Sevika Ford, Author at Integral Yoga San Francisco

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So far Sevika Ford has created 148 blog entries.

What is Mahashivaratri?

by Baba Ghanshyam Puri

The first time I heard of Maha Shivaratri was in Kathmandu, Nepal. Maha Shivaratri is the night of Shiva. During this night, devotees remain awake in contemplation and chant mantrams for the deity known as Shiva in order to receive his auspiciousness. I had the opportunity to experience Maha Shivaratri in Nepal and India on repeated occasions and got involved with it for the first time during my travels in Nepal with Swami Chidananda of the New York IYI as my Guruji and guide.

Swamiji informed me that Shivaratri would take place a few days after the end of my stay in Kathmandu, so I decided to change the departure ticket in order to remain in Kathmandu for the celebration of Maha Shivaratri. Unfortunately, Swamiji did not stay with me as he continued his pilgrimage towards India. I remained by myself in Kathmandu. On the night of Shiva I attended the temple Pashupatinath dedicated to Shiva as his aspect of the Lord of the Animals. It was crowded with thousands of people inside and outside.

There was a mysterious power, an invisible energy present everywhere, which would be felt more intensely when I was chanting with the Sadhus. Pashupatinath is the most important Shiva temple in Nepal. Subsequent occasions of the celebration of Shivaratri took took place in India following this first experience, particularly in Aluva and Keezathingal, Kerala during two different years.

Before the pandemic began, I participated in Maha Shivaratri at the Shiva Murugha Temple of Concord, California, located about an hour north of San Francisco. We chanted Mantras all night including Rudram Chamakam of the Vedas. Yogis who want to achieve immortality perform rituals with water from Holy Rivers. Therefore, on my return from India I brought water from the Holy Rivers Ganges and Yamuna and the pandit or priest used this holy water to perform abhishekam (bath) of the Shiva Lingam at the Temple in Concord. I was quite happy to bring the holy water all the way from India to the U.S. for its use during Maha Shivaratri.

I. INTRODUCTION TO SHIVA AS THE OMNISCIENT YOGI

MEANING OF SHIVA: Shiva literally means the auspicious one. He is also known as Mahadeva, meaning the Great God. Shiva is one of the main deities of Hinduism and the supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva has pre-vedic tribal roots. The figure we know today is an amalgamation of various older vedic and non-vedic deities, including Rudra of the Rig Veda, the Storm God. Shiva is the deity most commonly called Ishwara or the Lord in yogic thought, and is also referred to as Parameshwara or Supreme Lord.

Shiva is the primal Atman, Soul or Self of the Universe. He has both benevolent and fearsome depictions. As an omniscient yogi he lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash, and also as a householder with his wife Parvati and his two children, Ganesha and Kartikeya. Shiva is also depicted as a destroyer, in which he appears slaying demons; hence, Shiva is known as the destroyer within the trimurti, the Hindu trinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu.

II.DIFFERENT TRADITIONS

SHAIVITE – Shiva is the supreme Lord who creates, protects and transforms the universe.

SHAKTA – In this tradition, the Goddess, or Devi, is described as one of the supreme deities and Shiva is revered along with Vishnu and Brahma. A Goddess is considered the energy and creative power (Shakti) of each, with Paravati (Sati) the equal complementary partner of Shiva.

SHIVA AS YOGI — Shiva is known as Adiyogi Shiva, regarded as the patron god of yoga, meditation, and arts.

ICONOGRAPHY AND SHIVALINGAM – the symbolic attributes of Shiva are many. Shiva is worshipped in the aniconic form of Lingam with the absence of material representations of natural and supernatural worlds.

III. SHIVA:THE OMNISCIENT YOGI

There is a strong connection of yoga and the symbolism of Shiva. Once I realized the many different aspects and symbols of Shiva related to yoga, I decided to embrace those attributes as part of my own yoga sadhana. As I began to understand more about Shiva and the calm he represents, I embraced prathyahara and dharana and began to experience dhyana. As a result, the path to Samadhi became more clearly pointed out as well.

