Yoga In Daily Life: The System
The heart of this center is unity through selfless service. Founded on a vision of yoga as unity, it manifests as humanitarian action. The central building, shaped like Om, symbolizes divine beauty and balance. Education is a core mission, providing for poor, orphaned, and disabled children to create balanced citizens. The center operates a hospital, a fire service, and a cow sanctuary, offering refuge and care. A major water project created a lake and hill to secure water for the area, turning desert into life. Tree planting supports this sustainable development. The strength for all service comes from inner yoga practice, controlling body, breath, and mind to find wholeness. This work transforms ideals into reality.
"Making a man is not the function of parliaments; making a real man with full human qualities is the function of education alone."
"The hands that help are more valuable than the hands that pray."
Filming location: Jadan, Rajasthan, India
DVD 189
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Vegetarian cooking lesson 6
Preparing seeds and soup reveals simple principles for mindful nourishment.
Roast sunflower or pumpkin seeds until they pop. Use dissolved salted water to coat them evenly, as dry salt would fall away. The iron-rich residue at the bottom is harmless. For a creamy soup, add water and consider celery, which is naturally salty and may need no extra salt. A little salt in the water is sufficient to make the seeds taste salty with minimal actual salt. After cooking, let it cool for a salad or snack. Enhance the soup with fresh coriander or basil, including their flowers. Flowers like roses and violets are edible and calming; add them at the end without cooking. They nourish the soul, while vegetables nourish the body. Serve with creativity, such as pancakes with cream or ice cream, to bring joy.
"Then each and every seed gets covered with a little salt, so when we taste it, it tastes salty, but there is actually very, very little salt in it."
"Vegetables and fruits are nutritious for our body, but the flowers are nutritious for the soul—or so they say."
What is the most precious thing in life?
The most precious thing in life is good health, which yoga provides as a gift from Svayaṁbhū Śiva. This primordial consciousness, unborn and without parents, manifested all creation from the single thought, "I am one, and I will multiply." This manifestation is Sanātana Dharma—the eternal principle of oneness in all existence, not a religion. Humans have lost this spirituality, creating separate religions instead. True religion is to realize your relation to God, leading to Self-Realization where the individual soul and God are one. Life's quality depends on aligning with the positive, divine power (Devī Śakti) of love and non-violence, not the negative (Āsurī Śakti) of harm. In the current Kali Yuga, suffering prevails as humans become selfish, governed by material desire like gold. The only solution is to renounce attachment and thereby enjoy true freedom and enter the kingdom of God.
"Realize your relation to God is the religion."
"Renounce and enjoy."
Filming location: Maribor, Slovenia
There is no end of learning
The ashram is heaven on earth, a place of immense energy where the Guru is always present in essence. A journey unfolds through divine guidance, not personal will. A trip to India for Guru Pūrṇimā was redirected by unseen forces, leading one back to the ashram family. Later, guidance came through a spoken sentence about Romania, which led to the establishment of an ashram there through inner instruction, not conversation. A pilgrimage to holy sites in the Himalayas was similarly guided, with paths clearing miraculously to allow darśan. In all endeavors, the Guru's direction is for self-learning. Yoga is a path to discover who one is. Scientific research into modified prāṇāyāma, inspired by the Guru's words, later fostered a university collaboration and a successful public yoga event, where a protective cloud appeared as a sign.
"With our yoga in daily life, it is not just āsana. It is a way to learn about ourselves and to look at ourselves."
"One sentence from Gurudev can change and influence so many things."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Rules and regulations are important
Sādhana rests upon four essential principles: conduct, thought, diet, and recreation.
Discipline in behavior is paramount, encompassing punctuality and consideration. Thought must be guarded, as exchanging distracting thoughts creates disturbances within the mind and intellect, leading to afflictions and obstacles. Therefore, many masters impose strict silence during practice. Such rigorous retreats, even for corporate leaders, serve as treatments for stress and psychic turmoil by forcing confrontation with internal heat and agitation, which are then calmed by the Master's guidance. Personal transformation through consistent practice affects one's entire environment, bringing peace to relationships. The essence is to speak only what is necessary, avoiding idle talk. Adherence to these principles of conduct, thought, moderate eating, and mindful activity forms the foundation of successful spiritual practice.
"Exchanging your thoughts will disturb you, definitely. Because such thoughts in sādhana create vikṣepa."
"Speak what is necessary. That’s very important for sādhana."
