A few months ago a friend gave me a small deck of cards that contain some of Ammachi’s teachings. The idea is to pick one card for each day, though I have just been picking one every few days. For some reason (hmmm…), I have picked this card many times:

"Today, I practice offering myself to God,
surrendering without asking, demanding, or suggesting."

At the beginning of last week, I had picked that card and left it out on the table for several days. Then one morning I put the card back in the deck, shuffled, and picked it again! At that point even my rational mind surrendered and I said out loud, “Okay, Amma, I get it!”

That little card has put me through a major transformation process. One month ago I still had a “plan” even though I know we really shouldn’t have a plan. At that point, I was still telling God how I wanted the Universe to unfold things through me. But then, all of a sudden, I noticed that I had completely let go of worrying about my To Do list, and I searched inside and could not find my “plan”… where had it gone? I looked at that quote again:

"Today, I practice offering myself to God,
surrendering without asking, demanding, or suggesting."

I realized that I had finally understood what it means to not even suggest to God what we want to happen. When we let go of even suggesting, then we find ourselves in a more surrendered state, in which we can authentically chant the “i don’t know” mantra. After repeating “i don’t know” over and over, we can then go deep inside and allow our inner teacher to give us a true knowingness. The knowingness that arises from the depths of our beings is really different from the knowingness that we think we have when we are making all of our grand plans with our little monkey minds.

I love it when a spiritual teaching manifests in my daily life like this. After all, that is the whole point of being on a spiritual path: to gradually learn to actually live the wisdom of the teachings.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of  Orange Flower by Oneras – CC license

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A few days ago, while walking along the sidewalk in the spring sunshine, I came upon a garden of purple irises. My first thought was, ‘i am the Iris!’  I giggled to myself all the way back to my cottage, as that thought continuously replayed in my mind: ‘i am the Iris! i am the Iris! i am the Iris!’

Yesterday I looked up the lyrics for the Beatles’ song “I am the Walrus.” The very first stanza struck a strong chord in my being:

I am here as you are here
as you are me
and we are all together

Even though the rest of the words in that song are quite strange, that first bit really says it all. We are each other. We are all together, here on this beautiful planet earth. We are all connected in one continuous web of energy and vibration. We think that we are separate because we are in separate bodies, but the energy that runs through each of us is the same energy! There is not even one tiny break in the one energy that pulses through everything and everyone.

Indeed, i am the Iris! And so are you, and you, and you! We are the rocks, we are the trees, we are the sunsets, we are everything. We are the one energy that is Pure Love. When we remember that we are part of that one energy, we experience incredible Self-Love.

Regular, daily spiritual practices help us to keep remembering who we truly are. Sitting in silent meditation and cultivating the witness part of ourselves is the most important thing we can do each day. To learn more about spiritual practices, check out my easy-to-read pocket book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living, available on this website store in print or by e-book.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of purple iris by Teja Shankara.

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What fills the heart with love? When I ask myself that question, so many images come rushing to my mind. Yesterday afternoon my heart was filled with love as my son showed me card trick after card trick… then in the evening, my heart was filled with love as the setting sun broke through the storm clouds and shone on the pine tree in my front yard. This morning, my heart was filled with love as I thought about my upcoming journey to see Ammachi. (www.amma.org.)

As my heart melted into the Love that is Amma’s embrace, I remembered this teaching: at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Barcelona, Spain (2004), Amma gave a speech entitled “May Peace and Happiness Prevail.” She said, “If in future, there is a Third World War, let it not be a war between countries, but rather a war against our common enemy, poverty. In today’s world, people experience two types of poverty: the poverty caused by lack of food, clothing, and shelter, and the poverty caused by lack of love and compassion. Of these two, the second type needs to be considered first — because if we have love and compassion in our hearts, then we will wholeheartedly serve those who suffer from lack of food, clothing, and shelter.”