Shiva represents a panoply of the important essential yogic factors like calm, balance, and dissolution of attachments. Below is a short description of some of them:

NIRODAHA: CALMING MENTAL DISTURBANCES THROUGH THE POWER OF STILLNESS

Shiva is the prime deity governing stillness and silence that is the state of Nirodha or Nirvana, in which the disturbances of the mind and heart are dissolved. “Chitta Vritti Nirodha” or calming the disturbances of the mind. Nirodha is the Shiva Principle of peace and stillness in Yoga.

BALANCE, AWARENESS, CALM, PRESENCE

In meditation we realize Shiva represents the original essence and power of yoga. All forms of yoga involve emulating certain qualities associated with Shiva and his energies of stillness and transformation. We can say that the “State of yoga” is the “State of Shiva”, where Shiva symbolizes balance, silence, steadiness, awareness, calm, and presence; these are the factors that constitute the essence of all Yoga practices. Other aspects of Shiva relate to his power of stillness to release attachments and karmic compulsions based on prior impressions or vasanas.

SHIVA IS THE REALIZATION OF THE COSMIC PERSON PRUSHA, who is the witness beyond all the fluctuations of body and mind, and disturbances of the gunas or external qualities of nature. Swami Satchidananda in his commentary mentions that: “You are the Seer who wants to see itself… …the Seer, or true you, reflects in the mind which is your mirror.” YS 1.3; pp 6, 7. The state of Being Shiva can be defined as the supreme state of detachment and observation.

The last part I want to mention relates to the yoga sutras of Patanjali which mention how to develop the faculty of witnessing and samadhi. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras describe Shiva as the Seer, the witness of all, beyond birth and death. Yoga works through developing this “seer-power” in the seat of meditation. The steps to achieve this skill involve calming the mind and developing a state of intense concentration called Samadhi or absorption. This is the main means of any Yoga practice.

I.23 Isvarapranidhanad va: surrendering to ishvara as means to samadhi “…or by devotion with total dedication to God – Ishvara, as a means to reach Samadhi.”

I.27 Tasya vacakah pranava: OM as means to contact Ishvara: The main means of contacting Ishvar is through Pranava or primordial sound vibration, the seed mantra OM.

In our yoga we discover Shiva’s power of perfect peace within ourselves. Maha Shivaratri is an occasion for all yogis and devotees to reflect on how to connect more deeply to the essence of their practice at every level, especially towards the development of the sadhana’s subtle aspects conducive to reaching Samadhi.

Please join me and Swami Ramananda for a celebration of Mahashivaratri. We will contemplate the attributes and forms of Shiva and lead a puja, followed by chanting. Details for this online event can be found at this LINK.

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

Baba Ghanshyam Puri is a Bhakta who has practiced yoga for over twenty five years and is certified to teach all levels of Hatha Yoga and Stress Management. He is a former attorney who became an Integral Yoga Teacher in 2010. He has taught in the United States, Mexico, Spain, and India. “Yoga can point the path to the Divine”, he sustains.
His devotion to the Guru, Swami Satchidananda, led him to India to experience the teachings of Gurudev directly. Puri resided temporarily at the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, India, where he studied at the Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy. The following years, Babaji went on extensive pilgrimages throughout all India, Nepal, and other countries. In 2017 he completed the Maha Yatra or great trip to the Twelve Temples of Lord Shiva known as Jyotirlingas. Subsequently, he took Vel Kavadi for purification purposes in 2018. The following year he attended Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj and took Shahi Snan (holy bath for purification) with the order of Naga Babas of Juna Akhara. Puri took Diksha or initiation and became a member of Juna Akhara in February 2019 at Kumbh Mela. Babaji is an Ayurvedic Life-Style Consultant, leads yoga retreats in Mexico, teaches classes online, and since 2011 has been leading community classes in San Francisco.

Sevika Ford2021-03-04T19:08:46-08:00March 4th, 2021|Tags: bhakti yoga|

The Inner Side of Chanting

by Acharya Mangalananda

Ah! The joy and the power of chanting the Divine Names! Chanting the sacred Names of God is a viable practice in every genuine spiritual Path. From the “La Ilaha illAllah” of the Sufis To the “Baruch ata Adonai” of Jewish mysticism to the Jesus Prayer of the Eastern Orthodox Church, all Traditions revere the revealed Names of the Divine and their inherent transformational power.

