The Name Rama (also called Ram) has been very special to me for several years. I can’t remember exactly when my Guru, Sri Sri Sri Neem Karoli Baba-ji found me, but I’m guessing it was almost six years ago. Neem Karoli Baba left his body in 1973, when I was three years old, living on a farm in Indiana, so I did not meet him in person. Rather, he came to me in dreams, and I read many books about him. I have also experienced his Presence through the kirtan artists who did spend time with Maharaj-ji in India: Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, and Bhagavan Das. I consider those three to be my spiritual brothers, and I bow to each of them with immense gratitude for the potent and transformative healing chants that they share with the world.

Since my association with Neem Karoli Baba began, I have felt strongly drawn to Rama, Sita, and Hanuman, the main characters of The Ramayana, the famous epic tale that was channeled in ancient India by the Sanskrit poet-sage Valmiki.

About five years ago, I read a short, sweet version of The Ramayana, which was kind of like reading the CliffsNotes. I recommend this book for those who just want to hear the basic story and see the beautiful illustrations by B.G. Sharma. Written by Ranchor Prime, it is entitled The Ramayana: A Tale of Gods and Demons (Mandala Publishing, San Rafael, CA, 2001, 2004).

In the spring of 2009, I was blessed to attend a weekend kirtan retreat with Jai Uttal (and tablas player Daniel Paul) at Breitenbush Hotsprings. Each evening, Jai told us stories from The Ramayana, adding his hilarious modern-day touches along the way. Inspired by his fabulous storytelling, and hungry to dive deeper into the ancient tale, I asked him which version to read next. He suggested The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic by Ramesh Menon (North Point Press, New York, 2001, 2003).

A few months ago I began reading that version, and I carried the book with me in June when I went to see Ammachi at her ashram near San Ramon, California. One morning there, while watching Amma give hugs, a young man sitting behind me spotted my book, and he struck up a conversation with me. He lives in America now, but he grew up in India, and his parents still live in India. He was curious to know what I thought about Rama sending Sita away in the last book of The Ramayana. I said that I hadn’t gotten to that part yet in this version, but I was familiar with the storyline, and I just accepted it. He said that he believes it is important, as spiritual seekers, to question everything, including Rama’s actions. He said that when he asked his mother about why Rama sent Sita away, she said that Rama did what he had to do in his role as a king ten thousand years ago. (Give or take a few thousand years.) At the time, I didn’t feel any conflict within myself about Rama’s actions.

About a week after returning home from Amma’s, my boys and I watched the very creative film Sita Sings the Blues, made by American artist Nina Paley. (Click on the film title here to view the movie on YouTube.) I very much enjoyed this comical version of The Ramayana, and I still did not feel any question about the love for Rama inside my heart.

But then I came to certain parts in Ramesh Menon’s Ramayana, and suddenly I began to feel some discomfort with certain things that Rama said and did. I am not sure if these parts are true to the original Valmiki Ramayana, or if they are influenced by Ramesh Menon’s interpretation, but I will share them here because they are the cause of my current issues with Rama.

The part of me that is uncomfortable with conflict just wants to resolve this as quickly as possible. That part of me says, “It is just your ego talking – how can you, with your limited state of mind, question Rama, a Divine Incarnation?” That part of me believes that Neem Karoli Baba-ji and Gandh-ji had total devotion to Rama for good reasons, and so, based on their Love of Rama, I could also just keep loving Rama with total devotion. But then I remember what the young man said to me at Amma’s. He said that when issues come up for us, even issues with God, we can’t just trust what others say – even what the saints say – but rather, we have to resolve the issues within our own hearts.

So now I will outline my issues with Rama, with quotes from Ramesh Menon's Ramayana. I welcome feedback on these points.

After the demon king Ravana kidnaps Rama’s wife Sita, Rama grieves the loss of his beloved. His grief is almost unbearable, and were it not for the support and encouragement of his brother, Lakshmana, Rama might have perished from the grief. Before I took the brahmacharya celibacy vow one month ago, I found Rama’s grief to be charming, as I could totally relate to the deep sorrow involved in that longing for union. However, since taking the vow of brahmacharini, I see Rama’s grief as borderline pathetic! (Soon I will write a blog about my experience with taking brahmacharya.)