So what can we do to increase the love in our hearts? Regular daily spiritual practices increase our love and compassion. One spiritual practice is studying spiritual teachings and applying them in our daily lives. Increasing the love in our own hearts does ripple out and brings more Peace and Happiness to others. Cultivating the Witness helps us to see all the things that block us from feeling the love and compassion in our hearts. Once we see and accept the blocks, they begin to dissolve right in front of our eyes.

May we each increase the love in our hearts today.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of evening sunlight on pine tree by Teja Shankara.

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A friend once told me that I am a “magician in the kitchen.” Yesterday I definitely felt the correctness of that label. There is an alchemy to my kitchen creations, which begins with the following rituals: first I light a candle and a stick of incense, then I turn on some chanting music and sing while waving the incense all around my cottage. I continue singing as I turn on the flame beneath the pot of beans, and begin chopping the vegetables.

Last night I was cooking and singing along with my current favorite chant artist, Girish, when my dear friend Thomas walked by. I invited him in to join me for the vegan feast I had created, which we enjoyed while listening to Girish’s “Reveal” CD. www.girishmusic.com.

When we sing while cooking, the positive sound vibrations go into the food, which makes the food not only taste better, but it also transforms the food into being a carrier of high vibrations. Thus, chanting while cooking brings healing to our inner beings, to the environment, and to our physical bodies.

I am very committed to raising my vibration and helping to raise the vibration of the human species. Chanting Sanskrit mantras from my heart raises my vibration and then that ripples out to others. When our vibrations go up, we then care more about what we put into our bodies. Organic, vegan foods are better for our bodies and they are better for the environment.

Here is the menu for the vegan dinner I prepared last night: quinoa cooked with Himalayan Krystal Salt, beets boiled and then sprinkled with the same salt, a curried mung bean dal cooked with lots of fresh ginger, and a savory vegetable sauté. For the sauté, first I put an onion in a few tablespoons of grapeseed oil, then added soy sauce and the following vegetables, as I chopped them, in this order: turnip, rutabega, carrot, garlic cloves, portabella mushroom, green kale, and fresh basil leaves. I served the meal with more fresh basil on top.

I absolutely love cooking, especially when I am singing at the same time. Singing and cooking with an open heart takes me to a state of inner Bliss. As I watch myself expanding, I feel incredible gratitude: for the food, for the music, and for the ever-expanding spiritual practice of cultivating the witness. The more I consciously witness myself, the greater the expansions become.

As I enjoy healthy vegan cuisine, I also remember that nearly 1 billion people are starving on this planet right now. I feel intense grief about that, so I am limiting the amount of food that I eat at each meal, to help myself remember all those starving people. I also donate money to Amma, as she is working tirelessly to feed the poor and suffering. www.amma.org.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of yogini cooking vegan dinner by Thomas Stekkinger.

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The Tejaswini Playground Press
Monthly Newsletter by Yogini Tejaswini Shankara

Photo by Ashley Marie - CC license

It has been brought to my attention that I should post the monthly newsletters here on this Teja Blog, so that people can read them on-line. So I've just posted the four newsletters below. If you sign up for my newsletter (on the menu to the left here), you will receive an e-mail alert when the latest newsletter has been posted to this blog.

May you enjoy reading about the fun I'm having on the Tejaswini Playground!

May you also have a lot of fun on the playground of your life.

May all beings everywhere know the Bliss of Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

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The Tejaswini Playground Press

Photo by Ashley Marie - CC license

We create our realities with our thoughts. Cultivating the witness, that part of our minds that objectively watches everything we are, allows us to clearly see all of our thoughts. Through the power of watching our thoughts, we gradually change the way we perceive the world. We shift from viewing the world as a serious court of justice to seeing this universe as a joyous playground. Like gleeful children, we get to play and celebrate during this lifetime we've been given. On the playground we enjoy ourselves fully, even if sometimes we scrape our knees or get our hearts broken! No matter what pains we go through, we can't let the heartbreaks keep us from opening up and having a good time on the playground.

