Will the Real Guru Ji Please Stand Up

"What's the best kind of Yoga to learn?"
"Which Yoga studio/ashram/guru/type of yoga is the best?"
"Do you have to be a Hindu to do Yoga?"
"I am not flexible, how can I do yoga?"
"What is real yoga?"

These are questions people ask me a lot as an Indian and as a Yogi. Often times I am not equipped to answer them.

I just watched Kumare, and I totally felt Vikram Gandhi's strife - growing up in the USA, with Indian values. Wanting to break free from these ancient seemingly nonsensical stuff yet people of this western world- America- are moving towards it. The absurdity! So seriously I was enthralled by Buffy, Friends, and X-Files. I really wanted to be an FBI agent. And here there are people dreaming of becoming a Yogi, of enlightenment, happiness, peace and calmness.

As an Indian I was taught to value education, education, achievement, career, achievement, normalcy, and success. What does that mean? Well it means - get super educated, get a career that you can make the big bucks from, settle down, make a family, and then live in the luxury that pre-independence Indians could not dream of. This didn't make sense to me, because I wanted more than just that flow. I like a different sun salutation everyday. Why should I do the same one, when my body tells me to stretch this way! I became a rebel, death metal, the goth culture, etc. so alluring, especially cause it freaked "normal" people out. I matured and looked deeper, and like Vikram I studied religion, as well as psychology, cultural geography etc.

I began listening to the guru inside me, because I never could connect with an external guru, I did have people I connected with, empathized with, and listened to their advice or their words of wisdom. Worship never sat well with me. I think of all things I believe in the Universe, nature, and the powerful energy that runs through us all the most. Call it God? Ok! I don't have a name for it, and it has no rules for me, except I must be a good person, cause hurting others just don't feel good.

Yoga has always been a part of my life, cause 1- I'm Indian, and my mom's grandad taught her, and its a cultural thing for most of us. 2- My mom was really into it all her life 3- My mom made my sis and I go to the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Chennai back when we were itty bitty, against our will may I add... we had no idea what this "Yoga" was going to be. We liked it. We liked yoga cause we could become animals and hop around - a crow, a dog, a cat, a cow, a lion, a tree, a upside down person, a peacock... and then we made up our own animals.

Fast forward 23 years, I am finally working on my Yoga teacher certification, which I should have gotten years ago from the center, but as mentioned before, I wanted to be Buffy and not Yogi! I get to USA and everyone is Yogi, and I am Buffy! Ha! My journey through life, its pains, joys, taught me much, and the time was ready for this deeper learning of Yoga. It was still the ability to turn into other animals, however NOW it was something much deeper.

Through this learning of Yoga, I connect better with people, better myself and skills (slowly but surely, such a tough process and I often stumble), and understand the world, universe and life with a clarity previously unfound. Then again my boyfriend Ryan, is a Kumare, traveling his on path. It's amazing how people understand the same deep truth which is right in front of us through different journeys. Some of us need a mirror, some of search in other cultures, religions, practices, traveling, and others just see it as it is.

It's not about education, accomplishment or achievement... it's about putting all that aside and seeing the truth. It's harder to do than it seems to be. Something so simple yet so difficult for so many to achieve? It' kind of like Einstein's works, it makes so much sense, and so simple yet he put it all together.
Definitely watch Kumare if you haven't. It's on Netflix. Stop searching externally, and seek within... (he's not saying worship yourself and inflate your ego). Yoga helps introspect, as well as so many other benefits. Find your own path, read, definitely study the old Hindu scriptures, there is much wisdom and truth there.

Guru's are great for being guided, growing and taught, which not able to understand a process. Gurus are not made through certifications, PhDs etc. although some people think they are...  but anyway are / should be spiritual friends who help you wake up. We must share our paths to grow. I am so lucky to have an amazing set of gurujis!

I'm not great guru... I'm just me, Pree. I might not be right but these are things which I have learned and know. So here are my answers to the questions asked

What Yoga school is good/ real/ correct? It depends on what you are looking for! Google is a great tool to research yoga. However in the end Yoga is Yoga is Yoga. Just like which Christianity is the right/true/real Christianity?  Baptists? Protestants? Catholics? Lutherans? It just depends on if you want an asana focused practice, chanting focused practice, or service focused practice. Within the Asana focused practice there is so many different types of practice concerning asana... etc.


There are many awesome Yoga studios in Ohio! Go to different classes at different places and find out which yoga class suits you! I like slow restorative yoga to a good vinyasa flow.

One does not need to be flexible to do yoga. Everyone can do yoga. Only lazy people can not do yoga. You also don't have to be Hindu to do yoga. Also being Hindu doesn't mean worshiping multiple Gods... those who think so are dhakkans. Read!

