NAG Newsletter Fall 2009
North American Gurukul Summer of Connection
Summary of Summertime: Events and activities supporting the growth of SATYANANDA YOGA® in North America
North American Gurukul, Inc. kicked off the summer with a community-building gathering to entertain and enlighten Satyananda Yogis from Northeastern Ohio. In early June, NAG hosted a night at the movies to celebrate the opening of the yoga documentary Enlighten Up! The film follows a filmmaker and her skeptical test subject as they undertake an epic journey to discover the transformational power of yoga.
That Monday night we looked around at a crowded theater of about 100 people, most of whom were familiar faces. After the movie experience, about 25 smiling friends joined together on the back patio of a local coffee shop, eager to participate in a post-film discussion.
The most exciting part of the gathering was the way that the discussion came together after the film, the way that everything happened as it should. We sat in a large circle and pulled out questions, thoughts, reactions, and perceptions. We started with “What is yoga? Why do you do it?” much like the beginning of the film. We did not get the anticipated responses, but instead learned just how much Satyananda Yoga® means to the discussion participants. They said that it creates a sense of belonging, like coming home, a place of unique acceptance that fosters the ability to accept themselves and others. As the film asks the question “are you what you practice?”, the answer from our community is that Satyananda Yoga provides the tools to help them be who they would really like to be.
It was refreshing to sit in that space with our hearts and minds open to one another. We asked questions and answered them together. There was no right and wrong, no sense of knowing more or less, just teachers and students together, sharing.
The momentum of summer built with reflections on the connectedness of our community as people everywhere shared their Guru Poornima Celebrations in early July.
Guru Poornima is a special day to pay our deep gratitude to all the enlightened teachers or gurus who dispel the darkness of ignorance and infuse the light of awareness into our lives and guide us into the unknown dimensions. It is a time for renewal and rededication, of connection to the guru and our worldwide yoga family.
Guru Poornima in Munger, India
Anandaroopa provided a summary of the Guru Poornima celebrations with Swami Niranjanananda in India (Read Swamiji’s Guru Poornima message here):
I just left Munger after attending a wonderful Bhakti Yoga Aradhana program and a majestic Guru Poornima with Swamiji at Paduka Darshan (the new name for Ananda Bhavan).
The lower open area of the former Ananda Bhavan was transformed into a beautiful setting to receive around 3,000 guests from Munger, throughout India, and some foreigners, mainly from Greece, Hungary and Bulgaria. The 4 new buildings on Yoga Vidya (behind the kitchen) plot turned into an open kitchen and feeding area for the thousands of people coming for prasad.
Besides kirtans and havans, Swamiji gave satsangs on Bhakti Yoga, highlighting that bhakti is not about devotion but is a way of life. He spoke about the process of emotional connection to the Divine as a way to bhakti yoga and that our "IQ is an impediment to god-realization." He says that we have to be able to connect with our EQ (Emotional Quotient) and SQ (Social Quotient) in order to practice bhakti yoga.
I hope the hasty update above finds you all well. And may the light of Guru Poornima still shine brightly in your corner of the world.
Guru Poornima in the UK
North American Gurukul received word of many other inspiring celebrations from across the globe. From Gyanbindu and those gathering in the UK for Swami Satsangananda’s visit there: “Three wandering Satyananda Yogis from three different countries gather in the north of England for Guru Poornima. A 7pm ceremony to honor and celebrate: mantra chanting (first three Vedic Shanti mantras, Guru Gayatri, Guru Stotram and Shanti Path) with havan, prasaad and short meditation. The Satyananda Yoga connection transcends borders and cultures for a beautiful Guru Poornima. Sarva Mangalam!”
Guru Poornima in North America
In Cleveland, Ohio, more than 40 participants gathered under the full moon to attend a Guru Poornima havan and kirtan with Swami Atmarupa. Similar gatherings were held throughout North America including Charlottesville, VA; Seattle, WA; and Sunnyvale, CA. We heard from Divyajyoti in Montreal, Canad, "where Guru Purnima was celebrated with much joy amidst chanting of Sivananda Gayatri, Guru Stotras from the Siddha Stotra Mala and japa of Guru mantra; even with one lone disciple, Montreal was uplifted by the vibrations created by the blessings of our Gurus. Om tat sat!"
