"This Place is Like Shangri-La" - Reasons People Come to the Ashram

Why do you come to Divine Art of Yoga Center ashram?

Dr. Kanti: I had never been a devotee or associated with any kind of house of worship for decades. Not because I was agnostic or atheistic but because I had my own place of worship in my heart and mind, and I was looking to find that physical place for all those years where I can go to for worship and become a devotee or become associated with the place of my dream.

A long time back I had read Prophet Kahlil Gibran’s masterpiece, and one of the topics was the Temple. Not the ordinary Temple but “The Temple in the Garden of Paradise” - it was like an ancient time Ashram. I made a picture of such a Temple in my mind, then I re-read it many times, and every time The Temple in the Garden of Paradise gave me so much joy and tranquility.

I thought I would never find such a place in my lifetime in the city of Los Angeles where I live. But one wise man told me that one can find the beautiful flower of a Lotus among the dirty muddy water of the crowded Metropolitan city, so I hoped...

My dream came true when I found “Divine Art of Yoga Center." It's an even better place with extra value. Garden without gardener, like the famous Poet Rabindranath Tagore’s popular poem “The Gardener” refers to. The soul of the Temple. For the good fortune of the devotees of D.A.Y.C., there are not one, but two ‘Gardeners,’ two DIVINE souls of the temple.

Why I say Divine Souls: when anyone comes and listens to their SATSANG/BHAJAN, everyone would agree with me because when Heart-to-Heart Satsang is done it consists of latent spiritual energy that uplifts the energy of the devotees.

What some of my clients have said about this Temple in the Garden of Paradise (D.A.Y.C.):

"This place is like ‘SHANGRI-LA.'

"This place is ‘Rural in the Urban'" (countryside in the Metropolitan area)

"Anybody can go into meditative mind status easily in this spiritual environment."

Please come and join us.

Om

Did God Ever Send You a Bill?

Satsang by Gautum Baiji ~

"Whatever we really need, God gave us.
What do we need the most?
We need oxygen.

Did God ever send you a bill for that?
No, and he never cut the connection.

If you don't pay the electric bill, what happens?
One time, two times, then... they cut the connection.
We never pay any bill to God, and yet he never cuts the connection.

He gave us oxygen for free.
He gave us water for free.
And the sun, which gives us light and heat.
The most important things we need, God gave us free of charge.

But do we ever thank God for giving us all these precious things?



We never think about the beautiful body God gave us, and the intellect.
He gave us everything.

Yet still we try to get more.
And more and more and more.......

So satsang reminds us that every day, God gives us what we really need.
Everything else is extra."

The Spiritual Treasure Within You

Truth.

"It's a Truly Special Place" - Reasons People Come to the Ashram

Why do you come to Divine Art of Yoga Center ashram?

Scott: It’s a truly special place. There's always good energy, and you get a lot of warmth from the community of people there, who may be coming from different places but it's clear they're on a spiritual path, and that inspires me. Plus, I can do yoga for the fitness benefits as well as the spiritual element. I can practice breathing and meditation techniques that have numerous benefits, including calming the mind and going deeper inside myself. I get knowledge on the deeper parts of life, like the role of the ego, managing my energy/chakras and my overall health and well-being. I get spiritual guidance from the Mahatmas on any subject, like decreasing suffering in general and attaining enlightenment. And we truly experience the meaning of Namaste, “the divine within me honors the divine within you.” With all this, how could I stay away? 

Amen

What the Sage Said

For the first official International Day of Yoga, I thought I'd feature the beautiful words of the great sage Paramahamsa Prajnananda (thanks Claudia!):

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA

Loving and Divine Soul,

Let the choicest blessings of God and Masters be upon all of you. I greet you on a special day of dual significance. First, it is the summer solstice, and second, it is the first International Day of Yoga.

Summer solstice is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs once a year when the sun moves farthest north geographically, creating the longest day and the shortest night in the northern hemisphere. For the next six months the duration of daylight slowly shortens in the northern hemisphere and gradually lengthens in the southern hemisphere. Although this is a physical phenomenon, it has spiritual significance. Swami Shriyukteshwarji, a great master of Kriya Yoga and an exponent of Cosmic Astrology, emphasized this spiritual aspect: The body has two poles like the earth or a magnet. The North Pole is in the fontanel and South Pole is in the lower part of the body. Sunlight represents spiritual consciousness. By practicing meditation and yogic techniques we can increase inner awakening. By increasing spiritual consciousness we can live with love, joy, peace, and harmony.

This year the United Nations will celebrate the northern hemisphere summer solstice as the International Day of Yoga. During the last general assembly of the U.N., Shri Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, emphasized the role yoga can play to bridge the gap between nations and help make a better world. He requested the assembly designate a day for a celebration. Over 175 nations lauded the proposal, and as a result June 21 will be celebrated as the International Day of Yoga. Yoga is a gift from the great rishis of India. Yoga was revealed to them as a result of their sinceresadhana (practice of self-discipline), and Yoga transcends all the limitations and boundaries that human beings have created. Yoga is practiced in different forms with love all over the world, and people benefit tremendously. It is a time-tested treasure that creates a healthy body, mind, and intellect filled with harmony and peace. It is non-sectarian and is beyond religious dogma.

