There was a time in the not so distant past when during the winter months the old growth forests with trees, some of whom might be a thousand years old, would form a canopy with their upper branches and greenery, protecting the forest floor from snow f …

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My first real spiritual teacher was an alchemist. By “real spiritual teacher” I mean that he consciously gave me teachings and practices to help me understand the spiritual principles underlying all of existence. By “alchemy” I mean the ancient practic …

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In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali gives us five recommendations, called yamas, for how we should treat others if we want to attain liberation. The third yama is asteya, which means “non-stealing.” Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati defined theft as “the unauthoriz …

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Valmiki is the author of the epic story, The Ramayana. But before he was a best selling author, he was a thief and, as legend has it, a very good one. Once, as he was about to steal a gold pot from the home of a yogi, the yogi appeared. The yogi did no …

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What is realized in the yogic state of enlightenment is the oneness of being. In this state, all separation between self and other dissolves. The yogi realizes him- or herself as one with all that is. Then the world no longer appears as out there. I on …

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Forward bending is the most ingrained of all movements. We will always bend forward to pick something up, even if we could bend backwards, and we sit on chairs at work, at home, at the movies and elsewhere. We rarely think much about bending forward in …

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Fear is a ubiquitous emotion experienced by all beings in varying degrees. All fears originate from our perceptions and past experiences (karmas). Some fears keep us alive and are necessary for our survival. We refer to these fears as instinctual. Othe …

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Let’s look more closely at the meaning of each word of this invocational mantra: lokah: location, realm, all universes existing now samastah: all beings sharing that same location sukhino: centered in happiness and joy, free from suffering bhav: the di …

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