Greetings!

Happy Divine New Year to you! As together we step across the threshold of 2017, let us define our focus for the year at hand as one anchored in endless love. 2016 was the defining time of completion and self-study as we examined closely all the things that we are not in order to glimpse who, indeed, we are. That self-discovery introduced us to our Divine nature: ever-present, accessible and endless love. With 2017, the beginning of a brand new cycle of nine*, we are given the opportunity to start fresh with a new perspective and blank slate upon which we may design our reality, one breath at a time.

Let this be the year that your life is anchored in the essence of that which created all things: Love. Let you, yourself, become familiar with what it means to live in love, communicate with love, see with love, hear with love, be one with love. For you know, innately, that it is Love that created all things, that you came from love and you will return to love, as love is what you are. As you come to express ceaselessly through this essence of love, may you recognize its source as God, alive and well within all living things, including—and especially—you!

To start the New Year in the Spirit of endless love, we invite you to join us this Thursday evening, January 5th, at 6:30 pm to celebrate the birth of our Paramguru (our guru’s guru), Paramahansa Yogananda. We will come together to launch a one-year, ongoing celebration of his Divine service to mankind: bringing Eastern philosophy successfully to the West and leaving a path of wisdom and Grace in his beloved wake that continues to thrive to this day, all of which was and is the message of endless Love. Thursday night we will pray, meditate, sing, listen to Kirtan, and celebrate the great guru. Upon completion we shall share blessed Prasad (dinner) in his Holy honor. Please don’t miss this beautiful way to start the New Year together!

Param Yoga is poised to offer you ongoing classes in yoga asana; Kriya Yoga Initiations and practice; Wednesday evening Yoga Sutra Study under the auspices of Paramahamsa Prajnanananda’s video series; Basic Sanskrit classes on Saturdays; Reiki Workshops, trainings and Shares; Organic Resonance Sound presentations; Yoga Therapy; One-on-One Energetic Sessions; West End Art District events; Yoga Day, and more!

With head bowed, I personally thank each and every one of you for the loving support you continue to bestow upon our humble sangha that shines as a bright light for all. May the empowerment of endless love and great blessings fall upon you and yours in this auspicious year of new beginnings.

Love, Love, Love,

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“In the universal sense, love is the divine power of attraction in creation that harmonizes, unites, binds together….Those who live in tune with the attractive force of love achieve harmony with nature and their fellow beings, and are attracted to blissful reunion with God.” – Paramahansa Yogananda

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“With the opening of the New Year, all the closed portals of limitations will be thrown open and I shall move through them to vaster fields, where my worthwhile dreams of life will be fulfilled.” – Paramahansa Yogananda

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*In numerology, 2017 is the number 1 (2+0+1+7=10, 1+0=1), the beginning of a new cycle of nine years. The 1 resonates with the vibrations and attributes of new beginnings, creation, independence, uniqueness, motivations, striving forward and progress, ambition and willpower, positivity, raw energy, initiative, instinct and intuition.

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“Let us begin this new year with a new light of love and compassion, with a new understanding of seeing good and doing good. Let this new year be a turning point in our lives. Let us all use our precious time to make ourselves divine and ultimately make this beautiful world a real paradise. Wishing you all a prosperous and spiritual New Year.”

With Love,
Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, 12/23/16

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Blessed time spent with my Guruji in Homestead, Florida, in May and September 2016 and Austin, Texas, in September 2016 (click on thumbnails to see full pictures):

Greetings!

May this December note from my heart to yours be received in the spirit of love and friendship that truly defines the Holiday season. I encourage you to be steadfast in your practice this month as you consciously stay present, awake and centered within the still, calm of your heart. As your days unfold with the excitement, responsibilities and general busy-ness that naturally accompany the season, make an extra effort to anchor your life on your daily meditation to reinforce your firm foundation for clarity, simplicity and joy. With each breath, let gratitude be yours as you mindfully create your reality with ease, grace and the presence of the Divine in all that you do.

Param Yoga offers a full calendar of yoga, meditation and special programs this month to assist you in moving through the Holiday season with flexibility, balance and calm. Tomorrow night, join us for Organic Resonance with Brian Walsh and his deeply healing singing bowls, which will soothe every bit of stress away from you. Pen in our fantastic Holiday Boutique on Saturday, December 10th (12:30 – 7:00 pm) to shop for unique and beautiful handmade gifts for the special folks on your Holiday List. Make a commitment to show up on your mat regularly throughout the month to reinforce your health in body, mind and spirit, and be sure to come together with us for meditation, which is the icing on your Holiday cookies.