Here is a bit of news from the fun I'm having lately on the Tejaswini Playground ~

~ Last month when I sent out this newsletter, I was preparing for my friend Pete’s visit. He was here for nearly 3 weeks, and we accomplished a lot during that time. He helped me make my new book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living, into an e-book, so people now have the choice on my website store to buy it in print or by e-book. (http://www.yogini-bliss.com.) We also recorded some video interviews and chants that you can watch on my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/16Tejaswini. AND, most importantly, we had a lot of fun together! Even though we spent a considerable amount of time working on our computers, we also went to kirtans (including Dave Stringer live!), took walks about town (see cute video of one such walk at: http://www.youtube.com/user/YogiSinzapatos#p/u/2/zuqZKZezUWU), had dinners with friends, and attended a few parties.

~ For me, one of the highlights of Pete’s visit was sharing sadhana (spiritual practices) together. We sat in silent meditation each morning and each evening, plus we did a lot of chanting (singing) along with CDs and along with my harmonium. Both Pete and my dear sister Britt suggested that I invite people to stay with me to experience a week of sadhana, along with my good vegan cooking. Perhaps someday I will follow that vision!

~ Another wonderful aspect of Pete’s visit was the way we navigated the days. I am usually a list-maker and a planner, but with him here I let go of the controls and allowed each day to be a spontaneous flow. It was so good for me to experience that not only does the work still get done that way, it gets done with less stress and more fun! That way of flowing also changed the way I am writing articles for the Teja Blog, so I am now enjoying that creative process more than ever.

~ The last couple of days were a whirlwind of activity, centered around giving each other buzz cuts and birthing the Buzz for Bliss Campaign. It all started when we were editing the hilarious video that we made of him giving me a buzz cut with a pair of scissors in the middle of the night! You can read all about that at www.buzz-for-bliss.com, and you can also read the inside story about it on the Teja Blog, in the two posts entitled “Buzz for Bliss: The Inside Story,” and “Buzz for Bliss: The Story Continues.” In these articles I explain why I buzzed my hair (to help me release my attachment to Pete), and how I adjusted to his absence after he departed for England.

~ My buzz cut video got nearly 7,000 views in the first week alone! Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/user/16Tejaswini. And please consider buzzing your own hair for Peace. For details on how buzzing your hair will help raise Unity Consciousness and how you can donate your hair to help stop the BP oil spill, go to www.buzz-for-bliss.com and http://www.moving-overseas-guide.com/bp-oil-spill.html.

~ As I mentioned last month, I am feeling really called to teach meditation and Reiki energy healing in prisons. To that end, I am going to attend a training program in San Rafael at the end of this month. The training is through Insight Prison Project, and it teaches participants how to be facilitators of a process called VOEG, the Victim Offender Education Group. I will share about this training experience in next month’s newsletter.

~ After the prison facilitator training program, I will go to see Ammachi for a few days in Castro Valley. I am really looking forward to those hugs! (www.amma.org)

~ I am still reading The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic, by Ramesh Menon. I’m now on page 252 of the 686 page book! It is the best book I have ever read. Here are a few phrases from the chapter I read today: “Don’t chase after pleasure any more. Accept whatever comes to you, joy or grief, calmly…. Don’t be too attached to anyone, nor coldly detached; adopt a middle course.” (Vali, the vanara king, giving parting words of wisdom to his son, as he lay dying upon the earth.)

~ I am really loving the weekly Radiance Rising Circles even more, now that I got up the courage to lead the chants on my harmonium. I love singing! At the last circle we toned the heart chakra mantra YAM, and I shared some teachings by Sri Ramana Maharshi, a great sage who lived in India 1879-1950. Here is one of his sayings (from The Essential Teachings of Ramana Maharshi: A Visual Journey, Edited by Matthew Greenblatt, InnerDirections Publishing, 2003.):

“The cause of misery is not in life without; it is within you as the ego. You impose limitations on yourself and then make a vain struggle to transcend them. Why attribute to the happenings in life the cause of misery, which really lies within you? What happiness can you get from anything extraneous to yourself? When you get it, how long will it last?”

