tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-212644962024-03-18T20:24:26.254-07:00A Blog for Art of Living in AustinUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-82455960986424481352016-10-04T12:52:00.000-07:002016-10-04T12:52:24.096-07:00New place for south/central Austin II <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As we all know, Art of Living Austin is growing and expanding, even though we loved to gather around Shraddha and Anoop’s home for the weekly long kriya, there were times (very frequently) that we were running out of real-estate and had to place yoga mats creatively to make space for more.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
So, the thought occurred to move out of the private home and move to a neutral location like a community center (like we used to do) and may be probably find a place few miles north that way it would be equally convenient/inconvenient for every one. </div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="text-align: left;">We combed through churches, schools, fitness studios, yoga studios, Pilates studios and dance studios. Surprisingly a lot of the churches had availability but not at the time we required (Sunday evening) for they were booked for their youth ministries. as for the yoga studios, they didn’t want to entertain us for the conflict we may have with their practice (fair enough, I guess). Schools would have been ideal but the rates were not conducive enough for our operations</span><span style="text-align: left;">. While some Yoga studios were willing to work with us, it was either the location or the lack of air circulation (core to our existence) prevented us from signing the place.</span></div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
So, Austin we believe we have found the ideal place in terms of size, location, cost and accessibility.</div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
Please do join us every week for long kriya follow ups on </div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
Day and Time: Sunday’s at 5:30PM</div>
<div align="justify">
Location: 4544 S Lamar Blvd #200, Austin, TX 78745 Studio 1</div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
And help us prove that we made the right decision in renting this studio. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
I would not be fair if I didn’t thank Shraddha and Anoop on their generosity for letting us use their place every Sunday evening for the long kriya.<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
Thank you Shraddha and Anoop for lending us your space and wishing you luck on the new phase of your journey. </div>
<br />
As with any new thing it would be a learning curve for all of us so please do bear with us for the location is as new to you as it is for us :). </div>
Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-34257727306598393432016-09-30T09:13:00.000-07:002016-09-30T09:13:39.155-07:00Art of Living Austin steering committee nominations <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">It is that time again, nominations are currently open for the following positions for the Steering Committee:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 9.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-size: 9.5pt;">1) Outreach</b></div>
<span style="font-size: 9.5pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-size: 9.5pt;">2) Event (Program)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">3) </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; white-space: nowrap;">Secretary</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-size: 9.5pt;">4) Treasurer</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 9.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">We kindly request y’all to nominate suitable candidates to take up the lead in steering the chapter to new heights.</span></div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">Please submit your nominations in private by sending an email to</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <a href="mailto:nominate@artoflivingaustin.org" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; color: #222222;">nominate@artoflivingaustin.<wbr></wbr>org</span></a>. The last day for submitting nominations is <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_480024611" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">10/31/2016</span></span>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
Any member of the Art Of Living Austin Chapter can submit nominations for the positions shown above. <span style="font-size: 9.5pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">We are very thankful for the hard work and time invested by our current committee. We wish them the very best in their endeavors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: justify;">
The criteria in the bylaws is listed below</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: justify;">
• Nominees must be Austin Chapter members, and must have experience in organizing courses and events. They should not be a member of any regional or national committee, and should be willing and able to serve for at least 1 year.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: justify;">
• The Nominations and Elections Team will strive to ensure nominations of suitable candidates for all open positions, prior to end of the nomination period.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: justify;">
thank you</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">Nominations team</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 9.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-36128603331028669892016-09-28T08:47:00.000-07:002016-09-28T08:47:46.241-07:00New place for south/central Austin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="justify">
Austin, specially south and central Austin time to get excited. Yes we heard you and your concerns and we have taken steps to address one of your comments/concerns, we have started negotiations for a new place for weekly follow ups. Yes, this location will be north of our current location, will be easily accessible through freeways, will have natural light and fresh air circulation and most of all it is not someone else’s home. </div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
Stay tuned we are in final steps of our negotiations and will be posting the details very soon. </div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
ps: it could be as early as this weekend </div>
</div>
Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com2South Lamar, Austin, TX 78704, USA30.234372511754874 -97.802878255078130.220653511754875 -97.823048255078092 30.248091511754872 -97.7827082550781tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-23927953687355672862016-08-02T14:38:00.000-07:002016-08-02T14:38:01.915-07:00Second International Day of Yoga celebrations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="justify">
They say everything is big and better in Texas, so why should our yoga day be an exception? you read it right, Art of Living foundation in collaboration with <a href="http://www.hssus.org/">HSS</a> and <a href="http://isha.sadhguru.org/us-en/isha-usa/">ISHA</a> foundation along with ~45 partners celebrated the International Day of Yoga on July 30 2016. Did I tell you there were ~800 people in attendance doing yoga. </div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
Back in May 2016, when one of our teachers raised the point that we need to celebrate international day of Yoga and it will not be done on June 21st when the rest of the world celebrates but on July 31st, I admit, I was one of the few who was some what disappointed and didn’t want us to sign up to lead the effort for I didn’t see us becoming another event management organization. </div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
Thankfully they didn’t listen to me and took it up in a stride to organize the event, soon enough we had a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/781330118633402/">Facebook page</a>, a <a href="http://www.keepaustinyogic.org/">website</a>, few collaborators and lots of partners which kept on growing over the next month or so. In the end we had over 40 partners and 3 other organizations which were actively collaborating with us. </div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
Within the limited budget we were able to flyer, conduct TV interviews and unlimited sharing and advertising on Facebook. The only avenue I think we left untapped was Twitter. In the end, all of these created enough awareness amongst Austin crowd that we had ~800 people showed up to do yoga on a hot summer Saturday evening. Needless to say we are thankful to all those who showed up to do the yoga. </div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
The event day truly saw each organization bring out their expertise to the game. We from Art of Living brought our expertise of overall organization and had our hand in every single aspect of the event, be it on stage with yoga, music and meditation or the ground work of crowd management. HSS and ISHA had the man/woman/student power to handle the masses of people who were heading to the capitol (on a side note, volunteers of HSS had come from Houston and San Antonio to help out/assist the event), <a href="http://www.agnidance.com/home.htm">Agni the dance studio</a> handled the whole stage setup, microphones, speakers, the yoga dance and the other logistical side of the event, last but not the least our yoga partners who spread out on stage and all around the capitol grounds leading the Yoga. </div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
Yes we did it, the second ever yoga day celebrations was a grand success beyond all metrics. We do have a lot of people to thank both inside our organization and outside and more importantly he Counsel General of India, Houston. </div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
Keep an eye on this area for I will be posting the pics and videos as and when I receive them. </div>
</div>
Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-10246635316375637312016-03-02T08:37:00.000-08:002016-03-02T08:37:00.041-08:00Art of Living center address – update on Google<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Some reason, Google believes that our new Art of Living center is located at 13699 Pond Springs Road Austin TX 78729 and it is permanently closed. <br />
You all know our new center address is 13091 Pond Springs Road, Suite 208 Austin TX 78729 and our center is open and thriving. I request your help in fixing this. It is a simple 3 step process, <br />
<ol>
<li>
<div>
Search on Google for Art of Living Austin and it comes with permanently closed link like below <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8t7Dpi9RYjoVgGdcLH7eCw1pRi4LApPFLK4l231CQx_TtFagrCRN6V7gwTvk-La0mncvfly_JNNfBG5HeT9v0N1xETP4Zi5SqwiJJEjdgVdjizaPwr4NtOAWiZ6AzF065qtADSQ/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8t7Dpi9RYjoVgGdcLH7eCw1pRi4LApPFLK4l231CQx_TtFagrCRN6V7gwTvk-La0mncvfly_JNNfBG5HeT9v0N1xETP4Zi5SqwiJJEjdgVdjizaPwr4NtOAWiZ6AzF065qtADSQ/s400/Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>
Please click on the feedback and suggest the new address 13091 Pond Springs Road Suite 208 Austin TX 78729</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>
Hit submit and you should get an email in your account saying that your feedback is being reviewed</div>
</li>
</ol>
I have done my part and few of us have done it too and I am hoping if more people do submit the change then hopefully Google will act on it fast and change to the right address and show us open. <br />
We appreciate your effort. <br />
We have one more issue with <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/art-of-living-austin-center-austin">Yelp</a> which believes we are still in our Lamar location, if you are the owner of Yelp account for Art of Living Austin please ping me. </div>
Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-6213176603528058372016-01-28T14:13:00.000-08:002016-01-28T14:13:29.469-08:00Podcast on Creativity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="justify">
I am a recent convert to podcasts, turned to them specially after my good friends visit from California. Anyways, off the many things I subscribe to now one thing I am regular with is Ted Radio hour from NPR. The podcast runs for an hour or so in which they combine multiple ted talks on a particular topic, in essence it is a superset of ted talks. </div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
One such Ted talk that I recently heard were on Creativity, they covered few different aspects for creativity </div>
