New Post: "Sivananda Gurugram: August 2009"

[swamiji]

This month deepen your practice The Boat pose, Navasana; cultivate the
virtue of friendliness as explained by Swami Sivananda’s commentary on
the Yoga Sutras and make peaceful pizza.

Html formatted version of this guru-gram available at
http://www.sivananda.org/gurugram

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THOUGHT OF THE MONTH
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O’ Traveller in this Earth-plane! Thou art a pilgrim here. Awake,
awake. Life is short. Time is fleeting. Pray fervently. Return to your
original home of immortal bliss - the eternal abode. - Sri Swami
Sivananda
The Upanishads are not the products of the individual mind and the
intellect. They are revelations. - Sri Swami Sivananda

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SIVANANDA YOGA FAQ ~~~ Frequently Asked Questions
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Q 1: What are the marks of a wise man and a fool respectively from the
ultimate point of view?

A: The fool reacts outwardly and emotionally under all circumstances,
while there is no reaction in the sage. If at all the latter acts,
such actions are not reactions to any immediate action, but are born
out of the sage's Satsankalpa to serve humanity. Secondly, in all
situations, the fool places himself first but finds himself last,
while the wise man places himself last but finds himself first.
Thirdly, the wise man retires silently as soon as he has done his
work, but the fool remains to hear, others praise him, and in some
cases if nothing like it is coming forward, he shamelessly asks for
it. Kindly read also the Second Chapter of the Gita, wherein you will
find a nice description of the Sthitaprajna.

Q 2: I meditate every now and then on God's glory and omnipotence, but
seem to derive no tangible results there from. Reasons for it please.

A: There is no use of praying to the Lord by fits and starts or every
now and then. Just as you do not give up tea and meals even for a
single day, and just as you do no forget them too, so also, do not
forget Sadhana. Do Japa and meditation regularly without any break
even for a single day. This is a sure and potent way of goading and
compelling the mind to penetrate itself deeply and unavoidably into
the spiritual practices. By following this procedure, you get used to
doing Sadhana regularly at least for the sake of the meals that is
necessarily to succeed, in spite of the unwillingness of the mind.
When the mind undergoes phases of transition in enjoying the charm of
the world, it cannot concentrate upon itself and direct the gaze
within itself. Pull the reins of the mind back towards itself as it
goes out hither and thither. Continue this process several times in a
day. When you develop strength of will to realize the Lord by intense
efforts, progress automatically sets in. Read the Second Chapter of
the Gita with meaning. You will have a clear understanding of the
remedy for setbacks in Sadhana.
Science analysis classifies and explains phenomena, but Brahma-Vidya,
or the science of the Self, teaches you to transcend phenomena and
attain immortality.
- Sri Swami Sivananda

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HATHA YOGA TIP - NAVASANA - Boat Pose
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Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Press your
hands on the floor a little behind your hips, fingers pointing toward
the feet, and strengthen the arms. Lift through the top of the sternum
and lean back slightly. As you do this make sure your back doesn't
round; continue to lengthen the front of your torso between the pubis
and top sternum. Sit on the "tripod" of your two sitting bones and
tailbone. Exhale and bend your knees, then lift your feet off the
floor, so that the thighs are angled about 45-50 degrees relative to
the floor. Lengthen your tailbone into the floor. If possible, slowly
straighten your knees, raising the tips of your toes slightly above
the level of your eyes. If this isn't possible remain with your knees
bent, perhaps lifting the shins parallel to the floor. Stretch your
arms alongside the legs, parallel to each other and the floor. Spread
the shoulder blades across your back and reach strongly out through
the fingers. If this isn't possible, keep the hands on the floor
beside your hips or hold on to the backs of your thighs. While the
lower belly should be firm, it shouldn't get hard and thick. Try to
keep the lower belly relatively flat. Press the heads of the thigh
bones toward the floor to help anchor the pose and lift the top
sternum. Breathe easily. Tip the chin slightly toward the sternum so
the base of the skull lifts lightly away from the back of the neck.
At first stay in the pose for 10-20 seconds. Gradually increase the
time of your stay to 1 minute. Release the legs with an exhalation and
sit upright on an inhalation.

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RAJA YOGA
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From 'The Yoga Sutras’ – commentary by Sw. Sivananda
From Chapter I: "Samadhi Pada- On Contemplations"

33. MAITREE-KARUNAA-MUDITOPEKSHAANAAM SUKHADUKHA-PUNYAAPUNYA-
VISHAYAANAAM BHAAVANAATAS CHITTA-PRASAADANAM
'
The mind becomes clear through the cultivation of friendliness,
kindness, contentment, and indifference towards happiness, vice and
virtue'.

Commentary: Taming of the mind requires the development of good will
and universal love toward all. Any kind of negative feeling or
identification with the dualities of good and bad destroys peace of
mind. In essence, you are pure Soul. Desire, weakness & imperfection
of the mind touch thee not. Thou art not the body, nor the mind. - Sri
Swami Sivananda

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VEGETARIAN CUISINE - PEACEFUL PIZZA
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This recipe comes from Ganesha. He is probably the best vegetarian
pizza maker. If you have wheat allergies, substitute wheat with spelt
flour. The variety of toppings is infinite. Serves 4-8. Recipe per
person:
Ingredients for Base:
* 350g (12oz) white bread flour
* 4g yeast
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 2 tsp demerara sugar
* ½ tsp sea salt
* about 200ml (7 fl oz) tepid water
Ingredients for Topping:
* Tomato Sauce
* 110g 94 oz) vegetarian cheese, grated
* 2 red or yellow peppers (or 1 of each), cored, seeded, and sliced
* 12 olives 9otinal)
* olive oil for drizzling

Preparation:
1. To make pizza base, combine all the ingredients, in a bowl, except
the water.
2. Gradually add the water, mixing by hand until the dough forms a
slightly sticky ball. The exact amount of water will depend on the
flour used.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead well for about 10
minutes, adding a little more flour if necessary. Alternately, mix
ingredients in a food processor until slightly sticky dough is formed
then turn out and knead for about 1 minute.
4. Put the dough into a lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover with a cloth
and leave to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
5. Preheat oven to 230C/450F.
6. Divide the dough ball in half.
7. Knead each portion into a ball, and then roll out to fit two
lightly greased 13x10” baking sheets.
8. Place the dough on the baking sheets.
9. Divide the tomato sauce between the pizzas and spread out evenly.
Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce. Decorate with peppers and olives
and drizzle with olive oil.
10. Bake the pizzas for about 15 minutes. Check then bake for another
10-15 minutes until base is slightly brown.
Vedanta is a system of life itself. It represents the fundamental
recipe on which alone a universal congress of faith can be built. -
Sri Swami Sivananda
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SPIRITUAL CALENDAR – August 2009
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01 - Ekadasi
05 - Full Moon (Rakhi)
16 - Ekadasi
20 - New Moon
23 - Ganesha Chathurthi
31 - Ekadasi
God-realization is not a matter to be postponed until retirement. It
is a vital urgent need to be attended to immediately. - Sri Swami
Sivananda