~ My current self-coaching mantra is this: “The only true Bliss channel is inside. Tune in to that frequency, and walk alone with enthusiasm and gratitude.”

May you enjoy the playground of your life. May much Bliss arise within you each day.

May all beings know the Bliss of lasting Peace and Happiness within themselves.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

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The Tejaswini Playground Press

Photo by Ashley Marie - CC license

We create our realities with our thoughts. Cultivating the witness, that part of our minds that objectively watches everything we are, allows us to clearly see all of our thoughts. Through the power of watching our thoughts, we gradually change the way we perceive the world. We shift from viewing the world as a serious court of justice to seeing this universe as a joyous playground. Like gleeful children, we get to play and celebrate during this lifetime we've been given. On the playground we enjoy ourselves fully, even if sometimes we scrape our knees or get our hearts broken! No matter what pains we go through, we can't let the heartbreaks keep us from opening up and having a good time on the playground.

Here is a bit of news from the fun I'm having lately on the Tejaswini Playground ~

~ Recently I have been feeling super grateful for the following themes that are arising in my life: I am feeling totally orchestrated by the Universe… I am delighting in how life is magically unfolding… I am feeling Held by Something Greater… I am noticing much more progress in releasing expectations and attachments.

~ My boys are now 10 and 12, and I am enjoying them more than ever. They are so sharp and worldly, yet still so innocent. I am falling in love with them again and again, and I feel incredible gratitude for this mothering journey. A few weeks ago I took them to see Alice in Wonderland. We all really liked the movie. Our favorite part was “I believe in 6 impossible things before breakfast.” What a great spiritual practice!

~ If you haven’t had the chance to read the articles on my blog, please check them out. You can sign up as a user if you’d like to post comments. We can create discussions that way… Some recent blog titles include: “Let us choose remembrance!,” “Parsley Musings,” “Happy Birthday to Hanuman!,” “Calling in Tranquility,” and “Let Us Choose Happiness.”

~ The weekly Radiance Rising Circles have become the highlight of my life. Recently we celebrated Hanuman’s Birthday (the Hindu monkey god who is a hero in the ancient Indian epic, the Ramayana), with stories, songs, and vegan chocolate cake. Then I attended Jai Uttal’s kirtan in Ashland and became inspired to try leading a chant myself… So, at the circle last night, I played my harmonium while leading a Sita-Ram chant. (Sita and Ram are the Divine Incarnation in the Ramayana. They represent the eternal union of the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine. Symbolically, Sita is the human soul united with its Beloved, who is Rama.) I really enjoyed leading the chant, and I was pleased when my friend Andy told me later that I sang in tune the whole time! That was a big deal for me since I grew up believing that I couldn’t sing… But now, I can sing! I am looking forward to learning more chants on the harmonium.

~ I am feeling inspired to lead more and more circles, in a variety of settings. I feel really called to teach meditation (and Reiki energy healing) in prisons, so I am exploring different ways to begin doing that karma yogini work.

~ The 1,000 copies of my new book (Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living) arrived in the mail last week. Thanks to Gaelyn Larrick’s cover design and Bram Larrick’s interior design, the books are beautiful. It was amazing to hold them in my hands. Now it’s time to promote this book, which is available on my website store at www.yogini-bliss.com. On the website you can read excerpts from this pocket book.

~ Today I am preparing for my friend Pete’s visit… cleaning the cottage and cooking a pot of kitchari, which to me is like vegan comfort food. You can find the recipe on my website under “Tips from Tejaswini,” and I’ll also share it with you here:

Kitchari
Adapted from a friend’s recipe

Soak mung beans overnight (or 4 hour minimum)

Cook the following:

2 cups mung beans
4 cups water (may need more)
5-6 or more cloves garlic, chopped finely
big piece of ginger root, chopped finely
optional: big onion, chopped medium dice

Cook for 45 minutes or longer, until the mung beans start to fall apart.

