Yesterday devotees around the world celebrated the anniversary of the mahasamadhi of Paramhansa Yogananda. Peter Goering gave the talk at Sunday Service and read God’s Boatman from Whisper’s from Eternity, by Paramhansa Yogananda. An excerpt from that poem is on the photo of the stars at the end of this post. I am always deeply moved when I hear or read that poem. To imagine a love so great that the guru would return for us if need be a trillion times…
The day was lovely here. We have been having alot of rain and a little snow. But, it was sunny so walking across the meadow to and from The Expanding Light was a real treat. The meadow is green and the light was very pleasing and warm. Peter’s talk focused on the life of Yogananda, but he began with the story of the miracles that surrounded Master’s conscious exit from his body. There were stories of his meeting with his first disciple in America, Dr. Lewis, and of his mission to bring the practical and timeless teachings of the East to the West. The whole talk was delightful and I hope you can listen to it.
After service there was an Indian Banquet hosted by The Expanding Light and created by Julius Dass and Jyoti Spearin. They were assisted by some very happy helpers. And the food? Amazing!! I want the recipe. Everyone seemed to completely enjoy visiting and lingering over the satisfying meal.
Later in the evening, again at The Expanding Light, we prayed and chanted: Sri Guru Deva Aum, Sri Guru Deva Amen. The chant has been in my head the whole day.
Swami Kriyananda’s play, Jewel in the Lotus, was performed and the temple walls seemed to melt away as we were transported to the future. The play is set 200 years from now at the time Master said he would return to the Himalayas and gather up his disciples to meditate and find liberation in the mountains. I was not alone in wiping away tears as the actors brought their roles to life and were transformed by the main character, The Storyteller. Swamiji wrote this play with a perfect blend of humor, timeless wisdom and depth and made the journey we are all on toward liberation seem so real. The vibration of the room at the end of the play is always so high - I am pretty sure everyone there was ready to leave everything to go live on Lotus Mountain with the Master.
When I got home, I noticed that the stars were so brilliant in the sky. I set up my camera to take a photo. I had to leave the shutter open for about a minute or two to get the stars to register, and even in that amount of time you can see that the “stars moved” and appeared as little streaks. It was very quiet while I waited and I thought back over the day.
Peter talked about the yugas. And I tried to feel that even in the amount of time it took me to take my star picture the earth was rotating very steadily toward a new dawn, and also within our solar system the earth is moving steadily toward the center of the universe and a higher age. Yogananda’s life coincided with the transition of a lower age toward a higher age. And guess what? We are all a part of this steady progression toward higher consciousness and light. It is not always easy. But, we have the great good fortune to have a God Realized guru to lead the way, and he will never give up on us. He will come back for us a trillion times, but we have been blessed with teachings that will help us to quicken our journey. We have the great good fortune to be here and part of this great adventure that will take us toward liberation.
Jai Guru! May the Master Bless us all. I am posting a teeny video with an excerpt from one of my favorite songs, O Master. It was sung at Sunday Service.
Have you heard the saying “Man plans and God laughs”? I want to tell you of my recent experience in India, not because I wish to talk about myself, but because I want to demonstrate how God’s plans will always over-ride our own for the higher good.
I returned only last week from a most inspiring trip to India with blessings I could not have imagined. My first trip there, I had prayed that I would meet a Realized master.
For more than a year now I have been corresponding with Swami Kriyananda (direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda and founder of the Ananda communities) regarding meeting up at his newly founded community outside Pune, in the Maharashtra state of India. I consider Swamiji has now proved, in countless ways, that he has indeed reached jivan mukta status (freed while living) and that his was the saintly meeting that would answer my prayers.
It was always risky to plan in stone, however, as Swamiji never knows where he will be one day to the next for much of his time. Yet, it all looked good and my information when I left for India was such that I had a confirmed appointment with him. Only the day before I was to visit Ananda, I learned that Swamiji unavoidably had left, 4 days before, for Gurgaon, Delhi, which is a great distance from Pune. I calmly accepted the situation, knowing that all was right as it was. But did this superficial disappointment prevent me from meeting a saint? I don’t believe it did.
The day before I had visited the pilgrimage town of Shirdi, which boasts the place of the saintly Sai Baba’s Mahasamadhi (great samadhi in which a Realized master consciously sheds his mortal frame).
