At 4 AM I woke with a start to a voice in my head saying, “Don’t go back to sleep.” I popped out of bed after only three hours of sleep, feeling surprisingly invigorated, to prepare for morning meditation at the Kriya Institute Mother Center in Homestead, Florida. Having arrived for a six-day retreat at the ashram with zero expectations, an open heart, devotion and anticipation of the unknown, I could never have imagined the tremendous experience awaiting me. From the moment I stepped upon the holy ground of the ashram I experienced a continuous flow of love, goodness, kindness and profound spiritual confirmation.

The grounds themselves are breathtakingly beautiful, permeated with tropical plants, many of which Paramahamsa Hariharananda brought from India many years ago to propagate here. Stepping onto the land is like stepping through a doorway into otherworldliness engulfed with a treasure trove of lush beauty saturated with a distinct feeling of holiness and serenity. This sense of holiness permeates everything from the grounds to the modest structures, the space within the structures, the presence of the monks, the wildlife, delicious food and my fellow devotees. Convinced that you have landed in an altered reality, Paramahamsa Prajnanananda appears out of nowhere and instantly takes one’s breath away…and there it is—an instant of ecstatic knowing that you are in the presence of a God man. There’s no mistaking it. His massive aura permeates everyone in his midst with unmistakable, unconditional love, tenderness, large-heartedness and joy—pure satchitananda in our midst, personified.

Throughout the six days, we were all given every opportunity to lay our heads on the lap of God consciousness and exercise our ability to go within and discover who we are. In the process we were guided, taught, led, loved, encouraged and purified by fire that left us all more whole than ever to continue striving ever upward in Love.

That beautiful voice I heard has become a constant mantra, a reminder: “Don’t go back to sleep”—don’t risk losing consciousness again at the risk of missing rising through awareness into the bliss state myself. My resolve and intention is to stay awake, no matter what. It’s available to us all…if we would just wake up!

Considering the majesty and Grace of spending six days with a realized master, I have been left with my heart ablaze with his clear and simple message for each and every one of us: that is, Love God in every breath.

With blessings and love to you from God and Gurus,

“Love is the key. Waste no time, live your time with God; the time will not be wasted.” — Paramahamsa Prajnanananda

Greetings!

It’s time to take a hard, close look at where you are in your life right now, as September is a powerful month for bringing all things into completion. Contemplate all areas of your life and make a concerted effort to zero in on excess, waste, procrastination, disorganization and unrest. Center yourself and be determined to redouble your efforts toward your personal Spiritual practice to guarantee progress as 2015 moves into completion. Put all the rooms of your consciousness in order and move forward freely without clutter in your environment, your relationships, your body, mind and Spirit. You will then set yourself on the course to right action that will assist you on the path.

As you will see in the body of this month’s Newsletter, September is National Yoga Month and includes the United Nations International Day of Peace and and a harvest moon. In our Sangha, we are hosting The Yoga of Song performing Healing the Wounded Day: A September 11th Chant Concert, Ayurveda with Cherise, and—by popular demand—the repeat showing of the Uganda Slideshow with Kerry Morris.

Most importantly, we continue to offer you daily yoga practice, Kriya Yoga Meditation and regular Reiki events. We know how difficult it is to get back into the hustle and bustle of September, but remember to put first things first. If you are feeling happy, healthy, wise and connected to the All and All, your life will flow flawlessly into daily bliss. Ahhhhhhooooommm.

In Service,

“With everything that has happened to you, you can feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.” — Wayne Dyer

Kerry Morris is a student at Param Yoga who has a deep love of nature and animals. Recently, she took a life-changing trip to Uganda and wants to offer the members of our community an opportunity to share in her experience:

All my life I’ve dreamed of visiting Africa to see this special and spectacular country. I’ve always wanted to see mountain gorillas up close, in their own habitat. In June, I finally went to Uganda, in Eastern Africa, and my lifelong dream became a reality!

With much encouragement from my sangha at Param Yoga – especially from Marydale – I went through over 3,000 photos and videos taken during my trip and created a slideshow to share with you.