<ol>
<li>
<div align="justify">
Not being selfish, no me and mine </div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
Ability to fall on your face and make mistakes</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
Frontal cortex of brain or as we call Ego which monitors me and mine to be off</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
Practice a lot of it also helps</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
Creativity needs to be nurtured</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
Showing up every day and being consistent about the process </div>
</li>
</ol>
<div align="justify">
All good points, one thing I really loved if they had covered was aspect of meditation. For a good meditation more than a few criterion listed above are to be met and in my experience more and more creative ideas flow right after a good meditation. As Shri Shri Ravishankar says for a good meditation, you want nothing, you are nothing and then sit with that attitude and meditation will happen. </div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
Our Art of Living center here in Austin do offer <a href="https://www.artofliving.org/us-en/art-meditation-sahaj-samadhi#distance=10&sSearch=&st=&lat=&lng=&ctype=12415&acol=0&c=&cc=&d1=&d2=">Meditation</a> courses among others. Needless to say there is the <a href="http://www.artofliving.org/us-en/happiness-program#distance=10&sSearch=&st=&lat=&lng=&ctype=51879,12519,12517,266225,12371&acol=0&c=&cc=&d1=&d2=">Happiness Program</a> which is also offered on a regular basis which helps one with the awareness of interaction between the different layers of existence. </div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
On other hand people say, meditate on the issue that you want to solve and I believe that is the most useless thing to do. </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
</div>
Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-4455615273607769572016-01-19T13:42:00.000-08:002016-01-19T13:42:12.731-08:00One world meditation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="justify">
The title might seem off but no it was an actual event hosted by Art of Living foundation on January 17 2016. The event was a curtain raiser for the bigger event <a href="http://www.artofliving.org/us-en/world-culture-festival">World Culture festival</a> to be held in Delhi, India from March 11-13 2016. As you may already know we in Austin are also planning our own <a href="http://artoflivingaustin.blogspot.com/2016/01/world-culture-festivalcurtain-riser-in.html">local curtain raiser</a> and our folks decided a face to face meeting to be had right after the meditation. </div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
My mind was completely occupied with the logistics for the event and how best we could make this event a grand success and so on, on top of it somehow we didn’t have the right link and when we tuned in for the meditation it had already started. This I believe was the first time that <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SriSriRaviShankar/?fref=nf">Facebook</a> was hosting, unlike the previous times when youtube used to host and there were some delays in the audio. All in all when everyone else in the room was feeling wonderful after the meditation I didn’t pack the punch. </div>
<div align="justify">
It was as though the universe heard my dilemma and on screen Sri Sri started talking again (we didn’t realize then but were re telecasting the meditation event) and out of curiosity the volume was increased and lo behold there was one more meditation to be done and this time with no breaks in the telecast and don’t know however many minutes later I opened the eyes and it was a peaceful and beautiful moment. </div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
In case you missed the meditation and the Q and A that followed, don’t worry you can find it <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SriSriRaviShankar/videos/vb.330938752535/10153271452042536/">here</a>. </div>
<br /></div>
Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-76768689852971790812016-01-18T11:55:00.001-08:002016-01-18T11:55:16.474-08:00World culture festival–curtain riser in Austin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="justify">
Every 4 years there is a Cricket world cup, same goes for Football or for that matter Olympics too but is there a world wide get together for culture and spirutuality?, I am not asking the question but the question is being asked by a great humanitarian Sri Sri Ravishakar.</div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
Sri Sri Ravishankar (fondly known as Guruji), founder of Art of Living and other organizations operating under the umbrella of Art of Living. If I may steal his words, March 11-13 marks one such historical get together with cultural and spiritual events from all over the world, from Japan to South America showcased on a single stage in Delhi, India. </div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
As a precursor to it, we started off with a bang today morning with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/825263924253131/">1 world 1 meditation event</a>. The event was watched live from over 155 countries.</div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
That said, as a next level in the run up to the festival we plan to do an official curtain riser here in Austin. </div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
Date: February 6 2016 <br />
Venue: Art of Living center (13091 Pond Springs Road, suite 208, Austin TX 78729)<br />
Time: 4:00-6:00PM </div>
<div align="justify">
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">At a high level the plan is to get community and spiritual leaders from all over Austin under one roof and inspire and inform them about the world culture festival. </span></div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We would love your help in organizing and executing this event. There are multiple levels in which you can help (all th<span style="font-family: inherit;">e way from invit<span style="font-family: inherit;">es to planning <span style="font-family: inherit;">and</span> execution<span style="font-family: inherit;">)</span></span></span>, Please contact <a href="mailto:secretary@artoflivingaustin.org">Art of Living Austin</a> for more deta</span>ils.<br />
<br />
In case you are still wondering what WCF or world culture festival is,<br />
<br />
<div class="Text" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">World Culture Festival</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> (WCF) will bring together <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">over 3.5 million people from 150 countries</b>
representing<span style="background: white;"> different global
cultures, nations and faiths as a one world family t</span>o celebrate cultural
diversity and the <span style="background: white;">Art of Living
Foundation's 35 years of service to humanity. The Art of Living is a global
movement founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar – an Indian humanitarian leader and
peace ambassador.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Text" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 11pt;">The three-day celebration will open with a
one-of-a kind peace meditation, for 3.5 million people, setting a new Guinness record
for largest mediation gathering ever. The concert stage will host more than
10,000 artists who will play 40 traditional instruments in a never before seen
symphony collaboration. WCF will also host an all-inclusive inter-faith meeting
where international spiritual and religious leaders will participate in
discussions on global concerns. Lastly, the Global Leadership Forum will occur
on the second and third day of the event and will bring together leaders from varied
backgrounds such as business, government, politics, sports, science, NGOs,
spiritual and religious organizations, media and academia. </span></span></div>
<br />
You can find more details by visiting the <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.artofliving.org/us-en/world-culture-festival">website</a></span> </div>
</div>
Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-26769886463776703012016-01-15T12:55:00.001-08:002016-01-15T14:46:40.079-08:00Welcome to the new Art of Living Austin center<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="justify">
Remember the blog post “<a href="http://artoflivingaustin.blogspot.com/2015/12/bye-bye-lamar-center.html">Bye bye Lamar center</a>”, in that I had mentioned in the last sentence “its time to translate the learning to a newer and better center”, we the Art of Living family are proud to announce that we have to a large extent (in my eyes) have exceeded that expectation and are almost ready to welcome you all to the new center, got to wait a couple of weeks before it will be officially open for business though. For the impatient few the address is 13091 Pond Springs Road, Suite 208 Austin TX 78729 </div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
I think that was a good teaser, now to the actual reality of things. We worked for almost 6 months and churned out 3 different Realtor's before narrowing down to <a href="http://www.carrdevelopment.com/about/travis-waldrop">Travis Waldrop</a> who I must say almost miraculously found a space, negotiated a good deal and made us set for the next five years. </div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
What did we gain from this new center? a fair question to ask and here is the list </div>
<ul>
<li>
<div align="justify">
2600 SQFT of open customizable space, mind you even in retail spaces it is not easy to come by. </div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
A good retail location, there are advantages to it including extra parking spaces and one contiguous self contained space with better visibility </div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
Bigger meditation hall (~300 SQFT bigger than Lamar center) with cross ventilation for fresh air</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
Recessed lights in the meditation hall</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
A break room/kitchen (no cooking though) with counter tops and cabinets</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
Wood laminated floors for the whole center</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
3 independent areas for conducting courses and events</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
In terms of sheer square footage we are almost 800 SQFT bigger than Lamar Center</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="justify">
All the above without substantially increasing our monthly operating expenses </div>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="justify">
Some of us did visit the under construction center today and were blown away the way it looks. Thanks to some of the volunteers who worked tirelessly in the search and planning phase for the new center. Apart from all the above good things that are coming with the center, it is an achievement to close 1 center and open an another one with only 2 months of non availability. </div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
February 1st is when we will officially get the keys for the new center and that is when we will be officially open for business. </div>
</div>
Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-16176013204114665402015-12-30T22:24:00.000-08:002015-12-31T15:07:40.468-08:00My Marma Practitioner Journey...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Texas US Ashram welcomed me in its usual manner with the
chirping of the hill country birds and the cool meditative breeze. Run Singh ji
had made his customary concoction of Spinach Dal and Sabji. As I sat there
enjoying the perfect setup that nature had created for me, little did I realize
that the journey that I was to embark upon was more magical than I had ever
imagined. I was at the Texas US Ashram for the mystical “<b>Marma</b>” course to be taught by <b>Mrs. Revathi Veeraraghavan</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Simply put, Marma can be described as an ancient Indian
system of healing – similar to acupressure. Putting gentle pressure on
different points on the body opens up energy blocks and balances the system. I
had taken a treatment many years ago from Sage Houston (who also gave a guest
appearance on our course and left us with a lot of useful tips). I had been
through a very traumatic car accident and had trouble sleeping through the night.