Kirsten, Cherise, Sabrina, Richard (Kriya Los Angeles) and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support of our blessed and beautiful space. It has been the greatest gift of all to spend this year sharing the path of yoga with you. May you and yours continue to be greatly blessed during the Holidays and New Year and may you choose to continue to bless us with your presence throughout 2017. We are nothing without you!

We send you and yours
Love, Love, Love,

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“Let us meditate until we perceive the Infinite Christ reigning in our own hearts. Let us learn to love those who love us not; and to forgive those who do ill against us. Let us break all our mental boundaries of color, creed, and nationality, and receive all—even our inanimate and animal brothers—in the endless, all-embracing arms of our Christ Consciousness. This will be a true and fitting celebration of the coming of Jesus Christ to this earth.”
– Paramahansa Yogananda from The Second Coming of Christ

Dear Ones,

The front of the studio as it looked in the fall of 2010.

It seems absolutely impossible that we are celebrating our sixth anniversary here at Param Yoga this Thursday, November 3rd! The saying “time flies when you’re having fun” certainly applies to me, for each and every day I wake with deep gratitude knowing that I am living the life I love by sharing the unprecedented wisdom and Grace of Yoga in our sacred Sangha. Together we have created and nurtured a true community where folks are thriving as their lives become sweeter and sweeter, day by day. Friendship, acceptance, encouragement, love and joy permeate our yogic home.

In September of 2010, with no business plan and no money at a time when I should have been considering slowing down, I was prompted by Yogananda’s guidance to rent this little space and launch a brand new business on pure faith. Listening carefully to the impressions and wisdom from beyond, deep roots have managed to anchor our growth by offering true yoga to those who seek a safe haven from a complex, often stressful world. Endless love and gratitude to my Sadguru Paramahamsa Yogananda for partnering with me in every breath.

At this moment in time, I bow to you for your continued love and support for our staff, teachings, and commitment to excellence through dedication on the path of yoga. Our adventure together has proven that the deeper we go into yoga, the deeper it gets. What a remarkable journey for all with a promise of continued growth and realization.

Thank you to Kriya Los Angeles for choosing to make Param Yoga your home as many, many souls have found their way to the Divine path of Kriya Yoga. I bow to Yogacharya Richard Peterson Baba and Judy Ma for their endless commitment and leadership of Kriya Yoga under the Divine auspices of our beloved Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji. This gratitude is extended to Swamis Atmavidyananda, Purnatmananda, Vairagyananda, and Sahajananda for their boundless love and devotion. Thank you from all of us.

As always, I remain grateful to my awesome assistant Kirsten and her uncanny ability to always be…well…100% awesome! Thank you Sabrina for joining our staff to help us flow flawlessly forward as we celebrate the now, always with love. Heartfelt gratitude to our adorable Cherise for her beautiful ongoing contribution with both asana and Ayurveda. To Brian Walsh for joining us monthly and bathing us with dynamic, Divine sound to flush out imbalance and bring us into alignment with our True nature.

To our precious little celebrity, Yoda, who I swear is the big draw of the studio and makes it simply a better place to visit just because he is here.

And finally, YOU—thank you, thank you, thank you for being you, for your willingness to stretch yourself into the best possible YOU that you can be, and for allowing me to share the path with you. I continue to be awe-inspired and completely grateful for this beautiful expression of God and the eternal Love available for all of us always. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

See you on the mat.

Love, Love, Love,

“The purpose of yoga is to make us a good human being through practice and understanding. Live in Divinity in every second. It is a conscious effort and choice.” – Paramahamsa Prajnanananda

Greetings!

Fasten your seatbelts, because the final three months of 2016 are upon us. You and I both know that there is a certain mindset that takes over as we approach the complexity of all that the fall/winter months offer us. If one is not awake and present in yogic priorities, it is quite possible to become overwhelmed and debilitated. Make this year’s end a very special one by recommitting yourself to your practice and doubling your efforts to live in a state of perpetual calm with compassionate detachment for all that whirls around you.

Remember that less is indeed more. Prioritize your time carefully as you move through the holidays in order to accommodate your practice. Keep first things first, acknowledging that if you are relaxed and moving effortlessly through each day you will be flowing in a sea of endless love that is not anchored on artificial days of celebration, but is authentic and life-giving.