I am excited to share this with you and hope that you’ll see and feel how special this place truly is. Rich in biodiversity, ranging from swamp to grassland to near-tropical woodland forests, the flora and fauna are magnificent! You’ll see lions, elephants, monkeys, and, of course, mountain gorillas from two gorilla treks in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Oh, and since this was a bird-watching trip, you’ll see some birds too.

I hope you’ll join us!

Kerry’s slideshow will take place at Param Yoga on Friday, August 14th from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. This event is by donation and promises to be a fun and educational experience, so bring a friend and spend the night with your Param Yoga community.

*UPDATE – Due to popular demand, Kerry will be presenting an encore of her Uganda talk and slideshow at Param Yoga on Friday, September 25th at 7:00 pm. Kerry has a wealth of information about Uganda, its people, and the native flora and fauna, including the spectacular mountain gorillas. Her presentation was fascinating and eye-opening to those of us who had the privilege of seeing it the first time, so if you missed it, be sure to join us for this special screening. As before, this event is by donation and no registration is necessary.

Dear Ones,

As you begin to understand the nature of life, it becomes more evident that learning to have no attachment in the prakritti (material) world is an important discipline that will reap deep rewards for you in the areas of peace, contentment, non-suffering and clarity. Through the emancipation of one’s person, there is a vast knowing that there is nothing in this world to yearn for as you have attained the one inexhaustible treasure in the realm of the Divine.

Through the warm weeks of August may you deliberately turn up the heat on your daily practice by recognizing that it is the way into the greatest, most precious wealth you can possibly imagine.

See you at the Sangha.

In Service,

Remain calm, serene, always in command of yourself. You will then
find out how easy it is to get along. – Paramahansa Yogananda

Abraham
by Edie Fasano

I am relatively new to the teachings of Abraham. I had heard the name before and puzzled over the language on the Abraham cards I chose during my Reiki trainings with Marydale. After my husband and soul mate, John, transitioned a year ago, I wanted to understand how my soul mate could appear and then disappear in so short a time and how to continue to move forward in love and joy. Abraham kept coming up in my conversations with Kirsten, Marydale and many others. Kirsten is a wealth of information and our conversations led me to many recordings and the book, Law of Attraction. When I read the preface to Law of Attraction by Jerry Hicks about the questions he had and the knowing, I got goose bumps—this was what I was searching for. Over time, I came to a new understanding of life. We are all part of the same Source energy, or God—if you prefer that name—and, as Marydale reminds us, we are not our body.

After nine months I was feeling much better, but there was a nagging sense of guilt and doubt. I wondered: what is my purpose? How do I make choices? I want to be happy, but I’m not sure how to let go. What is mourning and grief anyway?

Abraham ends their seminars and conversations saying, “There is great love here for you.” As I approached the 1-year anniversary of the night John left his physical body, I wanted to experience the truth of those words. On June 20th, I attended my first Abraham-Hicks seminar. It was a truly profound event.

The seminar was in Denver—a 16-hour drive—which was a wonderful opportunity for me to listen to my newly acquired CDs of Diary of a Yogi. I drove, marveling at the panorama unfolding before me, as Ben Kingsley’s melodious voice intoned the stories of the many great yogis who impacted the life of Paramahansa Yogananda. The parallels between the Yogananda’s stories and Abraham were striking and reassuring. I was listening to the words of God on my way to meet God.

The morning of the seminar I was up early for my Kriya practice. I felt that everything was as it should be— the day would unfold exactly as it was meant to. Walking towards the meeting room I discovered lots of smiling faces. Everyone was so happy to be there! I signed in and found a seat near the front on the aisle. There was an impressive array of books, cards, CDs and DVDs for sale. I made my purchases early, knowing I could add to them later. As I waited, I could feel the energy building as the room filled up.

Esther stepped on the stage and thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the more than 600 attendees. She gave us the ground rules and then stepped to the side to summon Abraham. As she closed her eyes and breathed, I watched the transformation, amazed. Her expression became one of peace and knowing. Esther nodded several times, opened her eyes and Abraham welcomed us. After giving us a brief foundation of the thoughts and ideas they wanted to share, the first attendee was called to the hot seat. He had a question about his cat. I thought about my beasts and realized the answer would serve me well too. Then a woman was called to the hot seat whose husband had committed suicide. Abraham gently helped her find release. Explaining that the grief and guilt she felt was simply her disconnection with her Inner Being, her Source. Her Inner Being was feeling quite the opposite and knows that all is well. She is well. Her spouse and friends are well. What she was calling tragedies are not tragedies, but choices made by others over which she had no control. They are in a place of joy and they want her to be joyful too.

