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Have you ever tried to create a positive change in your life, but
couldn't muster sufficient will power to make it happen? The problem
just might have been that while you had the intention, desire and
will to make the change, you lacked the requisite amount of power to
fuel your effort to the point of success.
The fulfillment of a worthwhile desire requires the dynamic
interplay of both will and power--sankalpa and shakti.
In Sanskrit sankalpa means will; one-pointed determination.
It often involves or assumes the making of a solemn, internal vow or
declaration of purpose to perform a specific action. Shakti,
from the Sanskrit root shak, "to be able," represents the
active, feminine, creative power, the energy pervading all creation.
When the will of sankalpa is supported by the power of
shakti, human beings can actualize an infinite number of
astounding possibilities.
How can you cultivate your sankalpa shakti to become
the successful architect of your life? The answer lies in the daily
practice of meditation and its allied disciplines. Each time you
meditate you exercise your sankalpa shakti (will
power). Just as a body builder gains strength by lifting weights, a
meditator gains will power by meditating. Here's how meditation
strengthens your will power.
Your buddhi, (conscience or Holy Spirit) functions as the
mind's discriminative faculty. The buddhi, when purified
through regular meditation, easily discriminates between two
distinct categories of thoughts. One is preya and the other
is shreya. The preya is defined as any pleasant,
comfortable, familiar or attractive ego or sense gratification that
conflicts with your own inner, intuitive wisdom. And when you serve
thepreya in thought, word or deed, you eventually experience some
form of dis-ease. Shreya, on the other hand, may not be
initially as pleasant, comfortable, familiar or attractive as the
preya, but it is far more valuable because it always leads you
for your highest and greatest good. In order to fulfill the purpose
of life, without pain, misery or bondage, you must serve the
shreya in mind, action and speech, and sacrifice the
debilitating preya. When you willingly sacrifice the preya--thereby
aligning outer action with inner wisdom--the contractive nature of
preya is automatically transformed into reserves of energy, will
power and creativity (known as sankalpa shakti). This
newly acquired creative energy remains potent and available to you
for the fulfillment of any worthwhile desire, duty or
responsibility.
During every waking moment your thoughts require you to act, and
every action (physical, verbal or mental) leads you toward either
happiness or dis-ease. However, you can never know in advance
whether a particular thought will be preya or shreya.
The wisdom that discriminates between preya and shreya
is available only in the present moment, through the buddhi.
In seated meditation, however, you make an exception to this
iron-clad rule. Before you begin meditating, you assign these
definitions: the mantra is always the shreya, and any
competing thoughts, images or external sounds are automatically
considered to be preya. This predetermination of what's preya
and what's shreya is imposed for the purpose of training the
mind to be detached from habitual, unconscious behavior and to build
our sankalpa shakti. Let's examine the practical
application of this process.
During the normal waking state, the human mind continuously employs
the five senses in search of pleasant experiences. In meditation,
however, your relationship with the senses changes. You sit quietly
with your head, neck and trunk straight. You gently close your eyes
and mouth, and willingly close off the senses, the normal avenues
through which information comes into your awareness. During
meditation you are not looking, smelling, tasting, hearing, or
touching. Instead you are focusing all your attention on the mantra.
As you meditate, something very interesting happens. Imagine for a
moment that someone firmly grips your hand and pulls you toward him
with great strength. What happens? Because the hand and body are
connected, the body comes forward as your hand is pulled--even
though you intended to stay in your chair. Similarly, the conscious
and unconscious mind are also connected. As you sit in meditation,
you intend to give all your conscious, one-pointed attention to your
mantra. That works well for twenty or thirty seconds, but since the
mind is habituated to varied and changing stimulation, it quickly
gets bored with only one solitary thought to observe.
As you deliberately reduce sensory input from the external world, a
train of engaging and competitive thoughts bubbles up from the
unconscious mind into your awareness. "Hey," the mind might
ask--interrupting your meditation--"What's for for dinner? Do I have
enough money for my child's college education? Why is my spouse so
insensitive to my needs? Why haven't I seen any flashing lights or
had some mystical experience?" This chatter is natural, but it need
not keep you from deepening your meditation if you galvanize your
sankalpa shakti.
