Yesterday was Hanuman Jayanti, the Hindu festival day that marks the birth of Hanuman-ji, the monkey god who helped Lord Rama rescue Sita from the demon Ravana in the ancient Indian epic tale, the Ramayana. Before the modern age of television, all across India it was customary for people to gather in the evenings to tell the Ramayana. Listening to the enchanting stories from the 24,000 verses composed by the poet-sage Valmiki, people were inspired to remember who they truly were, deep in their own hearts. Night after night after night, they laughed, they cried, and they went home to dream of the Ramayana.

The Ramayana offers many teachings that are still valuable to us today. In this article I will share one way that we can each apply this ancient tale to our daily lives, but first I will explain my personal journey with the Ramayana and with Hanuman.

I first read the Ramayana about five years ago. The version I chose was short, and a bit dry, but I think it is a good introduction to the story. It is called Ramayana: A Tale of Gods and Demons, by Ranchor Prime. (Mandala Publishing, San Rafael, CA, 2001, 2004.) I especially like the sepia-toned paintings by B.G. Sharma that grace the pages of this thin volume.

Last April I had the good fortune to attend a kirtan (call and response chanting) retreat led by Jai Uttal (accompanied by tablas player, Daniel Paul), at Breitenbush Hotsprings. Each evening, after we finished chanting, Jai told us the stories of the Ramayana, adding hilarious modern-day touches along the way. I asked for his recommendation on which version to read next, and he suggested the one that I am now reading, by Ramesh Menon. It is called The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic. (North Point Press, New York, 2003.) In the introduction, Menon writes: "More than anything else, reading the Ramayana brings the reader close to the noble, holy, and living spirit of Rama. Regardless of which religion one professes, or if one is an agnostic or an atheist, the touch of Rama's spirit is a profound, healing contact." He goes on to say that reading or listening to the Ramayana purifies one's soul.

Almost one year ago I purchased Krishna Das' CD "Flow of Grace" which contains six versions of the Hanuman Chalisa, a 40-verse prayer that extols the virtues of the Hindu monkey god, Hanuman. I committed myself to chanting the Hanuman Chalisa at least once each day, beginning April 30th, 2009. Usually I chant along with the one that is only 8:22 minutes long. For about 8-9 months, I sang along with the CD while reading the Sanskrit words in the accompanying booklet, and then one day, to my pleasant surprise, I discovered that I had memorized it and could close my eyes and sing along with the whole 40 verses without looking at the words. I felt like a gleeful child who had just learned how to ride a bike with no hands!

So yesterday, since it was Hanuman's special day, I baked a vegan chocolate cake while chanting the Hanuman Chalisa the whole time. Then I took that cake with me to my weekly Radiance Rising Circle last night, and we had a festive Birthday Party for Hanuman. I read a story about Hanuman, then we listened to Krishna Das' "Ring Song" while eating the chocolate cake that was infused with Hanuman's qualities. Hanuman is first and foremost known for his extreme devotion to Rama and Sita. Rama (also called Ram) and Sita represent the eternally perfect union of the Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine. Hanuman found this treasure of Union within his own heart, and this Union also exists within all of our hearts

In Hinduism, there is One Absolute Reality, that in the West we call One God, and that One includes everyone and everything in one continuous web of energy and vibration that is essentially Pure Love. This Love lives inside of all of our hearts all the time. The thousands of gods and goddesses in the Hindu pantheon are all different aspects of the One Love Reality. The different gods and goddesses are reflected in the many written scriptures and mythologies in India, and they are also actual energy states that can be invoked within and without one's being. So, through chanting to Hanuman, we can awaken his qualities within ourselves and in the environment surrounding us. Hanuman's qualities are devotion, super-hero strength and courage, and wisdom.