I listened and felt the truth in their words. John’s frequent question to me when he was in his physical body was, “Are you happy?” He always wanted me to be happy and would tell me that I was to do whatever it took to be happy and stay happy. I finally understood what he meant, and I appreciated how truly connected he was to his Source. My first question was answered. As for my other questions, one by one they, too, were answered. Even though I was not picked, I began to feel more and more appreciation for Abraham, Esther, the people in the hot seat and everyone in the room. I was basking in a wonderful pot of unconditional love and appreciation. All too soon it was over and Abraham closed, “There is great love here for you.” And I knew that was true!

Memories of the discussions and the Yogananda’s words guided me home. As I listened to Sri Yukteswar’s analysis of sections of the Bible, I realized the information is not new—it can be found in all of the religious teachings of the world. Abraham reminds us that we are all connected—connected by Source. We are all Source energy. God force, or whatever you choose to call it, is flowing through all of us. I am happy and will do whatever it takes to stay that way. I know John is not dead; he is more alive than ever. He has let go of the resistance he felt on this earthly plane and in his physical body. There is so much more to him; to me; to all of us. Listen to the voice within you. Meditate, take the time to line up your energy, and then see how high you can fly! There is great love here for you.

Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing

Summertime means high heat and can lead to aggravated pitta (fire), so here are three Ayurvedic tips that will help keep you cool:

• Keep fresh fruit available. It helps cool your pitta and satisfy sweet cravings that can become even stronger during summertime. Fruit is also known as one of the most Sattvic (pure) foods.

• Try adding cucumber slices and/or mint to your room temperature water. Cucumber and mint are naturally cooling and room temperature water helps the body digest properly.

• Incorporate coconut oil into you diet. It’s naturally cooling and great to use as a moisturizer, as well. You can give yourself a mini abhyanga (body oiling) – massage coconut oil all over your body and scalp, letting the oil seep into the skin, and shower after. Or, if your really feeling overheated, sleep with it on.

Many Blessings,

Cherise
Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist

Happy Summertime to you and yours. May the days and weeks ahead be grounded in your yoga practice to assure ongoing wellness in body, mind and Spirit. Doing so will assure your ability to embrace your highest good with wisdom and enthusiasm each day and insure fewer interruptions to your personal, perpetual peace and Well-Being. Remember – it never matters where you go or whom you are with. You, the real you, is eternally present to create in a positive manner always, in all ways, now and forever.

Join us often at Param Yoga to enhance your resolve to live authentically. Our schedule has just the right amount of summer activities to keep you engaged in stretching yourself deeper into your personal practice. I look forward to sharing time and space with you.

In Service,

“If you don’t invite God as a summer guest, he will not come in the winter of your life” -Lahiri Mahasaya

Tree Pose, Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct, Camillus Erie Canal Park, NY

One of our students, Dawn Kersten, was recently visiting the Erie Canal in upstate New York. She and her husband were at the Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct in Camillus when he received a business call, so she decided to take some time out for a little yoga. As she was standing in tree pose, her husband secretly took a picture, which she sent to Marydale.

This gave Marydale an idea. Since many of our students will be traveling this summer—some to locations as far away as Africa—she’d like for the members of our community to send us pictures of themselves doing tree pose or some other yoga asana in locations around the country…and the world! We will post them on our blog and feature the best and most creative pictures in our monthly email newsletter.

We hope that you’ll participate in this fun project and continue your yoga practice, in one form or another, even while you’re away from the studio. Happy trails!

posted by Kirsten K.