Pledge of Sankalpa
One of the first benefits of meditation is simply recognizing how
scattered the mind truly is. In chapter six of the Bhagavad Gita,
Arjuna (representing the habit-bound personality), complains to his
guru Shri Krishna (the wisdom of our higher Self), that "Trying to
control the mind is like trying to control the wind." Krishna
replies that even though, "The mind is restless, it can be conquered
through regular practice and detachment." Krishna's comforting
teaching is a reminder that even though the personality can sabotage
your best intentions, you possess the wisdom of the higher Self to
negate the mind's nefarious proclivities. To counter those
undermining habits, simply begin your daily meditation with the
pledge of attention. Pledge to your higher Self that for whatever
length of time you've chosen to meditate, you are going to give your
complete attention to your mantra. Remember, in meditation only the
mantra is the shreya. Therefore, only the mantra warrants
your attention.
This is the Pledge of Sankalpa:
"I want to do it. I can do it. I have to do it. I am going to do
it--no matter what! No matter what charm, attraction or temptation
appears in my awareness; no matter what thought, image or sound
comes into my awareness--I am going to listen to the sacred sound of
my mantra and offer my love to the mantra."
By listening to the mantra and sacrificing any competing thought,
image or sound, you train your mind to assume the perspective of a
witness. In meditation you observe your thoughts, desires and
emotions without becoming involved with them. As worrisome, fearful,
angry, entertaining, frivolous and desirous thoughts are bathed in
the light of consciousness, you learn how to willingly and
consciously sacrifice the preya and serve the shreya
(in the form of the mantra). Every time you honor, witness and
sacrifice the competing preyas in meditation you are building
three beneficial skills: detachment (vairagya),
discrimination (viveka) and will power (sankalpa
shakti).
Meditation in Action
The techniques for training attention learned in seated meditation
can be applied to every duty and responsibility throughout the day.
Living and working in this way, with conscious control of your
attention, is called meditation in action. Once you learn in seated
meditation to withdraw your attention willingly from distracting and
nonproductive thoughts and to surrender your attachments to them,
you acquire a skill that can transform the inherent power of
preya. Then, as meditation in action is practiced, you always
have a fresh supply of energy available to help you meet every
challenge. When you skillfully surrender the preya and serve
the constructive and expansive shreya, no situation will come
to you beyond your capacity to handle it. As George Bernard Shaw
aptly noted, "To be in hell is to drift; to be in heaven is to
steer."
The major crisis of our culture is not one of IQ--intelligence
quotient. Rather, the problem we face individually and collectively
is one of WQ--will quotient. Right now you, and many others, possess
the intellectual capacity to make brilliant decisions, but because
you have been accustomed to serving thepreya, your reserves of will
power have become bankrupt. Without sufficient will power to
exercise detachment, discrimination, and discipline, you condemn
yourself to recurring stress and pain.
Always remember, your thoughts are your most powerful source of
creative energy. Just as gasoline fuels the automobile, the energy
of your fears, anger and self-willed desires--when sacrificed and
transformed--can supply you the will power, the sankalpa
shakti, needed to fulfill the supreme goal of life.
Leonard is a philosopher, educator, author and founder of the
American Meditation Institute.
"The major crisis of our culture
is not one of IQ--intelligence quotient.
The problem we face
individually and collectively
is one of WQ--will quotient."
Leonard Perlmutter
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By Doreen Howe
Each year as Guru Purnima draws near it's an opportunity for seekers
to reflect on their sadhana (spiritual practice) and to give thanks
to Guru, the ever present teacher.
As I was contemplating my sadhana I remembered how all
reality flows from the subtle to the gross. Whatever is in the mind
becomes our world. That brought up thoughts of the relationships in
my life.
Some relationships have been with us for years and others only
moments. Some should have ended years ago, and some ended even
though we wanted them to continue. I have experienced this many
times in my life, but it's only been over the last few years that
I've started to examine them.
The media constantly presents examples of what it could be like to
have a best friend--how rewarding it could be. Because so many
people I knew claimed to have a best friend, I finally decided I
wouldn't be complete unless I had one too. So I set out to find my
own. I put myself out there.