Then, during the war, when Rama thinks Lakshmana is dead, he cries out, “Lakshmana, how will I live when you are gone? I may find another Sita if I comb the earth, but I will never find another Lakshmana.” What? After all that grief over Sita, now he says he can replace her if he combs the earth? Now he loves Lakshmana more than Sita?

Then, after the war, he speaks coldly to Sita, saying: “I came because of dharma…. Do not think for a moment, Sita, that I came for your sake.” What? Ouch. That must have cut Sita’s heart like a knife. So then, bold as she was, she steps into the flames of a huge fire to prove her purity. The Lord Brahma appears and tells Rama that Rama is the Lord Vishnu Incarnate and Sita is the Goddess Lakshmi Incarnate… AND, Agni Deva, the God of Fire Himself, gives Sita to Rama unsinged and tells Rama that Sita is purer than he (Agni) is!

So then, Rama says to Sita, “Forgive me, my love, that I was so cruel to you. Not for a moment did I doubt your chastity.” Oy! Yes he did doubt her.

Then, once back in their kingdom in Ayodhya, when the people doubt Sita’s purity, instead of Rama saying, “Look, I am an Avatar of Vishnu and Sita is Lakshmi, and Agni did not burn her since she is so pure,” he said that it was the dharma of a king to keep his honor for the people. He says, “… I brought her home to Ayodhya, knowing she was perfectly untainted, in body and mind. But the people are not convinced. They judge her by their own lives, their own beliefs.” So then he tells Lakshmana, “… a king’s first dharma is to his subjects. Take Sita to the Rishi Valmiki’s asrama and leave her there.” He knew that she was pregnant (with their twin sons), but he didn’t stand up for her at all?

Although Rama did suffer tremendously over his grief at sending Sita away, he held firm to following his dharma, saying, “A king’s only dharma is the welfare of his people. They must rule whatever I do; my life belongs to them.”

Then, years later, at a big forest sacrifice gathering, his sons, Lava and Kusa, sing The Ramayana, and, hearing his own story, Rama realizes that these are his sons. So then he asks for Sita to come and swear an oath of purity for the sake of their sons’ future! The Great Rishi (Sage) Valmiki says, “Rama, you abandoned this Sita, who is purity itself, near my asrama. You were afraid of what the world thought of her and said of her. Why, it seems to me you doubt her yourself, that you ask her to come here and swear an oath.” So Rama tells Valmiki that he never doubted Sita’s purity, but he still asks her to come swear the oath.

So! Bhumi Devi, the Earth Goddess Herself, takes Sita back, proving Sita’s purity once and for all. Rama sobs and roars in fury at the Earth. He’s so enraged that Brahma has to appear to console him, saying, “Calm yourself, Rama. Sita is in Nagaloka, with her mother. You will find her again, after this life.”

After Sita left the world, Rama kept his kanchana (golden) Sita with him and he never even looked at another woman. Now this level of devotion and integrity I can totally respect, given my propensity (in the PAST) to attract men of the polyamorous persuasion.

Rama ruled for ten or eleven thousand years (depending on your source), and it was a time of utter grace on earth, but after Sita left the world, “he himself was always lonely, and pined for her.” Again, I’m inclined to use the word “pathetic,” but then I guess that is how jivas (individual souls) are, when we forget our Union with Shiva (God). But why did Rama forget, even after Lord Brahma told him clearly that he, Rama, was an Avatar of Lord Vishnu? Some say he forgot because, like us, he was in a human body living in the world, and like us, he regularly forgot his Divinity, and like us, he suffered because of that forgetfulness.

Then, when Rama has to banish Lakshmana to fulfill an agreement with Yama (Death), he again shows more love for Lakshmana than for Sita. Menon writes, “He was more stricken, even, than when he had sent Sita away from Ayodhya.”