Paul Sharp is the son of one of our yoga and Reiki students. He was living in Nepal when the devastating earthquake hit this past April and he agreed to share the account of his experience with our community:

In 2011 I based myself in Nepal in order to further study and practice vajrayana Buddhism under my teacher’s guidance. After becoming Buddhist in my late teens, this was something I had wanted to do and prepared for for nine years. Growing up in southern California, I was not a stranger to earthquakes and I knew Nepal was a hot spot for large earthquakes as it sits where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. Hence, over the last 40 million years the Himalayas were gradually formed. Whenever I walked through the narrow Kathmandu streets surrounded by poorly built buildings, it often popped in my mind that Nepal had not had a major earthquake in about 80 years. I always imagined somehow I wouldn’t be in Nepal when the big one hit, and with that thought I would simply carry on.

It was late morning on Saturday, April 25th when the initial 7.8 magnitude earthquake began. I was in my apartment near the great Boudhanath stupa with my girlfriend and sitting at my desk responding to a number of emails. Often, when we sit still and focus on something for a long time, we can feel our heartbeat subtly vibrate throughout our body. In the past I sometimes mistook this for a small earthquake, and when the very first shaking began I thought to myself, “You are just mistaking your own heartbeat for an earthquake again.” A few moments later my room began to shake violently and I knew this was a dangerous situation.

My girlfriend and I were fine, as were all of our friends. Though many of my native Nepali friends were not as fortunate, as they have family members who live in the hardest hit, remote and devastated regions of Nepal. I could see on their faces their experience of suddenly finding out their parents or siblings were now dead or missing. Some of these friends of mine are very good meditators, lamas and yogis who have dedicated their lives to dharma practice, and the way they were able to bear the sudden loss and take even the most gut-wrenching of human experiences onto their path was a great blessing to witness. Still now, many people are physically and mentally suffering due to the Nepal earthquakes and need help.

Though I was physically fine, it was a mentally challenging experience to see so much loss, devastation and uncertainty. Particularly in a place I have called home for a handful of years and in which I have been so spiritually cared for. My mom (Amy Izenberg) is part of a community of yoga and Reiki practitioners at the Param Yoga Healing Arts Center and she, together with many of them, were worried about me and kindly made me the focus of their healing practice. I am very grateful for their positive and loving intention towards me during this difficult time. The care we can give to others is based on our genuine intentions and our connection to each other. This is so beautifully expressed by one of my favorite Himalayan masters, the late Thinley Norbu Rinpoche:

“If we believe in the continuity of mind, then love inconspicuously connects us to the ones we love with continuous positive energy, so that even tangible separations between people who love each other do not reduce the intangible power of love.”

Paul works with the Chokgyur Lingpa Foundation for earthquake relief in Nepal. To make a donation, click here.

One of our yoga students recently went through The Engine 2 Immersion led by Rip Esselstyn, author of The Engine 2 Diet. Rip’s father, Caldwell Esselstyn, is a renowed physician who promotes a plant-based diet for reversing heart disease and maintaining good health. When one of Rip’s fellow firefighters at the Engine 2 Station in Austin, TX found out he had dangerously high cholesterol, Rip put him and the other firefighters on a plant-based diet. The results were so dramatic that The Engine 2 Diet was born and has become a movement.

Our student, Ann, was glowing when she returned from her week in Sedona and was so enthusiastic about the experience that I asked her to write about it for our blog in order to share the information with our community:

The Engine 2 Immersion by Ann LaManna

The week was filled with amazing people—97 of us—two-thirds from Whole Foods Market, which gifted them with a week-long immersion into healthy eating to reverse serious medical conditions. There was yoga, amazing hikes, horseback riding and power exercise, medical lectures supporting evidence of a plant-based diet, nightly entertainment, fun and food—tons of food, all plant-based, whole grains, minimal salt, no oil. It was delicious. They took our blood labs on the second day and again on the last day; we will get results in 6 to 8 weeks to measure the difference a plant-based, whole foods diet can have on one’s life.

I have been vegetarian for 10 years, vegan for almost 4 (though not perfect), and I did it out of compassion for animals and the environment. As Rip Esselstyn said to me, “Maybe it’s time to do it for yourself and your health now, too.”

To find out more about The Engine 2 Immersion and Rip’s plant-based eating program, visit Engine 2 Diet.

Posted by Kirsten K.