After sending out a monthly e-newsletter (The Tejaswini Playground Press) for nearly two years, in October I just suddenly did not write the newsletter. Then in November it happened again that I just didn’t do it. So I began to ask myself “To Newsletter, or Not To Newsletter?”, and as I’ve listened to my inner guidance, I’ve ‘heard’ to let it go for a while and see what happens next! Thus, I will be taking a break from The Tejaswini Playground Press...

May all beings everywhere know Deep Healing, within and without.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of playground by Ashley Marie - CC License

Comment (0)

As I mentioned in my last blog article (“Spiritual Purification through Releasing Impurities”), this year 2011 has required me to do a lot of release work. Although that work has been painful and exhausting, I am now seeing the Light at the end of the Dark Year of the Soul! The Light is shimmering through this amazing process that I am now witnessing in my being: I am now more healed and more whole than I have ever been… So Much Gratitude!

Even with all this healing and wholeness, I still relapse into negative thinking in some not-so-cheery moments, and when that happens, I ask ‘What is the point of it all? What is the meaning behind all the sorrows and suffering in this manifest realm?’ Rather than asking those questions to the void and remaining stuck in negativities, this past week I’ve been hearing an answer. The only answer that makes any sense to me right now is about Beauty. As I continue my journey of self-healing and self-love, I see that I need to be surrounded by and continuously creating Beauty.

For example, when I see a string of colorful lanterns glowing on the porch of a cute little house, that beauty fills me with such joy. Beauty feels like the healing balm for my soul at this stage in my evolution. Today, through the beautiful cedar sprigs and colored glass on my living room table, I am finding nourishment and meaning.

May all beings everywhere heal all their wounds and love themselves, deeply, deeply. May delightful visions of Beauty fill your heart with love now and always.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of cedar sprigs and colored glass by Teja Shankara.

Comment (0)

Back in July, when it was bright and sunny here, I posted an article announcing a new Teja Blog feature: Ask Teja! Since posting that new feature, my life has become more than a little bit busy, so I haven’t taken the time to answer any questions. Well, now that the weather has shifted to cold and grey November days here, I am inspired to light some candles and sip some hot tea while answering a dear person’s question. If you would like a question answered, you can opt to remain anonymous like this person, or you can include your name and/or a photo of yourself. Simply send me an email, anytime: teja@yogini-bliss.com

Question: So what I want to ask you, Teja, is how do you live with yourself in the face of being human...  mostly from a sacred perspective.  When getting married, becoming initiated into Reiki (especially the master level), and then accepting a Guru or two and vowing to follow their teachings, vowing to love, respect and honor, vowing to not be angry today. How do you reconcile yourself with not living up to these promises????  Of course there are times we do, but ...............

?????????????????????????????????

How do you balance imperfection with ideals? How does one live with oneself?  I am feeling some bi-polar tendencies in my thinking. I need more grey but don't know how to get there.

Answer: Dear being who wrote this question, first let me say that I really love this question. It really shows the depth of your longing and your sincere dedication to growth. And, in attempting to answer it, I get to renew my commitments as well as possibly help the beings who will read this blog. So thank you very much for sending this question.

The “grey” you are seeking lies in understanding the vasanas (tendencies) and in understanding the nature of spiritual awakening. These are two of the three key principles I address in the first section of my pocket book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living. 

First, the vasanas are tendencies or patterns that have locked into forms in the very structure of our beings. They are like energetic knots that need to be untied and unraveled. Once we see them for what they are, they naturally begin unraveling, but we still have to do our part in working to release them. This requires a great deal of patience and also reverence for Divine Timing. The way I “live with myself” in that process, is I simultaneously keep my eye on the goal while also cutting myself a lot of slack. I do expect myself to keep trying, but I don’t expect myself to get it right every time. A lot of suffering is caused by unrealistic expectations, so I continually adjust and readjust my expectations, whilst practicing Acceptance of What IS.

Second, the nature of spiritual awakening, according to my beloved teacher David La Chapelle (who left his body in July 2009), IS bi-polar. He said, “Your system rises up to an ecstatic level of consciousness and then it comes back down and purifies.” What that looks like in our daily life, practically speaking, is we feel expanded, and then we feel contracted, over and over again! Understanding that contractions inevitably follow expansions really helps us to keep our imperfections and ideals in balance. Until we can really surrender and let go, we’ll keep making mistakes, breaking vows, and so on, and since the process of surrendering the ego is long and hard, it’s helpful to just decide right now that we’re going to love ourselves and laugh ourselves through it all! We can choose to be happy even when we’re not doing it the way we think we should be doing it.

Keeping a sense of humor with yourself is probably the fastest way to get to the “grey” balance area you are seeking, dear one. And, remembering that we are each doing the best that we can with the light that we have to see by. Having said that, though, I acknowledge that it is very frustrating once we have enough light to see the goal, but not enough light to stay continuously open-hearted. During the contracted times, it is especially important to laugh at our predicament: here we are, knowing that we shouldn’t get angry, and yet fully immersed in the anger state anyway. What a cosmic joke! As Ammachi says, “Whether we laugh or cry, days will go by, so we may as well laugh.” Let’s all practice laughing at our contracted states, whilst knowing that soon we will expand into Love once again.