What is yoga... real yoga? Well you have to learn to find out!




Breathe


and

Live.

An article about chanting in sanskrit

Review: Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata by Devdutt Pattanaik

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



A very different version of the Mahabharata, but well explained, with insightful research and facts.
This book is neutral when it comes to stories of both the sides. This helps one understand various concepts including karma, very well. Also due to the neutrality it gives us a clear perspective of life and the world. However I am told to read other versions of the Mahabharata, since this book has not convinced me of the evilness seen on the other-side.

I listened to the audiobook version of this very book, on a road trip. The book is narrated by the author and theater company, and although their accents prove to be very Indian, it adds to the authenticity. This book is slightly different from other versions of the Mahabharat, it is still true to the story, it uses simple English, and is narrated in a sort of Aesop Fables kind of way. Which is more enjoyable, however I look forward to reading a Mahabharata, written by a woman some day.

This book had some amazing quotes, so I am going to re-read it. And write notes etc. I also found it worth gifting to friends, family and my sister.



View all my reviews

Chanting to Raise Your Vibrations

Ram Dass explains that chanting in Sanskrit is important; the language was created during a time of evolving consciousness, so the sounds produced through Sanskrit opens chakras and channels within your body in the energetically level. Hence, I feel that since one decides to use mantra in daily practice they should go all the way with learning pronunciation and chanting in a way that serves the purpose of opening Chakras and balancing the body, mind, and purify the Athman.

A conversation with my little sister

Picture Courtesy Conscious Culture

The Call of the East

Firstly back by heightened interest, need and more participants is the 5 minute meditation project blog!

What amazes me, warms me, and makes me bubble up over flowing with love, is how i have come to find a mass of people who enjoy learning, living, loving the philosophies and teachings I grew up with (which I so rebelliously shunned as a teen)! I'm talking about yoga, meditation, chanting slokas, ॐ, Sanskrit (as a kid I thought - what is the use of this!), Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharatha (I watched the entire series in the 90s with my grandmom who fluctuates in and out dementia), etc. Being Indian, and growing up with the whole family, and mom sending me to Bhagavad Gita classes, Bengali classes, singing classes, made no sense then, and was a lot of learning, information (we thought the internet was full of information) overload! My mom always said, "you will thank me one day" with that all-knowing tone. I guess that day is today. I can pass on my knowledge which I acquired begrudgingly, but now cherish and nurture.

So recently I picked up (on kindle) Jaya by Devdutt Pattanaik, which is a version of the Mahabharata, to refresh my memory on the story. I forgot how complex it was, getting lost in the Maya of life; story within story within story, that you forget where the original story began. Perhaps that's how the movie 'Inception' was conceived.... dream within a dream within a dream... basically Maya. Will write more on this as I get lost deeper in the maya of this book.

Then I also found the old Srimad Bhagavad Gita by Swami Tapasyananada (Ramakrishna Mission Publishing) I learned from. I was in 6th or 7th grade when the Bhagavad Gita classes started. Every Sunday afternoon after lunch, when a kid just wants to snooze, heavy mind boggling Gita philosophy and the heavy Sanskrit, deconstruction, and just taking it all in. Our teacher was and is a historian but also a Sanskrit scholar. He is very learned, and I still ask him when I have any doubts, questions, and need help refreshing my memory. After that class, we had chanting class, so more Sanskrit, understanding slokas and deep philosophy (as a teen this wasn't fun, we just wanted to go out and play or take a nap as we were taught as a child). That was the heavy stuff, which helped me stay on track, and also helped me identify the things I needed to rebel against as a teen (because that's what teens do to be cool), but later on in life, helped me stay true to myself, beliefs and remain a good person. Something did manage to sink in despite all the rebelling during teenage years.

I'm so glad that I can read Devnagiri, Bangla, Tamil (this one I am a little slow at), and can understand it because of the combined knowledge of all four. They are so interlinked, so culturally founded, and the fact my family is so bong (slang for Bengali), this knowledge is passed down - Gayatri Mantra, the gotrams, lineage, connection to the whole shenanigans of the Sapta Rishis (yes I said that!), the mantras, the yamas and niyamas, even the eightfold path... I guess it is all taught, when I took Buddhism classes at CSU, I was excited to tell my parents about three jewels in buddhism - Buddha Dharma Sangha, and of course my dad knew all about it and recited it in Sanskrit with his Bengali pronunciation Buddho, Dhormo, Shangho! Maybe he's an exception, because he was lucky to have been sent off to Sri Ramakrishna Mission in Puruliya, and maybe that where all this knowledge was bestowed onto him, but often times parents try to teach their kids, but kids partially take it in?!?!