I became more extroverted. I helped people. I smiled a lot. I was
polite, funny, and became a listener. I kept secrets and I even let
others take advantage of me. But one by one, they left me feeling
hurt and disappointed.
Then a jolt happened in my life that led me to meditation. I learned
about detachment, discrimination and ahimsa. I began to accept what
was in my life and what wasn't. I practiced letting go of the hope
of finding that best friend and I learned to be Doreen's best
friend. I stopped abusing Doreen, draining her energy and taking
advantage of her. I learned to love Doreen for who she is.
Then I saw that the relationships in my life were a direct
reflection of my own habits and the way I treated myself.
Once I realized this through meditation, I began cleaning out those
old thoughts and made room for change. That's when I met not one
best friend, but two. Their names are Mantra and Buddhi.
Interestingly, these two friends had been looking for me too. It was
a perfect match. They knew exactly how I was feeling and I could be
myself without any concerns about being judged. Because I began to
rely on them so much, I noticed that old relationships on the inside
(in the forms of doubt, fear, worry and anger) were hanging out with
me less, and at the same time the relationships on the outside that
thrived on this doubt, fear, worry and anger also ended.
My true friend Buddhi is courageous. She tells me what I need
to hear and do, even if I don't appreciate it in the moment. She's
always right, trustworthy and she has excellent judgment. She's the
person you want in your corner, watching your back. She's never too
busy to help and always takes my call--even at 3 in the morning.
My dear friend Mantra is now the peacemaker in my life. She's
nurturing and gentle--ever calm and sensitive. She's always ready to
comfort and support. She loves to take away my worries and she'll
jump in to save me from a mental or emotional crisis.
Amazingly, these two friends ask for nothing in return. With their
ever-present wisdom I find I can truly give and love others without
expectation or wanting anything in return. They've helped me love
myself; allowed me to heal so that I'm also able to love and be of
service to others. I now have true best friends on both the inside
and out.
Perhaps you might be looking for your own best friends. If so, it
might just be that you already have them but you haven't talked with
them lately.
It's okay. You can start today, right now, at any moment. There are
many paths to follow and they all lead to the same end. Simply begin
and see what wonderful friends are patiently waiting for you.
Doreen Howe is a student at AMI and teacher of the Introductory
course on Yoga Science.
By Jim Whiting
I first met Leonard and Jenness in 1996. I was coming out of the gym
at the local Jewish Community Center and I saw an ad posted for a
meditation class. Meditation, I thought, now that's an interesting
idea. I had been exercising in the gym for some months (OK, years)
on my body, but what about my mind? Perhaps it was time.
It was, and I enrolled in the class. As it turned out, it was
Leonard and Jenness's first meditation class after Swami Rama had
instructed them to start teaching. There were about 8 people. I
remember that everyone seemed a bit nervous, and one older man kept
falling asleep--waking up occasionally to say, "You young people are
wonderful!" only to fall back to sleep again.
There I was introduced to Yoga Science, meditation and Guru. All of
what was being said challenged my every pre-conception. Apparently,
Yoga Science was more than just shaving my head and selling flowers
at the airport. Who knew! I loved it! I was hooked and wanted more.
This felt like what I had been waiting for all my life. Looking
back, I'm more convinced than ever.
I had found a home, a teacher, a Guru. In starting on this path, we
often cling to what we know--the gross, the form. Tell me what to
do, what to say, who to be. But this Guru/teacher, in the form of
Leonard and Jenness was to challenge that notion. Things were not
going to be so easy. Guru, as I was going to learn, is so much more
than I ever could have imagined. All my ideas and every experience
were to be challenged, re-evaluated and opened up to a universe of
possibilities of what Guru is and could be.
Was Guru my teachers? Yes.
But also, Guru could be pain, sorrow, addiction, even death. Guru
could also be happiness, love, light and birth. Guru could be the
lowest moment I have ever had, and my highest joy. Guru is all of
these, a teacher in every action, word and thought. Guru is life
itself, a classroom that spans the entire universe. Yet, as wide as
the possibilities are, Guru comes from within and returns to the
source.
So, is Guru a person, a teacher? Yes.
Is it strife, hardship, those who would call you enemy? Yes.
Is it love, light, those who would call you friend? Yes.
