Tillitonse - A Transformational Journey Together

Tools for Transformation in Our Daily Life: There is no difference between spiritual and worldly life. The moment we try to create a division between our spiritual and daily life, so that in one area we meditate, concentrate and do yoga, whilst in the other we are slaves to the mind, attached to sensory enjoyment, happiness and satisfaction, we are in trouble. However, if we believe that our spir itual life is our daily life, and our daily life is our spiritual life, there will be no conflict. The whole process of spiritual life is to be open and friendly with all fellow beings, to help, guide, love and live in harmony with each other. Six Yogic Capsules: Negativity is a weed which kills and suppresses the power of Positivity. Hatred, jealousy and envy are weeds which suppress the benevolent qualities of the mind. If we are identifying with the weed and we are under the influence of our negative states of mind, then we lose track of the positive nature. Just as a lawn has to be maint...

Relationships.....why do we really get into them? This could apply to romantic ones, or even other social ones? For instance, I found myself what is the purpose of marriage beyond the physical need? "Companionship" is often the answer that comes up. But companionship to what purpose?  As I find myself more discerning about who I spend my time with, I found myself looking inwards for answers to the same question - what drives me to spend time with a few, while keeping away from others? This morning, I had a wonderful weekly gathering with my 2 fellow travellers - awesome. A little while later, another close friend called and we got talking about others in our lives with whom we no longer find the need to connect with. No ill will, but no real desire to spend time with. Why does this happen? What does 'moving apart' really mean? I had learnt in my life that relationships are continued based on on going shared experiences. It is for that reason that while one might i...

The Ocean's Identity Crisis By Matthew Joyce There once was an ocean with an identity crisis... It didn't know who it was. At first the ocean identified itself with its vast and unchanging nature and all was well. But the ocean grew curious to know itself and realized that it could only do so if it knew of something besides its all-encompassing self. So within this all-encompassing state the ocean became aware of its own constant motion and the play of waves upon its surface. And then it began to compare one wave to another. As the waves rose and fell the ocean noticed that one wave was not particularly unique compared to the other waves, but it was fun to focus its awareness on the small changes happening to just one particular wave. As it did so, the ocean became aware that the height of the wave was changing. What had been an even and steady rise and fall in the vastness of the deep sea began to change as it approached the shore. As the wave bottom bumped against ...

Q : What is a Problem and how can Problems be avoided? A : Problems can't be avoided because we don't want to avoid them. If we didn't care about problems, they  wouldn't exist. But we like to take on problems because we are guided by our self-image. Our self-image says one has to be good, considerate and kind, and that is the front we always try to project. As long as we are consciously or unconsciously following the dictates of our self-image, we will never be free from problems. What is a Problem? A problem is something you take upon yourself which is not your natural inclination or expression. Other people imposing their difficulties can become a problem. Somebody offering to help can also be a problem if the help is not expressed in the right manner. Even musing over things can become a problem. Encountering situations that can affect, change and alter our self-perception can become a problem. A sudden influx of negative thoughts can become a problem. An inf...

No, I am not referring to the song from ‘The Sound of Music.’ This weekend, I had two conversations both pointing me towards The Hill. First, let me take a step back about two other hills. Growing up, Phantom comics were a big part of my life. There was something quite amazing about the aura around the Phantom. Phantom took me on a journey to exotic lands – one such being Walker’s Table in the Mesa desert in the US. Walker’s Table was quite an exotic location – bare and isolated. And then there was the famous hill made out of mashed potatoes. Yup, am referring to Richard Dreyfus maniacally replication an image stuck in his head in Spielberg’s ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind.’ Yup, these two hills indeed look very very similar. Not sure why, but these images have stuck in my head. So, over this weekend, when my uncle Madhurai GS Mani and Prof. Muthukrishnan both referred to their strong association with Shri. Ramana Mahari...

Swami Sivananda - The Long Arm of Grace!  If the success of one’s student is the yardstick to measure success as a teacher, then Swami Sivananda is arguable India’s greatest spiritual teacher over the past 100 years or so. In addition to being a spiritual giant, he also encouraged his students to form separate institutions focused on different aspects of spirituality. Some of them are: ·        Chinmayananda Saraswati , founder of the   Chinmaya Mission ·        Satchidananda Saraswati , founder of the Integral Yoga Institutes, Around the world ·        Satyananda Saraswati , founder of Bihar School of Yoga Sw. Sivananda’s mandate to his students to ‘serve, love and give’ continues to inspire so many across the world. There are two important ways in which this great man has intrinsically influenced my life. The first – by birth. But, let me come to this later. The more r...

I visited the Rikhia Ashram of the Bihar School of Yoga last week. A magnificent trip. This trip had many first - the first trip on my own without the guidance of Shantanu, my yoga teacher; the first course I was attending there and yes, the first really long trip (others had been for a few days only). Many wonderful lessons learned in addition to a really tranquil experience. This post captures some key lessons learn Lesson Learned #1: BE KIND The simplest things are often the most profound - In an unscheduled conversation with one of the many 'normal' residents of the Ashrams - I picked up a gem. A short poem in Hindi which roughly translates as "Be Kind, Speak the truth, but don't speak the truth unkindly." For many years, I have thought that being right  (in my eyes) trumped being kind. Over the past few years, I have questioned this. Now, the deal is done. As a wise person said "today I bent the truth to be kind...I have no regrets...for I am...