Shirdi Sai Baba
It was a Saturday. The town was literally heaving with pilgrims from near and far. The roads were gridlocked and not much ground could be seen above the sea of heads. When my husband, our driver and I located Sai Baba’s sacred shrine I was utterly dismayed by the throng of people queuing to receive darshan (vibrational blessing) from the famous shrine. I could see thousands upon thousands of devotees. This queue, we were told, was currently taking 5-6hours to reach the centre of the temple. The sun was at it’s highest, therefore the heat too much to stand in for any length of time. Disappointed, but again accepting life as is, our driver suggested we return in the evening as he hoped it would be less busy.
On the way back to our car, we walked counter-current to the advancing queue of pilgrims. All I could see was a flowing river of heads. Suddenly there appeared a gap in the crowd. I saw an old swami, dressed in the traditional ochre robe, long hair and mala’s (prayer beads) adorning his neck. He was advancing in a strong purposeful march, yet with such grace and agility he seemed to glide with the athletic prowess of a much younger man.
As he fast approached, our eyes met, and I couldn’t have hoped for the beaming smile from the angelic face before me. His eyes expressed instant recognition of me as an old friend, yet it went much deeper than that. I beamed back too, recognizing immediately this old soul as my oldest and dearest friend; my own. It was a meeting after millennia apart; the warmth, the love conveyed, the beatific smile….but those eyes!
Then, as fast as he approached, he was gone! I couldn’t get his face out of my mind: His eyes; the aura of youth on an old, yet very agile body. My husband and our driver didn’t appear to notice him at all.
It wasn’t until I was in meditation the following morning when… wham! The realization came upon me that this swami was indeed a man of Realization: A man of God. I have no doubt that I brushed the path of a true saint this day; that by default I received darshan from him as our eyes met, and also that he was a dear old friend that I was karmically bound to meet again in this life for mine and possibly his spiritual advancement.
That same evening the queue was still lengthy, though considerably less than earlier. We had a 15 minute wait at the entrance gate, with some confusion as to what to do next. Our driver was trying to get instruction as to where we should go as this was a massive temple complex. Then Divine Mother blessed us by sending the temple superintendent to lead us past the waiting throng of pilgrims to receive darshan at the holy blessed shrine of Sai Baba. We had not asked for preferential treatment, only that we wished to pray at the shrine and receive darshan. The experience was transforming for me. Walking barefoot along the pilgrim route up to the golden dais of his enshrined body with the acoustics of the ancient and powerfully effective tones of sanskrit mantra chanted by the high priest, I pranamed (bowed with hands in prayer position at the heart and forehead) at the feet of his saintly body. The energy in the ether was super-charged. We were further blessed by the high priest and were given prasad (food of the gods) and sacred ash, both infused with Baba’s blessing.
Sai Baba’s Shrine
In my hotel room that night in Shirdi I knew I was changed. I deeply felt the blessings from the saintly swami and beloved Sai Baba which remain with me. What a day! Two saints instead of the one I had prayed for.
Divine Mother, you can override my plans any time you like. I thank you.
Many inspired and dedicated souls are, for many reasons, unable to live in Ananda communities. So they read the website and books by Paramhansa Yogananda, Swami Kriyananda and others. They meditate. When possible many visit our communities worldwide for inspiration, renewal and spiritual satsang fellowship.
Yogananda said that “Environment is stronger than will”. In order to create an environment around them more conducive to spiritual practice, some feel inspired to sponsor or attend a local meditation group where souls of like mind and aspiration can gather in support of each other and meditate together. These groups often sprout other meditation groups nearby and so it goes. As Jesus said, “When 2 or 3 are gathered together”. Some groups even go further and found small centers where they can gather in a more centralized location for larger and varied activities.
Such is Ananda Tucson.
For many years here in Tucson, Arizona, a small group of dedicated individuals met in each others homes to meditate and discuss Yogananda’s spiritual principles. Many have visited and some have lived at Ananda village at one time or another. The greater Tucson area is very geographically widespread with 2 current active meditation groups thriving through weekly meditations, one on the East side and one on the West with travel time being over an hour between. And now, thanks to some very committed souls, the Ananda community in Tucson is growing with a real physical center closer to the middle on the north side.
Countless hours of selfless effort and numerous weekend work parties has resulted in the creation of a beautiful, peaceful harbor and spiritual center for those Tucsonians and their friends. This small unassuming house in middle an older neighborhood on a relatively busy street, was purchased and has been remodeled in order to provide a large meeting area with open kitchen for gatherings, a small meditation room and even guest quarters. The house also came with a prized second lot in the back, which can be used for off street parking. Landscaping is just being added to provide garden areas in both front and back for everyone.
