Rishis of old, speak of the mystical sound that lies within every manifest being. In Sanskrit, this sound is called OM or Nadam. It is the sound of silence and…

Trust creates peace. ~Yogi Tea Tea Fortune: My tea fortune instructed my contemplation this morning. It said: ‘Trust creates peace.’ After reading it, I started thinking how in yogic practice…

Pause and consider the principle of Nadam. Read from the book ‘Nada Yoga’, by Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati** 3 x’s each week Meditate for 8 minutes. Watch your body and mind….

Reverence to the Gurus’ Lotus Feet Meaning of July Each year we celebrate the full moon of the guru known as Guru-Purnima. This celebration is marked in July because in India…

This June I thought to highlight a passage of something I read from my teacher, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati. He writes about language being like a river. In his statement, he evokes images…

Each of us work with rituals that sustain and nourish us. This month I am suggesting that students work with this simple Devi Puja, as a new ritual for immersing…

Interview with Manorama by Lisa Dawn Angerame For Yoga City NYC, March 2013 It is said that the trinity of the Goddess, devi, is represented by Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga….

Question from Student: I’m a beginning student and recently attended a workshop with you. I become overwhelmed when I review my notes from class, or listen to your spoken word…

Question from Student: I’m a beginner to meditation. I’ve been working on maintaining a daily practice. Recently I had an intense experience when sitting down to practice in which my…

Yoga Sutra 1:12 abhyasa-vairagyabhyam tan-nirodhah The mind is made tranquil by practice and non-attachment Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is a mystical text that guides you from a lack of awareness about…

Narayani Namo’Stu Te With my head resting at your feet Ma, I offer you, my sincerest love and respect. Saturated in the lap of the mother. Held close to her…

Interview with Manorama by Lisa Dawn Angerame, For Yoga City NYC, November 2012 Manorama D’Alvia met her guru at a young age and spent many years learning from and serving Shri Brahmananda…

Old School Teachings Early in my training, Guru ji, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, taught me that life is either a play or a drama.  He said it would all depend on how I saw it. What he meant was, see life as a play and you will see clearly, see it as a drama and…

Jyoti means light. We see it used in mantras as far back as the times of the Upanisads. Upanisad Verse: Asato Ma Sad Gamaya Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya Mrtyor Ma…

Suggested Practice: 2 x’s per week for 10 minutes Grounding: Begin your practice with this guided meditation Find a comfortable seat either in a chair or on the floor in…

Beginning of Service As a child, I took in many stray animals. Leaving food in dishes and playing with them whenever they came near. I recall having the same feeling for impoverished children. This feeling of empathy was brought forward in me…

I was late to pick up Guru ji. Oddly, it was my usual. I beat to my own drum in those early teenage days. Evening program began at 7:30 pm but I was still getting…

The Sanskrit word vidya, knowledge, derives from the root vid to know. This is significant as vidya forms the basis of all yogic teachings.  Knowledge is the fountain from which all goodness and light are said to flow. And vidya  is the channel…

According to the dictionary, vibration is defined as: ‘of or relating to the act of vibration.’ Hmmm… ‘Relating to the act of vibration’… I sat with the definition a bit…

We live in the universe of continuous vibration, yet how many of us are aware of our own underlying energy or even the value in understanding it. With the rise…