Swami Karma Karuna of New Zealand shared the details of the celebration during her North American tour: “A wonderful Guru Poornima in Steamboat, CO, with Atmabhava arriving from New Zealand, Aspen devotees and Steamboat clan. The afternoon began with Awakening Intuition workshop and then a fire ceremony and kirtan in the midst of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, nestled in the trees, hot springs and a stream chanting OM. What a wonderful place to rededicate to another year of sadhana and service.”
North American Gurukul Board Member Nityam (Nim Short) shared with us her reflections:
Gurupoornima- a time to reflect on the guru/ disciple relationship. My first thoughts are ‘I could be doing so much more.’ But there will always be more. My Guru is always there for me- throughout every life challenge and every life celebration. Never faltering, solid as a rock. Someone once shared that the Guru stays with you in this life and into the next. Time is but one grain of sand on a beach. So where are we now? There is so much work to do.
This year I spent Gurupoornima thinking about how I can give back to my Guru. Reality set in as I wondered how to balance the stage of my life where there is very little time left at the end of the day between being a new mom, having a successful sales career and making dinner. How was I to squeeze in extra minutes to give back? To stay connected? The answer came after several quiet minutes and some introspection. Setting an intension to be conscious of finding a way every day to be connected to my Guru though my actions- big or small. Staying involved in NAG and contributing to the best of my ability. No quitting. No complaining. No negativity. Just action- simple and true. I’m ready…
“Connect, Discover, Serve” Online Auction
The connectedness of our Guru Poornima celebrations was the perfect kick-off for our very first national event, the “Connect, Discover, Serve” Online Auction. It was an exciting experience with participants coming together from across North America to contribute to the efforts. NAG utilized a cost-effective and service-oriented company called CMarket, whose Bidding for Good campaigns help nonprofit organizations gather the financial momentum to continue their work.
The auction was an amazing opportunity to raise visibility and awareness of NAG and Satyananda Yoga. NAG received many donations of fantastic items from our supporters, and we had a great time presenting those items in a fun and intentional way. There were over 400 bids on the 130+ auction items with more than 100 people participating. The local atmosphere here in Cleveland was abuzz with excitement as the auction drew down to its final hours and the bidding wars began.
It was an amazing chance for NAG to learn and grow in new and different ways as we facilitated the auction process. We were able to raise much-needed funds to continue our important work and look forward to doing this fundraising event again in 2010.
Tip of the Quarter: Keeping Things Sunny
By Sannyasi Atmadarshan, Executive Course Coordinator, Yoga Academy of North America
As winter approaches, many of us notice that our mood changes. We become more withdrawn, lethargic, sad. Some of us experience the symptoms so severely that we're diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder.
We all know yoga can improve our physical health, but it’s easy to forget that yoga can also improve our mental outlook. Here are some simple tips to make your yoga practice more invigorating and uplifting:
- Incorporate more dynamic asana. This may mean switching practices – such as including more Pawanmuktasana 3 – or simply doing your current practices with more movement. Instead of holding a twist or triangle, for example, move in and out of the pose with your breath.
- Change your meditation. Meditation does not need to be a passive practice done only with the eyes closed. Consider trataka (fixed gazing on an object); walking meditation, mentally repeating “OM” with each step; or other extroverting practice for the winter months.
- Adjust your OM chanting. According to the Mandukya Upanishad, the different parts of OM correspond to different states of consciousness. To wake yourself up, chant with a longer “O” and shorter “M”.
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Ignite your inner sun. Remember to increase your digestive fire by including one or two extra manipura-stimulating practices such as twists or Pawanmuktasana series 2. Vitalizing pranayama will also warm you during the winter season. And Surya Namaskara will have you saluting your inner source of energy when the external sun is scarce.
SATYANANDA YOGA® can be an effective – and enjoyable! – way to improve all aspects of your life. Happy Winter!
SATYANANDA YOGA® and Swimming in the
Ocean of Life
By Srinivas Saripalle, Founder, SYAAM
Each year, 800 swimmers snag a one-way ferry ticket to Alcatraz. The only catch is that they have to swim their way back to San Francisco! The Alcatraz Sharkfest is an annual race in which experienced swimmers journey across the San Francisco Bay from the historical island prison. An escape from "The Rock" is a notch every adventurous swimmer should have in their belt.