It is easily identified from the street by a spiritual eye painted on the mailbox out front.
Now they can call themselves “Ananda Tucson” with a center that can support many additional activities such as study groups and special events can be held for larger groups. Last weekend, Sraddha and I led Sunday Service followed by a satsang with everyone complete with a feast provided by volunteers.
It’s not just the physical place, but the spirit of all involved who create this blessed experience for all in the coming years. This can happen anywhere and has in many locations. All it takes a vision along with dedicated group of cooperative individuals willing say, “God is the Doer here” then channel their time and energy into making it happen.
As every Ananda community worldwide has experienced early in their lives, this is a humble beginning for Ananda Tucson. Who knows what Divine Mother has in store for its future.
Thank you Ananda Tucson for your deep commitment and love of God!
This year I’ve been teaching a class at Ananda’s Living Wisdom Highshool entitled, “Sharing Nature Leadership Training.” The Sharing Nature with Children book series was written by Ananda Village member Joseph (Bharat) Cornell and is used in virtually every part of the world. Joseph wrote the Sharing Nature activities to give inspiring nature experiences and to bring participants (both young and old) to a place of stillness within themselves. For as Henry David Thoreau said, “one cannot perceive beauty but with a serene mind.”
The most challenging and ultimately most rewarding part of working with these students is learning how to work with their energy and enthusiasm, or lack thereof. No matter how well prepared I am going into a class, I almost always have to tweak or sometimes even completely let go of my personal goals and work with their level of energy at the moment.
To help in this process I use a technique developed by Joseph Cornell called Flow Learning.™ Flow Learning is a technique of working with energy to calm the mind so learning can take place much more effectively and peace be felt much more deeply. It has four stages:
Let me demonstrate the process of Flow Learning in pictures…
1. Flow Learning first starts with a lively activity to awaken their energy and enthusiasm by having fun. In this activity, “Animals! Animals!” the girls act out a Dragon Fly.
2. Next you take that newly awakened energy and bring it to a calm focus. In this activity, “Duplication,” students are given 15 seconds to memorize natural objects before they are covered up. They then go and search for those objects.
3. Now that their energy is focused and their mind is calm, it is easier for them to experience nature deeply. Here Mark is practicing “Still Hunting” in a tree!
4. Finally the students gather to share their experiences. Sharing helps to extract meaning more immediately from an experience.
So far the boys and girls have had a wonderful time working with and teaching Sharing Nature activities. They’ve taught to mostly all of the younger students at Living Wisdom School and the girls recently got back from their trip to Hawaii where they taught a class of 7th graders. In May we will be Traveling to Ashland, Portland and Seattle to do a series of workshops and next year we will be taking Sharing Nature into the schools in Nevada County. Maybe you’d like us to lead your family or group in Sharing Nature activities? You’ll be sure to have a joyful time!
Tulips sprouting at Crystal Hermitage.
If you read my last post you knew I would be writing to you next from India. However, shortly before we were to leave we got one of those phone calls nobody likes to get. A beloved family member passed away.
I went over to one of my favorite places: Crystal Hermitage and found solace in the springlike weather and vibrant greenery. I was completely alone and completely immersed in the stillness of the gardens.
The tulip sprouts were reaching for the sun and all kinds of birds were singing and hopping from tree to tree. The soil was rich and nurturing. I walked up to the Shrine and spent time listening to the wind chimes that seemed to want to remind me to pause and go deep in the sounds and the silence. I offered prayers for people who have written to Ananda for prayers and for friends I knew that were also dealing with loss and trying times. I felt connected to a calm joy. Even the Bhuddha statue seemed to radiate prayers and peace.
Here is a teeny little video (58 seconds) of a few of the sights and sounds in the garden. I hope that it conveys some of the peace I felt. Om Guru. And blessings to you all. Barbara
This article covers a technique, Khechari Mudra, that is one of the most unusual in yoga and therefore a bit too strange for some people. I’m posting it here because there is quite a lot of confusion around this technique, and what Paramhansa Yogananda taught about it.
Khechari Mudra (also spelled Khecari or Kechari) is an ancient yoga technique that is used in the practice of Kriya Yoga as taught by Yogananda and his lineage of Kriya gurus. It has also been practiced by yogis and meditators for perhaps thousands of years, due to its wonderful benefits.