The Ramayana is a tale about the battle between good and evil, and it is a very moving love story, and it is full of multi-leveled spiritual teachings. Along with the Bhagavad Gita, it was very close to Gandhi-ji's heart. When Gandhi was a boy, his nurse gave him his mantram, and he repeated it throughout the many days of his life. Even as his assassin's bullet entered his chest, Gandhi-ji said it: "He Rama," which means "O God.

So how can we each apply this ancient tale to our daily lives? We can use this tale as a tool to help us remember who we truly are. One of the most beautiful themes in the Ramayana is remembrance of one's true nature. Even though Rama is an avatar, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and Hanuman is an incarnation of Lord Shiva, they still forget their true nature and need to be reminded of it. We also forget who we are and need to be reminded. We are spiritual beings who get caught up in this temporary physical realm. We do need to be in the world and do our part to make the world a better place, but we can do our part with the awareness that we are not just the body-mind. When we remember that we are one with our souls, and that we are one with all other souls, then we can do our part more efficiently, with more pure love in our hearts.

It is comforting to know that even a super-hero like Hanuman can't always remember his inner connection with Divinity. Like him, we forget and then we remember. Each time we connect with the Pure Love inside our hearts, we bring this radiant jewel forth and shine it in the world around us. When we remember who we truly are, we gain a quiet strength, a profound spiritual strength that enables us to take positive actions in the world. It was through the power gained through his regular daily spiritual practices, such as meditation, chanting, and studying the Ramayana, that Gandhi-ji was able to be such an instrument for change in India.

(To begin doing regular daily spiritual practices yourself, check out my new pocket book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living. This book is now in print, and it will be discounted on this website store through April 10^th, 2010.)

As we realize that all of our hearts are connected in one continuous web of energy and vibration, then we understand the importance of going within to purify our hearts and minds of any negativities that might harm others. We each have a responsibility to raise our levels of consciousness. Peace on earth begins with each of us finding peace within. Studying the Ramayana is one way to cleanse ourselves and remember who we truly are, deep in our hearts. As more and more of us commit ourselves to this daily remembrance, the radiant light of our souls will warm and heal this world.

Happy Hanuman's Birthday to you!

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Flower photo by Blue Turban Photography, CC license.

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Parsley reminds me of my Grandma's yard. When I was a child, she always had large amounts of parsley growing beside her back steps. She garnished every bowl of her delicious soup with fresh parsley sprigs.

Most people think of parsley as merely the garnish on a plate of restaurant food, but this culinary herb should really be eaten by the handfuls. High in iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, beta-carotene, chlorophyll, B-complex vitamins, and vitamins A, K, and C, parsley cleanses and rejuvenates the blood vessels, clears toxins, and boosts the immune system. Particularly great in springtime, parsley is a diuretic that is good for digestion and also helps the kidneys, bladder, and ears. The list of benefits is quite long for this herb that contains more iron than spinach and more vitamin C than oranges!

A few years ago, I went through a Moroccan cooking phase, and that is when I began using larger amounts of parsley. A lot of Moroccan recipes call for not just a sprig of parsley, but a whole bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley! (Note: it is recommended that you remove most of the bottom stems, but you should use some of them for the incredible nutritional benefits.)

In the Spring section of my vegetarian soup cookbook, Love Soups: A Vegetarian Soup Cookbook Inspired by the Soup Devas, there is a recipe for Moroccan Carrot Soup. Here I will share that recipe:

Moroccan Carrot Soup

7 cups of carrots, chopped small
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped garlic
juice of 2 lemons
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cumin powder
2 tablespoons paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons salt (sea salt or Himalayan krystal salt)
black pepper, sprinkle
2 cans (15 oz. each) garbanzo beans

In soup pot, warm olive oil, add cumin powder and paprika. Stir well, add carrots and 2 tablespoons water. Stir well to coat all carrots with the oil and spices. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add 6 cups of water, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil uncovered (to smell up the kitchen with spices). Cook medium boil for 3 minutes, remove from heat. Add parsley, cilantro, garlic, and juice of 1 lemon. Stir and cover for 5 minutes.