My point is, there is this growing desire in the west to learn all the above, and I find it amazing, and heart warming. When I came back to the USA in 2001, I was enrolled in a Christian college where I was told my birth religion was wrong, so were all other faiths. I was told that Christ was the only way to heaven. My argument was as long as you are a good human why would you be denied heaven, especially if the religion taught you how to live as a good human? I was told that was just the way, and God wanted us to find him through Christ and Christianity only. My idea of an open, accepting and appreciating America, was shattered. This is why I am happy to learn so many people accepting teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, the Gita, Patanjali, the Upanishads, the Vedas, into their world. It restores my faith in mankind... To accept something so alien as Sanskrit into your life (it's a different script, and sounds like gibberish, hard to pronounce, thus alien), and recite the words with so much love and joy, its pretty amazing to me! Thank you all for inspiring me to appreciate the culture I come from. I see it with fresh eyes. I wish the rest of India would do the same... the beauty it came from has become twisted and dirty. If this group in Northeast Ohio can do it, everyone and anyone else can too!

Breathe!

Picture courtesy Piyali Banerjie

Picture courtesy Chris Soria

Picture courtesy Piyali Banerjie

Picture courtesy Chris Soria

The Religion Competition

Awesome news! The Shiva Trilogy final book is being released on Feb 27th!

(Please read this disclaimer, for I found it very similar to what I would disclaim in general regarding my blog. Thanks! And please note this blog is a thought process in dynamic progress, please check back for edits! Once again this is not to dis anyone, any religion, language or culture.This is just my rambling flowing thoughts and NOT a scientific document. I enjoy reading books.)

For those of you who don't know what the Shiva Trilogy is about, here are a few pointers:
1- The Shiva Trilogy consists of three books: The Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of the Nagas, and The Oath of the Vayaputras
2-These books are based on "Hindu Mythology", from the perspective what if it wasn't myth but it all really happened.
3- Hinduism is a religion followed in India. It dates back to circa. 2600 BC! Yeah it's pretty effing old.
4- Shiva, known as the God of destruction is the protagonist of the story, and it follows his life, trials, love, and leadership.

There are a lot of misconceptions regarding Hinduism, especially because it is such an ancient religion. In fact me thinks, most Indians/ Hindus have no true idea about Hinduism. It is honestly a lot of reading since there are so many different ancient texts (kind of like in Judaism). Recently I began studying my heritage, my culture etc. out of curiosity, and found out numerous things which I had no idea of before. It was not even taught in my undergrad Eastern Religions or Hinduism class (I happened to major in both Psych and Religious studies). I keep reading more about the Vedas and the Gita, having studied the Gita unwillingly as a child, it was interesting to reread it as an adult. Not everything I read about Hinduism sat well with me. Some books said that women must be subservient to men... Guess how I feel about that!  I am yet to find a "perfect religion". And you know what this is why there are so many wars, because everyone thinks their religion is perfect because they do feel so truly about "their" God, Gods, etc. The thing is... it is so hard for people in general to believe, maybe all of the religions are perfect, and perfectly flawed, and I will respect them all, but by doing so this does not hurt my faith in my God.

My adventures through religions, my childhood witnessing of too many "killing in the name of" such and such God/ religion/ prophet/ religious leader, and my cognitive dissonance with certain beliefs of certain religions was enough to put me off all religions and distance myself from it. Instead, I found myself in a very spiritual place, call it new age, hippie-ism, atheism, agnosticism, whatever else you may want to call it - I don't care, where I believe in a higher power (no sex is defined, if it has to be She will be like me), I keep my morals and values, I use my brain and heart, I love and forgive, I respect other people's beliefs, I respect all religions, I try to remember the whole meaning of "Namaste". I'm glad that some of the Western world is slowly studying the history behind Hinduism and Eastern religions and finding true value in it. Yet just because they value it or respect it, or practice parts of it, doesn't mean that they are converting, it's life we adopt, we change! The East learns things from the West.

It seems the general attitude toward Eastern Religions especially Hinduism they are often looked down upon, considered less real, or generally inferior to Abrahamic Religions. Hinduism seems to get hit the worst because it is taught to be and thought to be a polytheistic religion when in fact ONE true God (Brahman) is the force behind all the other "Avatars". It's always dismissed as a religion based on myths rather than true events, unlike the Abrahamic religions, which claim to be more truer because they have more proof, their writings are more recent, monotheistic religions are more believable? There are many other reasons, in fact the Bible says so in many different verses etc. etc. etc. They always have MORE proof.  However the Bible which most people read from is but a translation and interpretation of the mystical words of the olden days saints scholars what have you, which is same as in Hinduism, Buddhism etc. Whatever! I find all the religious texts highly unbelievable when it comes to truth factors, however they are all nice stories and good guides for people who seek more meaning in their life or something.

