Tillitonse - A Transformational Journey Together

‘Man Making’ and Not Just ‘Bread Making’ Lessons from my fourth trip to the Bihar School of Yoga, Oct 2013 Ah, with two cups of coffee and some potatoes and parotas down the hatchet, one is ready! The quiet and sanitized conditions of the lounge in Kolkata airport and the flight back to Madras provide an ideal opportunity to look back over the past week spent at the Bihar School of Yoga (BSY) ashram in Munger, Bihar. This note is less about BSY’s World Yoga Convention, but more about the ways this experience has touched me .  I will highlight five particular learnings in this note. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the trip was away from the Convention. The warm and genuine hospitality of Shantanu’s parents has taught me so much. Shantanu is my yoga teacher who has been my guide over the past two years as I have dived into the world of better health, self-analysis and improvement through the tools of yoga.  As I write this note, I realize that I don’t even know his f...

Third Dip Into Pakistan - Charity, Mirror and Be Grateful October 16, 2013 Just completed my third trip to Pakistan in 10 months last week. Each trip there is a voyage of discovery and this trip was no different. As with every great voyage, the lessons we learn about ourselves are the most gratifying. 1. Understanding and appreciating Islam – A few months ago I had a read a piece where the author talks about how Swami Vivekananda (one of the pioneers of modern day Hinduism) thought that that the philosophies of Hinduism married with the application of Islam were an ideal mix. During this trip I had a wonderful opportunity to talk to Imran and Ayesha, a delightful young couple in Karachi. I had read a little about Islam’s focus on charity and when I asked them about it, Imran spoke to me at length how charity is at the heart of Islam. He went out to articulate different types of charity (with strict rules) constitute one of the five pillars of Islam. The type so cha...

How to Manage the Mind? Problem Solution Daily Practice 1. Impurity Karma Yoga. Selfless work. 8hr/day. Plus Hatha Yoga. 8 hr + 1 hr 2. Dissipation – lack of focus Bhakti Yoga – Kirtan, Satsang and reading. Without Bhakti Yoga, cannot overcome dissipation 30 min 3. Ignorance of principles of consciousness (‘chit’) Jnana Yoga –Yoga of philosophical rationality. Asking the tough questions- Why am I doing this? What is the spirit? Etc. Understand the truth – I am part of the cosmic nature. 30 min