The practice of Yoga comes from the ancient Indian Tradition of Sanatana Dharma, commonly known as Hinduism. The very foundation of Sanatana Dharma is the inner revelation passed down from the ancient Rishis (Seers) who heard the Divine Mantras, or sound formulas, vibrating as the basis of the Universe. Beginning with the sacred “OM” sound, branching out into the eternal Gayatri Mantra and descending down into the invocative mantras calling forth all the varied forms and attributes of the one Brahman, or God, these mantras are used for meditation, purification, and invocation. Countless generations of perfected and realized Yogis and Siddhas testify to their efficacy in bringing inner awakening and healing and ultimately the revelation of the pure soul of humanity deeply buried in the human heart. The Saints have told us that the Name of God is God, the Divine revealing Itself as sound (“Shabda Brahman” – God as sound).

In our yogic practice, we use them inwardly in silent meditation, chanting them mentally and tuning them to the rhythm of the breath. Sometimes chants are intoned in a basic monotone, feeling the vibration of the voice. But the most joyous way of intoning mantras is the communal chanting of these Names set to music. This is called kirtan and has become a very popular genre of music worldwide in recent years. In this practice, the mantras are set to music, usually using the traditional ragas or scales of classical Indian music and sung in a call-and-response fashion, led by a competent musician. In this melodious and enjoyable chanting, the deep healing vibrations of each mantra are experienced, and this brings an inner joy, and occasionally even an ecstatic feeling which accounts for the popularity of the practice.

I have been practicing and performing kirtan for over 40 years and love it with all my heart. I have studied music in India and toured the world presenting kirtan events. Join me and my full kirtan band on March 13th for an evening of kirtan. Details HERE

Whether an experienced kirtan chanter, or totally new to the practice, please join us and experience the joy and upliftment of this ancient, yet eternally new and relevant practice.

Jai Ma!

Acharya Mangalananda has learned by deep immersion the traditional spiritual music of India. His kirtan is couched in the mystical ragas of India and is full of the lively ecstatic joy of the Divine Names.
Mangalananda has toured extensively throughout India, Europe and the USA, presenting kirtan concerts, yoga classes and workshop retreats. He is an Acharya (an appointed Spiritual Teacher) of Ma Anandamayi Ashram in Omkareshwar / Indore in the lineage of Sri Anandamayi Ma.

Sevika Ford2021-03-03T16:50:44-08:00March 3rd, 2021|Tags: bhakti yoga, Kirtan|

Embracing Our Higher Purpose

by Swami Ramananda

As the month of March begins, many of us in the northern hemisphere eagerly anticipate the arrival of Spring. Along with longer, warmer days and the flowering of plant life, Spring holds for us the potential for personal growth and awakening creative energies. But winter is not quite over and the global pandemic has not yet loosened its grip on our lives. We cannot yet break out of the contracted and isolated lifestyle we’ve adopted.

In some traditions, this season is one of self-reflection, making sacrifices for a higher purpose and purifying oneself in preparation for new growth. I believe this is what we are called to do at this moment to lay a foundation for a healthier world. We have the opportunity to see ourselves more than ever as an interconnected global family, and turn the sufferings and losses caused by COVID into compost for growing new forms of collaboration to solve the crises that threaten us all.

At the most basic level, we need to continue to sacrifice some of our personal freedoms to protect each other. The word sacrifice may conjure up images of killing animals on an altar or dogmatic religious practices. Understood in a spiritual context, it is the willingness to renounce some personal desires in order to serve a higher purpose. It means dedicating our time and energy in ways that serve the greater good instead of individual preferences.

In a way, all of our spiritual practices are a form of sacrifice—using our energies to heal the body, purify the heart, and quiet the mind in order to awaken to the spiritual ground of being we share with all of life. A clear example of this is fasting.

Fasting is practiced this time of year in the Christian tradition and later in Spring in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. It involves limiting what we eat and drink in mindful ways that allow the body to cleanse itself. Fasting also enables us to reflect on how dependent we are on those forms of pleasure, and it aligns our consumption with our intention to experience ever more fully the Divine Presence within. It develops willpower and brings a fiery clarity to the mind that deepens meditation.

Sacrifice can take the form of a small self-discipline, like letting go of a plan to watch a movie one evening in order to get enough rest for the next morning’s meditation. It is not meant to be a repression of our impulses or a denial of genuine needs. It becomes easy to say no to many things when we have a greater yes, a higher purpose in our hearts.

