Podcasts about swami sitaramananda

The Mind, Its Mysteries and Control with Swami Sitaramananda

Diseases do not happen like right away, let's say you are angry, you are resentful, it stays in the system for a long time; resentment is like rust, slowly, slowly it eats your body as it eats your mind; so then slowly slowly, after ten years of resentment, you develop some kind of problem, for example, problems on the liver, arthritis problem. Any physical health problem always has some kind of equivalence in the mind. If you are grieving, for example, you were crying, or you never really recovered for years, then you might one day have a problem with the lungs. Right now, our whole human community on earth appears to be sick.  We have the Corona virus which attacks our lungs and we have difficulty breathing.  Then you have to look at it, there is a meaning there, grieving, grieving, sadness; It is the lungs that are lacking joy, lacking energy; you cannot breathe, there's no air you feel suffocated.  This you need to read in yourself and also in the world, okay? People have lung problems from Corona virus and then they also have heart problems as one of the effects of the virus. The heart is the center, it pumps the blood everywhere, so if some problem occurs at the heart level, it is serious.

In this talk on Accepting the Shift in Your Inner Motivation, Swami Sitaramananda explains the traditional vedic society culture and we progress in our life from tams to rajas to sattva.  From brahmacharya to grihasta to vanaprasta to sannyasa.  From kama to artha to dharma to moksha.  From sudra to vaishya to kshatriya to brahmin.  And finally from believing ourself to be this limited body and mind to understanding we are in fact Atman, the infinite supreme reality.

Swami Sitaramananda talks about her experience and teaches about the meaning of guru in classical Sivananda yoga.

Swami Sitaramananda gives a talk on July 14, 2021 for HH. Swami Sivananda Mahasamadhi. Swamiji says that to understand our purpose we must always start from yourself and know that we are looking to understand the topic at hand of the relationship of a teacher to student. To understand the concept of guru we must know what we are seeking for - looking for. We want to improve our life by finding peace, truth, knowledge, liberate from suffering.

Raja Yoga Quote: “In the beginning of your Sadhana, you will encounter various difficulties. You will not be conscious of any spiritual progress, but you will be conscious of your failures in your attempts in meditation, the resistance you meet, your defects and weaknesses.” – Swami Sivananda in “Sivananda Upanishad” Raja Yoga is the path of systematic analysis and control of the mind. Compiled by Patanjali Maharishi, Raja Yoga is also known as Ashtanga Yoga, because its practices can be divided into eight limbs. Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, and Mantra Yoga are all parts of Raja Yoga. The goal is to control the chitta vrittis, or thought waves, and thus attain the super-conscious state of mind, the final goal. Ashtanga Yoga – The eight limbs #1 Yamas – the restrictions Ahimsa – non violence, non injury. Vegetarianism is part of the practice of ahimsa. The great Indian saint Gandhi is famous for the practice of ahimsa Satya: truthfulness, not telling lies. Brahmacharya: chastity, sublimation of sexual energy. Asteya: non-stealing, non covetousness, lack of jealousy. Aparigraha: non-accepting of gifts or bribes. #2 Niyamas – the observances Saucha: purity (external and internal). Santosha: contentment. Tapas: austerity. Swadhyaya: study of religious scripture. Ishwara Pranidhana: worship of the Lord, surrender of the ego. #3 Asana – steady pose For spiritual pursuit, as for any other pursuit in life, a healthy and strong system is essential. A steady mind presupposes a steady body. #4 Pranayama Control of the vital energy #5 Pratyahara withdrawal of the senses from objects #6 Dharana Concentrating the mind upon either an external object or an internal idea, to the exclusion of all other thoughts. #7 Dhyana Meditation is defined as an unbroken flow of thought towards God to the exclusion of other sensual perception. #8 Samadhi super-conscious state Note that the Yamas and Niyamas constitute the ethical foundation of the Yoga practice, straighten out the mind, and help reduce agitations and restlessness. Asana, Pranayama and Pratyahara are external practices, while Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi are considered advanced internal practices. Even though there is an idea of progression in the practices, one doesn't have to wait for ethical perfection before attempting concentration and meditation. In fact all the stages are involved together. For example, one cannot meditate if one doesn't have good posture and possess a certain calmness of breath, thus achieving an inner focus at the exclusion of everything else.

These 9 Practices for Success in Meditation comes from Patanjali Maharishi's Raja Yoga Sutras.  In this text, Patanjali outlines, 9 obstacles to our practice.  If we can overcome these 9 obstacles then we can have success in our meditation.  The following obstacles are: Disease, Mental torpor, Doubt, Indifference, Laziness, Craving for pleasure, Delusion, Inability to practice due to lack of concentration, Restlessness of mind due to distractions.

This recording is a satsang on the 5 Kleshas or 5 Types of Suffering with Swami Sitaramananda.  This teaching is taken from Patanjali Maharishi's Raja Yoga Sutras writted thousands of years ago.  It is commented on in the Meditation & Mantas by Swami Vishnudevananda. The 5 types of suffering come from Ignorance, Egoism, attraction, aversion, and fear of death.  The only solution to this is Yoga which alleviates our suffering.  Sometimes we think "I am the only one suffering" - but in fact everyone is suffering.  The ancient sages knew this reason of why we suffer and give us specific yoga practices to help.  