One treatment from Sage was all that it took to get rid of my shock. Since then, I had taken a few
marma treatments for general well-being. I had always been intrigued by this
method of healing and when I saw that this course was being offered at our
Ashram, I was one of the first ones to sign up. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The course itself was a treat. Seriously, what’s not to like
about giving and getting treatments to each other every day of the course? In addition, we
also learned a lot about Ayurvedic principles such as prakruti (nature), doshas
(imbalances), how to tailor the treatment according to body type to name a few.
It was a nice blend of learning about Ayurveda and doing hands-on practice. Learning
the whole routine was nothing short of a miracle – definitely His Holiness Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar’s (Guruji’s) grace in the works! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The teacher – Mrs. Revathi was absolutely amazing! She was a
storehouse of knowledge and made sure each and every one of us got the
positions and concepts right. She also
made sure we got our physical workouts done for the day (did I forget to
mention the late night dance parties?!) Throughout the course, I tried really hard
to find that one word that described Mrs. Revathi – Loving? Methodical? Beautiful? Striking? Composed?
Mystical? Bright? Gifted? All of the above. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0Jy_nB1Fc4i3O9rp0T2p-QLTvgtno-rvcqyR_SZaE6C1yw82g_vPxftomnXMMFFbylenr8nMi3ZnmhEvBbB6oXXzPfOQb7ZP9JafMDcdWXv078TSIdSljtRzKWnm-xetcmpadw/s1600/Marma_pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0Jy_nB1Fc4i3O9rp0T2p-QLTvgtno-rvcqyR_SZaE6C1yw82g_vPxftomnXMMFFbylenr8nMi3ZnmhEvBbB6oXXzPfOQb7ZP9JafMDcdWXv078TSIdSljtRzKWnm-xetcmpadw/s200/Marma_pic.jpg" width="200" /></a>The Marma practitioner journey continues as we all came back
to our cities well trained under the able care of Mrs. Revathi to become
certified Marma Practitioners. We all promised ourselves to bring Mrs. Revathi to each of the
Texas cities in the near future in an attempt to bring more awareness around
healthier and happier living (and continue the dance parties)! <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>About the Marma
treatment:</u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKazdzjzhq045ucj9kAVPyUJ3rrAs8HHsgl1fjrLL6UbEJOixeryx6sffB6gd4BaQ5qc1LGM5s_W-7gQAQbCQiMld7sJYAvLfjsWyw2HOaqhJuDtAJnoQiqJl9FQuGXvb09zdFg/s1600/MarmaFlyer.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKazdzjzhq045ucj9kAVPyUJ3rrAs8HHsgl1fjrLL6UbEJOixeryx6sffB6gd4BaQ5qc1LGM5s_W-7gQAQbCQiMld7sJYAvLfjsWyw2HOaqhJuDtAJnoQiqJl9FQuGXvb09zdFg/s320/MarmaFlyer.png" width="247" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each Marma session takes about 45 mins (+ 15-30 mins rest) and
the introductory suggested donation of $50 goes to the Art of Living.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wear comfortable clothes (no undressing is required) and no
heavy meal within 2hrs of the appointment. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are interested in getting a marma treatment, contact:
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Priya Vijayaraghavan | <a href="mailto:treeshav@gmail.com">treeshav@gmail.com</a>
| 512.968.2863<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Uthra Mohan | <a href="mailto:uthras@gmail.com">uthras@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Manisha Soni | <a href="mailto:manisha.soni@artofliving.org">manisha.soni@artofliving.org</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Shveta Sharma | <a href="mailto:chawla.shveta@gmail.com">chawla.shveta@gmail.com</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Priya Jai | <a href="mailto:priyajaitv@gmail.com">priyajaitv@gmail.com</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Vyom Kumar | <a href="mailto:vyomkumar@gmail.com">vksmbox@gmail.com</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Priyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04544041620914121551noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-19278851446901943952015-12-24T17:21:00.000-08:002015-12-24T17:21:45.626-08:00Service project with Breath of Life Ministries <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is the time of the year to spread happiness and joy and for kids it is the time mystery Santa is going to get gifts. It is sad but true that there is a considerable size of population who cannot afford gifts for their kids during Christmas.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Art of Living Austin volunteers partnered with <a href="http://www.breathoflifesite.org/">Breath of Life ministries</a> to help them distribute Christmas gifts to single moms, Below are some of the pics from the event. The volunteers said, the act was powerful at the same time empowering. In their own words cannot describe the happiness on kids faces when they received the gifts. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
On the same note we do partner with other organizations throughout the year and volunteer. If you are interested either in partnering with us or volunteering with us please <a href="mailto:secretary@artoflvingaustin.org" target="_blank">contact us</a>. </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8ZE4kbgasVPlEp3J_Ro5bs1RZoj3aS3PWQ8Or4YKw_wYT648-sMEon_nNgGFJWJ8VFqlvakyR7x7PCH1EX3TZRyfutZn5o4aaSAQ70fxLIxlxtBJ4lWB4fym8qmDywXFZPvMnw/s1600/2a8482aa568d3d5b263011421c8ee50f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8ZE4kbgasVPlEp3J_Ro5bs1RZoj3aS3PWQ8Or4YKw_wYT648-sMEon_nNgGFJWJ8VFqlvakyR7x7PCH1EX3TZRyfutZn5o4aaSAQ70fxLIxlxtBJ4lWB4fym8qmDywXFZPvMnw/s400/2a8482aa568d3d5b263011421c8ee50f.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mO6oA5iNHz9zmZVNUpcRvUVl2YXqI4Kt9mpATRvkROU4qXRt3wNBPJJxOgqAvvK9IjBqwcSuBWQQoFjg8_cf3SIeLSHMOZqRDtrHWRDfAQ5yhGE_HmfcXHcrUD2UmT2meCeYpQ/s1600/534ea080b4da1c26290ba03c0e172485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mO6oA5iNHz9zmZVNUpcRvUVl2YXqI4Kt9mpATRvkROU4qXRt3wNBPJJxOgqAvvK9IjBqwcSuBWQQoFjg8_cf3SIeLSHMOZqRDtrHWRDfAQ5yhGE_HmfcXHcrUD2UmT2meCeYpQ/s400/534ea080b4da1c26290ba03c0e172485.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4un76N9zRccXmcan7Kgok2OtSWd8N1aJ-mN_I00FFWOXYZ9eaVNOSV0PXwtJ_ss-pS6Ierq5e22jE5Z_RA0FkoEKqJz3f-j5kcF122hKsOiANy0RulYRq8Zr9utRLKTXbOxToMQ/s1600/beaa4240e95185c0a0447ecbee5a1e5f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4un76N9zRccXmcan7Kgok2OtSWd8N1aJ-mN_I00FFWOXYZ9eaVNOSV0PXwtJ_ss-pS6Ierq5e22jE5Z_RA0FkoEKqJz3f-j5kcF122hKsOiANy0RulYRq8Zr9utRLKTXbOxToMQ/s400/beaa4240e95185c0a0447ecbee5a1e5f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-82330950362351176922015-12-21T10:46:00.000-08:002015-12-21T12:56:40.988-08:00Outreach co-ordinator nominations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<p>As the chapter announced during the annual thanksgiving dinner back in November 2015, our present outreach co-ordinator has decided to step down. We are in active look out for new coordinator. </p>
<p>If you know someone or you yourself would like to contribute towards the chapters growth, please send your information to <a href="mailto:nominations@artoflivingaustin.org">email</a> </p>
