the basic fallacy in the scientific approach in assessing spiritual matters is its insistence on objective and measurable experience whereas spirituality belongs to the realm of the subjective.

He does not attain a “many” or a “One” that is separate from himself;
It is not something other, like an object with length and breadth.
It cannot be objectively proven, or compared with anything;
It’s the Lord, the Self, the Eternal, he attains.
(Avadhuta Gita, II: 36*)

The basic problem is that scientists keep turning up to scrutinise the mystical with their measuring sticks, trying to employ their senses and mind to figure out what is beyond the senses and mind. And we watch as they churn out theories and data about Consciousness, which attempts can be likened to someone bumping into furniture in a dark room. “No, it’s not this”, “not that”, “wrong again” sigh the enlightened sages. Neti, neti.

You are the ultimate Reality; have no doubt.
The Self is not something known by the mind;
The Self is the very one who knows!
How, then, could you think to know the Self?
(Avadhuta Gita, I: 42*)

In my view, the neuroscientists would be better off trying to understand the meaning of the following lines to better satisfy their curiosity about the physical and mental “condition” that a mystic experiences. This is the state of the avadhuta who has transcended space and time:

I’ve put an end to both wavering and unwavering;
I don’t even imagine thought.
I’ve put an end to both dreaming and waking;
I neither sleep nor wake.
I’ve put an end to animate and inanimate;
I’m neither moving nor still.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.
(Avadhuta Gita, III: 16*)

The two saints Ramana and Ramakrishna are not physically here anymore but their message is always timelessly here and quite apt for our mind-obsessed friends:

O mind, my friend, what’s the good of so much speaking?
O mind, my friend, all of this has been made quite clear.
I’ve told you what I know to be true;
You’re the ultimate Reality. You’re unbounded, like space.
(Avadhuta Gita, I: 68*)

The Avadhuta Gita has to be felt and experienced, not simply heard. Indeed it is a song without a tune. A song that each one must set to the tune of their own life.

*Dattatreya: Song of The Avadhut translated by Swami Abhayananda
Also see an
earlier article I wrote on similar themes and a recently published post on LWP where the spiritual teacher Mooji (in the lineage of Sri Ramana) explains what the path of self-enquiry is about.

See also: The Face of Grace, Ramana Maharshi 

 

Important Updates

We will be counting down to Yoga Day on 21 June with an article a day on yoga – some old, some new, ranging from articles on how to begin yoga, to more philosophical aspects. We’ll also feature a selection of 10 yoga-asanas – one a day staring tomorrow to get you in the mood!

Weekly Digest

Finishing up with a weekly round-up from LWP in case you missed it (scroll down to see more details):

Monday Recipe: Red Pesto, a vitamin powerhouse
Tuesday: Researcher Kiran Varanasi’s thoughts on how the computational nature of Sanskrit is directly relevant to science and ecology and can show us the way forward
Wednesday: Nimisha Bowry’s thoughts on the ‘As You Like It Generation’ in the LivLite section
Thursday: Beloo Mehra’s walk through the beauty and divinity of an Indian temple
Friday: Ranjan Bakshi’s review of Nithin Sridhar’s book, Musings on Hinduism
Saturday: An introduction to self-inquiry with a short clip by spiritual master Mooji discussing The Most Important Question
Last Sunday’s Newsletter: “We Won’t Always Have Paris”

Sanskrit, Science and Ecology

“Understanding the anatomy of language through grammar enables us to reach a higher plane of creativity in art, as well as in science…The immense heritage of scientific works in Sanskrit bear proof to this creative capacity. Unfortunately, modern methods of academic instruction in mathematics and science have been disconnected from this heritage. Instead of a delightful marriage between scientific investigation and artistic beauty, we have the divergent worlds of sciences and humanities, where people fight to establish their egos in their theories. This disconnect has produced so much pollution in this world that people have forgotten that all of human endeavour is a shared enterprise, and that its objective is to elevate the consciousness to a higher Rasa.”

Diversity in Indian civilisation

For about ten thousand years, the Indian subcontinent was not only the most populous area but also the most technologically and economically advanced civilization in the world. But despite this, the region preserved its biological diversity. The forests of India housed vast numbers of tigers and other wild animals, whose numbers started to decline only during the colonial era. The same is true of linguistic and cultural diversity in human societies.