Yogananda privately recommended Khechari Mudra to some of his disciples, but only occasionally mentioned it publicly. He explained that he was teaching in a country where yoga was already strange enough — without also telling people about a yoga technique where the tongue is turned upward and placed into the nasal cavity, above the soft palate!
It’s important to remember that techniques alone can’t give one enlightenment or liberation. Yogananda said about Kriya Yoga:
Kriya plus devotion works like mathematics. It cannot fail.
Right attitude, devotion, and attunement to the Guru are more important than an over-reliance on exotic techniques such as Khechari Mudra. However, Khechari can be an aid to deeper meditation when done with the right attitude.
Yogananda didn’t fully describe the technique in his writings and lectures — it is explained more fully in The Art and Science of Raja Yoga, by Swami Kriyananda, and in the Khechari Mudra Booklet (an e-book available from Crystal Clarity Publishers for those who have been initiated into Kriya Yoga through Ananda).
In the ninety years since Yogananda began teaching in the West, unusual yoga practices, such as Khechari Mudra, have become more well known. Many people are confused about whether Yogananda even recommended Khechari. In fact, Yogananda both wrote and spoke about Khechari Mudra.
Yogananda wrote about Khechari in an early version of his home study course, published in 1926. The “little tongue” that he mentions below is the uvula, the soft tissue that hangs from the roof of the mouth, at the back of the throat:
This Kundalini moving brainwards, and helped by the union of nerves in the tip of the tongue and the “little tongue,” and certain centers in the nasal cavity, brings about the secretion of a fluid with union of the Life Energy and Cosmic Energy.
This secretion of nectar and union of energies do not involve any loss, but mean immense spiritual realization.
He also gave a similar explanation once to Swami Kriyananda:
Sex seems pleasant to you now, but when you discover the joy of real inner union, you will see how much more wonderful that is.
This union can be achieved physically also, by what is known in yoga as kechari mudra—touching the tip of the tongue to nerves in the nasal passage, or to the uvula at the back of the mouth.
—Conversations with Yogananda by Swami Kriyananda
In an early article Yogananda described one of the benefits of practicing Khechari Mudra:
It draws energy from the cerebrum and medulla by connecting the tip of the big tongue with the little tongue (uvula).
He gave a more esoteric explanation in a lecture in India during his visit there in 1935-6:
While practicing Kriya… a divine nectar-like current flows from the sahasrara (chakra, or spinal center, at the top of the head).
Through the performance of Kechari Mudra, touching the tip of the tongue to the uvula, or “little tongue,” (or placing it in the nasal cavity behind the uvula), that divine life-current draws the prana from the senses into the spine and draws it up through the chakras to Vaishnavara (Universal Spirit), uniting the consciousness with spirit.
The entire body is thereby spiritualized and energized. As a result, a perceptible glow may emanate from the body. —Mejda: The Family and the Early Life of Paramahansa Yogananda by Sananda Lal Ghosh, pp. 279-28
As you can see in Yogananda’s lectures and writings, he described the different stages of Khechari: first touching the tongue to the uvula, or “little tongue” at the back of the mouth, and then placing the tongue into the nasal cavity above the soft palate.
In The Art and Science of Raja Yoga, Swami Kriyananda gives a more complete explanation of Khechari:
Kechari Mudra, “the tongue-swallowing” technique that I taught in Step Five, creates a cycle of energy in the head that generates enough magnetism to draw great amounts of energy from the universe around you.
This energy is actually experienced in the mouth as a slightly sweet, and very pleasant, taste that has been described (accurately, in my experience) as resembling a mixture of ghee (clarified butter) and honey.
This is what is known in various mystical writings as “the nectar of the gods.” A whole Veda, the Sama Veda, has been named after this spiritual nectar, or sama.
Kriyananda goes on to explain:
The positive and negative energies in the tongue and nasal passages (or uvula), when joined together, create a cycle of energy in the head which, instead of allowing the energy to flow outward to the body, generates a magnetic field that draws energy upward from the body and from the base of the spine to the brain.
It is said that the tongue turns back of itself in samadhi. The assumption of this mudra helps to hasten the advent of deep spiritual states of consciousness.
The difficulty for most people is that the frenulum, the membrane under the tongue, isn’t flexible enough to allow the tongue to reach so far back and up. Over time the frenulum can be gently stretched to enable one to practice Khechari Mudra.