Then combine with the following:

2 cups cooked rice (brown basmati or brown long grain)
½ cup tamari
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons cumin seed
1 ½ Tablespoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red chili flakes

Stir until blended – don’t over-stir.

Let sit for 45 minutes before serving.

With all of the above quantities, experiment to suite your tastes. You may like it more or less spicy.

Please buy organic whenever possible. It is better for your body and better for the environment. Happy Earth Day next week!

~ Currently I am reading a really great version of the Ramayana, called The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic, by Ramesh Menon. (North Point Press, New York, 2003.) In the introduction he 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 continues to say that reading the Ramayana purifies the soul. I have only read 80 pages of the 686 pages, and already I do feel that it is having a profound effect on my psyche and soul.

~ Last week I was greatly inspired by the Jai Uttal kirtan here in Ashland. He began the evening by saying, “Don’t try to feel spiritual. Just sing, and sing, and sing… sing from your heart, and then you will be filled with Spirit.” Singing is definitely what takes me to Bliss. May we all enjoy our paths to Bliss!

May you have a lot of fun on the playground of your life.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace), Yogini Tejaswini

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The Tejaswini Playground Press

Photo by Ashley Marie - CC license

We create our realities with our thoughts. Cultivating the witness, that part of our minds that objectively watches everything we are, allows us to clearly see all of our thoughts. Through the power of watching our thoughts, we gradually change the way we perceive the world. We shift from viewing the world as a serious court of justice to seeing this universe as a joyous playground. Like gleeful children, we get to play and celebrate during this lifetime we've been given. On the playground we enjoy ourselves fully, even if sometimes we scrape our knees or get our hearts broken! No matter what pains we go through, we can't let the heartbreaks keep us from opening up and having a good time on the playground.

Here is a bit of news from the fun I'm having lately on the Tejaswini Playground ~

~ A few weeks ago I took my boys snow-shoeing up on Mt. Ashland. It was one of those days with blue sky and bright sunshine, so we had a spectacular view of Mt. Shasta. After an hour of fun in the snow, we enjoyed the hot spicy cocoa I had brought in our sturdy Stanley thermos. We listened to MC Yogi's "Elephant Power," CD on the way home… My sons are now pre-teens and they really love rap and hip hop music, so MC Yogi appeals to them, which is great since I get to enjoy the Sanskrit mantras that are mixed in… "Jai Ganesha… Ganesh is so fresh chillin' on his throne…When I say Jai, You say Ganesh!" We are all thrilled that MC Yogi will perform live in Ashland on April 3rd. (To view a catchy song that MC Yogi recently created, called "Give Love," go to: http://vimeo.com/9366405)

~ I continue to enjoy writing regularly for the Teja Blog on my website, www.yogini-bliss.com. A few of my recent blog post titles include: "This Is It: Make That Change," "Freedom from Addictions to Television and to Anxieties," and "My Vegan Lunch Today." I've also been delighted to witness poems coming through me again. Soon I will post some of the new poems on the Poetry Gallery at yogini-bliss.com. In addition to the poetry flowing through, I've been receiving "downloads" for film ideas again. One of the film ideas is really quite good, and I could see it doing well as a major motion picture, so I'm intending that the universe works its magic for me to meet Stephen Simon or James Cameron!