One can contrast how Irish and other Celtic languages were exterminated from the British isles with how Dravidian and South-East Asian languages thrived despite the dominance of Sanskrit. India is the only civilization in the world where tribal languages and customs are preserved, despite being in close contact with literate societies. Apart from protecting economic and lifestyle niches, religious beliefs and practices were also protected. Many external religions such as Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Syriac Christianity, Bahai’ism have sought and found refuge in India. This case of India is all the more surprising when we note that the aggressive European civilizations were but cousins to India, sharing a common linguistic and mythological ancestry. So what did its cousins lack that made India so tolerant?

Sanskrit – tool for elevating consciousness

The answer may be in the computational nature of the Sanskrit language and the sciences nourished by it. Taken together, they are a means of amplifying the consciousness of a person, making him aware of every single aspect of life and his conduct to it. This reinforcement of consciousness is the key to avoiding environmental catastrophe in any age. Often, humans destroy living ecosystems through sheer ignorance and lack of attention. Greed is a big factor, but stupidity results in greater violence in the long term.

The languages and belief systems that we think in are Prakrits – applicable to a specific place and context. A certain type of fish might survive in certain type of waters, but other fish may die. Such is the case with Prakrits – they cannot claim to be universal. Further, if they become polluted (become Apabhramsas), they cause suffering to the very creatures that thrived on them.

The greatest cause of suffering is the ego nurtured by the polluted mind. For example, after they conquered Bengal, the British systematically scorched the region with famine to break the morale of the people.  The early Americans exterminated the bison so that they could starve the native Indian tribes that depended on it. It is hard to fathom the depravities of such egotism, which continues to cause ecological destruction today. There is an important lesson to be learned from human civilizations that survived for a long time without ecological collapse like in India (at least until today’s age). The lesson is the open computational grammar of Sanskrit, which makes it modifiable to be suited to specific local contexts in space and time, such that the human mind pays attention to the changing constraints of nature.

Sanskrit is unique, because unlike any other human language, there is no dictionary needed for Sanskrit. Instead, it possesses a generative grammar of computational rules. The number of Sanskrit words is potentially infinite. Even if we restrict to words less than 5 syllables in length, there are more than hundreds of thousands of words. Each word in Sanskrit is akin to a self-explanatory computer program that can be parsed into individual syllables (phonemes) by which its meaning can be derived. Thus, an infinite number of new words can be generated whose meaning will be unambiguous to a Sanskrit speaker.  The magic of Sanskrit grammar is that you can have multiple ways of breaking a word and putting it together again, that leads to multiple angles of meaning, all of which converge on the denoted object.

Map reconstructing the now-dry ancient Saraswati river mentioned in Vedic texts. The river flowed through North-West India (Source: Wikipedia)

From the Indian perspective, the physical analogy for an algorithm is not a mechanical clock, but a constantly flowing river that nourishes people. This river is Saraswati on the banks of which the Indian civilization flourished, and who was later glorified as the goddess of speech. In the Indian tradition, this river is supposed to flow through all the other rivers, blending at sacred spots of confluence. When Indians make pilgrimages, they carry small pots of water from the rivers of their places of origin to the sacred Ganges and mix them in. This is a way of acknowledging the commonality of all the rivers.

Saraswati, Goddess of Speech, Knowledge  and the Arts

Interpreting this tradition with computers and algorithms, we should encourage interoperability of all computing systems, by periodically blending in the waters of computation with each other. Like the waters of a river, they can be enjoyed by all living beings. In a more general sense, we can say the same for open-source software if it achieves political and economic awareness amongst people. Thinking of algorithms and computer programs as rivers also requires us to maintain them free of pollution. Various types of pollution in terms of data-structures, security, network infrastructure etc. need to be addressed in a similar manner to how we address pollution in ecology.

Reviving the Sanskrit tradition

Throughout the cultural history of India, all great poets and writers in regional languages studied Sanskrit and were equally proficient in it. The power of Sanskrit in word formation and grammar has penetrated all Indian languages. In fact, the first writers of any regional language (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam etc.) wrote a technical Paninian*-style grammar for their language before composing any literary work. This is because they understood the importance of grammar in imparting consciousness to the literary tradition. Understanding the anatomy of language through grammar enables us to reach a higher plane of creativity in art, as well as in science.