<p>If you have questions about the process or want to know more details like who is eligible and what it entails to be the new coordinator please contact <a href="mailto:secretary@artoflvingaustin.org">email</a></p>Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-8451208788058130872015-12-21T10:33:00.000-08:002015-12-21T10:33:50.726-08:00Support your Art of Living Austin chapter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="justify">
Dear Patron<br />
<p>
The thanksgiving dinner fundraiser was a wonderful homecoming time! A big thanks to all of you for opening up your hearts and wallets to enable this noble pursuit.</div>
<p>
<div align="justify">
Your contributions (as little as $30 per month) go a long way to help us deliver the quality service that a lot us value so much.</div>
<div align="justify">
<p>
While the dinner might be over, the season for giving is not. If you have not done so yet, make your tax deductible donations now, <b><a href="http://keepaustinmeditating.us7.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d5fb8827764b9d57b65b71893&id=b851746985&e=6659907aad">here</a></b>!</div>
<div align="justify">
Thank you for enabling us to serve Austin.</div>
<div align="justify">
<br />
<a href="http://keepaustinmeditating.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d5fb8827764b9d57b65b71893&id=b6c28d7ee4&e=6659907aad">Click Here to Donate!</a></div>
<div align="justify">
<br />
With gratitude<br />
Teachers and Volunteers</div>
</div>
Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-6871989405861536022015-12-17T16:08:00.000-08:002015-12-18T11:47:07.655-08:00Art of Living retreat at the Ashram<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="justify">
Come celebrate Christmas with us at the <a href="http://www.artofliving.org/us-en/program/137509">Art of Living retreat in the Art of Living Ashram</a>, Raegan wells Texas. What awaits you on this retreat is beautiful Texas hill country with plentiful nature around with hiking trails and nature walks and also a fully functioning organic garden. Weather and nature permitting you may be able to go tubing in the Freo River and enjoy the fall colors. <br />
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
Come join us with family and friends in celebrations between December 24-27. On the other highlights we will have a camp fire with singing and dancing on December 25th. Come one, come all, bring your favorite musical instrument, your dancing shoes and most importantly yourself to the <a href="http://www.artofliving.org/us-en/texas-ashram-reagan-wells">Art of Living Ashram</a> and enjoy the serene pristine nature and our hospitality. </div>
</div>
Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-25590057399230847552015-12-03T11:48:00.001-08:002015-12-03T11:48:01.314-08:00Appeal for Chennai flood relief<p>The South Indian city of Chennai and neighboring coastal regions have been ravaged by Cyclones and torrential rains for the past few weeks and is still continuing. This downpour is the worst that the area has seen in the past 100 years. <p> <p>Many parts of Chennai have been hit very hard and people have been marooned in their own houses. Thousands of homes have been completely flooded and several areas are without electricity and basic access to food and water. The Chennai airport and train stations have been shutdown and the Indian Military has been deployed for disaster management. <p> <p>Volunteers from IAHV and The Art of Living Foundation have been actively involved in relief and rescue efforts. Over 200 volunteers are working on the ground and have helped feed over 20,000 people over the last 3 weeks. They have also distributed over 1000 medical kits and are continuing to rescue stranded citizens everyday. Our local volunteers have also been actively supporting the Indian Coast Guard, Fire Department and Rescue Teams with food and logistics as required. <p> <p><a href="https://secure.iahv.org/donations.aspx?project_id=142">Your contributions towards this relief effort will go a long way towards bringing Chennai back to normalcy</a>. <p> <p>IAHV is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All contributions are fully tax-deductible. Please donate generously. <p>ps:For latest updates and more information <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ydIx-jS872iFCDmRSYOT2oZTV8tOFh9lsiRqREckl__hGYTYvKXXObu_WmR9UaNXdw75q_lCfuincPTv3_LPDs_7ks8SVIdmJHhlSX3iHt8pyoi1SYnOdQZBJbvhaxodbZcA8PMHNJwAXz2B0ii26e4CJzuvmOTFRDO6BB2YHdtuPeRyysavtjB1Le4Nd4gxLH6nwKEvXH1UmXSIZL1MpA==&c=AXgPIXWPm_1OVA7T-E9pLnu8a5m7NelZp45Rx8DT2dDRcId2LCUeng==&ch=P4F44B5YAEkNQ1arp0B_93kA4Zcx5gONMfgQ37ItRdGOnKa9q_opAA==">click here</a> <p>pps:IAHV and AOLF have actively responded to natural disasters and other traumatic situations around the globe. In the past, IAHV & Art of Living volunteers offered relief, rehabilitation and trauma relief to the people affected by the natural calamities around the world. To learn more about IAHV's disaster relief program please <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ydIx-jS872iFCDmRSYOT2oZTV8tOFh9lsiRqREckl__hGYTYvKXXObu_WmR9UaNXrRX87zLpys17BkTbS6QBuI7vf74l8uQdJqfLx4exCl_DEYsaRYqkaMPdV66CoLA1RiZMkUH-L1QX9MbPH1tnSU4phzmwRNf-rsbLllQWYAT4jgG8gUK-YH-bHWDX11oww2SSiiOOZpgaZOCuCjNk2Q==&c=AXgPIXWPm_1OVA7T-E9pLnu8a5m7NelZp45Rx8DT2dDRcId2LCUeng==&ch=P4F44B5YAEkNQ1arp0B_93kA4Zcx5gONMfgQ37ItRdGOnKa9q_opAA==">click here</a></p> Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-7530722631513316212015-12-02T14:48:00.001-08:002015-12-02T14:48:08.737-08:00Bye bye Lamar center<p align="justify">Back in <a href="http://artoflivingaustin.blogspot.com/2010/02/art-of-living-austin-center_18.html">November 2009, we started our Art of Living center</a> in Austin and fast forward 6 years later and the time has come to say good bye. </p> <p align="justify">Yes we had great run for 6 years which included innumerable weekly follow ups, happiness programs, yoga and meditation programs, knowledge series to name a few along with a few volunteer training sessions, DSN’s and pre-TTC’s. </p> <p align="justify">As many would know, this was our first effort in maintaining a physical real estate of our own, proud of the fact that we were the first in Texas and amongst the first in nation to have a physical center. The most important one for us was maintaining the finances in order over the last 6 years. Many thanks to all the volunteers for donating and doing donation drives and most importantly to volunteer their spare time in upkeep and maintenance of the center.Yes it is a great achievement. </p> <p align="justify">We did learn a lot from owning and maintaining the center and we have grown leaps and bounds in terms of memberships and the activities we are doing as a chapter. Most of which can be attributed to having a physical space of our own we could use barring the calendar conflicts. </p> <p>As with anything long term, we had our ups and downs, I personally like to believe we had more ups than downs. It wouldn’t be fair if I don’t thank our landlord PS business parks with whom we have maintained a very cordial relationship from the beginning to end. </p> <p>Now that we have wound up this place, its time to translate the learning to a newer and better center. It is coming and stay tuned for updates on the same. </p> Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-28178810118014890862015-06-22T12:22:00.000-07:002015-08-17T12:24:18.012-07:00International Day of Yoga Celebrations in Austin TX<p align="left">Some came because <a href="http://www.narendramodi.in/">Narendra Modi</a>, PM of India had called<br>Some came because <a href="http://srisriravishankar.org/">Sri Sri Ravishankar</a> called<br>Some came because it's adventurous<br>Some came because they were organizing it<br>Some came because it is probably the one and only event they were looking forward to (for personal reasons)<br>Some came for they were tasked with documenting the event<br>Nature said, I can't be left out and it rained and poured before and after the event</p> <p align="justify">Yes, I am talking about the first ever <a href="http://www.artofliving.org/us-en/international-day-of-yoga?gclid=CKHE8Ineo8YCFQYQaQodQiwI_w">International Day of Yoga</a> celebration at our city Austin, TX. In case you missed it, it happened on <a href="http://www.tspb.state.tx.us/SPB/capitol/texcap.htm">Capitol grounds</a> on Sunday June 21st at 10:30AM.