Most especially Guru is ego, teaching us every moment.
Guru is everywhere, in everything, even the breath, and shines
forth. If we are open enough Guru's teaching comes. If our ears are
open to listen, if our heart is open to receive, Guru is waiting.
Jai Gurudeva.
Jim Whiting has been a student at AMI since 1996 and is a
certified Hatha Yoga teacher.
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"You can do it! You have to do it! You will do it! Do it
now!" It was during a public lecture in Glenview, Illinois; Swami Rama, one of
the most influential yoga masters of the 20th century, was speaking.
"It's easy for you to talk about becoming enlightened, but what about us?" Mary,
a student in the audience, had just asked. "You were raised by a saint in the
Himalayas. The rest of us though-it will take us thousands of lifetimes to
become enlightened!"
I knew an explosion was coming. Nothing exasperated Swami Rama more than hearing
people make excuses for their tepid approach to spiritual practice. "You can do
it! You have to do it! You will do it! Do it now!" he shouted.
Mary sank back in her chair for a second, then bounced right back. "I read a
book that says it takes people as many incarnations to achieve enlightenment as
there are grains of sand on the seashore."
Swamiji wasn't having it. "You can attain that state of wisdom-I say definitely
you can! Others have done it and you can too. Why not? Each day say you will,
and do it!"
Swami Rama was not in the business of indulging fawning disciples. He wanted us
to become realized masters so we could go out like he had and serve the world,
not simply remain beginning level disciples forever. "The greatest day in a
teacher's life," he told me once, "is the day he sees his student has become
greater than himself." I'm afraid I didn't give Swamiji very many great days.
Like Mary, I didn't have much confidence in my spiritual potential. Great
spiritual attainment was something other people did, like those incredibly rare
athletes who medal in the Olympics. The rest of us, I secretly thought, don't
have it in us.
Swami Rama, however, was a great believer in sankalpa shakti, the
power of will each of us has to reshape reality. And no one I knew had more
sankalpa shakti than he did. Swamiji wanted to start an accredited
graduate school to educate students in the principles and techniques of yoga.
Since he was one of the most famous yoga adepts in the world at the time,
students flocked to see him. It quickly became obvious his beautiful yoga center
in Glenview was inadequate; he would have to find a larger facility. A realtor
showed him a spectacular property in Lake Forest that had been used as a
training center for one of Chicago's professional sports teams. The price was
astronomical. Even some of his most committed disciples doubted Swami Rama could
pull this rabbit out of a hat. "It will happen!" he insisted. "I have visualized
it!"
Well it didn't happen. At least not in the form doubting Thomases like myself
were visualizing. This was the 1970s, and the owners were leery of selling to a
yogi from India. To me this seemed like an insurmountable obstacle, but Swamiji
was like a steeplechase racer: obstacles existed only so he could get some
exercise leaping over them. The owners had barely finished saying the word no
when an even more spectacular property-four times the size of the Lake Forest
estate-materialized in Pennsylvania. So did a multi-millionaire who was willing
to help pay for it. "I have visualized it," Swamiji said.
The rest of us visualize things too, losing weight, finding a mate, getting a
better job, moving into a larger house, but our fondest desires don't always
translate into physical reality. Swami Rama was different. Whatever he wanted,
he made happen. It seemed as if the universe itself was eager to support his
plans. "When the mind is purified it becomes a center of force," he explained.
"Learn to concentrate so you can fulfill your full potential and serve
humanity." When he first arrived in America he had barely six dollars in his
pocket. By the time he left for good he'd helped create a yoga revolution,
educating the Western world about holistic health principles, a balanced
vegetarian diet, hatha postures, stress reduction, and spiritual exploration.
When he finally left the West permanently it was to create not just a first
class hospital but a hospital city in one of the poorest regions of the
Himalayan foothills. His ambition knew no bounds, at least when it came to
serving others.
Coming From Behind
I was far less ambitious. In fact I was one of those people
most comfortable working in a support role behind the scenes, typing letters,
answering the phone, making photocopies, to help manifest Swami Rama's vision.
