Your faith is Your liberator
The mission of human life is self-realization. Today commemorates the victory of truth over falsehood. To navigate life successfully, ask five questions daily. First, remember "I am a human," which awakens inner discernment to avoid negative actions. Human qualities like knowledge, kindness, and forgiveness distinguish us; these hidden treasures must be protected. Neglecting these qualities for negative thoughts spoils them, like lemon in milk. Dry intellect without devotion is lost. The prime mission is not worldly achievements but Ātmā-jñāna, realizing the universal Self within all. This human birth offers unique tools for this purpose. Life is a transient theater; we must use our time to realize the immortal Ātmā. Liberation requires sincere practice and unshakable faith in the guiding grace.
"God does not want these tricks. God Kṛṣṇa, Gopāla, is happy when you are doing really with an honest heart, with love."
"In this Kali Yuga, we have only one hope: the name of God, mantra, your mantra. Repeat and repeat and repeat. O human, you will cross the ocean."
Filming location: Vienna, Austria
DVD 386
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Purify your prana
The nature of prāṇa is difficult to explain. Prāṇa is life, distinct from oxygen. When the soul leaves the body, the prāṇa departs as well; the body is declared dead. These two are very close, perhaps one within the other. Once prāṇa leaves, it cannot return—like water in a flowing river. That specific presence is gone. The departed soul travels at high speed; connection remains only through memory and feeling. Prāṇa is omnipresent like space, while the soul moves within it. Through practices like prāṇāyāma, resonance moves from the navel to the crown. This resonance is prāṇa. Our prayers and energy, sent through prāṇa, cannot change a soul's destiny but can grant freedom and affect its astral path. Prāṇa is the miracle. Some beings demonstrate total control over it, like a sādhu unharmed in fire. Ultimately, prāṇa is Ātmā—omnipresent. The goal is to purify personal prāṇa and connect it to the Cosmic Prāṇa. This is Yoga. Surrender is essential.
"Prāṇa is life. But oxygen is also life. No oxygen, no life. Yet, oxygen is different and prāṇa is different."
"Prāṇa is ātmā. Ātmā is everywhere, omnipresent."
Filming location: Vép, Hungary
The Eternal Bond of Guru and Disciple
The bond between guru and disciple is the only permanent bond, chosen with full awareness. Other relationships, like family, are given without choice. In Kali Yuga, finding a true guru is rare. We are blessed to be in a lineage, a paramparā, starting with Śrī Alakpurījī in the Himalayas. The guru is the light from darkness. We need a guide just as we needed parents and teachers. The spiritual path is structured through four life stages, culminating in sannyās. The greatest gift is initiation with a mantra, a direct conversation with the divine. The story of Eklavya illustrates perfect guru bhakti and surrender, offering his thumb as guru dakṣiṇā. The guru is trikāla-darśī, seeing all time. We must not question the guru's instruction, as illustrated by a story where a guru's warning saved a man from an attack. Another story tells of a guru who helped princes rewrite their destined poverty through faith and specific instructions. The guru has the power to transform destiny, but we must c
Around the world - Yoga exercises specifically for women
This is a gentle yoga sequence for menstrual well-being. We begin with relaxation and full yogic breath to harmonize body and mind. Specific postures target the pelvic area and lower back. The first exercise involves bringing one knee to the chest, then extending the leg, performed slowly and consciously. This is followed by Marjari, the cat pose, to create a supple back. We then practice hip-opening postures like the half and full butterfly. A key squatting pose is emphasized for menstrual issues, grounding, and leg strength. We proceed to Setu Āsana, the bridge, to strengthen the lower body. A final side-lying balance pose benefits the lower abdomen. Conclude by feeling the effects of the practice.
"This exercise is especially good for menstrual problems, and also beneficial for the lower back, constipation, and hips."
"This pose is especially good for women... for irregular menstruation, or for heavy bleeding between periods."
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
