Scene from the Mahabharat: Krishna and Arjun at the battle of Kurukshetra
Yoga philosopher, Kirtan leader, Sanskrit teacher, Sitar artist and the writer / blogger behind Akshara Yoga blog: Ram Vakkalanka is accomplished in many things. He is also my friend, I am proud to say. Ram and I have bonded over our deep love and respect for the wisdom traditions and culture of India. We have many shared ideas and notions about yoga and spiritual philosophy, and feel that the essence of these teachings is largely lost, overlooked or misunderstood in the west (and sometimes even in India).
Some time back, I wrote a blog, What yoga is, after attending a workshop with internationally known yoga teacher Mark Whitwell at the Yoga Festival of Toronto. I was delighted to discover that Mark Whitwell really “gets” yoga; and I feel the same way about Ram. Over dosas at a Toronto South Indian restaurant, we discussed the essence of spirituality and Ram told me the story of Kaushika, which I loved. He said, “In the great epic Mahabharata, there is the story an aspiring yogi called Kaushika who meditates for many years but fails to attains self-awakening.” I feel the story expresses a truth about spirituality that many people don’t seem to understand. Here it is. (more…)
Mark Whitwell
After studying and practicing yoga for about 15 years, predominantly in Canada but also in India, I had the pleasurable experience of listening to a very outspoken yoga teacher pierce the veil of western illusions about yoga. He basically said the emperor has no lululemons.
I don’t know what it was like for others in the room, but listening to Mark Whitwell at the Yoga Festival of Toronto in August, 2008, was, for me, a sound for sore ears. I am at a point in my yoga journey when I want to try and understand the original intentions of yoga – without the overlay of western thinking, ideas and culture.
Originally published in Dreamscapes magazine.
View of the majestic Himalayas from Anand Prakash Yoga Ashram
As I sit writing this on the balcony of my room at the Anand Prakash Yoga Ashram in Rishikesh, India, the melodious sound of people singing kirtan (devotional songs and chants) floats up from the yoga hall below. From here, I have a breath-taking view of the imposing foothills of the Himalayas and I can feel the invigorating mountain air as it sweeps into this serene valley, through which the jewel-green Ganga (Ganges) River flows. It is easy to see why legend refers to the Himalaya range as Dev Bhoomi, land of the gods.
Rishikesh is a small and relatively (by Indian standards) peaceful town that meanders along the narrow valley on both sides of the Ganga, connected by two impressive suspension bridges, Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula, which are open for pedestrian traffic, bicycles and motorcycles only. Seers – rishis – and sages have been gathering here, at this picturesque spot on the Ganges, since before recorded history to prayer, chant and meditate. Indian pilgrims and foreign yoga students alike flock here to stay in one of the town’s many ashrams and soak up the devotional vibes. It is often referred to as the yoga capital of the world.
When my teacher, Swamiji (Swami Brahmdev of Aurovalley Ashram, Rishidwar, India), says something during satsang that he wants to underline, he says, “catch this point.” It’s a great example of a non-native English speaker using the language in a particularly creative and effective way.
I have been back in Canada about six weeks since my latest trip to India, where, among other things, I spent time at Aurovalley Ashram — my favourite place on earth — learning the wisdom of integral yoga and feeling inspired by Swamiji’s complete commitment to transformation of consciousness.
So I am now home, facing a difficult life situation, and trying to “catch this point.” I am trying to process, integrate and put it into action everything I learned from my recent two-and-half-months in India. In some ways the journey begins when you get home. You realize what you’ve learned, how much you’ve changed, and how differently you now see the world.
Dr. Deepak Chopra
While I was in India this winter, I read an article by Dr. Deepak Chopra in the Times of India (March 29, 2009) entitled “Over to India,” about what India can teach the west. In it, he says that the modern era is characterized by “a headlong rush into the arms of science and materialism.” Both, he says, are deeply flawed for solving the human dilemma. “The late Robert F. Kennedy put it pithily when he said that the gross national product measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile.”
The human dilemma — which is really about the path to happiness society, and each individual in it, takes — will not be solved by external means, e.g. more oil , a better missile defence system. “If the path to happiness is external, disaster will eventually ensue. This is what Indian spirituality discovered thousands of of years ago.”
Pushkar Lake at sunrise
Whenever I return to Toronto from India, I go through the throes of reverse culture shock. I miss things. I miss the smells of India, the flowers, incense, cooking fires, animals. India doesn’t always smell nice, but it always smells like something.
I miss the diversity of life, the warmth, the colour, the overt spirituality, and the way people in India demonstrate a remarkably tolerant pluralism, a liquid response to life and a comparatively higher level of equanimity and contentment.
I miss the joy. In spite of the poverty, overcrowding, and serious lack of infrastructure, I find more joy in India than I do in Canada — though we are one of the richest nations on earth.
So in India, I learned that stuff doesn’t make you happy. I also learned that thinking life is supposed to be a certain way, is a sure-fire recipe for unhappiness. It’s not only unrealistic, it ignores the fact that the only thing we have any control over is our own minds, and how we choose to respond to life.
I learned the spiritual idea that everything is as it should be. Even if something “bad” happens, it was meant to be — and the best thing you can do is see the event as a teacher and learn from it. Learn about yourself, your expectations, your judgments and biases, etc.
My Integral Yoga teacher in India, Swami Brahmdev (Swamiji), says, “We are here to discover ourselves.” Swamiji also says that suffering is a gift. And the truth is, we often learn more from the difficult and unfortunate events in life.
I know that I won the lottery of life by being born in middle-class Canada. But I also know you don’t need to have two cars, a flat screen TV, a huge RSP, and a ‘perfect life’ to be happy.
Happiness is a choice. It is a path. In fact, happiness is probably the best path towards spiritual awareness.
A.R. Rahman, when he won the Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire said that all his life he had the choice between love and hate. He chose love, and that’s why he was there, on that stage.
It is the same for all of us. Each moment, we have the choice between being positive and being negative. And that is how we manifest our lives.
So, what would happen if we decided life is perfect? Even if only for a moment.
Magical Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, by photographer Andrew Adams
Joseph Campbell said, if you want to find your passion, remember back to when you were a child. Try to recall what activity gave you the feeling that time had stopped; you were so wrapped up in what you were doing, you didn’t know who you were. That’s the clue, the “X” that marks the spot. Dig here.
I have come to realize that connecting with who I was as a child, and resurrecting my childhood ability to dream and fantasize, are integral to my health and well-being. I didn’t always know this. I learned this when I went to India, when I finally had the courage to begin to live my dreams.
India did two things for me. It restored my faith in the loving nature of the universe and my ability to dream. For me, India truly is a land of dreams and fantasies. I wrote an entire entry on “Why I love India” on my original travel blog on Travelblog.org.
Plus, India is a really fascinating place. You can fly there in hours and step back centuries in time.
On the morning of April 14 approximately 10 million people streamed into the sacred town of Haridwar in north India to bathe in the Ganga on the most auspicious day during the 2010 Kumbh Mela. I was one of them. Find out how I found myself alone, and at home, at the world’s largest spiritual gathering.
In Varanasi, where the veil between life and death seems very thin, a boat ride on the river can become a journey to the other side. Come along with me on a boat ride on the Ganges River in India’s oldest, holiest city and pierce the veil.
The Ganges / Ganga River is the Mother of India. The River speaks in many voices as she travels from the high Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. At the source, her song is joyous, full of the the jubilance of youth, the rush of fresh mountain streams, the sincere chanting of pilgrims and the excitement of the onward journey.