Drain and rinse garbanzo beans. In a blender, blend beans, 3 cups of the carrot soup, and juice of 1 lemon. Pour all back into soup pot, stir, and serve. Garnish with more parsley and cilantro. For lemon lovers, squeeze more lemon juice on top. Serve with naan or pita bread.

Please buy organic food, especially organic produce, whenever possible. It is better for our bodies, and it is better for the planet. Also, consider growing your own parsley. If you don't have a garden, you can grow it in a pot.

My favorite type of parsley is the one used in the cuisine of Morocco ~ the Italian flat leaf ~ but I also really love the curly variety of parsley. Both taste great on sandwiches and in salads. Also, the unique fragrance of parsley gives a wonderful smell to our breath. As you enjoy the outward movement of Spring energies, remember to spend some time each day going inside and nourishing your inner being. Witness the effects of Spring on your mind, body, and heart. Slowly chew a handful of parsley, and as you do so, mindfully breathe in the freshness of Spring, and breathe out the unique scent of parsley!

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini


Photo of sunlit parsley by Teja Shankara.

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Spring blossoms remind me of change. Actually, everything reminds me of change, because everything is changing all the time. The seasons are changing, the creatures are changing, the Earth itself is changing. Who are we? What are we doing here on this strange, yet amazing planet? Why are we constantly trying to hold onto things that we can't really hold onto?

At the heart of all existence there are some spiritual principles that contain self-evident Truths. When we hear these truths, they resonate with us simply because they are true, and yet we can't seem to remember them for very long! Most of us need daily, if not hourly, reminders of who we truly are. We need constant reminders to go within and align with our true nature. We continually forget that we are spiritual beings who have been born into human bodies. It is like we have Collective Amnesia!  I find this situation to be both absurdly hilarious and insanely sorrowful. It reminds me of hearing a beautiful song that makes the heart ache.

We humans have so many aches and pains, on all levels: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. All these aches and pains arise from our forgetfulness. When we forget who we truly are, we experience pain and sorrow, but the converse is also true: when we remember who we truly are, we experience healing and contentment. Regular, daily spiritual practices help us to remember who we truly are. One spiritual practice is studying the spiritual principles. I describe this practice in my new pocketbook, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living. (This book is now at the printer. Pre-orders of this book will be discounted on this website store through April 10th.)

Spring blossoms reflect the most important spiritual principle: Change is the nature of the world. Most of us have heard this countless times, and we know the inherent truth of it, but because of our spiritual amnesia, we continually forget that everything in the physical realm is impermanent and changing. All of our expectations and disappointments stem from this forgetfulness.

Fortunately, the universe is naturally in a state of balance. The very fact that our amnesia exists means that our capacity for remembrance also exists. What is it that we need to remember and how do we remember it? We need to remember that we are spirits temporarily having a human experience. We cultivate this remembrance through regular, daily spiritual practices. When we regularly go inside our own beings, we experience a connection with Something Greater. Some call this God, others call it the Divine, and still others call it our Greater Nature. There are so many names for this Beloved Universe. However we conceive of That Great Mystery, when we go deeply inside our own beings, most of us experience and understand that That Something Greater is unchanging.

It is up to each of us to choose to direct our attention toward That which opens our hearts to the truth of who we are. To help myself remember, I regularly chant (sing) along with CDs, and I go to live kirtans whenever possible. Last night I attended a beautiful kirtan (call and response group chanting) with an amazing bhakti yogini who radiates pure sweetness: Prema Mayi Dasi. We sang traditional Sanskrit mantras to Krishna and Radha, as well as a lively chant to Shiva (led by Prema's son, Krishnadeva), that took me into a high state of devotion. (To read more about the Bhakti Yoga Path, check out my new book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living.) Between chants, Prema shared from the wisdom she has gained through many years of doing spiritual practices. She said, "We humans are so out of alignment now. We are out of alignment with Nature, and we are also out of alignment with our inner nature. We need to come back into alignment with our inner divinity. Through transcendental sound vibration, we will find ourselves in alignment." (www.premamayi.com)

We choose where to put our attention. Wherever we put our attention, our energy follows. When we practice cultivating the witness, we gain a greater understanding of where we put our attention and why we put it there. Once we see where we put our attention, then we can discern whether or not that is really where we want to place our attention. We can practice this in our daily lives, by asking ourselves this question throughout the day:

Am I keeping my attention on things that expand me and help me to remember who I truly am?