The immense heritage of scientific works in Sanskrit bear proof to this creative capacity. Unfortunately, modern methods of academic instruction in mathematics and science have been disconnected from this heritage. Instead of a delightful marriage between scientific investigation and artistic beauty, we have the divergent worlds of sciences and humanities, where people fight to establish their egos in their theories. This disconnect has produced so much pollution in this world that people have forgotten that all of human endeavour is a shared enterprise, and that its objective is to elevate the consciousness to a higher Rasa (essence). In Sanskrit tradition, the contrast could not be stronger. Great Indian mathematicians of the past like Bhaskara were also highly skilled poets. All the great Sanskrit poets and musicians used computational thinking that would pride a scientist. These bridges have to be rebuilt today, not only for the sake of lovers of Sanskrit, but for the whole world.

The mainstream narrative from western media is okay with letting Indians have their naked mystics, but not as open about acknowledging the full extent of scientific contributions. But anybody who tries to confine the applicability of Sanskrit to these narrow realms is an enemy, not of Sanskrit, but of science.

*Sankskrit grammarian in the ~6th -4th BCE, considered the father of Indian linguistics

Yoga and the Environment

by David Frawley

“True Yoga works with nature and is able to awaken the higher powers of nature within us. This is not something that can be measured or reflected in a commercial way or by marketing. Yet it is something that we can bring into Yoga classes and Yoga teachings. Bringing out the ecological and planetary importance of Yoga and Ayurveda is the real mission to be taken up…”

Yoga and Nature

Both Yoga and Ayurveda are all about working with the forces of nature, which are not just as material energies but powers of consciousness. This work with nature occurs at both internal and external levels. Internally, we need to balance the forces of our own nature as body, mind, breath and spirit. Externally, we need to harmonize ourselves with the world of nature and with the Cosmic Spirit behind it. Each one of us is a manifestation of the entire universe and only when we discover the universe within ourselves can we really understand our purpose in life.

Yoga and Ayurveda define this working with the forces of nature according to various factors like the five elements, the three doshas, the seven chakras and different Gods and Goddesses that themselves reflect the powers of nature from sexuality to the power of consciousness itself. Our own higher nature, the Atman or Purusha, the true Self that is one with the Cosmic Being or Brahman, is the goal and focus of this process.

Yoga traditionally was practiced in retreat in nature, in the mountains and forests or by the river banks and sea shores. Yoga students cultivated gardens, took care of cattle, and learned how to live in the wild. This was an integral part of their training and allowed the natural power of Yoga to grow within them as part of their daily lives.

However, Yoga’s connection with nature and its concern for the environment is easily obscured, if not lost, in the modern Yoga movement and its urban and commercial orientation. Such a Yoga of nature is hard to fit into our modern hectic life-styles that have little time or space for something sacred to unfold of its own accord, though this is the real movement of Yoga.

But in the context of the current global crisis, Yoga’s concern for nature is more relevant than ever. It is a crucial factor in the future of the planet and of our species. This Yoga of nature is not just a matter of getting everyone to practice asanas but bringing a yogic way of integration into how we live, balancing the outer and the inner, nature and spirit, on a planetary level.

Yoga is a way of harnessing the secret powers of nature within us to manifest our own higher natural potentials for a greater awareness. This requires a very deep connection with the world of nature in body, mind and heart. It cannot be done mechanically or en masse, nor made into a franchise. It requires an individual orientation to the living world, which is not just human society but all that is.

Yoga in a World Out of Balance

Our current civilization is easily the most environmentally unfriendly ever to have arisen on the planet. It promotes various forms of exploitation both socially and environmentally that are undermining the very foundation of life for all creatures. Under its spread, the natural balance continues to fall off in a dramatic way in the world around us. Most of our current culture thinks that it is immune from needing to be concerned about nature, which we can shape according to our desires. For it, short-term profits are much more important than any long-term damage to the planet that might be occurring. Yet nature is already makings its voice heard.

Whether it is global warming, tidal waves, droughts and floods, Mother Nature does seem to be protesting these days and this trend is likely to increase in the years and decades to come. Some of these problems may occur because we now have extensive human populations in areas that are not normally safe for habitation like deserts, flood planes, beach areas or earthquake prone regions. But it more and more appears that our own human actions are disturbing the forces of weather and geology, setting in motion energies that we may not be able to control. Global warming is just an indication of a whole range of imbalances going on in our world today that should cause us to awaken, take action and change the world while it is still possible.

On top of this environmental crisis, our current culture has a growing psychological malaise or problem in our internal psychological environment. This is easy to observe by such factors as the epidemic of depression striking young and old and the hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders rampant among children. We may have escaped the crippling physical disorders of previous generations but only to become psychologically crippled or emotionally disturbed instead. With all the affluence that we have today, few people are really happy and many people are suffering in spite or because of their wealth and longer lives.