</p> <p align="justify">75 odd yogis from Art of Living, <a href="http://www.bealoveyoga.com/">Bea Love Yoga</a> and more importantly from Austin showed up to celebrate the very first ever International day of Yoga here at the lawns of the Capitol of Texas. </p> <p align="justify">We have a saying in Art of Living, “from chaos comes creativity” and this yoga event was no different. On Thursday before the yoga event scheduled for Sunday we were not 100% sure of the logistics and with rain in forecast didn’t have a plan B, to top it off nature wanted to do some rain dance for the event and on Sunday around 10:00am it started raining cats and dogs. </p> <p align="justify">But, when 70 odd yogis decide to do yoga on the first ever International Day of yoga, nature had to listen and give way for yoga. Come 10:30, the rain turned to drizzle and the lawns started to drain out just enough for us to get on with the yoga. The parking was free and plenty (I guess the rain turned some visitors away) and all other finer logistics, didn’t really matter. Can you imagine the state senator joining us at the yoga event. </p> <p align="justify">The yoga was beautifully led by 3 senior yoga teachers from Bea Love Yoga. I have full respect and regards for Bea Love for if there was 1 person who was 100% sure they will be doing yoga that day, I would say it would be her. Once the yoga started, the event moved on with clinical precision, the teachers taking turns to lead the yoga and before we knew it was time to do the chanting of om and final resting. At which precise time, nature decided to join the party and started to drizzle and it poured again. </p> <p align="justify">Later the party was moved indoors where folks from our own Art of Living band filled the rotunda with ancient chants and hymns. </p> <p align="justify">It wouldn't be fair if I don't speak about the precursor to this event, it was called the sun never sets yoga which happened a week ago Saturday as a gearing up event for the international day of yoga, around 20 odd yogis gathered on the banks of town lake in the morning at 7:00AM and an hour long yoga was lead by our own graduate yogi Ritesh Seth.</p> <p align="justify">All in all, a grand successful event for the Art of Living Austin. Kudos to the team for pulling this off in a very successful manner in true Art of Living style. </p> <p align="justify">ps: yes, picture speaks 1000 words and yes I will be posting them soon </p> <p align="justify">pps: <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/az9uA9x6cXXwkVMj6">here are the pics</a></p> Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-86363380842999299282015-04-29T18:00:00.000-07:002015-08-17T12:28:04.486-07:00The tendency of mind is ....<p align="justify">Back in December, one of the parents from my daughter's playschool started the initiative about kids soccer. They said they were enrolling their kid to soccer camp starting in April, a 8 week camp played one weekend every week, they suggested if all kids could join in it would be lot of fun. We all got excited with the idea and jumped on it right away. Majority of the kids in the class enrolled with the camp. </p> <p align="justify">Since we were all enrolling we requested all the kids to be together in the same team. The wonderful folks at the camp people honored our request and even better some of the dads became the coaches for the team. Keep in mind the whole idea behind was to let kids have fun outside school and some socializing for us too. The kids are truly having fun, specially since the soccer practice ends with donuts and drinks (snacks provided by different parent each week). </p> <p align="justify">It's been 5 weeks, the kids are enjoying the games and having fun. I would definitely say, they have been improving every week, but our team hasn't won a single match. To put it bluntly we get our butts kicked by the opposing team. We would be lucky if our team makes 1 or 2 goals in the process and we don’t self goal during the match. </p> <p align="justify">I think the reason is simple, each team that we have played against so far has 2 to 3 kids who are much older than the kids in our team and also have played multiple years of soccer. If only we hadn’t made the request during enrollment, may be our team would have gotten couple of older kids too and we would be tough competitor too but if that had happened it no longer would have been team “Kangaroos”, would it be?. </p> <p align="justify">Now, the real point of this blog post, I realized I am going away from the original intent of the whole exercise "having fun" and getting to the mode of winning and analyzing why our team isn't doing as good as others.</p> <p align="justify">I think this is called awareness which my good friends were trying to drill into me a decade ago. Of course life is such "aha" moments and that's what makes it fun.The secret is simple, to breath, want more information visit <a href="http://artoflivingaustin.org">artoflivingaustin.org</a></p> Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-51232162014518171052015-04-03T02:00:00.002-07:002015-04-03T02:00:56.477-07:00Relevance of Yoga in Modern Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is the relevance of yoga in modern life? First off, what is yoga? What is the meaning of modern life?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yoga comes from the ancient Sanskrit word Yuj, which simply
means union / to join. Yoga ultimately
means uniting the mind, body, breath, and spirit…and for modern life, I would
add to that statement, “in the present moment.”
At a much deeper level, which may not be applicable here in this modern
worldly life, yoga gives us the realization of truth, or the ultimate reality
of consciousness and non-duality. We are
so often caught up in the duality of life seeing nearly everything as separate
from us. This keeps us chasing after
material worldly desires, things, people, pleasures, status, and other “things”
that ultimately keep us away from waking up to the reality, to our own self, to
the realization of the belongingness, to the dharma or purpose of why we are
actually here on this planet. If we deeply
realize our dharma or purpose in life, then a much larger view of the universe
opens up to us; but let’s keep with the inquiry regarding yoga in modern life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is modern life?