~ On February 28th, I posted a blog called "The Teja Challenge," in which I challenged people to give up alcohol, nicotine, ganja, and other substances for a one-year period, during which time I will send them Reiki healing energy each day. So far, only one person has taken the challenge. He is doing quite well, and I look forward to working with more people who are ready to free themselves from addictive substances. One person (who is considering taking the challenge) posted a comment after the article asking what he would do without ganja when he felt bored and craved distraction from the turmoil of his mind. Here is most of my response to him:

"… Meditation and other spiritual practices will not only pass the time, they will transform you so that the turmoil will fade away into the vast loving universe that supports you. The thing is, the mind is easily habituated, which is a problem when it is habituated to drugs and destructive thought patterns, but it is a big help when the mind is habituated to meditation and other spiritual practices. The mind really likes to hold onto something - it is like a small child clinging to its parent. So, if you give the mind spiritual practices to hold onto (instead of ganja and other harmful substances), then the mind will very quickly become habituated to the positive practices and begin to cling to them.

"Ultimately, the goal is to purify and free the mind from all clinging, but most of us are not ready for that, so at the stage we are at now, we substitute spiritual practices for harmful addictions. We allow the mind to cling to meditation and other spiritual practices, and through those practices we purify our minds, gradually releasing all the negative tendencies.

"For those who choose to take the Teja Challenge, I highly recommend sitting in meditation at least once each day for 20-30 minutes. I also recommend reading my new book Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living, as well as reading many other books with spiritual teachings.

"You can pass the time reading spiritual teachings, sitting in meditation, singing along with chanting CDs, and spending time in nature. Gradually your mind will adjust to the new activities, and your mind will become calmer. This will be a process, and there will be difficult moments, but life will always present difficulties, no matter what path we choose, so we may as well choose a path of positive self-love and growth.

~ Recently a friend and I watched a really beautiful movie called HOME (which you can actually watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU), and they gave statistics about the amount of resources that are used to produce the massive amounts of grain needed to feed all the livestock that is then killed so people can eat meat. It was another great reminder of how choosing to eat a vegan diet is not only beneficial for personal health reasons, it is also better for the planet. On that note, here are a few vegan recipes for you to enjoy:

Forbidden Black Rice Teja Style:

Cook rice in water with a few spoonfuls of coconut oil, plus a bit of Himalayan krystal salt and some cumin powder. Toss the cooked rice with raw cashews, shredded coconut, nutritional yeast flakes, organic flax seed oil, raw ginger root* chopped finely, raw turmeric root* chopped finely, Himalayan krystal salt, and the juice of half a Meyer lemon. So Yummy! Food is God. (Well, according to the Yogic wisdom of ancient India, everything and everyone is part of the Oneness that is God, so you really could say that this rice dish is God!)

* Ginger and turmeric for added immune system boosting.

Rainbow Chard with Pinenuts:

Saute pinenuts and garlic (chopped finely) in olive oil for a few minutes, then add rainbow chard, a tablespoon of soy sauce, and the juice of half a Meyer lemon.

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

~ The weekly Radiance Rising Circles continue to be a source of much joy for me. I am so grateful to everyone who comes to share their hearts in these monday evening gatherings. We sit in silent meditation, share spiritual teachings, and chant sacred songs. My friend Andy has been leading the chants on his harmonium, and he is encouraging me to learn how to play my harmonium too! This is the first instrument I've ever played, so it's a whole new experience for me. For now I am proud that I can lead some mantra toning, but soon I will learn to play some actual songs.

~ My new book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living, has now (finally) gone to the printer in Michigan. I should have the 1,000 copies in my cottage (now where am I going to put them?!) by the end of March. Written from my perspective as a Raja Yogini, this pocketbook describes basic spiritual practices that anyone - of any faith - could apply to their own spiritual path. Pre-orders are now discounted on the website store… they will be discounted until April 10th.

~ One of my favorite inspiring reads is The Intenders Handbook, Revised 2007 Edition, by Tony Burroughs. (www.intenders.com) In this little book, I found this gem of a quote:

"What you are reaching toward is also reaching out toward you."