This year Srinivas Saripalle, a SATYANANDA YOGA® devotee from Sunnyvale, California, joined the swim to raise awareness of North American Gurukul, Inc. and Satyananda Yoga in North America. Srinivas is the founder of SYAAM (www.syaam.org), a not-for-profit startup to promote Satyananda Yoga and Music in the Sunnyvale community.
Calling his quest “Bhavasag Taran, swimming in the Ocean of Life,” Sri dedicated the challenging swim to the teachings of Paramahamsa Satyananda – teachings to synchronize the head, heart, and hands as we move through the currents of life. Through his strong commitment and the generosity of his supporters, Sri was able to raise over $1,300 to further the work of the North American Gurukul, Inc.
Srinivas Saripalle shares his experience:
With Guruji's blessings, my parent's blessings and God's grace,my swim from Alcatraz to the San Francisco Aquatic Park was a resounding success. We started at 4:30 AM,
embarking from our house singing the Guru Vandana. I had no doubts.
Upon arrival at the pier, I registered myself and took in the sight of all the people that were gathering for the event: hundreds of swimmers and their supporters from all around the world. This was by far the best possible swim with the best conditions we could have asked for - tapering flood, no winds, warm, sunny, clear skies, about 50 Kayakers and 800 swimmers. With the temperature moving above 60F, I began to wonder why I was wearing a wet suit.
My coach, Pedro, and co-swimmers Tina, Les, Jay and Jimmy prepared me for the swim with their invaluable advice. I met Jimmy on the boat and he was surprised to see me in a wet suit. We chatted along the way and he told me his experience of the test swim the day before. He swallowed so much water because of the previous day’s choppy conditions and the race day was so calm in comparison. We spotted a couple of sea lions here and there as the boat went around Alcatraz and we lined up for the jump.
I jumped from the boat into the water and made my way to the start line formed by the kayakers.More and more swimmers came, and soon enough there was a big crowd. The San Francisco skyline was amazing as the view was very clear. Then came the second horn and the chaotic rush to the finish began. I was expecting people to be orderly and swim in a line, but, hey, this was a race.
Setting a rhythm with Hanuman Chalisa, my sights on Fontana Towers and my course in a straight line, it was one stroke at a time. I was stuck in the beginning because there were so many swimmers and I could not get out of the way, but not for long. I enjoyed the swim thoroughly.
My Alcatraz swim took me one hour, not because I was struggling, but because I was not racing. I thoroughly enjoyed the view and swimming at a very relaxed pace. This is a swim I will not forget because of the perfect conditions. It is a unique experience to see the San Francisco Bay as a 1.5 mile long swimming pool! Jai Gurudev!
Studies on Yoga for Health
By Sannyasi Sheelmurti, (Ila A Vidyarthi, RYT 500); Founder & President of Ahimsa Yoga Research Center, Inc., and NAG Board member for 6 years.
Sheelmurti's many certifications and devotion to yoga illustrate her commitment to her research and her students. Mrs. Vidyarthi had her clinical training in Mind & Body Medicine, Spirituality and Healing from Harvard Medical School in 2001. She conducts workshops and teaches classes to students from all walks of life, ages four to eighty-five. She continues her studies by attending classes, seminars and certificate programs in the United States and India.
Ahimsa Yoga Research Center, Inc., conducts yoga studies which follow the national standards for human participants and are approved by the local hospital’s institutional review board. The studies are set up to investigate the efficacy of Yoga for complimentary and integrative health care, not as an alternative to traditional or allopathic health care. We are very clear about working with the medical community, not against it!
What traditional health care can do with invasive or non-invasive procedures, and/or pharmaceutical help, Yoga cannot offer, but the self-care Yoga has to offer is not addressed by the traditional health care model. These studies are important, shedding new light on yoga as a science of physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Viewed traditionally, Yoga contains a lot of esoteric language whereby the spiritual goal is stressed over physical, mental, and emotional benefits. However, Yoga is also a rational science with a step-by-step logical method that has measurable, predictable, reproducible, and achievable results.