But there was no volunteer at the yoga center so insignificant Swamiji didn't
notice. And he saw potential in us we completely failed to see ourselves. This
was especially true for many of us women who'd grown up without many examples of
females in leadership positions. One after another we were promoted to top roles
in his institutions. To my shock I came into work one day and found I'd just
been named Manager of the Center for Holistic Medicine in Glenview-at that time
one of the top holistic clinics in the country, often featured on radio and
television programs. Later Swamiji called me into his office to tell me he
wanted me to be Administrator of his beloved graduate program in Eastern Studies
in Pennsylvania.
Each job demanded not just long hours and hard work, but completely rethinking
who I was and what I could accomplish in life. In the Yoga tradition, however,
this reevaluation always occurs within the context of seva, selfless service.
It's wasn't about how much money you made (we yoga volunteers didn't make any)
or servicing your egotism. It was about expressing your love for humanity by
working efficiently to help others.
In hindsight it's easy to see Swami Rama was training us to think big but be
practical at the same time, to dive within using the meditation techniques he
taught us but not to neglect the needs of others around us, and to challenge
ourselves to become masters in every activity of life-not just in hatha
poses or breathing exercises. Many of us came to yoga with the belief that
spiritual life meant withdrawal from the world. Swami Rama's motto however was
"Yoga is skill in action," a definition from one of India's greatest spiritual
classics, the Bhagavad Gita. By learning to focus the mind through meditation
and through one-pointed attention to our daily tasks, we were to become human
centers of force acting in our own small way to help shape a more illumined
world.
The Directed Will
Wishing, like daydreaming, is the activity of the manas,
the lower mind. Willing is the activity of the buddhi, the higher mind.
Swami Rama, the most strong-willed person I've ever known, taught us to develop
our sankalpa shakti not only so we could become better meditators,
but so we could be better managers, administrators, plumbers and
housewives--more creative, fulfilled and serviceful people. He constantly urged
us to set goals for ourselves and train ourselves to manifest our
visualizations. Here are a few of the insights he taught us about being becoming
more effective human beings.
1. Set realistic goals. A group of concerned citizens contacted Swami Rama when
NASA announced the truck-sized Sky Lab space vehicle was falling out of its
orbit and would soon smash into the Earth. This group was convinced innocent
people-perhaps themselves-would be killed during the crash. They had heard
rumors Swami Rama had telekinetic powers, and asked him to use his abilities to
keep the spacecraft in orbit. I would be the last to deny Swamiji had astounding
powers, but this particular request struck him as ludicrous. "Sky Lab is going
to crash. It's the law of physics! If all the yogis in the world ordered the
Moon to change its orbit, it would never do it. This is physics." Keeping Sky
Lab in orbit through the force of will was simply unrealistic.
Even though he was penniless, Swami Rama set huge goals: to create hospitals and
universities. This was not unrealistic because even though he had no financial
resources of his own, he had enormous prestige and many influential admirers who
were happy to lend their support to his vision. We need to take a long, hard
look at our goals, and sort our unrealistic dreams (one of my favorites: going
to the Moon) from realizable visions (e.g., becoming a professional astronomer).
2. Be realistic, but don't undercut yourself. Perhaps very few of us will attain
enlightenment in our present life but that's not because we can't. It's because
we don't take the time to make the consistent effort necessary to achieve this
amazing goal. One of the most important lessons I learned from serving Swami
Rama was that in many ways he was a flesh-and-blood human being like everyone
else. As he often pointed out when people over-idealized him, "I go to the
bathroom too!"
Some of the greatest saints were very ordinary people before they discovered
their spiritual vocation. His childhood friends remembered Ramana Maharshi-one
of the truly great sages of the 20th century-as an unremarkable boy with no
notable spiritual inclinations. "You can attain that state of wisdom-I say
definitely you can! Others have done it and you can too. Why not?" Swami Rama
told us. His words take on even more significance when we realize that some
extraordinary spiritual adepts started out as ordinary people like us.
3. Focus on a worthy goal. The Mahayana Buddhist tradition in particular has
embraced this principle. Monks striving to become buddhas are doing this not
only for their own sake but for the sake of all sentient beings throughout the
universe. Keep in mind, your spiritual practice will not only make you a
healthier, calmer, more balanced person, it will also make you more capable of
skillful service rooted not merely in idealism but in genuine wisdom and inner
strength.