May you enjoy the playground of your life.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

My new business card:

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The Tejaswini Playground Press

Photo by Ashley Marie - CC license

We create our realities with our thoughts. Cultivating the witness, that part of our minds that objectively watches everything we are, allows us to clearly see all of our thoughts. Through the power of watching our thoughts, we gradually change the way we perceive the world. We shift from viewing the world as a serious court of justice to seeing this universe as a joyous playground. Like gleeful children, we get to play and celebrate during this lifetime we’ve been given. On the playground we enjoy ourselves fully, even if sometimes we scrape our knees or get our hearts broken! No matter what pains we go through, we can’t let the heartbreaks keep us from opening up and having a good time on the playground.

Here is a bit of news from the fun I’m having on the Tejaswini Playground ~

~ Last summer was a time of deep grief (I lost a couple of loved ones, including my beloved spiritual teacher, Basil), but during that dark night of the soul, a lot of creative ideas and visions stirred within me. Those visions are now coming to fruition. After all the hard work that went into the creation of my website (thanks to Gaelyn and Bram Larrick, and myself), I was filled with incredible excitement when www.yogini-bliss.com went live. What a joy it is to see that outward reflection of all the inner work I’ve done these past six years.

~ On November 16^th, while I was down south hugging my Guru Ammachi, the Jackson County Judge stamped my name change final. I am now legally Tejaswini Rachel Ann Shankara. With this name change, I dropped the last names of my parents and of my former husband, and took the last name Shankara, which is a name of Lord Shiva that means “Giver of Happiness and Peace.” The Hindu deity Shiva represents the Pure Consciousness and Bliss within and without all beings. With the last name Shankara, I endeavor to remember that my first husband is always Shiva, and the connections that I have with earthly men are secondary to this primary connection with Shiva. (This is similar to the way some Christian nuns consider themselves to be brides of Jesus, although, even as I consider myself a bride of Shiva, I have not taken the vow of celibacy. Maybe someday?!) Taking this new name has felt a bit disorienting at times, as I am feeling my way into the new vibration that this name carries, but gradually that initial disorientation is fading and I am settling into being Teja Shankara.

~ January 29^th I celebrated my 40^th birthday, and it was one of my best birthdays ever. I went down to Mt. Shasta City for a few days and really enjoyed going snow-shoeing with a dear girlfriend who is very much like a sister to me. I don’t usually enjoy winter sports because I’m not that good at them and I don’t like to be cold, but I really loved snow-shoeing! It was so much fun that I intend to go more often. On this joyous playground of life, it is so good to keep doing new things and discovering what things we really have fun doing. After a couple of invigorating hours in the snow on Mt. Shasta, we soaked in a hot tub under the stars. Breathing in the sacredness of that place, I set the intention to spend more time near Mt. Shasta, so I can take in more of the healing medicines from that sacred mountain.

~ Lately I have really been enjoying the creative writing that I am getting to do for the Teja Blog on my website, www.yogini-bliss.com. When you get the chance, check it out. It’s almost turning into an on-line book! Here are a few of the blog post titles: “Getting Grounded in Times of Rapid Change,” “Manifesting Intentions from a State of Knowingness,” and “Expansion Through Spiritual Practices that Warm the Heart.” On the Teja Blog, if you sign up as a user, then you can post comments and you will receive notification emails.

~ A few days before Valentine’s Day, my sons and I made a hilarious 18 second video, which I am sorry to say I cannot post on my YouTube channel (because I cannot get permission from my youngest son). In the video, my son asked me what “valentine” meant and I read him the definition from the dictionary and then I made some sarcastic comments. I laughed so hard every time I watched that video. It was such good medicine for me to make fun of my aching heart. I was going through some heartbreak and I was really not looking forward to Valentine’s Day at all. In fact, I wished I could fast-forward time and make it February 15^th already. Well, since time is moving fast and we are all evolving faster than usual, by Valentine’s morning I was feeling quite happy to be alone. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day. I cooked myself a really delicious Indian meal, with a nourishing red lentil dal (similar to the red lentil dal recipe in my cookbook, Love Soups: A Vegetarian Soup Cookbook Inspired by the Soup Devas), and a slightly spicy dish of curried potatoes, onions, and cauliflower.  After dinner I dressed up fun, with sparkles and a bindi on my third eye, and I went out dancing at a wonderful kirtan/dance fusion event put on by Prema Mayi and her son Krishnadeva. My solo Valentine’s Day turned out to be quite fun and fulfilling.