What I like about the Shiva Trilogy is it takes the ancient texts of the Vedas etc., and puts them into what I like to call a "Christian" thought process, of let's not think of it as mythology, let's interpret this as if Shiva was really a man. Come on Moses parted the Red Sea and he's only known as a prophet and not God; Jesus turned water into wine and he's only known as the son of God; Prophet Mohammad heard the voice of God and wrote an amazing book, and he's known as a Prophet, not God. With the same premise, let's say there was a strong, hunky, unbreakable guy named Shiva, and he did some major feats as a leader in his time. People looked up to him so much, they equated him to Mahadev (God of Gods), but he was truly just a king. However history, turned this literal, thus making it seem such a man was impossible to have existed. So many stories were interpreted wrong, quite possible. Ganesh was not possible because which man has a head of an elephant? This man does: The Elephant Man. Deformities were something which at the time inexplicable, had to be understood in some way... Ganesh, a good man, with severe deformities, became an angel sent unto earth: We can learn to love those who do not necessarily look like us! All the different colored dirties - Lakshmi - Yellow - Chinese? Saraswati - White - Russian? Krishna - Blue - African? Etc.

Or How about ALIENS! I like the Ancient Aliens (History Channel), version of who are the Hindu Gods or Gods in general maybe. It is a scientific explanation of some sort. It theorizes that maybe Ganesh was a time traveler from the future who they thought was a God! Or perhaps he is an alien thus the different form. Hehehe! (An article which I found very interesting during my research). The fact remains though that sadly at the end of the day such a weapon such as religion can be used for bad or good, or for controlling people. Please be wary of this. In the end we do live in a world where one can believe in anything in the Universe they wish to, from something as whimsical as Unicorns, to God in whatever religious sense, to even conspiracy theories regarding governments. Some may try to find proof others may follow unquestioningly.

Truly, most humans need someone telling them what to do. Very few can just live as is. At work, school and play. Humans also enjoy control over certain things, and need explanations for things they can not understand. We look for meaning in our lives, meaning which we need someone else, or something else like an ancient text which was written through some acclaimed ancient dude who heard it from God or some dude of God's which makes the meaning of our lives totally legit!

Honestly, I am so open to all thought processes, as long as people keep holding the following attitudes "My God is more true than yours", or "My religion is superior and truer than yours", I will be unable to accept than any of them are true. In fact I cry that all of this leads to war, war and more war... terrorism, fighting for land, politics, and worse dirty politics... all in the name of what. Really what? In the end it is all ego... Get over it! Go do some yoga and live and let live! And Stop fighting - You know who you are... just stop war and fighting! In the name of Jesus, Allah, Shiva, Moses, etc. etc. etc. I know you didn't start the fire, it was always burning since the world's been turning, but YOU can stop it! For the love of the Gods or God!

And definitely read The Shiva Trilogy, if just for entertainment... it is the next Lord of the Rings! <3

Durga Devi Mahashakti - A Poem

Our Reflection in Mahashakti “Dasavuja”

All mankind

is born, aspiring for perfection

and each shall attain it

will he but follow

his nature’s duty,

listen mindfully, like ‘manifest’ glory.

Now that he holds it

he knows this treasure

above all others.-

Faith so certain

shall never be shaken.

Heaviest sorrow-

vanity, violence-

Pride, lust, anger so bemused-

all possessions though not tainted.

The sense is ego, that matters-

endowed ‘shakti’, let man acquire,

embrace, “Mahashakti” so epitomized.

Endearing and blissfully

ESPIRIT DE CORPS- SO UNIVERSAL,

wonders visibly.

Seer provider omnipotent

our Ma Durga.

Being so obsequious

each of us inspired-

ordained by the nature.

Born out of your showering

noble gifts “Mahagunas” as every.

Empowered to unearth

materials transformed, tranquilled

in our mind & spirit, forever,

surely help us reinvent, bare.

“Mahatman” unfolds austere-

forbearing strength and wisdom

infusing firm faith

to prevailing the truth in us!

Thus our enamoring deity

so ordained by the nature-

mighty and bold

unflinching and fearless

becoming the subtlety of skill

making us a resolute mentor

to work for all humanity

the endeavor, honour

inner strength of mighty deity

help us win the battle of life.

To work for all men-

with humility- “As more we learn,

the little we know”

deserving benediction

-such is the duty of ours

ordained for the serves of

“Mahashakti Durga Devi.

By

Dino Nath Ghosal

This is a poem my grandfather Mr. Dino Nath Ghosal wrote but a few days ago. I hope you enjoyed it.