Swami Rama didn't only want us to become healthy, wealthy and wise. He wanted us
to actively do our part in bringing harmony to a chaotic world. Place your
spiritual goals within the framework of loving service. This will inspire you to
persevere.
4. Don't just wish to achieve your goal, don't just talk about achieving your
goal, take action to achieve your goal! Swamiji encouraged us to start with
small steps like babies learning to walk. If your goal is to sit in
uninterrupted meditation for an hour, start by sitting for ten minutes with
full, undistracted inner focus. Better ten minutes of genuine focus then an hour
of restless fantasizing. Only after you've learned to hold a calm, focused state
effortlessly for a short time should you gradually expand your practice to
fifteen, then twenty minutes. Too many meditation students lose heart because
they set their sites too high from the very beginning. Don't discourage yourself
by expecting too much of yourself at first.
Draw up a realistic timetable for achieving your spiritual goals, just as you
would develop an investment strategy. You may lose your investment if your
stocks tank, but you won't lose the insights and skills you gain from your
spiritual practice.
You can't always control what happens in your financial life but your spiritual
life is completely in your own hands. If you are serious about attaining your
spiritual goals, the sankalpa shakti to do so will emerge
naturally. "You can do it! Do it now!"
Linda Johnsen, M.S. is a regular contributor to Transformation and the
co-author of Kirtan! Chanting as a Spiritual Path (currently available at the
AMI bookstore).
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Individual Counseling
Yoga Self-Therapy
Leonard Perlmutter
AMI Founder and Director
Member: International Association of Yoga Therapists
Yoga Self-Therapy is
based on the perennial psychology of yoga science. Each
individual counseling session will teach you how to free
yourself from habits and expectations that cause stress and
give rise to illness. By observing and training your internal
processes, you can become creative in all relationships while
establishing a state of personal contentment. By learning to
rely on your own Divine inner wisdom you become free to make
choices in life that continually improve your physical, mental
and emotional wellbeing.
AMI Home Center, 60 Garner Road, Averill Park
By appointment only.
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The Heart and Science of Yoga:
A Blueprint for Peace, Happiness and Freedom from Fear
Review by Gregg St. Clair, Healing Springs Journal
We live in
glorious times don't we? We have information available to us
today that we never transferred to only an inner circle of top
students. This usually involved years of dedication proving
your desire to learn, followed by years of practice in the
more external realms of knowledge, and only then would a
master be willing to share the deepest levels of their art,
most highly guarded secrets. But today every esoteric subject
matter is available through books or just a quick click away
on the world wide web.
Everything has pluses and minuses and this is no exception.
Yes, it is all right there for us, but so is fast food. So how
do we discriminate what is valuable or not for our total well
being? Trial and error is, of course, an option, and something
most people have to go through on their path--be it with diet,
exercise or meditation. But when you find the right thing you
know it. This is how I felt when I read The Heart and
Science of Yoga: A Blueprint for Peace, Happiness and Freedom
from Fear by Leonard Perlmutter. I keep wanting to call it
the "Art" instead of the "Heart," probably from being
conditioned by other book titles, but "Heart" definitely works
better. Why? Because you can tell that that is where the book
comes from and that is where it is aimed.
The Heart and Science of Yoga is a manual showing how
ancient wisdom can help us with life today in an increasingly
chaotic world. No longer does one need to travel to India to
learn the deepest secrets of yoga for it is all contained in
this one book. Some might claim that there is too much
information (and at 538 pages they may be right), but not me.
It is written in a style so easy to read and so relevant to
spiritual development today that its information will be
beneficial, almost crucial, for everyone, not just yoga
practitioners.
Leonard Perlmutter has something rare among yoga practitioners
and meditation instructors today, not only a blessing from his
famous teacher Swami Rama, but a direct request to pass on the
knowledge he transferred to him and to become a full time
teacher. Leonard and his wife Jenness have founded and operate
the American Meditation Institute in Averill Park, New York--a
short drive from the capital city of Albany. A tranquil oasis,
the Perlmutters are dedicating their lives to creating
positive change in the world based on the teachings of yoga
with meditation as the key.