~ My new book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living, will be going to the printer very soon. I am so excited to get this book out into the world. Written from my perspective as a Raja Yogini, it describes basic spiritual practices that anyone – of any faith – could apply to their own spiritual path. This easy-to-read pocket book will make a great gift for your friends and family. Pre-orders are now discounted on the yogini-bliss.com store.

~ In November I began training as a Reiki practitioner. Reiki, pronounced “Ray-key,” is a gentle, hands-on energy healing system. Lately I have started giving more direct healing sessions, and I am really enjoying that. I also continue to send distance Reiki healings to Haiti and to friends in other countries. I will be writing more about my experiences with Reiki in future newsletters and on the Teja Blog.

~ Late November I began offering weekly Radiance Rising Circles, which are Gandhi-style gatherings to spark the inner Light. Each circle has been very sweet. I am so grateful to the beings who come and share their hearts. After New Year’s we began a mini-study of the chakras, focusing on one chakra each week. As a part of that study, I began bringing my harmonium to the circles so that we could tone the mantras associated with the chakras. This was a bit of a stretch for me since I am just a beginner at playing harmonium and singing, but I am really glad that I did it because it was so much fun! I really look forward to these Monday evening gatherings. Sometimes I even cry a little before going to the circles, because my heart is overflowing with gratitude that I get to serve in that way now.

~ One of my favorite spiritual teachings at the moment comes from Deepak Chopra’s book, The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore. He quotes a famous Indian teacher (who he does not name) saying: “The measure of enlightenment is how comfortable you feel with your own contradictions.”

Three Cheers for all the joys (and sorrows) that pass through us as we play on this playground of life! May you enjoy the playground of your life.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

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Today I had been trying to get caught up on emails all morning. With 30 more to go, I took a break to fix some lunch. As I walked into the kitchen, I witnessed a bit of frustration in my being because I really don’t want to spend so much time on the computer. As I witnessed the tension and breathed into it, I looked around my colorful, cozy kitchen and relaxed. My kitchen is very much like my Grandma’s kitchen, which is one of my favorite places on earth. Like hers, mine is painted a bright cheery yellow, and like hers, I have lots of photos hanging on my fridge doors… and like hers, I have flowers, plants, meaningful knick-knacks, and a nice wooden table.

As I heated up some leftovers from the tasty dinner I cooked last night, I ate a spoonful of Artisana Raw Organic Coconut Butter, and I was suddenly filled with incredible Bliss. It was one of those moments when I feel very connected to All That Is.

Is your kitchen a cozy place that fills you with Bliss? If not, consider transforming it into such a place.

Do you need some new cooking ideas? Last night I roasted yukon gold potatoes with olive oil, dill, black pepper, salt, and garlic granules; cooked a pot of curried french lentils (similar to the recipe in my cookbook, Love Soups: A Vegetarian Soup Cookbook Inspired by the Soup Devas); and served those along with some brown rice (cooked with dried mint, cumin powder, salt, shredded coconut, and coconut oil), and a fresh green salad topped with meyer lemon juice and fresh cilantro. The leftovers tasted so good today.

Now I’m ready to make some hot tea and respond to those 30 remaining emails!

May we all enjoy many Blissful moments like the one I had today in my cozy kitchen. And may we all intend Peace on Earth.

May all beings everywhere know the Bliss of Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

www.buzz-for-bliss.com

www.youtube.com/user/16Tejaswini

Photo of my vegan lunch with lilacs and marigolds by Teja Shankara.

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