While the holidays offer a time of coming together with the ones we love and cherish, they can, if allowed, lose their true meaning of gratitude and celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, whose presence on the Earth remains glorified 2000 years after he left. Be the one in your circle of influence who draws the attention to how precious these celebrations are, while minimizing commercialism and greed. When you give, do so from your heart without expectation, remaining clear about why you are giving in the first place.

Time is a major commodity in our brief lives here upon this earth. Do not waste a moment on anything that is not taking you deeper into your relationship with your Divine nature.

I celebrate you and wish you and yours all good things always and in all ways.

In Service,

“Let us contemplate with humility and love. Let us cultivate the idea that we belong to God, and God belongs to us. We belong to the whole world, the whole world is ours, I am for all, and naturally all are for me I should live and breathe in peace and love, and should move like a child of God -fearlessly. Then life will be beautiful. Think of God and God’s love and beauty. Pray that God and the masters give us expansion in the mind, expansion in the heart. Let our lives be saturated with love, saturated with compassion.” – Paramahamsa Prajnanananda

by Bridget Sampson, CEO of Sampson Communications Consulting

How did I find the time and energy to write a book amidst a busy life as a wife, mother, professor, and consultant who travels almost every week for work? Marydale had a lot to do with it. Cherise had a lot to do with it too. When the many obligations and stresses of life start to overwhelm me, I remind myself that there is a magical place where I can let everything go and recharge my batteries. Marydale’s studio is my sanctuary. Just being in Marydale’s presence centers me and fills my heart with love and peace.

I am blessed to be able to do rewarding work that helps people build their confidence as well as experience greater joy and abundance. As a part-time professor at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) for twenty-five years, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed teaching courses such as public speaking, intercultural communication, organizational communication, and interpersonal communication. I strive to help students understand the profound impact of words and the intentions behind their messages.

One of my greatest passions is encouraging my students in the Educational Opportunity Program at CSUN, students who are from low-income backgrounds and are the first generation in their families to go to college. They are brimming with potential and ready to bloom, they just need some seeds and water and it is the greatest pleasure for me to provide those.

As a communication consultant who designs and delivers a variety of training and coaching programs, I seek to elevate the connections between people in the business world, so they can accomplish their professional goals while also mentoring, supporting, and empowering one another.

I have been humbled by the gratitude people have expressed over the years, whether they were my students in the university classroom or senior executives in a corporate conference room. This gratitude also compelled me to offer what I’ve studied and learned in my own life with a wider audience by writing my book, Communication Secrets for Success. I wondered if I could help more people, if I could send a message about compassionate, conscious communication into the world that might be received by the very people who needed it most.

I wanted my book to be for anyone and everyone who would be interested in improving their communication and relationships. I have had young college students and retired seniors alike tell me they gained something from the pages I poured my heart and soul into crafting for over five years. I also wanted the book to be user-friendly, with stand-alone chapters that people could choose from, depending on what’s most relevant for them. There are ten chapters, each with just over ten pages. Some chapters offer my top tips for key relationships in our lives: with ourselves, our romantic partners, our children, our boss, our friends, or people we lead. Other chapters address how to manage challenging communication contexts such as public speaking, intercultural communication, adapting to different personality types, and communicating through technology.

My main goal for the book is for it to be helpful to anyone who reads it or reads any part of it. I put it into the world with love and trust that it will do whatever it is meant to do. To this end, during the month of October I am offering the ebook version of Communication Secrets for Success to Param Yoga students at no charge. For those who prefer to read a physical book, I have a limited number available for the special price of $7 while supplies last. Please email me by October 31st and specify whether you’d like an ebook or print book.

Thank you to Marydale for the gift of Reiki training, which has been life-changing in ways I cannot express. Many thanks to Cherise for helping me to grow and heal myself through the beautiful art of Ayurveda. My regular yoga classes, whether they be with Marydale, Cherise, Sony, Adam, or my dear friend Cindy, who teaches at another location, are necessary for all that I do and give. I would not be who I am without them.

A final thank you to Kirsten, our bright, funny, honest friend (and studio office manager) who I look forward to hearing say, “Bridget!” with sincere enthusiasm every time I show up for class. You are so real, it’s unreal.

Oh wait… just one more… thank you Yoda for your ancient, warm, wise spirit and sweet kisses!

Many blessings to all of you and so much love. I’ll see you at the studio. Namaste.

 

Greetings!