During this pandemic, we’ve had a good look at the dysfunction of our worldwide community. Our inability to truly work together has come at a high price—2.5 million deaths—many of which could have been prevented if we weren’t so busy fighting with each other.

Humanity is an ocean comprised of individual drops. At least as individuals, we can make small sacrifices to build bridges between ourselves and others instead of staying entrenched in our views. We can look deeply to see the unexpressed needs behind others’ disruptive behavior and find mindful ways to speak our truth without condemning others.

When things open up again, it will take a real effort and commitment not to slide back into the old habits and divisions we participated in before. The next few months are crucial. Many people are tiring of isolation and may become frustrated and careless or fall into depression. Now is the time we need the conviction to stand strong and clear in the face of this lingering adversity we all face, to sacrifice some comforts in order to adhere to our values when others may not. Our eyes have been opened–let’s not close them again.

Swami Ramananda is the Executive Director of the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco and a greatly respected senior teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition, who has been practicing Yoga for over 45 years. Ramananda offers practical methods of integrating the timeless teachings and practices of Yoga into daily life, and transforming the painful aspects of human experience into steps toward realizing one’s full potential.

He leads beginner, intermediate and advanced level Yoga teacher training programs in San Francisco, and offers a variety of programs in many locations in the U.S., Europe and South America. Ramananda co-developed the Stress Management Teacher Training program with Swami Vidyananda, has trained many teachers to bring Yoga into corporate, hospital and medical settings, and has taught mind/body wellness programs in many locations. He is a certified Yoga therapist and founding board member of the Yoga Alliance, a national registry that supports and promotes yoga teachers as professionals. He is a co-founder of The Spiritual Action Initiative (SAI) which brings together individuals committed to working for social justice for all beings and for the care and healing of our natural world. His warmth, wisdom and sense of humor have endeared him to many.

Sevika Ford2021-03-09T13:39:58-08:00March 1st, 2021|

Getting Emotional About Emotional Regulation

by Rich Panico

Emotions are the motive force of the mind. They get the vrittis spinning and turn samskara from building material into a destiny. In current psychological parlance, successful regulation of emotions correlates with virtuosity in relationship, career, and individual existential satisfaction. Emotional regulation protects individuals from the acquired aspect of mental illness and is important in the treatment of established depression and anxiety disorders.

When mindfulness is added to contemporary psychological efforts to address emotional regulation, “possibility” arises as an inherent property of mindfulness practice. Possibility is of course the antidote to “stuckness” and on the street is known as freedom. Freedom and its hard earned acquisition, as Richie Havens tried to tell us, has in turn side effects that you just have to learn to put up with: joyfulness, resilience, trust in self, exploratory behavior, gratefulness, whole-hearted engagement, creativity, and so on.

Regulation of emotions is a fairly simple affair but…(I know you saw this coming) it is not easy. It involves understanding and cultivating a set of skills, a willingness to “look under the hood,” and the discipline to develop a practice.

The Yoga Sutra suggests that Yoga (and mindfulness meditation) is in fact a process of seeing, stilling, and disidentifying on multiple levels of experience, allowing the mud and confusion to settle so that “seeing” becomes clear, and action and inaction become a wise and skillful choice based on that clarity. Add a little intention and you have a life worth living, a durable vehicle to cross the sea of existence, working skillfully with the weather and currents that may arise and — this is important — have navigational skills and a sense of where you’re going.

My goal in offering this class is to have fun. The path to liberation can get serious, heavy and even grim. This path is too important to take seriously. We will discover that accessing emotions from a psychological perspective involves play as well as reaccessing and amending developmental entanglements with emotion. Some level of childlike delight becomes one of the more helpful attainments necessary to pull this off. It’s hard to develop delight without some level of fun.

Please join us for a free introductory talk followed by a four-week class on meditation for emotional regulation. See HERE for details.

Rich Panico is an artist, yogi and physician known for his humor and clarity in teaching. He has practiced meditation and yoga since 1970 and began teaching mindfulness woven into pottery making classes in the late 70’s. He he has taught mindfulness formally, in medical, academic and art related settings for over 20 years.