'One' Words from Sri Swami Sivananda

 

Extracts from Bhakti Yoga by Swami Sivananda

'Brahman is one. Truth or God is one. Scriptures are one. Vedas are one. Virtue and devotion, concentration, meditation and samadhi are one.  Realisation, true religion, the religion of love and the religion of self-realisation are all one.  Energy is one. Sun and Moon are one. Space is one. Thought image is one, though languages are different.  Mercy and sincerity are one.  There is no such thing as American sincerity and Japanese honesty.  Body is one.  It is made up of the five elements in England, China or Africa.  Blood is one.  The blood of a Chinese person, African, English or American is all the same.  It contains the same blood-plasma, haemoglobin, red corpuscles and leococytes. 

The feeling is the same in all.  If you call anyone a fool or a vagabond he gets upset or angry.  Everyone gets hungry, thirsty, has defication, exhilaration, depression, happy and wonderful moods.  The heart, liver, spleen, bowels, the organs of action and sensation, the intellectual faculty that comprehends is the same in all.  The goal to be reached by all - realisation of the self is the same.  

Take the kernal, core or essence and ruthlessly throw away the skin or shell.  Are they not fools who leave the grain and waste their time in quarreling about the chaff?  I pity them.  They are hopeless specimens of humanity.

Life is short and time is fleeting.  Time is precious.  Remember the goal and the purpose for which you have taken this physical body.  Struggle hard towards the fulfiilment of the end you have come here to accomplish.  Let all march courageously toward the goal, be it by train, tonga, bike, car or plane.  Let all strive after the truth, which is fundamentally the same in all sects, cults or schools. 

If the essence of all religions is one and the same, to what avail is this wrangling and quarreling amongst sects or people?  Let us therefore strive in right earnest after the achievement of that great end of human life, the true essence of all religions - devotion to Gods divine love or Bhakti - which alone can free us from the wheel of births and deaths, give us higher knowledge, infinite bliss, supreme peace, essential satisfaction and immortality!'

Sri Swami Sivananda

If anyone is interested in the complete book Bhakti Yoga in PDF format please contact me on nickymangala@gmail.com with your email address and I will happily forward it to you.

For now have beautiful days taking care of yourself and those that surround you and find your oneness.

AUM 

Nicky / Mangala 

Kurmasana - Tortoise Pose

 

Benefits of the Tortoise pose - Kurmasana

Improves respiratory system encouraging very deep breathing and allows our attention to draw away from the external and go inward. Creates a lovely stretch in the back of the legs, back, shoulders and chest creating space within the body. Improves digestion as there is compression into the abdominal region. I love this pose as I feel a deep sense of quiet as I withdraw - something we all need! Enjoy this wonderful tortoise posture and withdraw from the outside. Sending shanti to all.

"IF"

 'IF'

By Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you are loosing theirs 

and blaming it on you

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

But make allowances for their doubting too

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies

Or being hated, don't give way to hate

and yet don't look too good nor talk to wise

If you can dream and not make dreams your master

If you can think and not make thoughts your aim

If you can meet with triumph and disaster 

and treat those two imposters just the same

If you can hear the truth you have spoken

twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools

or watch the things you gave your life for broken

and stoop and build them up with worn out tools

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

and risk it on one turn of pitch and toss

and loose, and start again at the beginning and never breathe a word of your loss

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

to serve your turn long after you are done

and so hold on when there is nothing in you except the will which says hold on

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue

or walk with kings nor loose the common touch

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you

If all men count with you but none too much

If you can fill the unforgiving minute with 40 seconds worth or distance run

Yours is the earth and everything thats in it

and which is more you will be a man my son.

Wishing you all Love, courage, health, peace, wholeness and auspiciousness from the heart

Mangala - Nicky

Classes at home in private studio - one on one or via Zoom, please feel free to contact me by email

nickymangala@gmail.com 

The Shanti Mantras - creating a vibration of peace.

 I spoke a little about the joy of chanting in the previous article and wanted to share with you the very profound and important Shanti Mantras found from the Upanishads - the summery's of the ancient Vedas or Hindu scriptures that are so relevant to us all no matter from which culture you are from.  Great wisdom and knowledge of how to direct ourselves through life can be found in these wonderful threads of wisdom that can allow us to be guided to sow together a wonderful life.

The Shanti Mantras help to create a vibration of peace, have been chanted over centuries and centuries and are especially important in our present pandemic climate, where we are all in adversity in some shape or form and now is the time if ever there was one to evoke peace with all physical beings, with the earth, the seas, the plants and animals, with our teachers, with different parts of our body and with the Divine souls or Devas.  