This topic on Skill in Action (Karma Yoga) with Swami Sitaramananda is coming from the Bhagavad Gita which has teachings on the 4 paths of Yoga.  Specifically, Karma yoga is the yoga of action and teaches us that everything we do with our thoughts, speech, and body is action.  Karma is everything. We are thinking all the time, so we should take time to consider this as an action.  All action has consequence and there is a karmic reason for our birth and for our specific situation in life  We should learn our lessons from this life as we experience the result of our past action.

Swami Adi Parashaktiananda is a dedicated Sadhak and Hatha Yoga practitioner and teacher, graduated from Sivananda Teachers Training Course in 2007 at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, CA. He took the first monastic vow from Sivananda lineage in 2011 and has been traveling yearly to Vietnam as Swami Sitaramananda’s assistant since then.  Swamiji has been teaching the Hatha Yoga classes for the Teachers Training Course and has also been traveling to Chengdu, China to help teach the Teachers Training Course there. He teaches a 7-day Hatha Yoga Sadhana course and the 14-day Sivananda Sadhana Intensive course, whose emphasis is on individual practice of pranayama. Swamiji took sannyas vows in 2017 and received the name Swami Adi Parasahktiananda.

How the vedic sciences help with Eco-Yoga (yamas and niyamas, Vedanta of oneness, ayurvedic living according to nature and natural healing, jyotish teaching on karma, as well as vastu considerations)

This podcast is an a webinar by Swami Sitaramananda from 2016.  Swamiji discusses Yoga and Healing and how holistic healing of body, mind, and spirit can happen through the practice of yoga asana, pranayama, relaxation, and meditation.  Swamiji also discusses the new yoga therapy program that is being offered and how this helps us to return to our true nature.

Swami Sivananda says that Life is an expression of something higher.  Life is joy, life is a conscious stream, life is a voyage.  In this podcast, Swami Sitaramananda reads about the meaning of life and explains why someone starts to actually ask this question by giving examples from her own life and journey.  She explains how by coming to an ashram and turning to yoga helps in this discovery.  

In this podcast, Swami Sitaramananda will explain the criteria to determine if you are progressing and what the point of progressing is.  In our life we want to develop and grow our potential. Yoga offers specific practices that help us on this journey to realize our Self.  In this way we can wake up from all illusions and false ideas.  We can re-adjust our thinking and realize our True Nature.

In this talk Swami Sitaramananda will teach about our negative emotional patterns and we can turn this instead into Selfless love.  The main practice to do this is through Bhakti yoga (the yoga of devotion).  By doing this we uplift our self and others and we  spiritualize our relationships with others. Normally we are suffering because we all aspire to love 100% but we fail to feel this way most of the time.  Instead we feel like we are losing ourself, our mind is swinging and we suffer from the paradox of wanting to lose ourself in love. Swamiji will teach that Love is the true goal of life and this love is for ever.  By learning how to practice Universal Love we can come to a state of True happiness.

In this talk Swami Sitaramananda will teach about our negative emotional patterns and we can turn this instead into Selfless love.  The main practice to do this is through Bhakti yoga (the yoga of devotion).  By doing this we uplift our self and others and we  spiritualize our relationships with others. Normally we are suffering because we all aspire to love 100% but we fail to feel this way most of the time.  Instead we feel like we are losing ourself, our mind is swinging and we suffer from the paradox of wanting to lose ourself in love. Swamiji will teach that Love is the true goal of life and this love is for ever.  By learning how to practice Universal Love we can come to a state of True happiness.

In this talk by Swami Sitaramananda, Swamiji will discuss how to bring harmony to chaos.  In this world of ups and downs we need to have tools that we can use to regulate our mind and find balance.  Yoga recommends the 5 points of yoga: proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet, and positive thinking and meditation.

In this talk, Swami Sitaramananda will discuss the Yogic view on Positive Thinking.  She will discuss the importance of thoughts, how to think correctly about thoughts, and practical tools and tips to use in your daily life to become more aware and conscious of your thinking patterns.

What does it mean to live a life of yoga? Simply put: yoga offers us the opportunity to live fully—joyfully, consciously, and purposefully. Swami Sitaramananda, head of the Sivananda Centers on the West Coast of the United States and in Asia, and Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian will explore the joys and challenges of living a yoga life—offering gems of inspiration and practical wisdom from their decades of practice.   

Although yoga philosophy teaches that there is only one Supreme Consciousness as the source and substance of all that is, there are many different ways to realize this oneness. Classical yoga includes four major paths to suit the varied temperaments of students: Bhakti Yoga, the path of the heart, or devotion; Karma Yoga, the way of selflessly using our hands in service to the Divine in others; Jnana Yoga, which uses the mind to go beyond the mind; and Raja Yoga, which uses meditation and other techniques to directly experience the Divine. Join Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian and her special guest Swami Sitaramananda, Acharya of the U.S. West Coast Sivananda centers and of the Sivananda mission in Asia, for a conversation about the four paths of yoga, and find the path that is right for you!

Swami Sitaramananda is a senior disciple of Swami Vishnudevananda and acharya of the US West Coast centers and Ashram. I love Swami Sita! https://sivanandayogafarm.org/