After all the grief and loss, the story has a very cool ending. When it is time for Rama to leave this world, he becomes Vishnu again: “Rama melted into that light; he was that light.” And all the people who were devoted to him (Ramabhaktas), followed him out of this world: “In waves, like a river flowing into the sea, that throng of Ramabhaktas walked into the Sarayu. As soon as the holy water touched them, their mortal bodies dissolved and they rose up in resplendent forms of light…. When the last of his bhaktas has ascended, Rama himself rose out of this world…. And there, Sita, who is the Devi Lakshmi, waited for him.”

So the story has a good ending, but it left me feeling very conflicted about Rama’s actions. Was he indeed the perfect man? Some say yes, because, for a king in that age, his dharma to his people was impeccable. I’m not yet convinced, but I long to restore the feeling of Love and Devotion for Rama in my heart.

I highly recommend Ramesh Menon’s Ramayana. It is so beautifully and poetically written. Even with all this inner turmoil going on inside me about Rama, I intend to begin reading Menon’s Ramayana again very soon.

Lately I have been doing some forgiveness work, with the intention of forgiving a few people in my life, and with the intention of forgiving myself. So I say, out loud, “Teja, I accept your choices. I forgive you. I love you.” (I also say that to the other beings I am intending to forgive.) Somehow I need to come to the place where I feel resolved with Rama in my heart, so that I can sing his name loudly again. Perhaps soon I will be able to say, “Rama, I accept your choices. I forgive you. I love you.”

I offer this blog article to Sri Sri Sri Neem Karoli Baba-ji, Beloved Guru of Endless Grace. Oh Maharaj-ji, please help me to reunite with Rama in my heart. Please let me again feel the Fire of God and the Ocean of Grace merging in Sita-Ram. Please may this reading and contemplation of The Ramayana cleanse my soul of all impurities.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photos of Fire and Ocean by Teja Shankara.

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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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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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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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This is it. Three simple words, with so many layers of potential meanings behind them. This weekend my boys and I watched This Is It, the documentary film depicting Michael Jackson’s rehearsals for the absolutely amazing show that he was scheduled to open in London. At a press conference full of beloved fans (who could not stop screaming in excitement), he said, “This is it. This is the final curtain call. See you in July.” Sadly, Michael Jackson died two weeks before that first concert.

After a decade’s absence from the stage, Michael Jackson, a single parent, said that it was a good time to do his final tour because his kids were old enough to appreciate it, and he was still young enough to do it. At 50 years old, he sang and danced just like he did when I was in the eighth grade. As I listened to his great old songs, I was filled with nostalgia for what was, but I also saw him from a new perspective. Viewing him from my training as a raja yogini, I saw right into the heart of him as a spiritual being. My vision changed from seeing him as a famous pop star, to seeing him as a profound spiritual teacher. 

Like all great spiritual teachers, Michael Jackson’s message was Love, and he delivered it with such tenderness and kindness. Throughout the rehearsals, as he worked with the musicians and dancers, he spoke in a very gentle voice, often saying, “Do it with the love… with the love… L.O.V.E., Love…” Involved in every aspect of the production, from casting to directing to lighting to sound to design, his brilliance shined through, and the film shows a true genius at work. At one point, Michael Jackson stood in a circle with all the cast and crew, giving them sweet encouragement. He said that they were all family and that it was all for love.

This Is It would likely have been the most spectacular concert experience the world had ever known, complete with fireworks, pyro-technology, 3D films, extraordinary costuming, and much more. Michael Jackson had created a show that would thrill his fans like never before, and within that potent entertainment experience, he intended to deliver a powerful message: This Is It. We all have to help heal this earth. If we don’t make some changes now, within 4 years the environmental devastation will be irreversible.

Michael Jackson planned to make this plea for the environment with his characteristic boldness through a 3D film in which a beautiful young girl is playing with butterflies in the lush green forest. She falls asleep and awakes to the horror of her paradise burning all around her. As a bulldozer approaches, she rushes to save the last green plant, while tears stream down her cheeks. Right at the point where the bulldozer almost crushes her, Michael Jackson was going to jump out of the screen with her, and then an actual bulldozer was going to come on the stage towards them! A man was going to get out of the bulldozer, to show that it is not the machines that are destroying the earth, but rather it is the human beings who run the machines.