May we all commit to daily remembrance of who we truly are: spiritual beings who are connected with everyone and everything in one continuous web of energy and vibration. We are the seeds, we are the sunshine, we are the water, we are the spring blossoms.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini


Photo of spring blossoms by Pink Sherbet Photography - CC license

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In a recent blog article ("Freedom from Addictions to Television and to Anxieties"), I wrote about the importance of each of us working to lessen our personal anxieties because we are all connected in one continuous web of energy and vibration. We each affect everyone else. As the Collective Anxiety rises all around us, we can each do our small part to lessen the Collective Anxiety by first lessening our personal anxieties. As Gandhi-ji said, we first have to BE the change that we wish to see in the world.

While Mahatma Gandhi is best known for his non-violent political struggle that led India to gain independence from the British, he was also extremely committed to doing his own personal inner work. He valued meditation and other spiritual practices so highly that each day he led morning and evening interfaith prayer services. It was the calm inner strength that he gained through incredible self-discipline that enabled him to be so powerful in his work in the world.  We too can gain the same inner strength that he gained, if only we will sit still and go within. This is a challenging time in which to sit still, but we each have that inherent ability within us.

Meditation is an inherent physiological ability that we can learn and practice. Once we commit to a daily meditation practice, that commitment sets into motion a whole range of changes within us. Our inner being really wants our attention, so when we make the conscious decision to turn our attention inward, all of the deepest parts of ourselves jump up with excitement, saying "yes, look at us!" In our busy, modern world, our attention is so divided and so scattered outward in millions of little directions, and this contributes significantly to our anxiety levels. When, like Gandhi-ji, we commit to turning inward for a little time each day, we begin to calm ourselves from the inside out.

During meditation and during our daily lives, we can practice cultivating the witness, that part of ourselves that objectively watches everything that we are. To learn more about cultivating the witness and other spiritual practices, check out my new pocketbook, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living. (This book is at the printer now. Pre-orders are discounted on this website store through April 10th.)

As I said in the last blog about freeing ourselves from anxieties, two ways to lessen our anxiety levels are through affirmations and inspirations. I say positive affirmations out loud when I go out on my walks. Regular exercise is super important for reducing anxieties, and saying affirmations out loud while moving the body helps to re-pattern the brain. I can personally attest that this works, because I had been saying affirmations to build strength (on all levels - physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual) for the past couple of years, and just a few weeks ago I noticed that I don't need to say those particular affirmations anymore because all parts of my being now know that I am strong. 

In addition to saying affirmations, it is essential that we regularly find things that inspire us. Recently I explored a website that really inspired me (www.projectrestoration.com). I became a member and had to choose the two "clans" that I resonated with. I was really drawn to the Butterfly (lovers of life who celebrate) and the Wolf (rogues who awaken), but in the end I chose the Lion (artists who create and harmonize) as my secondary and the Raven (healers who heal) as my primary clan. That decision-making process allowed me to hone in on a vision of who I am now. As I delve deeper into the Reiki healing path, I am inspired to channel more and more healing energy through me, as my service to others.

Reiki, pronounced "Ray-key," is a gentle energy healing system that can be offered directly (hands-on, with clothing on), and also remotely through visualization and intention. In addition to giving Reiki healing sessions locally, I also send Reiki energy to Haiti (and other places that need healing), and to friends in other countries.