Yogananda was extremely vocal with his disciples that under no circumstance should one try to cut the frenulum, as some unscientific and ill-advised “teachers” recommended.
It is possibly out of such concern that certain teachers in Yogananda’s lineage are afraid of discussing Khechari Mudra. But there are some very simple exercises which enable one to gently stretch the frenulum and tongue enough to practice Khechari.
How did Yogananda recommend adding the practice of Khechari to one’s meditation and Kriya practice? Gradually, as Swami Kriyananda has explained:
He (Yogananda) didn’t talk about (kechari) much, but when he found somebody who could do it, he was very glad and urged them to do it.
One time he said to Dr. Lewis, “You’re not doing Kriya right.”
And doctor said, “What do you mean, sir?”
And Master said, “You should be doing kechari mudra.”
After Doctor told me, I asked Master, “Should I be doing kechari while practicing Kriya?” And he said, “Not yet.”
He didn’t emphasize this a lot. I think it was because he was teaching thousands and thousands of people in America who weren’t ready for this kind of thing. All Master did was bring people into the technique step-by-step rather than giving them everything all at once.
Khechari Mudra clearly isn’t for everyone — but it is extremely helpful for all meditation practices, including Kriya Yoga. And again, right attitude, devotion, and attunement to the Guru are more important than technique alone.
I’ve been practicing Kriya and meditation with Khechari for about thirty years. Because of the wonderful benefits it has for meditation, I would suggest that all Kriya Yogis, and any serious meditator, at least consider learning Khechari Mudra.
In many years of teaching Khechari, I’ve seen that most people can eventually learn how to do it by practicing certain exercises taught by Lahiri Mahasaya. These exercises, and a more complete explanation of Khechari Mudra, are explained in the previously mentioned Khechari Mudra Booklet (an e-book available from Crystal Clarity Publishers for those who have been initiated into Kriya Yoga through Ananda).
This past week at Ananda Village and The Expanding Light has been filled with inspiration and spiritual friends. It seems impossible that 12 different talks in six days about the spiritual path could hold one’s attention from beginning to end. But it did. The theme for Inner Renewal week was: Going Deeper into God.
The weather generally has been pretty gray all week with some rain. Inside the Expanding Light temple was warm and cozy. The choir sang many of my favorite songs.
The talks were very insightful, encouraging and challenging.
Anandi gave a great talk on the energization exercises. If you need any new inspiration to fuel your love for these exercises you will like this talk. You can click here to watch it.
All the talks can be accessed through ananda.org or here. I am always amazed at the depth of spiritual understanding of our teachers and of the devotion of my fellow disciples.
The week also included Kriya initiations and the very special Pilgrim initiation.
This was a special evening for me. My husband, Dave, and 102 other people took Pilgrim Vows. I felt very blessed to be part of this ceremony. These are the vows:
I understand, and intend from now on to live by my understanding, that life is a pilgrimage, of which the final goal is to find and merge back into God.
I will endeavor resolutely, therefore, to direct all my thoughts and actions toward that end.
I will offer up all material desires for purification in the fire of divine bliss.
I will offer up all attachments for purification in that cosmic fire.
I will search my heart daily for any lingering desires and attachments, and will offer them to Thee, my Cosmic Beloved.
I will strive to be an example to others of a pure, discriminating, and noble life.
I will offer the fruit of all my actions and labors to Thee alone.
Bless me, and direct my footsteps ever to the summit of Thy holy mountain.
They are beautiful aren’t they? You can find out more about them here. There was such a sweet devotion and spiritual power in the room as we took our vows. I saw alot of joy in everyone’s face.
So, next week Dave and I will be going to India! We will be with Latika, and Jyotish and Devi. I can’t believe it is only one week away! We will be in Gurgaon for the Inner Renewal Weekend there. Swamiji is planning to be there. We will also get to celebrate Master’s Mahasamadhi in Pune. I am thrilled to be able to see the great work happening in India and to be with Swamiji and my gurubhais. I plan on trying to post to this blog and also onto my Twitter account. If you would like to see some of my posts you can follow me here. I don’t know how connected I will be to the internet, but I will try to update as best as I can. I hope you will connect with me!
May the Masters bless us all. Let us radiate peace outward and create a web of joy around the world. I have been visualizing joy as an unbreakable silver string through the center of my body. It connects me to the cosmos and God’s divine joy. It connects us all.