Our culture overall is getting more and more dependent upon drugs, whether prescription drugs for physical and psychological problems or recreational drugs taken for fun. It is now estimated that around 25% of children are taking regular medications, extending to nearly 90% for the elderly. Even our blood chemistry is not natural these days. Our food similarly is largely processed and contains little natural prana in it to maintain a natural balance in our own digestive systems.

In our entertainment culture, we spend much more time with the media than with nature, so there is also little that is natural left in our field of impressions as well. Our minds are full of disturbed media images of car wrecks, sex or violence, not with the mountains, sky, water or plants around us. We have little of what Yoga calls Pratyahara or the ability to gather our energies and look within. We are overstimulated and externally driven, which in turn makes us feel empty and unstable, particularly when our entertainment is not available.

Our urban environments are largely denaturalized as well, with few of us living on the ground or in touch with it, leaving us in a situation very different than a natural life on Earth. Many people have never planted a garden and don’t know the names even of the most common plants around them. Our society has isolated itself from nature and left very little sacred space anywhere. Each generation seems to be more progressively infected with these anti-natural tendencies. It seems that nature is irrelevant to most people today, except if it can be used for some personal recreation or speed racing.

So far the United States in its role as the world’s only superpower has not served to create any real global vision or action. It has no real universal or collective concerns beyond its own short-term economic or security interests. We talk about spreading democracy when our own culture has little freedom and a greater corporate control looms everywhere in our lives. The question is whether American Yoga can aid in bringing about such a change in this destructive culture. And if it cannot, what is the alternative?

A Yogic Alternative

Those of us who work in the greater yogic field would be wise to ask: how does Yoga view the current state of affairs in the world and is there a yogic way of action for dealing with it? Clearly our current society is not yogic, nor are most of the political, economic or even religious forces that dominate the world today. Their concern is not with protecting the natural balance or developing any higher awareness. They are mainly concerned with promoting their own vested interests that depend upon the exploitation of both human populations and the world of nature to maintain their own power and hegemony.

A yogic way of action to restore the natural balance is something that is seldom looked into, though yoga is all about balance. As the Bhagavad Gita states, Yoga samatva uchyate, Yoga is the state of balance. We cannot truly think or live yogically without doing so in an ecological way as well.

Unfortunately, Yoga in the West has developed more as a personal practice aimed at health and fitness at a physical level. Sometimes it borders on narcissism with its emphasis on personal health, beauty and happiness almost to the exclusive of anything else. The conscience of Yoga that we find in the great Yogis of old doesn’t seem to be much of a factor in Yoga today. The idea of a yogic world view or a yogic critique of society is rarely addressed these days, even by Yoga teachers. Many great Yogis like Vivekananda, Aurobindo, Yogananda, Tagore or Mahatma Gandhi did address broader cultural and social issues. They saw that as the essence of Yoga, which is about removing the ignorance both in and around us with the sword of knowledge.

When Mahatma Gandhi was once asked what he thought about western civilization, he responded in his humorous way with “It would be a good idea.” Clearly he was aware of the material and technological power and sophistication of the West. His response meant that the West needed a deeper spiritual view to make its material powers truly beneficial in their application. Aurobindo felt that the West could not lead the world to any greater age of peace without a fundamental change of values. This required adding a yogic vision and freedom of awareness to the outer freedom that the West had already developed. The present ecological crisis is also, therefore, an opportunity for the real soul and message of Yoga to come out.

Ayurveda and the Planet

Ayurveda similarly rests upon a foundation of respect for the conscious universe and the wise use of its powers in a way to benefit all beings. Ayurveda teaches that epidemic diseases can arise through damage to the world of nature, specifically to the water, air and soil, with damage to the soil being the worst of these factors. Clearly the quality of our water, air and soil has greatly deteriorated over the last few centuries, however much our superficial standard of living has gone up. Even our medications are turning up in our water, so pervasive is their usage. Our soils have been even more polluted than our bodies with chemicals and toxins of various sorts.

This environmental crisis brings many questions relative to health. Can we as individuals be naturally healthy in a world in which nature itself is severely compromised? Can we have an adequate immune system when the planetary immune system (the biosphere) is severely stressed? There is hardly an ecosystem on the planet that is really healthy today. Can our own ecosystem, our personal and home environment, be healthy if that is the case?