Modern life, or the worldly life we live, often involves raising children,
focusing on our career, managing a home, filling that home, and keeping our
relationships going. Modern life often
also involves many hours in front of electronics like cell phones, sitting in
front of a computer (which I am doing now) and the TV. One of the most significant aspects of modern
life is the feeling of multi-tasking and being very busy…always prioritizing
what to do and when to do it. We spend
so much time worrying about the future or dwelling on the past. We are rarely in the present moment. That’s where Yoga comes in.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are many aspects of yoga. There are also many different levels of
utilizing yoga. One who fully dwells in
yoga could be called a Yogi. One who
also manages both the worldly life, but with non-attachment and contentment
might also be called a Yogi. So both
possibilities exist. The key here is
utilizing the breath and being present to each and every moment. This present-mindedness while being
established in the self is the ultimate formula for yoga in modern life. I would also argue that the simple journey of
becoming present to each moment and taking care of your mind, body, breath, and
spirit can all be tools to integrating yoga in modern life. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are several ways to incorporate the yogic sciences
into your modern daily life. Some broad
ways to incorporate yoga into modern life include paying attention to what we
eat, how much we sleep, how we breathe, and being more aware of our thoughts,
words, and actions. The major yogic
techniques also include satkarmas, asanas, kriya, pranayamas, and
meditation. Through lifestyle changes,
one can realize a happy and fulfilling modern lifestyle while still being in
the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even 20 to 30 minutes a day of yoga practices combined with
conscious choices like getting six to eight hours of sleep each night, keeping
the mind in a calm and meditative state of awareness, keeping a healthy and
sattvic vegetarian diet while drinking plenty of water, and helping others
through selfless service, can have a tremendous impact on our ability to live a
happy and fulfilling modern life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
An Aspiring Yogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04289247236735393780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-50329782735815343152014-03-05T19:26:00.001-08:002014-03-05T19:26:30.249-08:00A Month at the Bangalore Ashram <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<a href="http://thisisanaspiringyogi.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-month-at-bangalore-ashram.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">A Month at the Bangalore Ashram</a></h3>
<div class="post-header" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3574012460195997875" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 546px;">
<div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">
<br /><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
Just back from a little over a month at the Bangalore Ashram…I had an amazing time and can’t wait to hopefully go back this Fall. I received Darshan from Gurudev three times. Simply amazing.</div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
I arrived on January 29<sup style="line-height: 17.749998092651367px;">th</sup> and started doing my Netra eye treatments at the Panchakarma Spa and Resort (<a href="http://www.srisripanchakarma.org/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.srisripanchakarma.org</a>) right next to the Bangalore Ashram. After just 12 days, my eye sight prescription improved by 1 point. I went from a -3.5 to a -2.5 power. The eye doctor there thought I was too old to see any improvement and was so happy when I improved by a point. The eye treatments and exercises coupled with the Ayurveda café are a treat. The 12 day treatment was like a vacation. Seeing Gurudev many evenings at Satsang was a gift.</div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
After one week at Panchakarma, I shifted to the Ashram housing and stayed with 3 roommates including a senior teacher from Argentina. I feel lucky to have met Ishmael from Argentina. During this time, I finished up the balance of my 12 day treatments and did Seva in the kitchen. I loved serving dinner in the kitchen and had the chance to serve some of our North America senior teachers including Pierre, Rajshree Didi, Michael Fischman, and the Frasers.</div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
In early February, I was able to attend the evening events during the International Womens Conference (<a href="http://iwc.artofliving.org/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://iwc.artofliving.org/</a>). The events were over the top and I felt like I was at Navratri again. The conference hosts went all out and had really impressive performances, dinners, speakers, singers, flyers, and décor. The Womens Conference was so well organized and so well decorated that I felt so proud to be a part of the Art of Living. I hope many of the women I know will attend next year!</div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
After Panchakarma, I checked into the Sri Sri Ayurveda Hospital (<a href="http://www.sscasrh.org/sri-sri-ayurveda-college/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.sscasrh.org/sri-sri-ayurveda-college/</a> - great video with Gurudev) for 5 days. I had 4 full days of Ayurvedic treatments to alleviate my back pain. The physiotherapist there, for the first time in months after many different doctors, accurately diagnosed me with postural scoliosis. He laid out a plan with exercises to alleviate the postural scoliosis within 6 months. I was so impressed with the Ayurvedic doctors and staff at the hospital that I setup a meeting with the hospital HOD (Head Of Department). I am hoping to sponsor some updates to the meditation hall at the hospital. For the first time in almost a year, my back spasm is completely gone. The full body in-patient Abhyanga massage, other hot oil Ayurveda back treatments, and daily exercises healed my aching spine.</div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
I had a day to spare and signed up for the Eternity process. The process is too sacred to share / comment on, but I hope everyone gets the chance to do this lifetimes opening process. We get to the Eternity process only three times in one lifetime. </div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
I then convinced my cousin-nephew to join me on an Art of Living Yes+ residential course at the Ashram. Here’s where is gets GREAT. The Yes+ teacher let me partly co-teach the course and I led the first Long Kriya process, wrap-up, some knowledge points, and the paper plate process. I had such a blast and felt like a dream came true that weekend. I made some great young friends and will hopefully get my other nephew to do Yes+ in the US later this year. Our Yes+ students had Darshan with Gurudev and I got the chance to give Gurudev my new wooden business card and ask Gurudev to bless my nephew for his university studies in the US.</div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
Next up, I checked in for the Shivatri AMC (Advanced Meditation Course) – Silence Course with Gurudev. The silence was ok, but seeing Gurudev and doing one to two daily guided meditations with Gurudev everyday was GREAT. On Shivatri day, after evening Puja (my first Shivatri Sankalpa), Gurudev gave everyone that was at the Ashram Darshan from midnight until 2:30am..I remember reading about how Mikey stayed up all night for Shivatri in Stumbling into Infinity and Gurudev even mentioned the tradition during Satsang. So I stayed up all night doing seva, meditations and Kriya. At 5am, we had a Puja and I took my 2<sup style="line-height: 17.749998092651367px;">nd</sup> Sankalpa during the Puja. By 8am or so, I was exhausted and hit the sack! <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
The last two days of the Shivatri AMC, we did Shakti Kriya and the experience was once again very powerful. I could barely sleep the 2<sup style="line-height: 17.749998092651367px;">nd</sup> night and had to rest and skip the afternoon sessions of the silence course.</div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
We finally ended the last evening of March 3<sup style="line-height: 17.749998092651367px;">rd</sup> with the remaining 2/3 or so of our Silence course getting Darshan with Gurudev in the Vishalakshi Mantap (VM) building (<a href="http://www.artofliving.org/bangalore-ashram/vishalakshi-mantap" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.artofliving.org/bangalore-ashram/vishalakshi-mantap</a>).</div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
I feel so lucky to have met some of our TTC classmates at the Bangalore Ashram during the stay there. I hope we can all meet in Bangalore for Navratri or Shivatri. </div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
Feeling grateful and blessed beyond words…</div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
Love & Jai Guru Dev,</div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.30000114440918px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
Ritesh Sheth</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
An Aspiring Yogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04289247236735393780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-26460874761657121482014-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:002014-01-20T09:00:09.541-08:00To Celebrate MLK Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<a href="http://thisisanaspiringyogi.blogspot.com/2011/01/race-as-irrelevant.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Race as Irrelevant</a></h3>
<div class="post-header" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7956462759870811942" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 546px;">