Recently I was talking on the phone with a dear girlfriend, and we were scheduling a time when I could give a Reiki healing session to her and to her nine-year-old daughter. While we were talking, suddenly about 25-30 crows landed on the street in front of my cottage. I wondered if the crows were somehow connected with the Reiki session we were planning, so  later in meditation I tuned in, and received guidance to purchase a little stuffed crow to give her daughter. The following week when we met, I gave them each a Reiki healing, and then I gave them each the level one attunement, a ritual that enables the receiver to channel the healing energies to heal themselves and others. I gave the stuffed bird to her daughter and told her that it would be her "Reiki crow," that she could use as her assistant when giving Reiki healing energy to others. She really liked that, and I was pleased to hear later that both mother and daughter are really enjoying the Reiki energy. I will be writing more about this ancient healing art in future blogs. As with all energy healing systems, when you receive the Reiki healing energy with openness, the energy relaxes your system.

Anything that relaxes our systems helps to free us from our unconscious addiction to anxious energies. Taking the time to be still each day helps us to identify the anxious energies. Once we witness the presence of anxieties, then we need to take actions to reduce them. When I witnessed the anxious energies passing through me last week, I patiently tried one thing after the next until they finally relaxed. I can't say for sure what caused the transformation, but after going for an invigorating walk in the pouring rain and hail with a close friend, I suddenly felt the anxious state pop, and I watched as I shifted back into a vibration of Trust. After watching the swirling anxieties that had been upsetting my body-mind for several days, I felt so much gratitude to be back in the calm, blissful state!

Now that I am once again centered in yogini bliss purpose, I intend to focus on sending healing energies out to reduce the Collective Anxiety. I am grateful for the inspiration to identify myself with the energy of the Raven Clan. After linking with Raven, I looked up Raven in a book called Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals, by Jamie Sams & David Carson. (Bear & Company, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1988), and I was delighted to read that Raven is the guardian of distance healing! How perfect.

Everything is happening in perfection. When we take the time to go within and get to know our inner beings, then we understand our innate perfection, and this understanding calms us so that instead of contributing to the Collective Anxiety, we send out healing energies that help lessen the Collective Anxiety. Let's all commit to doing this inner work, so we can be the change that we wish to see in the world.

With so much gratitude in my heart for the example that Gandhi-ji set for us...

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini


Raven photo by Larry Page, CC license

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Today I enjoyed a simple, yet very tasty vegan lunch. Whether or not you eat a vegan diet (a diet of vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds, nuts... with no meat, no fish, no dairy, and no eggs), you might like this concoction:

Yesterday morning I cooked a pot of millet for breakfast. I had soaked the millet overnight, and in the morning I added sunflower seeds, raisins, cinnamon, cumin powder, and Himalayan krystal salt. Today for lunch I heated up some of that leftover millet with some raw cashews, and then I put the following toppings on it: nutritional yeast flakes, raw hemp seeds, and a bit more Himalayan krystal salt. Next to all of that, I placed some raw arugula leaves drizzled with organic flax seed oil and apple cider vinegar. On the side, I put a handful of crunchy roasted seaweed. Did you know that sea vegetables contain as much as ten times the amount of vitamins and minerals as land vegetables?

I was able to take the time to heat the leftover millet in a pan since I am working at home today, but when I was working in an office, I regularly took lunches like this one by simply putting all of the ingredients in a glass bowl the night before and then letting the bowl sit in the office all morning so I could eat my yummy lunch at room temperature. (I won't use microwave ovens, because I think that the radiation zaps all the nutrition out of the food.)

Please buy organic food whenever possible! It is better for your body and better for the environment.

For more vegan recipes, follow this Teja Blog and sign up for my monthly e-newsletter, The Tejaswini Playground Press.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of my vegan lunch today by Teja Shankara.

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Everything is connected. We are all linked in one continuous web of energy and vibration. We could put this oneness to great use by collectively choosing to raise the consciousness of the human species. As Gandhi-ji said, first we have to BE the change that we wish to see in the world. We each have to choose to raise our own vibrations.