"Everybody wants to have a happy life, however real happiness is not about having money or power, it is about achieving inner peace, if you have peace of mind you will be happy by day and by night.  Happiness is related to our emotions and we all have the potential to experience positive as well as negative emotions.  Which ones we cultivate depends on how we use our intelligence."  His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

So by chanting we are constantly working to purify ourselves, cultivate wisdom and purify our minds which is so important in todays toxic societies.  We can focus the mind and invoke the Guru - the one who brings light, put aside the I, I, I, me, me, me and start to connect to this very special energy that these mantras bring - become a part of it and not feel apart from it.  Chant with Bhava - feeling with sincerity and journey to your inner peace - real peace is happiness: pleasures of the material world do not form happiness - dive inwards and know that everything on the outside is not as it appears and as long as we are caught in the illusion of the world we will find obstacles of some shape or form.  So the Shanti Mantras help us to find the reality of the true self and create positive vibrations for the whole universal energy.

The Sanskrit is difficult - but don't worry just try and have good intention and over time you will find it becomes easier and you can relax and take refuge within the words.  I have shared the link of a youtube clip so you can chant along with it to help you.    Enjoy every sound you make knowing it is making a difference.

Om Sam No Mitrah Sam Varunaha

Sam No Bhavatvaryama

Sam No Indro Brhaspatih

Sam No Visnururukramah

Namo Brahmane Namste Vayo

Tvameva Pratyaksam Bramasi

Tvameva Pratyaksam Brhma Vadisyami

Rtam Vadisyami Satyam Vadisyami

Tanmam Avatu Tadvakaram Avatu

Avatu Mam Avatu Vaktaram OM shanti shanti shanti

Om may the sun be good to us, may the waters be good to us, may the king of Gods and preceptors of Gods be good to us. Prostrations to the supreme. Prostrations to thee - you are indeed the visible Brahman (supreme absolute) I shall call thee just, I shall call thee true, that you may protect me and my teacher. Om peace peace peace.

Om Sahana Vavatu Saha Nau Bhunaktu

Saha Viryam Karavavahai

Tejasvi Navadhitamastu Ma Vidvisavahai OM shanti shanti shanti

Om may that protect us both teacher and student, may that cause both to enjoy the bliss of liberation, may we work with enthusiasm and determination to find the truth, may our learning be brilliant and may we not have any misunderstandings between us.

Om Apyayantu Mamangani

Vakpranascaksuh Srotramatho

Balamindriyani ca Sarvani

Sarvam Brahmaupanisadam

Maham Brahma Nirakuryam

Mama Brahma Nirakarot

Anirakaranamastu Anirakaranam Me Astu

Tadatmani Nirate Ya Upanisatsu Dharmah

Te Mayi Santu Te Mayi Santu OM shanti shanti shanti

Om may my limbs, speech, eyes, strength and life force grow vigorours.  All these are Brahman (supreme absolute) May I never deny Brahman may Brahman never deny me - may there be no rejection. Let all virtues abide in me - delight in the self.

Om Bhadram Karnebhih Srnuyama Devah

Bhadram Pasyema Aksabhir-yajatrah

Sthirairangai Stustuvagm Sastanubhih

Vyasema Devahitam Yadayuh

Svasti Na Indro Vrddhasravah

Svasti Nah Pusa Visvavedah

Svasti Nastarksyo Aristanemih

Svasti No Brhaspatir Dadhatu OM shanti shanti shanti 

Om may we with our ears hear what is auspicious, may we hold with our eyes what is auspicious, may we enjoy the life allotted to us by the Gods - may we offer our praise with our strong body. May we have inner prosperity - may we receive what is good for us - may we all receive what is auspicious.

Wishing Peace Peace and Perfect Peace to all living entities 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENfQpDbmdmY&list=WL&index=14&t=3s

Mangala - Nicky

Transforming emotion to Devotion.

 

The chanting of Mantras and bhajans or devotional songs and verses is an important part of the yogis daily practice.  Now we all love to roll out our mats for our asana practice, for our pranayama and meditation - but chanting is something I have always practiced during my years of Yoginess - but haven't quite connected to so deeply until recently.  It really is a way to transform our emotions into a deep feeling of joy and love - turning away from our negative thoughts and channeling the mind in a positive way - it really is very up-lifting.  Even if you don't fully understand all the Sanskrit or indeed any of it - the true meaning of what we are chanting is in our hearts and it is a sure way to connect to that deep place within and keep purifying ourselves.  It is only the one with a purified mind that can hear the voice of the soul. Through the chanting the heart starts to soften and open and you can indeed reach the real meaning within you.  And this meaning is love.