The modern world provides every possible form of fast communication and a plethora of information. On this special day, I want to tell you that the great masters of India such as Swami Vivekananda and Paramahamsa Yoganandaji used sincere and selfless effort to plant the seed of Yoga and meditation around the entire world. Swami Vivekananda brought the message of Yoga to the West and Paramahamsa Yoganandaji nurtured it into a huge banyan tree. Now a myriad of methods are taught by countless teachers all over the world.

When we celebrate this special day, we should keep the basic principles of yoga in our minds and hearts. The simplest meaning of yoga is union. Let the practice of Yoga bring unity, amity, love, and harmony within and without.

The second meaning of Yoga is inner transformation. Every Yoga practitioner should try to eradicate inner vices and bring forth good qualities; as a result goodness will spread everywhere.

The third meaning of Yoga is self-discipline. We should learn to discipline our lives, desires and expectations. The world is passing through many crises - inequality, concentration of wealth, increased human suffering, global warming, spread of fatal diseases, terrorism, and above all, the thoughtless destruction of nature. Through self-disciplined and compassionate lives, we can impact the world and make it a better place not only for us, but also for future generations.

The fourth meaning of Yoga is to live in peace and manifest peace during every breath, thought, word, and deed.

During this celebration I offer my homage to the great masters of Yoga who tirelessly brought its message from India to the rest of the world. Their sincere efforts, fathomless love, and Yoga practices have become part of the lives of countless millions.

Let the practice of Yoga make the world free of disease and all discrimination and make the world a beautiful temple of the Divine.

Let us practice and spread Yoga for inner peace and peace everywhere.

With Love,

Prajnanananda

Keep the Fire Low - A Story

​A man was ​lost in the forest for days until he found the guru he was looking for. Overcome with exhaustion and hunger, he collapsed at her feet. She promptly gave him food from her campfire, then waited patiently until he could speak.  

 

“You expected me?” he asked, referring to the prepared food. 

“Is that what you came to ask?” 

“No. I am seeking answers to life​, which has become so difficult."​

​She smiled and seemed to look through him.

“You searched for me a long time. How did you find me?”

​“For years I heard stories about your wisdom. I decided to seek you out by asking others.” ​He showed her some worn maps. “They gave me directions which didn't work very well. I almost starved to death.”

She took the maps and glanced at them. “These are from someone else’s journey.” She tossed them into the fire.

“What else did you do to find me?” she asked gently.

​

“I prayed.” 

“Did that help?”

“No, but I heard that's because some prayers aren’t answered. So then I used my mind to conjure food and water.” 

“Did you succeed?”

“No, but I almost became food for a bear.”

She laughed. “Maybe his conjuring abilities are better than yours.”

​He frowned. “Usually I can make things happen in my life, but the old ways don’t seem to work as well. I just want answers.” 

Her eyes grew brighter. “I’m prepared to give them to you.”

He sat up in anticipation. 

“You probably noticed that you only found me when you’d given up the other's maps.”

“Yes.”

“You also had to give up your usual tricks of attracting and creating because they were running counter to another force at work.”

“How do you know this?” 

“Because you still had something deep inside you giving you direction. You did find me, after all.”

He became very excited. “Yes, I did! Can you help me get access to that all the time?”

“You do not need a guru for this. Meditation alone allows you to touch the divine inside you for all the answers, any time.” 

“The kingdom of God is within you,” he recited.

“Yes.”

“Is that it?”

“Tell me what else you want.”

He looked embarrassed. “Well, sometimes I want… things. Nice things. Maybe some comfortable things, too.”

“That is very honest. You can pray for things. You can attract things to you.”

“That's okay?”

“It is, and you will continue to do that until you are less interested in those things, and more interested in what your true self wants. I'm talking about the part of you that is connected to the divine, your soul… It’s always been there, gently guiding you to your bliss, and now you’re hearing it come through more clearly, even as you try to deny it or silence it.”

“If it’s my soul speaking, as you say, wouldn’t I want to hear it?”

The guru tossed another stick on the fire.

“You would think, but people have many habits accumulated over a lifetime that distract them from hearing it. It is easier to watch one hour of T.V. than spend two minutes listening to that voice, your own true voice.”

He struggled with this. “If it’s really my voice, why am I such a stranger to it?”

“Because your ego has been running the show, protecting you from harm, but also keeping you from your own deepest self. Which is love, by the way.”

“So my ego’s the bad guy?” 

“No, it’s a useful tool, like fire on a stove. Use it carefully to cook food, just don’t let it burn down the kitchen.” 

“So you’re saying it’s okay to ask for material things…”

“Or you can let the ego fall away and see the God in you and go from there.”

He was awestruck. “Why would I do one when the other is so available to me?”

“Because the Ego is fierce. It fights for relevance and control every second.”

The man thought for a moment. “So how do I keep the "fire on the stove" low?”

A piece of wood suddenly shifts in the campfire, and the flames rise higher. The guru sees this and hands a cup of water to the man. 

He nods, and tosses the water on the fire. The flames recede and become manageable. 

“Meditation,” he says.

The guru nods.