How beautifully our bougainvillea has withstood the heat of summer as it stands majestically framing Param Yoga’s back door, beckoning you to enter into a world of sacred peace, Presence and joy. Day after day, the studio stands as a refuge for those who are desirous of deepening their yogic path through a persistent and consistent practice drenched in love.

September arrives as the precursor to the final quarter of 2016, once again offering us the opportunity for completion in all areas of our lives in preparation to move forward with fresh resolve when October births. Taking advantage of this window of completion with mindfulness and the sincere desire to “put your house in order” (your physical house and your Spiritual house), you will be making room in your life for positive growth and needed change.

We often speak about the importance of non-attachment to everything in your world, but upon closer introspection you may discover that your world is loaded with “stuff” that needs to be purged…but that you are attached to for one reason or another. Stand back, be honest with yourself and, throughout the month of September, allow yourself to let go of overload in your world, whether it shows up in your surroundings, your body, mind, emotions, relationships, finances – wherever. Free yourself up from the inside out and make room for love, Light and great joy to flow into you and through you.

In Service,

“We catch hold of the past and get stuck. We cannot proceed. Along the journey of life, memory is the greatest bondage: what we should remember, we forget, and what we should forget, we always remember. Can we not live intelligently and move forward?” – Paramahamsa Prajnanananda

Greetings!

We find ourselves, like it or not, in an extremely volatile time in history. The world often seems upside down and backwards as it spirals into the unforeseen future with all of us feeling the fray. With tremendous accessibility to technology today it is literally possible to find the exact answer you want to hear about any subject with the truth being skewed to suit your desired outcome. For instance, Google the question, “Is the moon hollow?” and see what you come up with. There are endless answers and data both confirming and denying the moon’s core. Ultimately, today’s endless flow of information often leaves us in confusion and unable to discern the truth, because in many cases it has been desperately dismantled to fit the desired outcome of those who wield it to get what they want at the expense of others.

Stop the madness, fellow yogis! Yoga teaches us that we must be established in truthfulness (YS: 2.36). It is our yogic responsibility to have integrity through right thoughts and actions. The Buddha is credited as saying, “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who said it, even if I said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”

Slogging our way through the murk and mire takes a personal commitment to understand who we are, where we are going, and how to do all that we can to stay the course, no matter what. As Yogis, we are flexible, patient, kind and supportive as we gently let those who have different ideals, values or understanding happily go their way, while we, breath by breath, stay within our own true nature with the resolve of moving ever forward into personal liberation.

It always comes back to us, each of us, to take responsibility for who we are, how we live, and how our thoughts and actions impact not only our own life and the lives of others, but the greater whole.

The key, then, is to be persistent and consistent with your daily meditation practice. Each and every day, no matter what, dedicate quality time to go within where the treasure trove of your personal truth resides, ever desirous of your presence to bring you clarity, calm and detachment. Go within and ask, listen, trust, and lean into your relationship to the Divine that will always buoy you against the waves of this uncertain and often camouflaged reality. May the blessings of God and Gurus be ever with you.

All Love, all the time,

“Be a yogi. A yogi is intelligent and skillful. Use your every sense organ carefully. Especially while speaking, be extremely vigilant. Think before you speak. Let every word be properly filtered so that untruthful, arrogant, and hurtful words are avoided. Truthfulness is a virtue, and words have tremendous power. Be extremely careful when you speak.” – Paramahamsa Prajnanananda

Greetings!

July reminds us of how incredibly fortunate we are to be Americans living in the land of “the free and the brave.” We often take for granted how blessed we are each and every day to wake up in a country where we have choice, where we are greatly cared for, where we may believe what we want, live where we want, and love who we want.

The simple truth that you may choose to participate in yoga classes is an indication of your very freedom. This year, embrace all that is good about being an American. Do not take your personal freedom for granted even for a moment. Instead, let your heart overflow with gratitude for all the goodness that is yours today—each day—and spend your conscious attention in improving yourself first before criticizing or finding fault with anyone else.

We are an important part of the “melting pot” that created America. More than likely, our forefathers were unaware of the “science of soul culture” called yoga. Yet, they were determined to write the Constitution in a way that would prevail through generations to give us all freedom and choice. Blessed and grateful are we, the recipients of their wisdom and forethought.

May the blessings of God and Gurus be ever with you as we celebrate this outstanding nation of ours. See you on the mat!