A good place to begin is in working to free ourselves from all of our addictions. In my last post, I challenged people to give up alcohol, nicotine, ganja, and other substances. In addition to freeing our systems of those substances, we can also choose to free ourselves of addictive thought patterns, relationships, foods, anxieties, and activities such as watching too much television. In this blog entry, I will focus on freedom from the addictions to television and to anxieties.

I copy the following information on television from my website page “Tips from Tejaswini”:

During my grade school years I watched a lot of television, but in high school and college I was too busy with studies and parties. Then in my twenties I got hooked on Seinfeld and thoroughly enjoyed watching it every week, until that last disappointing episode. When Seinfeld ended, so did my television watching. Now I don’t even own a television.

While not owning a television seems completely normal and natural to me, I realize that there are a lot of people who really enjoy watching television. If you watch a lot of television, I invite you to consider reducing the amount of time you spend in front of the TV. Here’s why: regardless of the kind of program you are watching, the speed of the light changes happening on the screen puts your body-mind into a survival state in which your system has to choose between flight or fight. The trouble is, you can’t fight the television, nor can you flee it. You can’t flee it because the speed of the light changes freezes the attention of your survival state brain upon the television screen.

This is why people can’t very easily take their eyes away from a television that’s blaring in the room, even if they are trying to do something else. Advertising companies make good use of this phenomenon: they increase the speed of the light changes during commercials to make sure that they hook people’s attention. 

Watching television is one way to get into a meditative state, but the problem with this form of meditation is that it creates stress in the body-mind. Once the speed of the light changes on the screen puts you into the survival state, then the stress hormone cortisol gets released, and that hormone is responsible for a lot of health problems.

A healthy alternative to TV meditation is sitting in silent meditation. Many people think that they need the outside stimulation of the television to feel happily entertained, but once they try sitting in silence, they find so much relief in taking a break from all of the outer stimulation. To learn how to begin a regular daily meditation practice, check out my new book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living.

Also,when you watch less television, you will have more time to pursue other interests... and those interests might bring you much joy.

When we pursue interests that we enjoy, we lessen the addictive anxieties that cycle around inside of us. Freedom from anxiety is not easy to achieve. We live in a time when anxiety is increasing all around us, and when we consider that we are all linked in one web of energy, then we understand that each person's anxiety affects everyone else.

I endeavor to lessen my personal anxieties so that I stay open to receive the guidance that the Universe is continually giving us. It is difficult to hear our inner voice of wisdom when we are blocked by anxious energies. This past week I witnessed a lot of anxieties in my system, and while I watched them I also took actions to reduce them. First I focused on trusting in my own ability to heal myself and to free myself from the anxieties.

Next I followed my intuition as to what herbs and scents might assist me. I chose a tincture called Lavender Spirits Compound (a liquid herbal extract by Herb Pharm, www.herb-pharm.com), which contains cinnamon bark, nutmeg seed, lavender flower, clove flower bud, and rosemary herb. (I am not a doctor, so please consult your healthcare practitioner before taking herbal remedies.) For aromatherapy, I enjoyed the scents of jasmine, sandalwood, patchouli, and ylang ylang.

Along with the herbal and floral medicines, I continued to sit still in my regular, daily meditation practice, and I watched the anxious energies move around in my system. I repeatedly brought my attention back to my breath to calm my body-mind, and I kept telling myself, “this too shall shift."

Each day I focused my attention on cultivating the witness. The witness consciousness is that part of ourselves that objectively watches everything that we are. We can cultivate the witness during sitting meditation practice and during our daily lives. This practice of watching ourselves gradually trains us to accept and allow all parts of ourselves, so that we can relax into the love in our hearts. Cultivating the witness is a gradual journey into the healing experience of true self-love. As we gradually forgive ourselves, we begin to love ourselves unconditionally.