A major cause of disease in Ayurvedic diagnosis is the blocking of the channels, whether of circulation, respiration, digestion or the nervous system. When the natural flow of energy through the channels is disrupted, unnatural flows occur that cause pain and disease. Extending this principle into the world of nature, we can see that there is hardly a river in the world that is not blocked or inhibited in its flow. Some rivers like the once mighty Colorado no longer even reach the sea. We have also suppressed the natural forest fires, which are now returning with vengeance. A suppressed natural environment, like a suppressed body must erupt in some manner of disease.

If we look at the planet with the same considerations as we would look at a patient according to the principles of natural medicine, such as Ayurveda provides, we see all the signs of a severe disease developing. Yet for all the money we spend on health and medicine, what do we spend to heal the planet which is the vessel for all that we do?

What to Do?

The last elections (2011) in the US have seen an increase in political consciousness extending into spiritual and yogic groups. Though it may have failed to change the outcome in a more yogic direction, it is still a good sign that people are ready to bring their yogic teachings into their outer lives. But the greater problem is more ecological than simply political, though it has important political ramifications. It is an issue of our life-styles, our social values and our way of looking for solutions in life. Its answers may not lie on the political left or right in the old sense but in a new vision.

Both the political right and the political left, for example, seem to be endorsing drugs as the best way to deal with our increasing health crisis. Neither has a plan to get seniors to reduce their need for drugs and increase the availability of non-drug related therapies in this regard, such as Yoga and Ayurveda can offer. So political changes, however necessary, may not in themselves be enough without a deeper change of how we look at the world.

A truly yogic life-style does of course minimize our negative impact upon the environment. The yogic emphasis on a vegetarian diet greatly reduces cruelty to animals and exploitation of natural environments. Yogic values of simplicity and self-restraint have their outer ramifications as well, removing us from the consumer world and its excesses.

But yoga is primarily about bringing a higher consciousness into the world. This has a powerful effect even when it is not recognized by others outwardly and, given the current general spiritual blindness, we cannot expect that it will be, even by our friends and families. The prana that we bring in through Yoga has a healing effect upon our environment as well as ourselves. By bringing in these higher energies, Yoga has its benefits, without recourse to external actions, which however do have their place. If we simply meditate but don’t change how we live, our meditation may only be a form of escapism or self-indulgence.

Yoga can contribute a higher consciousness and an integral way of working with the forces of life to aid in this process. It can provide a practical philosophy and spiritual methodology for the ecological movement. Ayurveda can contribute of view of both physical and psychological health based upon honouring the natural balance and showing us how to restore it.

Yoga teachers need to get out of the gym and back in touch with the greater world of nature. A good yoga teacher is not determined by how many people attend their classes or how good a workout the students receive. A good Yoga teacher helps spread the consciousness of Yoga into the lives of people and into what we do on a daily basis from our eating and sleeping to our thoughts, emotions and social activities. Ayurveda provides important guidelines in these areas as well.

True Yoga works with nature and is able to awaken the higher powers of nature within us. This is not something that can be measured or reflected in a commercial way or by marketing. Yet it is something that we can bring into Yoga classes and Yoga teachings. Bringing out the ecological and planetary importance of Yoga and Ayurveda is the real mission to be taken up – and one that has benefits far beyond any boundaries or measurements, not only for ourselves but for future generations.

Read also:
What Yoga is Really About
A Yogi Lifestyle
Commercialisation of Spirituality

This article was first published on vedanet.com and has been republished here with permission.

Yoga and Pranayama to Keep You Cool Through Summer

The summer season is characterised by Pitta, the Ayurvedic body/mind type associated with the element of fire. As outside temperatures rise, we crank up the air-conditioning but as we all know, that can be very dehydrating – in fact doctors are now saying that air-conditioning causes more harm than good! But fear not because here are 4 eco-friendly and natural ways to keep you cool and calm through the season. If you already practice yoga and pranayama (breathing exercises), then adjusting your practice with these tips will ensure that there isn’t excessive production of heat in the body.

See also: Baba Ramdev’s tips for beating the heat

Chandrabhedi pranayama

Our body temperature is essentially maintained via the movement of air through the right (pingala) and left (ida) channels (nadis) of the body. The right is associated with the sun and masculine energy, heat and vigour, while the left is associated with the moon, feminine energy, coolness and calmness.

In the summer, our left nostril is naturally more active than the right to help normalise the body temperature. Deliberately activating the left channel helps to effectively cool down the body. Blocking the right ear (by inserting a cotton plug) automatically activates the left nostril. More effective however is the Chandrabhedi pranayama. (1)

Unlike the Anulom-Vilom pranayama technique where breath is taken in through alternate nostrils each time, in the Chandrabhedi pranayama, inhalation is only through the left nostril and exhalation always through the right. The pranayama should be carried out gently, slowly and soundlessly.

