International Day of Yoga Celebrations in Austin TX

Some came because Narendra Modi, PM of India had called
Some came because Sri Sri Ravishankar called
Some came because it's adventurous
Some came because they were organizing it
Some came because it is probably the one and only event they were looking forward to (for personal reasons)
Some came for they were tasked with documenting the event
Nature said, I can't be left out and it rained and poured before and after the event

Yes, I am talking about the first ever International Day of Yoga celebration at our city Austin, TX. In case you missed it, it happened on Capitol grounds on Sunday June 21st at 10:30AM.

75 odd yogis from Art of Living, Bea Love Yoga 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.  

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.  

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.

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.

Later the party was moved indoors where folks from our own Art of Living band filled the rotunda with ancient chants and hymns.

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.

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.

ps: yes, picture speaks 1000 words and yes I will be posting them soon 

pps: here are the pics

The tendency of mind is ....

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.

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).

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.

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?.

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.

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 artoflivingaustin.org

Relevance of Yoga in Modern Life

What is the relevance of yoga in modern life?  First off, what is yoga?  What is the meaning of modern life?

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

A Month at the Bangalore Ashram

A Month at the Bangalore Ashram

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.

I arrived on January 29^th and started doing my Netra eye treatments at the Panchakarma Spa and Resort (http://www.srisripanchakarma.org) 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.

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.

In early February, I was able to attend the evening events during the International Womens Conference (http://iwc.artofliving.org/).  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!

After Panchakarma, I checked into the Sri Sri Ayurveda Hospital (http://www.sscasrh.org/sri-sri-ayurveda-college/ - 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.

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. 

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.

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^nd Sankalpa during the Puja.  By 8am or so, I was exhausted and hit the sack! J

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^nd night and had to rest and skip the afternoon sessions of the silence course.

We finally ended the last evening of March 3^rd with the remaining 2/3 or so of our Silence course getting Darshan with Gurudev in the Vishalakshi Mantap (VM) building (http://www.artofliving.org/bangalore-ashram/vishalakshi-mantap).

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. 

Feeling grateful and blessed beyond words…

Love & Jai Guru Dev,

Ritesh Sheth

To Celebrate MLK Day

Race as Irrelevant

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.

As we come into Martin Luther King Jr's Anniversary Day, I want to share his "I have a Dream" thought in speech.

Notes from his speech:
unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

"insufficient funds."
riches of freedom and the security of justice
promises of democracy
solid rock of brotherhood
justice a reality for all of God's children
overlook the urgency of the moment.
invigorating autumn of freedom and equality
citizenship rights
high plane of dignity and discipline
soul force.
destiny is tied up with our destiny
justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations

creative suffering

Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal

the table of brotherhood

an oasis of freedom and justice

join hands as sisters and brothers.

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

stone of hope.

a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to stand up for freedom together

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."

Let freedom ring

thank God Almighty, we are free

An interpretation of his speech to now:
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:
• The unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
• Society’s funding to overcome insufficient funds in our hearts through meditation, yoga, spirituality and the breath
• The riches of freedom and the security of justice
• Promises of democracy
• A solid rock of brotherhood among mankind
• Justice as a reality for all of God's children
• This present moment
• The invigorating autumn of freedom and equality
• Citizenship rights to multiple countries
• The high plane of dignity and discipline among our species
• Our soul’s force in our many cyclical lives of birth and death
• To allow the American destiny to be tied up with the world’s destiny
• Justice as it rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream
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.
We hold truths to be self-evident… that all men are created equal:
• as we eat and live from the table of brotherhood in an oasis of freedom and justice
• as we join hands as sisters and brothers
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.
Our lives w/in the human community are a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to stand up for freedom together.
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."
Let freedom ring
I thank God and the Force beyond and within us almighty, we can be free, peaceful, and joyous.
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.
Peace, Namaste, and Amen!

A Commentary on Ways to Welcome 2014 by H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

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! 

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.

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.

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?    

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.    

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.

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.

In Loving Kindness,

Jai Guru Dev,

Ritesh Mukul Sheth 

The very first post on fasting and food, not fast food!

Hi All,

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!

Micheal Fischman, a senior Art of Living teacher, gave me a precious gift when he last visited Austin in November 2012, a book called Mucusless Diet Healing System by Arnold Ehert.  I sincerely enjoyed reading the book and have found it an inspiration.

I look forward to sharing more soon.

Love & Jai Guru Dev,

Ritesh