I just made a major decision today and my neurosis / botheration came to mind and I'm not sure why, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that race is completely irrelevant in modern day society. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we in modern day society on a world-wide basis, pretty much exist in terms of education and socio-economic status, not in racial states. Even as religion edges out of mainstream society and spirituality and god replace religion as the ultimate in a global unifying force, we realize that god and the breath bring light into our bodies, minds, and souls. As we come to self-realization, we realize that this moment, and each moment that we exist within, is as life should be...as life is. We are being regardless of religion, race, education, or any other factor that serves to differentiate us. Even beyond race, many other factors become irrelevant, as we get further and further away from that which creates unhappiness, exclusivity. As we move towards the ultimate unifying light, we realize that this light is within each and everyone of us, and can shine brighter than anything that may appear on our surface, or anything that may even come out of our mouths. So regardless of race, religion, sex / gender, socio-economic status, physical appearance, or even education, what will unify our species is the light w/in us, our soul / athma. When we realize that our existence is from the inside, not out, we can shine our light among all of our brothers and sisters, our fellow human beings.<br /><br />As we come into Martin Luther King Jr's Anniversary Day, I want to share his "I have a Dream" thought in speech.<br /><br />Notes from his speech:<br />unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness<br /><br />"insufficient funds."<br />riches of freedom and the security of justice<br />promises of democracy<br />solid rock of brotherhood<br />justice a reality for all of God's children<br />overlook the urgency of the moment.<br />invigorating autumn of freedom and equality<br />citizenship rights<br />high plane of dignity and discipline<br />soul force.<br />destiny is tied up with our destiny<br />justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.<br /><br />some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations<br /><br />creative suffering<br /><br />Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.<br /><br />Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.<br /><br />We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal<br /><br />the table of brotherhood<br /><br />an oasis of freedom and justice<br /><br />join hands as sisters and brothers.<br /><br />The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.<br /><br />stone of hope.<br /><br />a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.<br /><br />With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to stand up for freedom together<br /><br />all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."<br /><br />Let freedom ring<br /><br />thank God Almighty, we are free<br /><br />An interpretation of his speech to now:<br />Is enjoying this time to reflect on what Martin Luther King, Jr. provided for humanity. Even beyond race, especially as race becomes more irrelevant in our global lives, his words of wisdom will have benefits for generations to come. Let this wonderful day be a reminder of not only what Martin Luther King, Jr succeeded in, but also what Mahatma Gandhi, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, and countless unnamed humans provided humanity with. MLK’s speech reminds me of the wonderful things that we have today:<br />• The unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness<br />• Society’s funding to overcome insufficient funds in our hearts through meditation, yoga, spirituality and the breath<br />• The riches of freedom and the security of justice<br />• Promises of democracy<br />• A solid rock of brotherhood among mankind<br />• Justice as a reality for all of God's children<br />• This present moment<br />• The invigorating autumn of freedom and equality<br />• Citizenship rights to multiple countries<br />• The high plane of dignity and discipline among our species<br />• Our soul’s force in our many cyclical lives of birth and death<br />• To allow the American destiny to be tied up with the world’s destiny<br />• Justice as it rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream<br />In life, each and every day, I think that Martin Luther King Jr’s life is a reminder that some of us have come here on earth out of great trials and tribulations from past lives of creative suffering and that we will continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. As Eckhart Tolle suggests, may we be able to surrender our ego, eliminate suffering, and live with acceptance, energy, &/ enthusiasm in each and every moment.<br />We hold truths to be self-evident… that all men are created equal:<br />• as we eat and live from the table of brotherhood in an oasis of freedom and justice<br />• as we join hands as sisters and brothers<br />The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together as we sit together under the Bodhi tree on a stone of hope…as did Buddha 2,500 years ago.<br />Our lives w/in the human community are a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.<br />With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to stand up for freedom together.<br />All of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My one earth, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Earth where my fathers died, land of pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."<br />Let freedom ring<br />I thank God and the Force beyond and within us almighty, we can be free, peaceful, and joyous.<br />I give thanks to Martin Luther King, Jr for his continued ability to lead us along the divine path with a strong mind and a tender heart among humanity.<br />Peace, Namaste, and Amen!</div>
</div>
An Aspiring Yogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04289247236735393780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-73428201882739099242014-01-05T10:25:00.001-08:002014-01-05T10:25:23.812-08:00A Commentary on Ways to Welcome 2014 by H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What are some ways to be happy? What is happiness? In a course I took a few years ago, I
realized the entire weekend was dedicated to one thing…making us realize that happiness
is a choice. We have the choice to be
happy now! We spend so much time
dwelling on the past / worrying about the future that we forget about this
amazing present moment. Each time we
catch ourselves drifting into never-never land glorifying the past / worrying /
dreaming about the future, snap your fingers three times and say “now now now”
in your head! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dream the Impossible.
There’s an amazing Puja Bhanu Didi sang in her CD that Swamiji Jayanth
shared with me at the Bangalore Ashram.
The Puja, he said, takes you beyond imagination. After listening to the Puja on my drive back
from Boone, NC after Christmas 2013, I realized some profound questions coming
up…thoughts from layers in the universe to the spherical present moment. We have so much to wonder about. I’ve heard Rajshree Didi say Gurudev’s
offered us only a drop in the ocean of consciousness. We are not ready yet for the rest of the
ocean, but Gurudev’s hopefully going to share more expanders like Shakti Kriya
and Sudarshan Chakra Kriya.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cultivate the Habit of Listening. How often does our small mind chatter and
think of thoughts that refer to I, me, or my?
Why does the small mind or ego constantly or often enough want to chime
in with thoughts or opinions, &/ incomprehensible or mindless chatter from
past impressions? How do we quieten the
mind? Through knowledge, disciplined
sadhana, seva, satsang, and a gentle smile, the mind may be able to let go of
the chattering mind and reach that space of peace and tranquility. From this space, we can listen. We can listen like that part of the movie,
Peaceful Warrior. Just being present to
the moment can really open up something for us.
Just wondering and allowing the mind to stop focusing on me, my, or I
can open up so much space for the mind to calm down and be quiet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Make Meditation a part of Life. Just taking 20 minutes out a day twice a day
can significantly enhance your happiness and centeredness. Sometimes I feel like it’s simply a clearing
for the day’s activities in the mind.
Sometimes meditation can take you to a whole different world. Why not experience a vacation twice a day? Why not recharge the mind similar to how we
recharge our cell phones? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Follow Truth. Why not
dive deep into knowledge and learn great life lessons. One of the most important lessons I’ve
learned is to become a witness to the mind.
Our mind is often chattering and not quiet. If we can shift from experiencing all of
these thoughts to being a witness of these thoughts, this can be a wonderful way
to relax and become happier and more peaceful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Share your Joy.
Gurudev recently tweeted that we should share our problems with the
divine and our joy with others. I
decided earlier this year to choose happiness and to also stop complaining. The complaining mind can be addictive. When we can shift to unloading our complaints
and problems on the divine and sharing our joy with others, we can create a
happier and more loving environment. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Think Fresh. I
recently heard a statistic that we have the same thoughts over 90% of the time
day after day. How do we break this
cycle of negative thoughts that don’t serve us?
One traditional method is Japa.
Another is meditation. In deep
silence the mind can settle down and let go of the stresses / fear / anxiety
that it’s holding onto. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be Sincere. Being
sincere really means being simple, honest, and humble…being authentic and
natural. When we are sincere we connect
with others and are more vulnerable and also more sensitive to others. Sharing ourselves by spreading both joy and
the journey that we’ve been on allows others to connect with us in a personal
way. This sincerity helps create an
environment of sharing and caring. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Learn to Forgive.
Forgiving others helps not only the ones we’re forgiving, but also
ourselves. When we begin to see others
with compassion and love, we move from a space of responding out of immediate
ego, to a place of knowledge with compassion and empathy. Forgiveness is the first of the five
principles in the Ashtavakra Gita.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stop Worrying. Often
times, we’re worrying about the future.
What will the future hold? Will I
do well on exams? Will my kids turnout
ok? The way to alleviate worry is to
become present to the moment at hand.
When we are fully present to this moment, we realize greater happiness
by not dwelling on the past / worrying about the future. If we can surrender the past to destiny, and
the future to free will, and give our 100% to this present moment, we can
achieve so much right now!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have a Sense of Humor.