To do this pranayama:

  • Sit with a straight back preferably in a yogic sitting posture like Sukhasana (common cross-legged position) or Padmasana (lotus posture). If you cannot sit in a yogic posture, you may sit on a chair but make sure your back is straight, feet are firmly on the ground and head is not leaning on a head-rest. Keep your eyes gently closed.
  • Make a fist with your right hand and then pull out the ring and little fingers and the thumb – this is Vishnu mudra. Keep your left hand, palm facing upward, loosely on your lap.
  • Block your right nostril with the thumb of your right hand (which is holding the Vishnu mudra). Take a deep and slow inhalation through the left nostril. After inhalation is complete, block the left nostril with the right hand ring finger. Exhale slowly through the right nostril. Block the right nostril after exhalation is complete and repeat the breathing pattern – inhalation through left and exhalation through right.
  • Focus on your breath through the pranayama. You may practice this pranayama for 5 – 10 minutes.

This video provides a demonstration.

Sheetali and Sheetkari pranayama

Sheetali and Sheetkari pranayamas are two types of pranayama that are extremely effective in cooling down the body and their effect is immediate. In Sheetkali pranayama, air is taken in via the mouth through an extended and rolled tongue, held for a short while and then exhaled slowly through the nose. If you are not able to roll your tongue, you can try the Sheetkari pranayama where air is inhaled through the teeth instead. The pranayamas can be done for 5, 7, 11 or 21 breath cycles (1).

This video provides a demonstration.

Chandra Namaskar or Moon salutations

Yoga students are usually more familiar with the Surya Namaskar (or sun salutations) practice. However, Surya Namaskar may tend to be too heating for some people during the summer. Chandra Namaskar or moon salutations on the other hand are cooling and calming as they incorporate sideways movements as opposed to the more invigorating forward-backward movements of the Surya Namaskar. This video provides a demonstration.

Be mindful of heating practices

Every person is different and so every body reacts differently to yogic practices. Having said that, certain practices are by nature heating (while all practices create energetic heat or ushna, some do more than others) and one may wish to keep this in mind while practicing during hot weather. These include:

  • Surya Namaskar – which as noted above, involves vigorous forward-backward movements
  • Kapalbhati pranayama – which involves forceful exhalations
  • Bhastrika pranayama (‘bellows breath’) – which involves invigorating breathing
  • Suryabhedi pranayama – which as opposed to the Chandrabhedi pranayama mentioned above, involves activation of breath particularly through the pingala nadi (right nostril).

Such practices are generally recommended to overcome kapha and vata doshas which have a cold property.

If one wishes to carry on these practices during summer, it may be best to practice them in the cooler hours of the day to avoid discomfort – see more below about adjusting time of practice.

Adjust the time of practice/exercise

Source: www.ishafoundation.org

It is advisable to do yoga or other exercise in the cooler hours of the day, avoiding the heat between around 9 am and 5 pm. In general, the twenty minutes before and after sunrise and sunset are considered best for yoga practice. With the longer summer days, tweaking your yoga sadhana times to align with the earlier sunrises and later sunsets is beneficial.

 
 
 
 

Note: The information presented in this article is for educational purposes only. Please consult your yoga teacher for instructions about any yoga practice and your doctor for medical advice.

Read also: Sadhguru’s Tips: Leave These Off Your Yoga Mat

(1) YouTube video of Baba Ramdev’s explanation

Art, Cosmology and the Divine | Part V

Main photo (above) is a Basohli illustration to the Gita Govinda, ‘Hail, Keshava, Hail! Ruler of Wave and Wood!’, c.1730

The penultimate part of this six-part series (Read earlier parts: Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV) in which distinguished scientist, academic and Vedic scholar Subhash Kak shows how traditional Indian art is not only aesthetically sublime, but is a reflection of the cosmos and of the Divine itself. In Part V we see how the stories of Krishna, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, reflect a harmony between materiality and spirit.

Part V: Krishna’s dance

Krishna, the divine flute player

 

 

Read this article in the LivingWise Project Digest.

 

 

 

Read Part I: Introduction
Read part II: General equivalences
Read Part III: Temples and Gods
Read Part IV: Churning of the ocean
Read Part VI: Indian aesthetic in an age of war

Understanding the Ayurvedic principles of Panchamahabhuta and Tridosha

Panchamahabhuta: the five basic elements of nature

Ayurveda describes five basic elements “Panchamahabhuta” of Air “Vayu”, Water “Jal” , Fire “Agni”, Earth “Bhumi”, and Space/Ether “Aakash”. The Panchamahabhuta mix together in multiple ways and proportions to create unique and distinct forms of matter.