Two other self-healing remedies are affirmations and inspirations. Saying positive affirmations out loud is a great way to calm ourselves while re-training our brains. Try saying this affirmation out loud three times: "I trust that everything is happening perfectly in each moment." How do you feel when you say that? If we say affirmations daily, over time they really do change our ways of thinking and feeling.

When we are serious about raising our vibrations, we also need to continually find things that inspire us. A friend recently referred me to a website that really inspired me, and I typed a section about that website for this blog , but for some reason I can't get that paragraph to upload. After spending a very frustrating hour on the computer just now, I am laughing at the irony in me posting a blog about reducing anxieties while I am watching my anxiety rise over this computer problem!

In my next blog I will write more about inspirations, healings, and exercises to reduce anxiety. For now, I'm off to take my lavender spirits remedy!

As we each commit to being the change that we wish to see in the world, may we each work steadily to free ourselves from our unhealthy addictions. May we heal ourselves so that we can help raise the consciousness of the human species.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini


Photo of blue flowers by Richard Broderick, CC license.

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Most people want to be happy and healthy, yet many people continue to make choices that lead to self-inflicted sorrows and diseases. Worldwide, one of the biggest causes of unhappiness is the epidemic of addictions to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs ~ primarily ganja (also called pot/weed/marijuana) ~ which I will collectively refer to in this blog as “substances.”

For those of you who are really longing for true health and happiness, please take a moment now to close your eyes, breathe, and open your mind. Once you feel openness in your mind, read the following information and see if it resonates for you.

All addictions to harmful substances stem from a lack of self-love. Once you really, truly begin to love yourself, you experience your whole being, including your physical body, as a temple for your soul. When you really love yourself, you will no longer choose to put harmful substances into your body. Alcohol, tobacco, ganja, and other substances harm the physical body.

In Kundalini: An Occult Experience, by G.S. Arundale, the author writes: “It is clear that nicotine and alcohol definitely act in some way upon Kundalini, the former (nicotine) interposing a barrier between the general force of Kundalini and its operation in the various vehicles of the individual concerned, while the latter (alcohol) seems to act as a direct stimulant, stirring the Force in wrong directions, or in some way wrongly intensifying it, and in any case doing these things in connection with an individual far from ready for Fire-development. All narcotics, drugs, stimulants clog the system and interpose a deadening miasma between the individual and all larger consciousness.” (Kundalini: An Occult Experience, by G.S. Arundale, The Theosophical Publishing House, Madras, India, 1974.)

(Kundalini is the serpent-like fire energy that lies coiled at the base of the spine until it rises up through the chakras (energy centers in the subtle body) in a process that awakens us to our connection with the Divine.)

It has been 2 ½ years since I quit drinking alcohol. I no longer even have a glass of wine with dinner, because I do not like how alcohol makes my energies feel so tweaked. Once I began doing regular, daily spiritual practices and I became more sensitive to energies, I began to really like how my own energies feel, without any alterations. I like how present I feel now that I no longer put mind-altering substances into my temple body. (If you would like to begin doing regular spiritual practices yourself, check out my new book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living.)

Spiritual practices require effort and discipline, and the results are definitely worth the work. I like the way Bhagavan Das puts it in his book, It’s Here Now (Are You?): “In every culture people have always wanted to change their consciousness. And people will always find a way. You can’t stop them. You can try – you can put them in jail. Still, people will alter their consciousness in any way they can. Fortunately, there are many safer ways to raise your consciousness than experimenting with drugs, and most gurus in India prefer more conservative routes. Doing your meditation, japa, and hatha-yoga is a slower path, but the effects are more lasting, and you run less risk of frying your nervous system. Without a doubt, self-discipline pays for itself in the end.” (It’s Here Now (Are You?), by Bhagavan Das, Broadway Books, New York, 1997.)