You know, in Jai Guru Dev, “Dev” means “playful, yet dignified” among
other possible definitions. Our dear
Gurudev is a perfect example of this and he was recently caught on video
enjoying a good laugh with one of India’s great comedians. So fun to see! Once when I was in Canada with Gurudev, he
even mentioned how to really authentically laugh. He said we laugh with the “hehehe” from our
gut / stomach…where you can really feel it…almost uncontrollable. Gurudev said that an insincere laugh is one
that’s controlled like the “mwuhahahahahaha.”
Seeing life as a game and realizing we are only here to look around for
a while can help us lighten up a bit!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Take Responsibility.
Responsibility brings power. When
I say power, what I mean is Empower.
When you take on a responsibility you become empowered to do it…similar
to the law of intention. Recently a man
asked Gurudev why he could not simply live like he was when he was a baby /
young boy with everything taken care of for him. Gurudev responded that there’s a time in your
life when you are taken care of and a time in your life when you take care of
others. As adults, we have an
opportunity to serve others and take on greater responsibilities. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be a Student Always.
I recently spent two months at the Bangalore ashram in back-to-back
courses and I had one teacher who taught my last six weeks of the courses while
I was there. I remember when I first saw
him over the first few days, I thought will this young guy who seems so laid
back, humble, and playful, be assisting the teacher / when will the teacher
arrive? Little did I know he was the
teacher, Kashi Bhaya, humbly referred to in the Ashram. Kashi Bhaya not once took on the heir of an
arrogant teacher / made decisions in a vacuum.
He often said that he would check-in with Gurudev and see what Gurudev
will say. Kashi Bhaya is an inspiration
as an ongoing student as he not once asserted himself in front of us. Kashi Bhaya felt like both our classmate and
teacher...he seemed like the perfect example of a student! This quest to have inquiry into the unknown
and go deeper in our Sadhana allows us to open up to the vastness of what’s
unknown. There’s so much to study and
I’ve even heard the Vedas take 120 years to study completely.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Spread Happiness.
This is beautiful. We have a
Happiness Program now that focuses on taking people from stressed out,
miserable, anxious, and or depressed, to simply happy and peaceful. The more people we can share this happiness
with, the more people benefit from this practice. I have a business card with a quote from
Mother Teresa that says, “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of
love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” When we share our happiness with others, not
only do they feel better, we feel better as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Loving Kindness, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jai Guru Dev,<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ritesh Mukul Sheth <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
An Aspiring Yogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04289247236735393780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-36071527676686641032013-03-16T12:21:00.000-07:002013-03-16T12:21:10.405-07:00The very first post on fasting and food, not fast food!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi All,<br />
<br />
Jai Guru Dev. So excited to be able to be able to contribute to our Art of Living family and blog. I am slowly learning how to fast and very much enjoy the process of reversing illness, stomach ailments, boosting my immune system, and losing unwanted weight all through simply fasting! <br />
<br />
Micheal Fischman, a senior Art of Living teacher, gave me a precious gift when he last visited Austin in November 2012, a book called <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 23px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">Mucusless Diet Healing System by </span><span dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #6611cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><a class="secondary" href="http://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Arnold+Ehert%22" style="background-color: white; color: #6611cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Arnold Ehert</a>. </span>I sincerely enjoyed reading the book and have found it an inspiration. <br />
<br />
I look forward to sharing more soon.<br />
<br />
Love & Jai Guru Dev,<br />
<br />
Ritesh </div>
An Aspiring Yogihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04289247236735393780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-80845203084168332612012-05-04T13:21:00.001-07:002012-05-04T13:21:30.827-07:00Deepening Roots<p align="justify">Arjun Adapalli’s experiences from the recently concluded <a href="http://deepeningroots.org/home.html">Deepening Roots</a> workshop. </p> <p align="justify">This past weekend, I had attended the Deepening Roots course along with 7 other participants. The course was taught by Lashanda Greene, who was a wonderful person and a great teacher! I really didn't know what to expect from this course at first. I had been thinking for a while about keeping a healthier diet and taking care of my health, but I wasn't very much into gardening, and I didn't know if I would really have much to take away from this course, since gardening was one of the main focuses. Aravind Krishnan the coordinator, was insisting that I sign up for the course. This weekend wasn't too ridiculously busy so I decided to take it anyway.</p> <p align="justify">In retrospect, I'm glad I took the course. We learned a lot about the harmful chemicals that are put into the food that we eat on an everyday basis, due to the current system of food production. Even though I already knew a bit about the issues prior to taking the course (and so did many other participants), I still learned many things about the environmental issues associated with the food industry that I didn't know beforehand. We also focused on the effects of certain foods on our body, and how they affect things like the pH and energy levels in our body. Lashanda gave us great suggestions on what foods to look out for, and she even taught us some tasty and simple vegan recipes. We had a "raw veggie" feast at the end of the first day, which was surprisingly really good. And after taking the course, I find myself feeling less interested in eating oily junk foods and taking multiple visits to the salad bar during lunch. The contrast in how i feel between eating raw veggies and eating junk food is even more clear, thanks to this course.</p> <p align="justify">And as for the gardening aspect of it, even though I'm not super interested in gardening, it was very interesting to learn the different strategies of gardening. It really isn't as simple as throwing seeds in the dirt and watering, there's a lot more to it than one may think. And who knows, maybe I'll start working with the garden that my parents have at our place, and grow some of my own food to consume.</p> <p align="justify">I hope this incredibly long posting has made it clear to you all that I really valued this experience. I definitely recommend taking this course if you have a desire to improve your health and change the way you eat!</p> Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264496.post-51597264962270597332012-01-23T10:11:00.001-08:002012-01-23T10:12:13.617-08:00Introduction to Art of Living session at Austin Recovery’s Buda campus<p align="justify">On Thursday January 19th 2012, we had the very first ‘Introduction to Art of Living' session facilitated at <a href="http://www.austinrecovery.org/AboutUs.aspx">Austin Recovery's</a> Buda campus. About 20 people (a good mix of youth to senior citizens) undergoing rehabilitation from Alcohol/Drug addiction participated in the 1 hour session and reported immense stress relief. </p> <p align="justify">A game of 'Seven Up' served as a perfect ice-breaker, it was followed by a couple of simple breathing techniques and a few minutes of meditation, during which the participants experienced a state of joy. The highly interactive session that followed the meditation involved participants bringing out the knowledge about the natural tendencies of the mind (chewing on negativity via thoughts about regrettable experiences from the past and thoughts about future anxiety), the 4 sources of life energy and descriptions of various experiences of 'present moment awareness'. </p> <p align="justify">Towards the end of the session, most participants shared that they felt very relaxed with a feeling of lightness within and higher energy level. One of the participants shared that he felt bliss rising from within and another participant brought out the knowledge that if joy is felt from within utilizing these simple techniques and there is no point in seeking it through attachments to external means (alcohol/drugs). </p> <p align="justify">The snapshot of innocence, so palpable through the sharing, and the inner beauty, so palpable through the smiles around, was a sight to behold and will stay in my memory for a long time.</p> <p align="justify">The sketch below was drawn by one of the rehab program participants, which beautifully conveys the crossing the barrier of despair and the kindling of human values.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-woEf9gomF7E/Tx2itHIxfoI/AAAAAAAADPE/0KDxK7gmnlI/s1600-h/despair-to-freedom%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="despair-to-freedom" border="0" alt="despair-to-freedom" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mOgp8fVxroM/Tx2itdLlZnI/AAAAAAAADPM/xCLh-0DsWQw/despair-to-freedom_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="493" height="371"></a> </p> <p align="justify">At the end of the session, the participants recommended Austin Recovery's staff members to schedule an ‘Introduction to Art of Living' session every Thursday to help with their rehab. One participant who was spending his last day on the rehabilitation program promised to seek special permission from the staff in order to allow him to attend next week's session.</p> <p align="justify">-Sanjeev Mathur</p> Manjunathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06836974480561295812noreply@blogger.com0