In the human body, the correspondence of the presence of Panchamahabhuta is as follows:

  • Space represents the voids within the body such as mouth, nostrils, abdomen
  • Air denotes the movement of the muscular and nervous system
  • Fire controls the functioning of enzymes  and corresponds to intelligence, functioning of digestive system and metabolism
  • Water is in all bodily fluids such as plasma, saliva, digestive juices
  • Earth manifests itself in the solid structure of the body  such as bones, teeth, flesh, and hair etc.

The Panchamahabhuta therefore serve as the foundation of all diagnosis & treatment modalities in Ayurveda and has served as a most valuable theory for physicians to detect and treat illness of the body and mind successfully.

Ayurvedic Principles - Tridosha

Tridosha – Ayurvedic principles that define the physical state

The Panchamahabhuta work together in different ways to create physical energies, termed as “dosha” in individuals. These three govern creation, maintenance and destruction of bodily tissues (“dhatus”) as well as the assimilation and elimination functions.

  • Earth + Water Kapha corresponding to structure and all of the oily factors of  our body such as, fat tissue, lubricating fluids like synovial fluid in joints,  the mucous secretions in the digestive system and respiratory system. Qualities – heaviness, slow movement, oiliness, liquidity, thickness and density.
  • Air + Fire Pitta corresponding to digestion, bio transformation of the digested food, and the factors responsible for our metabolism. The seats of Pitta are in the digestive system, skin, eyes, brain, lymph, liver, spleen and blood. Presence of Pitta is evident through our body temperature. Qualities – hotness, sharpness, lightness, liquidity, sourness, oiliness and fast spreading nature.
  • Air + Space Vata corresponding to movements of our body and inside our body. These include movements of the muscles, movement of food through our digestive tract and movement of the blood through the blood vessels. Qualities – dryness, roughness, coldness, mobility, clarity and astringent taste.

Prakruti and dosha

Each person is born with a unique combination of these doshas which decides their temperament or body type and is termed as “prakruti”. Understanding of each person’s prakruti for deciding their personal diet and exercise pattern, supplements and medicinal herbs, cleansing and rebuilding therapies that is right for them are among the chief methods that Ayurveda employs for the maintenance and restoration of health.

Physical features of an individual can also be utilized to understand the prakruti of the person, as shown below:

This article has been contributed to LWP by www.medhyaherbals.in where it was first published.

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The Bhagavad Gita – the essence of India and its profound message for the world

by David Frawley

Dharma is not a matter of dogma, but of adapting our principles to what is required according to the changing needs of time, place and person in order to further the higher forces in the world.

The Bhagavad Gita remains the book that can be best described as India’s national book. For thousands of years, up to the present, the Gita has been the most popular, commonly read, widely translated and commented upon teaching from India, far beyond any competing text, of which there are many wonderful depictions in the vast literature of the region.

One cannot know India, its essence and identity, without having first examined the Gita in depth and looked into its profound instruction about life, human interactions, the secrets of human psychology, and the keys to higher consciousness. The Gita reflects all the complexity, paradox, mystery and beauty of India/Bharat, its perennial search for the eternal and infinite, yet its ability to reflect the abundance of life on all levels as well.

Sri Krishna remains the figure who best represents India’s profound yogic culture and civilisation to the world. He is known as a Divine incarnation, a yogavatara, and a sage of the highest order, who was able to teach a variety of paths to all temperaments of people, motivating humanity to achieve its highest potential. Sri Krishna has a Divine personality with an incomparable charisma that serves to inspire the Divine within all of us, yet teaches us with great clarity and precision as well.

The way forward

The genesis of the Gita on the battlefield is one of its most compelling factors. All life is a battle or a struggle between the many dualities within and around us, both in nature and in humanity, particularly the forces of dharma and adharma. Yet life is not a simple faceoff between good and evil, delineated in black and white, a moralistic clash in which the right choice of action cannot be questioned.

Life is a struggle to go forward in a maze of competing forces moving in multiple directions, carrying contrary influences. Like Arjuna at the start of the Gita, it is easier for us to not want to fight in order to avoid the pain and complications, but this is to let life pass us by and condemns us to the limitations of what we have already become.