The studies are an attempt to show that a specific yoga practice helps to harness physical and mental energies to benefit physical health, to still the mind, and to maintain resilience through activities of daily life. There are many similarities between yoga practices and other mind-body or stress management techniques and/or relaxation response practices. Many studies have shown the benefits of a mind-body approach to physical, mental and emotional health, quality of life, stress management as well as cost-effectiveness.
The questions these studies are addressing:
- Will yoga practices have the same and/or similar effects?
- Can yoga be useful tool for stress and/or pain management?
- Can yoga be a practical, accessible and cost-effective intervention in reducing stress?
- Would stress management through yoga be helpful when stress is aggravating any health concerns?
It is our sincere hope that the information gathered from these studies may prove to be very valuable for participants, participating physicians, the community and society at large, as well as to financial institutions, such as insurance companies.
Yoga classes are in the Satyananda and Integral styles. Centering, chanting, Yoga poses (to benefit physical body), Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation with imagery and visualization for healing or to bond with baby), and pranayama (Breathing Practices) are some of the components of yoga which is practiced. This helps to develop better physical, mental and emotional health, better body awareness, relaxation and the ability to release tension at will.
The Yoga studies are scientific, case-control and randomized, original medical studies, including but not limited to:
I. Effects of Prenatal Yoga on the physical discomfort and hormonal changes associated with pregnancy, labor and delivery.
II. Effects of exercise and Yoga on seniors with type 2 diabetes.
III. Study on cancer & Yoga (now in the early stages of conception).
IV. Study on back care & Yoga (now in the early stages of conception).
The Prenatal Yoga Study
Participants attend a weekly Prenatal Yoga classes and a one time Labor Yoga Workshop during late stage of pregnancy. The workshop is for both parents to become proactive partners during labor & delivery. The knowledge of Yoga positions and breathing practices help and empower parents to be prepared and to ease the discomforts of contractions for a better birthing experience.
Yoga practices have been shown to have a positive impact on stress. It is said that over 80% of all diseases are either directly related to stress or are further aggravated by stress. If pre-natal yoga would show the same benefits with pregnancy-related stress, the health care costs for pregnancy, labor and delivery would also go down.
The Prenatal Yoga Study is in the active phase, meaning currently this study is seeking pregnant participants who reside in the greater Hanover, Pennsylvania area. The study is designed to accept mothers who are at least 12-16 weeks pregnant who sign consent forms and have physician approval. The total participation time in the study is about seven months.
The data is then collected during their participation through self-assessment surveys (two times during pregnancy and one time after the delivery), as well as from medical data during pregnancy, labor and delivery and postpartum visits.
The Diabetes Yoga Study
From 1990 to 2000, diabetes has increased 49% in the USA alone! The disease of diabetes is becoming epidemic in USA propelled by sedentary life styles, poor diets, obesity and an aging population. If present trends continue, one in three Americans born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime and this disease usually leads to many other health complications.
If diet, exercise, stress management and weight control are a way to pre-empt the disease of diabetes or better deal with the disease, lifestyle choices become extremely important. However, lifestyles are not easy to change as several factors play in to them (e.g., education, socioeconomic levels, cultural influences, etc.). And in addition to the lifestyle changes that must be made, patients with diabetes often feel ‘overwhelmed, frustrated, and burned out’ by the daily hassles of disease management.
The Diabetes Yoga Study is designed to investigate the effects of Yoga and exercise on seniors with type 2 diabetes. This is a large study of about 150 adults, age 55 and up, who reside in the greater Hanover, Pennsylvania area, and who have had diabetes for a minimum of one year.
This study will begin to accept participants next month. Each participant will be involved in the study for one year. All participants will be asked to join Medical Fitness Center of the local hospital and exercise for at least 30 minutes, three times per week. Half of these participants will also be asked to join the Yoga group.
The data will be collected through self-assessment surveys (filled out every three months), as well as from routine medical data and procedures, including weight and BMI during this one year period.
The North American Gurukul, Inc. (NAG) is a nonprofit organization established to support the growth of SATYANANDA YOGA® throughout North America in order to enhance the health, well being, & human potential of individuals and society.