The book covers in detail the eight limbs of yoga is of course
more than different contortionist postures and includes a
blueprint for spiritual growth including, proper disciplines,
proper conduct, proper exercise, proper breathing, proper
control of the senses, proper concentration, proper meditation
and finally self realization. I particularly like how they use
quotations and references from all of the worlds religions,
including literature and even current sources (did you know
Elvis was a guru?), making the book very accessible if not
down right enjoyable to read.
With the invention of the airplane, the telephone and now the
world wide web, it has become obvious that it is one world and
we must act together if there is going to be hope for the
future. Unfortunately people become so caught up in their own
realities that they fail to see the bigger picture. But we are
spiritual beings, and as we busy ourselves with the illusions
of the world it separates us from our spirit, creating a
source of suffering that is only going to continue. I take
comfort in the fact that yoga has an 8000 year old history and
though I am a scientist, I don't need another double blind
study to know that it works. The key is, we have to practice
something to take control of our mind & lives, or they will
take control of us. If you are looking for a tried and true
system that has helped millions of people, then The Heart
and Science of Yoga is the perfect companion. I recommend
it for everybody.
http://americanmeditation.org/Movie/movie.html |
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All events are held at the AMI Home Center in Averill Park unless
otherwise indicated.
SUNDAY MEDITATION & SATSANG, FREE
Every Sunday 9:30-11:00 AM. Love donations accepted.
SEPTEMBER 2008
SEP 2 - OCT 7:
AMI MEDITATION
Tues. Nights: The Heart and Science of Yoga, 6:30 - 8:30
PM
SEP 4 - OCT 9:
EASY-GENTLE YOGA
Thurs. Nights, Kathleen Fisk, 6:30 - 8:00 PM (6 wks)
SEP 8 - OCT 13:
BHAGAVAD
GITA STUDY
Chapter 6
Mon. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, "Path of Meditation"
(6
wks)
SEP 17 - OCT 1:
ART OF
JOYFUL LIVING
Wed. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30PM, "Yamas & Niyamas" (3 wks)
SEP 18:
INTRODUCTORY LECTURE
AMI Meditation: The Heart and Science of Yoga
Thurs. Night, 6:30 - 7:30 PM, Mary Holloway & Doreen Howe
OCTOBER 2008
OCT 13 - NOV 17:
EASY-GENTLE YOGA
Mon. Nights, Kathleen Fisk, 6:30 - 8:00 PM (6 wks)
OCT 14 - NOV 18:
AMI MEDITATION
Tues. Nights: The Heart and Science of Yoga, 6:30 - 8:30
PM
OCT 16 - NOV 20:
EASY-GENTLE YOGA
Thurs. Nights, Kathleen Fisk, 6:30 - 8:00 PM (6 wks)
OCT 16:
INTRODUCTORY LECTURE
AMI Meditation: The Heart and Science of Yoga
Thurs. Night, 6:30 - 7:30 PM, Mary Holloway & Doreen Howe
OCT 18:
DR PHIL
NUERNBERGER
Saturday, 10:00AM - 4:00 PM, "Practical Tantra"
NOVEMBER 2008
BHAGAVAD
GITA STUDY
Chapter 7 and 8
Mon. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, "Absolute & Eternal" (6
wks)
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Tell
a Friend about AMI
If you know someone who might benefit from our American Meditation class, let them know
about the AMI program or call us with their name and address and we'll send them a
brochure with our current class schedule.
Karma Yoga --- the practice of selfless and skillful action
If, as part of your practice, you have a few extra hours during the week
and are interested in helping grow the American Meditation Institute, we need your
dedicated, volunteer energy. As a student of yoga science, you are already familiar with
the kinds of practical services the Institute provides. Each month we write, edit and
publish this newsletter, teach an average of thirty new meditation students and present
stress-reduction seminars to various businesses and organizations. We also invite visiting
speakers of interest to our area, organize seminars on yoga science and do continuing
personal counseling.
Our immediate needs include press relations, seminar management,
clerical assistance and general delivery work. Remember, whatever time or talents you
possess will be put to meaningful, productive use.
If you have the time, please call the Institute at (518) 674-8714.
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American Meditation Institute for Yoga Science & Philosophy. All
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