Divine and unconditional unified love.

We are all looking for love - each and everyone of us is looking for happiness and love - if only we could stop looking in all the wrong places - love for the external things or people is only an unconscious effort and urge to merge with all things into oneness.  Our minds though are constantly tossing entertaining this and that or obsessing about this or that - complaining about this or that - this person isn't how I want them to be, this job isn't what I want it to be, this place isn't what I expected it to be etc etc and the list goes on.  In acceptance of everything for what it is we can become untouched by it, if we can accept then we are transforming ourselves, chanting is a way to channel the mind, focus and reveal the joy and love that we essentially are.  All beings have this capacity to find this love; the love that we all are - if you have a desire to transform your situation - job, partner etc etc you are going to create more problems - but if we can transform ourselves then the obstacles or problems become an opportunity.  Chanting is a tool box of delights to start the transformation.  It is a way to journey within connect to the whole - the universal love that is within us and around us.  It is a powerful practice - maybe even more so than other practices as it is accessible to everyone - it is a way to let go of grasping and let the Sanskrit carry you - like putting yourself on a Divine river and flowing with the water.  I don't think I can put into words the feelings I have experienced  from chanting.  I can only tell you that it is amazing and you don't need or want for anything else.  Years ago in the 1980's and 1990's I was hooked to chemicals to bring these similar feelings - the beats of heavy dancing - it was, in a way a place to unite but I have never experienced such unity as I have through my yogic practices - and recently chanting has enabled me to dissolve completely - this feeling then you can come back to time and time again - or indeed it never leaves - the only true refuge is in the nature of our true self.  Chanting in Sanskrit can and with dedicated practice over time - take you.

Join the journey to the depths of a beautiful beautiful soul that you are - chant with me here on soundcloud the link is below -

https://soundcloud.com/nicola-zammit/devi-devi-devi-jagan-mohini

Sanskrit -       Devi Devi Devi Jagan Mohini 

                       Chandika Devi Chanda Munda Harini

                       Chamundeshwari Ambike Devi.    (chanting to the Divine Mother full of protection and unconditional love.)

Have beautiful days and be inspired in your practice - be safe - be happy - be free

Love to all shanti shanti shanti

Mangala / Nicky                    

A little bird and a fruit.

 

A little story from Sri Swami Sivananda 

sometimes a little story is just what we need!

Parable Of The Bird And The Cotton-Fruit A bird has its nest on the branch of a cotton-tree. Near the nest there was an unripe fruit. Every day it would look at it and think: “Let it ripen; then I will eat it. It waited and waited. Suddenly one day, even as it was eagerly looking, the fruit burst and its content flew away! The bird was sorely disappointed. A young man thinks that when he grew old he would practise Sadhana. Days roll by. Suddenly one fine morning life departs from the body. He had spent his life in vain. Therefore, take time by the forelock; do it now

Sadhana - spiritual practice. 

Take time now to practice and then surly the fruits of your efforts will start to pay reward, a little at a time, day by day - take time to connect to a higher awareness. Communicate with the source through yogic postures, breathing, withdrawal concentration and meditation.  We all have time, it is just organising yourself.  Get up out of bed a little earlier and roll out your mat.  You will feel held and inspired and connected to all after time you will settle and feel greatly contented.  What could be more important than that? 

I couldn't be without Sadhana - without my practice - it brings me so so much, to balance our energies, emotions and keep the body strong and healthy, what a very precious gift.  It has given me sight, expression and release, guided me through extremely challenging times and deep insecurities.  Has enabled me to find my inner medicine and healing,  my wish is for you to find it too.  Please visit my facebook page for sessions that you can follow - YOGA mangala 

Have a beautiful practice

In deep gratitude of my glorious Gurus.  

Om Namah Sivaya OM OM OM 

Mangala - Nicky

Nurture yourself with meditation as you nurture yourself with your food.

Meditation is the Royal road to freedom, a short practice each day will really nurture you and help to bring balance, clarity and peace back after maybe a busy or stressful day or just dealing with the trials and tribulations of life.   The benefits of meditation are unlimited and are so profound, however you have to practice - 10 minutes each day is not too much to ask for is it?  You have to take care of the mind as well as everything else, it is like a work out for the mental activity, think how your body feels after a fabulous asana session - now take your mind to that same place with this simple and accessible meditation for everyone.  Enjoy your practice and the journey on which it will take you.

Click on the link below.

Om shanti shanti shanti 

Mangala / Nicky

https://soundcloud.com/nicola-zammit/10-min-meditation-on-the-breath-and-om