The Universalist

Recently, I had to fill in a census, and at the end of it, it asked for my religion. I could not say ‘no religion’ and I could not say ‘all religions’ so I put down ‘universalist’. The first time I heard this term was when my my first teacher Sri Paul was explaining his… Read more »

Where have all the dinosaurs gone?

Q. Where have all the dinosaurs gone?A .They’re still here! Albert Einstein said that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be changed from one form into another. Swamiji Gitananda said, just having a human body does not make you human; there are many walking around in human bodies that aren’t really human… Read more »

When the student becomes the teacher…

  ‘I’m not very happy in my job and want to do something else. I’m very flexible – maybe I’ll try to be a yoga teacher’. Back in the day, it was the teacher who suggested to the appropriate student that they should study to become a yoga teacher; it was a process of recommendation,… Read more »

A tribute to my father

Recently at the end of a Satsang, Swamiji said “meditate on anything that comes up”. Swamiji had mentioned that his Guru, Baba, was ‘big’ on contentment and that word reminded me of my dearest daddy who passed away at the end of last year, at the grand old age of 90. He always used to… Read more »

Touch

I wrote this rambling before the pandemic but for some reason just kept it back! TOUCH, to me, is to feel, to connect, to make contact… and in the subtle sense… it is YOGA, after all Yoga means UNION! It was late afternoon, she took her seat on the crowded train, and nodded a greeting… Read more »

An Alien Perspective…

Humans land upon the moon They look around and start to swoon Wow! There are strange looking rocks wherever they roam Let’s dig some of them up and take them home. They returned to earth, and in a special box Display to all the barren rocks Everyone came to stand and stare All desiring what… Read more »

The source is the same whatever the name

When I was young I always had an interest in different religions and ideas; Philosophy surrounding the ideas of  life and death in the universe. My mother used to ask, ‘what is it that you’re looking for?’ and I couldn’t really grasp it well enough to say! I was often slated for not sticking to… Read more »

Pumpkin

The veggie box arrived and myself and two-year-old granddaughter opened it excitedly. Oh, her eyes brightened up as she pulled out a beautiful red shiny small pumpkin .”Isn’t that beautiful”, I said, she nodded and hugged the vegetable! Throughout the day the pumpkin and my granddaughter were inseparable! It even had a place at the… Read more »

Guru Purnima

“What is Guru Purnima?”asked a Yoga student of her teacher? The teacher replied, “Guru purnima is an old tradition celebrating the enlightened Gurus who have, and still are, sharing their wisdom and knowledge for our spiritual growth. It is a time of great respect and gratitude for these dear souls who often spent most of… Read more »

You don’t have to go to India to find an authentic Guru! Part three

No. 3 Sri Swami Tadatmananda Saraswati Sri Swami Tadatmananda was a former computer engineer and this enabled him to draw upon contemporary scientific and psychological insights while unfolding ancient scripture. From 1981 onwards he studied in the US and India under Puja Swami Dayananda, both Vedanta and ancient Sanskrit. He is the Founder and resident teacher… Read more »