As a true spiritual teacher, Michael Jackson intended to show people that the human race is sleeping and we need to WAKE UP! He was going to bring this message live to a million people at 50 sold-out shows. I sobbed as I thought of what a tragedy it is that he died before offering those shows, but then I searched for the positive, and realized that maybe now even more people will get his message through watching the documentary film, This Is It.

In the tradition of his past shows, he planned to end the concerts with the song “Man In The Mirror.”  I don’t remember if I really understood that song’s words when I was a teenager, but now as a 40-year-old yogini, I get them in the context of Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings. Michael Jackson sang, “I’m starting with the man in the mirror. I’m asking him to change his ways. No message could’ve been any clearer. If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make that change.” Likewise, Gandhi-ji said we have to BE the change that we wish to see in the world.

When we go within and change ourselves, those changes do ripple out and affect the beings around us. So how do we change ourselves? One of the most effective ways to change ourselves is through regular, daily spiritual practices. Mahatma Gandhi definitely knew the importance of meditation and other spiritual practices. Throughout all of his political activities, he took the time to lead morning and evening prayer services each day. People of all faiths, and even atheists, attended these gatherings. Meditation was a key aspect to Gandhi’s success in the world.

In the Introduction to MK Gandhi’s Book of Prayers, Michael N. Nagler writes: “There is a tendency to think that meditation and action are opposites, that one chooses between one way of life or the other. But as the Bhagavad Gita insists, meditation and selfless action are inseparable. They are opposite sides of the same coin, as complementary as breathing in and breathing out. They not only do not exclude each other, they need each other. By reaching normally untapped inner resources, one can unleash the energy needed to make major changes in one’s self and others, and the wisdom to guide that energy. Meditation enables one to act without the contaminant of selfish attachment. That applies with particular force when the action in question happens to be a revolution. Far from being a distraction, then, the devotional practices of the ashram were the very stuff of revolution. For Gandhi there was no distinction whatever between the social purpose of the community – to raise India and in the process shake off her colonial chains – and the spiritual purpose which has always been the center of ashram life – to raise the consciousness of individuals by shaking off their egocentric chains.” (Book of Prayers, by Mohandas K. Gandhi, Berkeley Hills Books, Berkeley, CA, 1999.)

In order to help the environment thrive on this sacred earth, we need to raise the consciousness of the human species. This begins by each one of us dedicating ourselves to raising our own consciousness. We can speed up the process by committing ourselves to doing daily spiritual practices. In my new book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living, I describe basic spiritual practices that anyone – of any faith – can apply to their own life journey. (This book will be going to the printer very soon and pre-orders are now discounted on this website’s store.) In this easy-to-read pocketbook, I stress the importance of daily spiritual practices, especially cultivating the witness and sitting meditation.

Cultivating the Witness is an essential part of getting to know ourselves. By objectively witnessing all parts of ourselves, we learn to allow and accept everything that we are. We learn to love ourselves unconditionally. Gradually, as we let go of our false coverings, we become who we truly are: spiritual beings who are part of one pure love energy, the “L.O.V.E.” that Michael Jackson so often referred to.

We can practice cultivating the witness during our daily lives and also when we are sitting in meditation. While sitting still, we silently observe our thoughts, our emotions, our bodily sensations, and our breath. When we sit still regularly, the energy needed to change ourselves spontaneously arises. After meditating daily for a while, we can look in the mirror and be grateful for the transformations that are occurring within our beings.

This is it. This is the only moment we have. Regular, daily meditation is more important now than ever. May we each heed the call to look in the mirror and make that change. May all beings everywhere be uplifted by the rising consciousness created through our daily sitting meditation practices.

As more and more people dedicate themselves to daily meditation practice, I bet Michael Jackson will be smiling upon us from some distant star. Thanks for the teachings, MJ. This is it.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Image "Near the centre" by Eddi 07, CC license.

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