Another positive aspect to giving up harmful substances is that you can use the money saved to buy yourself natural healing remedies and treatments, and you can give something to those less fortunate than yourself. My Guru Ammachi, the hugging saint, often encourages people to spend less on personal luxuries and to donate that extra money to help others. In Lead Us to Purity, a book of speeches given by Amma, she says the following to a crowd gathered around her in India: “Charity is essential in the life of a householder… The money we overspend on food and clothing would be enough to serve countless people. Think of how much money we are wasting now. Nowadays many people think they’re tough only if they smoke cigarettes, that smoking is a sign of masculinity. There are also those who think smoking is a sign of intelligence… True intellectuals are those who love others just as much as they love themselves. It is written on the cigarette package itself that smoking is hazardous to your health. If people smoke even after reading that, should they be called intellectual or idiotic? The money smokers spend in a month is enough to alleviate the poverty in India.”

Amma continues with this point in another speech: “Think of the torrential rain we’ve had in the recent months. There are thousands of people around us who have stayed awake under leaking roofs all through the rainy nights, wondering when their huts will collapse. When you raise your alcohol glasses, remember those people. With the money that we waste every month, we could get their roofs thatched. Then those people could sleep comfortably at night.” (Lead Us to Purity: A Selection of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi’s Speeches 1990-1999, Compiled by Swami Jnanamritananda, Mata Amritanandamayi Center, 2007.)

(Amma’s charitable organizations, now collectively called Embracing the World, have already constructed more than 40,000 homes across India. To donate to this and many other wonderful projects, go to www.amma.org.)

The thing is, alcohol, tobacco, and other substances interfere with spiritual purification and with the body’s natural healing processes. The way to free yourself from these addictive substances is to set the intention to really love yourself, and then choose the path that will lead you to that self-love. Once you dedicate yourself to really loving yourself, the way will open up for you.

Regular, daily spiritual practices help develop self-love. The spiritual practice that has helped me the most in loving myself more fully is cultivating the witness. The Witness Consciousness is that part of ourselves that objectively watches everything we are. Once we begin to witness, allow, and accept all parts of ourselves, then we begin to love ourselves unconditionally. (I describe the practice of cultivating the witness in my new book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living.)

After doing regular, daily spiritual practices for a while, the readiness and the willingness to give up the substances will spontaneously arise. As a Reiki practitioner, I am ready and willing to send distance Reiki healings to support anyone who is ready and willing to quit alcohol, tobacco, and other harmful substances. Reiki is a gentle, hands-on energy healing system, but the healing energy can also be sent to people at a distance. (Reiki is pronounced “Ray-key.”)

So, when you are ready, consider taking the Teja Challenge: you give up alcohol, tobacco, ganja, and other harmful substances for a one-year period, and I will send you Reiki healing energy daily for that year. To begin the Teja Challenge, go to the Contact page of this website and send me an email saying that you are ready to take the Teja Challenge. I will reply with a letter of encouragement and natural healing ideas, and I will request that you email me back a photo of yourself. I will then send you the Reiki healing energy daily for that year, during which time we will correspond by email as needed. I am offering this Teja Challenge by donation. (There is a donate button on the Store page of this website, and 10% of every sale and donation on this website goes to Amma’s charitable organizations.) Please consider what it means to you, and then donate accordingly.

I have one last quote to share on this topic, from Essential Reiki, by Diane Stein: “Many healers believe, as I do, that a smoker or recreational drug-user can never be a fully clear channel for Reiki, nor can an abuser of alcohol. Never do healing when under the influence of alcohol or drugs. These states at any time invite in negative entities and attachments unwelcome in healing. They are wholly negative for the healer…. If you wish to quit smoking or break addictions to alcohol or drugs, Reiki… is a powerful self-healing tool. Remember that as a Reiki practitioner, you are a sacred channel for the life force energy…” (Essential Reiki: A Complete Guide to an Ancient Healing Art, by Diane Stein, The Crossing Press, Inc., Freedom, CA, 1995.)

Cheers to good health and happiness for all! For those of you who are ready and willing to renounce addictive substances for a year, I look forward to meeting you on the Teja Challenge.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happpiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Sunlight on fabric photo by Teja Shankara.

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