The Bhagavad Gita shows us how to achieve the best possible in less than ideal circumstances, in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, which is among the worst and most complicated of all imaginable clashes, involving taking up arms against ones own kinsmen and gurus. Yet not to act would only allow the forces of negativity and inertia to prevail, and irreparably damage the society for long periods to come.

It is often easier to stand on the sidelines when there are no clear options without notable side effects. But life does not work that way. Pain, sorrow, disease, enmity are also challenges to the soul to grow beyond its outer limitation and discover its inner reality. If we do not face and overcome the difficulties of life, we remain weak and fail to discover the Divine within us.

Svadharma and the universal Dharma

Dharma is not a matter of dogma, but of adapting our principles to what is required according to the changing needs of time, place and person in order to further the higher forces in the world. The Bhagavad Gita teaches us our Svadharma or individual dharma. Yet this is not in modern terms a path of mere individual freedom and self-assertion. It is how we are connected to the whole, how the entire universe exists within and around us. We cannot find fulfilment at a personal level without serving our highest duty to the whole of life. The Gita shows us our individual essence but as part of the universal being that is Sri Krishna.

The Gita’s ultimate message is that there is no death. No one is truly born or dies. We are immortal in our inner Divine nature as pure consciousness. Birth and death only belong to the body and are no more than a mere change of clothes for the soul. It is not salvation we need but Self-knowledge, getting back to the core of our being that cannot be disturbed by any external forces.

The dilemma of Arjuna represents our essential challenge in life. We are all imperfect, but have the sense of a higher perfection that we can manifest with great effort. Getting Arjuna to arise within us is the key to our success in life, but it also requires that we seek the grace and guidance of Sri Krishna in his innumerable forms.

This article was first published on vedanet.com and has been republished here with permission.

Read also: Stress Out? Here’s 3 Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita

 

Krishna & Holi, Light & Colours

There is something within us that whispers, ‘choose me’. It is the voice of Light that has the potential to burst into a rainbow of colours. As we come upon Holi, the festival of colours, we also usher in the first month of the Hindu new year, Chaitra. The eve of Holi, Holika Dahan, is marked by a large bonfire where we surrender the past within us to the Light, to make way for the new. This is always a conscious choice, just as weeds grow wantonly but a flower needs deliberate planting.

Understanding Bharat in the Light of Sanatana Dharma

Whether we were born here or not, Bharat is an opportunity for all of humanity to witness through this civilization, how the ‘outer’ and ‘inner’ has the potential to beautifully integrate. Not because of concocted beliefs or some selfish desires of a group of exclusive people, but because of the universal movement of Life itself – through Sanatana Dharma. …We stand at an auspicious juncture as we correct narratives and understandings and move from ‘mythology’ to history, ‘religion’ to dharma, lies to the uncovering of truth.

Ram Mandir: Through Tears of Sorrow & Bhakti

Rama, King of hearts, is coming once again to Ayodhya.

Rama as the Sun, ushers in the inner light of consciousness. In a country where Sanatana Dharma beautifully integrates the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’, the establishing of Rama’s presence in Ayodhya after 500 long years of struggle, is hopefully a sign of a civilisational awakening and a cultural renaissance that is long overdue. Being under foreign rule for several centuries and even after independence in 1947, Bharat has not had a chance to craft a cultural or national narrative and take forward the legacy of its glorious past.

I haven’t posted very regularly on this blog of late but couldn’t resist saying something on the momentous occasion of the pranpratishtha at the new Rama mandir in Ayodhya. Especially when one reads of the great sacrifices of our forefathers who bled in millions for their country and faith, one realises one’s good fortune and concomitantly, responsibility in taking forward the light, the right ideas, the dharma, not only for Bharat, but all of humanity.

Watch this new video uploaded on the LivingWise You Tube channel and share your thoughts.

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To arrange wordsIn some orderIs not the same thingAs the inner poiseThat’s poetry. The truth of poetryIs the truthOf being.It’s an experienceOf truth. No ornamentsSurviveA crucible.Fire revealsOnly moltenGold. Says TukaWe are hereTo reveal.We do not wasteWords. – Sant Tukaram 29 June this year is Ashadhi Ekadashi, also called Devshayani Ekadashi. …

The Bhagavad Gita: Krishna’s exhale

“When one rises in awareness, one perceives that every atom, every particle is pervaded by Bhagavan in His formless state. However all this drama of countless universes, countless worlds, which are appearing and disappearing, are in His cosmic Form, in His ‘saguna’ Form: beyond that there is nothing else. And …