All Love, all the time,

“When I am looking at you I am looking at myself in you. When I look at you there are not two, there is One.” – Paramahamsa Prajnanananda

Celebrating International Day of Yoga – June 21st
by Kerry Morris

In 2014 the Prime Minister of India made an appeal to the United Nations General Assembly requesting the adoption of an International Day of Yoga. At the meeting, he pointed out: “It is not about exercise, but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature.” June 21st is an auspicious day to celebrate Yoga, because it is the first day of the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. Ancient cultures revered and tracked the movement of the sun and moon: Stonehenge in England, the Pyramids in Egypt, the Incas, and the Mayans, are a few such examples.

The term yoga brings to mind the physical practice of doing yoga poses. However, that is only one aspect of the science and philosophy of yoga. There are eight “limbs” in yoga, and the physical practice called asana is merely one of those limbs. Born over 5,000 years ago in India, it is thought that yoga started long before any religion, in approximately 2700 BC. In The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali with Commentary by Shri Lahiri Mahasaya and Metaphorical Explanations by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, he notes “…Maharshi Patanjali is not the founder of yoga; rather, he compiled different aspects of yogic practice and meditation in a systematic way.” In the Foreword of the book (from the Original Commentary by Shri Lahiri Mahasaya), it states:

“Body and mind are correlated. In the happiness and comfort of one, there is also happiness and comfort of the other. In the affliction of one, the other is also afflicted. By making the mind still and tranquil, you will find that all the functions of the body come to cessation. On the other hand, by trying to cease the functions of the body, you will find that the mind also becomes peaceful. Through the practice of yoga, it is possible to achieve mastery over the activities of the body and mind, while maintaining life in the body. The Yoga Sutra of Sage Patajnali is precious for those who are following such a path or those who are interested in walking this path.”

Thus, connecting body and mind is achieved through the science and practice of meditation. There are many different types of physical yoga practices: hatha, kundalini, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Bikram, vinyasa, etc. Many of these combine focus on physical postures (asanas) with focus on the breath, using the breath to help “move you through each posture.”

There are also many different types of meditation practice, of which Transcendental Meditation, or “TM,” is probably the most well known. However, there are truly too many types to list for the purposes of this story. Searching the internet for different types of yoga and meditation practices can be confusing, because there is so much information to go through, so it may be more frustrating than helpful.

The true science and culture of yoga should be done with the guidance of a guru. How do you find such a person? Ask people you know in your community. Keep trying and searching until you find one that speaks to you and brings you great happiness and feeds your soul.

The Kriya Yoga lineage follows the teachings of eight realized masters, one of whom is still living: Paramahamsa Prajnanananda. Kriya Yoga is called “the science of soul culture” and is considered the fastest path towards self-realization. To learn more about this ancient technique and the science of Kriya, please visit Kriya Yoga Institute.

To learn more about Kriya Yoga and our gurus, please visit Kriya Los Angeles or the U.S.-based Mother Center for Kriya (in Homestead, FL). Initiations, performed by Yogacharyas, are done all over the world, and schedules can be found on both sites. Initiation is typically done over a 2-day period on weekends, with an introduction on the Friday night preceding the initiation.

Sources:
kriya.org
idayofyoga.org
earthsky.org
The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, with Commentary by Shri Lahiri Mahasaya and Meetaphorical Explanations, by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda

Salutations!

“Living the Dream” is the focus of our Yoga Day 2016. Paramahamsa Yogananda often used the dream state to explain what we experience here on earth and encouraged us to wake up! Together on Saturday June 11th we will step in and out of the dream to glimpse our true nature through all facets of yoga. With a full day designed to stretch you, encourage you, and support you as you experience this mini retreat, diving deep within to discover peace, calm, and clarity. Registration closes this Saturday at midnight, so please don’t miss your chance to share a day in paradise with us as we share the dream.

After spending three days with my Guru Paramahamsa Prajnanananda at the Kriya Institute Mother Center in Homestead, Florida, I find myself fully charged, nourished, and filled with Grace. How blessed and fortunate I have been in this life to have found my way to yoga and into the presence of a living Realized Master. It just doesn’t get more auspicious than this. Fortunately, the Grace and love I received is not just for me but for all of us here at Param Yoga and Kriya Los Angeles. Please know that you are greatly and deeply loved while being held up by the Divine. I look forward to seeing you soon. May the blessings of God and Guru continue to flow upon you and through you always and in all ways.

In Service,

“You are essentially pure consciousness. You are observing this world of objects and even living beings, including the body. You are distinct and free from them. Cultivate this knowledge in every breath; then you are free.” – Paramahamsa Prajnanananda