If you have any questions, big or small, please send them my way: teja@yogini-bliss.com ~ You can ask big questions like the one above, or you can ask something small like how to prepare yummy adzuki beans! In the United States we are coming up on our biggest food holiday, so I am turning my focus to planning a festive vegan meal. If you have questions about going vegan for Thanksgiving, please Ask Teja!

May all beings live in Harmony, with Bright Radiant Light illuminating their way.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of candles glowing by Teja Shankara.

Comment (0)

As we walk along the spiritual path, it is important to continually assess our daily spiritual practices. In my life, there are certain practices that I am committed to doing daily on a long-term basis, such as the ones outlined in my pocket book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living. (Available on this website store in print or e-book version. The e-book is only $4.99 and is e-mailed to you within 24 hours of purchase.) In addition to my regular, daily practices, I make other commitments and vows, as guided by my intuition and by my ever-changing life circumstances.

For example, I walked mostly barefoot for six months, when I was working in my brother’s outdoor gear shoppe (and then when I was out of work for a month), and the weather was warm. Now the days are chilly and I am training to be a medical assistant at Morningstar Healing Arts, so I’ve put shoes and socks back on, knowing that I will walk barefoot again when possible. Now I’ve made a new commitment: to go to bed every night by 9:00pm, and to get up every morning (including weekends) at 5:00am sharp! I don’t know how long this new commitment will last, but for now it is very important for my current steps on the spiritual path. 

What commitments are you making to yourself at this time? Please feel free to share them in the comments section below this article. 

May all beings everywhere know Radiance rising within themselves.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of path at Southgate Meadows on Mt. Shasta taken by Teja Shankara.

Comment (0)

One hot afternoon this week, I put together an amazing vegan snack… a plate filled with the following: raw macadamia nuts, clover sprouts, cilantro, and basil leaves, topped with the juice of half a lime, a few sprinkles of Himalayan krystal salt, and a few shakes of Nama shoyu (raw or unpasteurized soy sauce). It tasted so phenomenally great!

As always, please buy organic, vegan foods whenever possible. Your body will thank you, and this sacred mother earth will thank you. Oh, and all the creatures will thank you, too!

May all beings everywhere be free. May all the humans learn to love and protect all the creatures. May we all directly experience the interconnectedness of everyone and everything!

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

To see a short video of me talking about Love Soups, my vegetarian soup cookbook, please click here: Yogini-Bliss on YouTube.

Photo of Teja’s Amazing Afternoon Vegan Snack taken by Teja Shankara.

Comment (0)

Today I am happy to announce a new feature here on the Teja Blog: Ask Teja! Yes, now anyone at anytime can ask me questions… simply send me an email with any questions you have, and I’ll do my best to answer them! My email address:

teja@yogini-bliss.com

If you wish to remain anonymous, that is fine… and if you wish to have your name and photo on the Teja Blog along with your question(s), that is also fine… Just let me know your preference when you send me your question(s)…

My beloved teacher, who left his body on July 21^st, 2009, David La Chapelle, predicted that one day people would be asking me questions, and I shrugged my shoulders, like “Yeah, right” but now the time has come when I do feel ready and available to field some questions… after all, those silver hairs on my head did not come from a hair frosting kit! Lol, those silver hairs have come from some hard knocks and some dark nights of the soul, which gratefully have given me some wisdom… So, please send me your questions!

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja with new leopard-skin seat cover (on her old Schwinn bicycle) taken by Teja’s Mom.

Comment (0)

My dear friend Jill accompanied me for the drive home from Amma’s ashram in June… Before leaving Amma’s Field, I had set an intention to be happy as I returned home, because when I returned home from Amma’s in November, I was quite unhappy since I was feeling really “done” with living in Ashland, Oregon (after 18 years here!), but I can’t move away just yet since my boys have seven more years of schooling in this town… As I drove into town that cold November night, I was overcome by a long, uncontrollable sobbing cry… But this time, after a totally amazing time of transformation with Amma, I was feeling happy and strong in my center again.

As we drove over the mountain pass and into the sunny town, I told Jill that I felt as though the time with Amma, and that happy drive home, were like a “reset” button. I felt as though I got myself back, and I felt ready to begin this final Ashland chapter with a much better attitude. With deep Gratitude, I cultivated the witness and saw all this Bliss and Love surrounding me and my family. Energized to share all that Love with others, I joyfully returned to Ashland… And I am grateful to report that after being home for over one month now, I am still feeling the Amma Love and still feeling quite happy and centered inside my own being.

Jai MA! Victory to the Divine Mother!

May all beings everywhere know Happiness and Peace.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja Blissful with Mt. Shasta behind her taken by Jill Rothman. Photo of Teja’s feet heading home taken by Teja Shankara.

Comment (0)

In my blog article, “Happy Yogini in Warm ShivaRatri Field”, I shared how I found a silver snake ring that I knew I would wear until my gold snake ring arrived… I had ordered a gold cobra snake ring to wear on my wedding finger, as a reminder that I, Teja Shankara, intend to be married to Lord Shiva Shankara!

When I got to Amma’s ashram in June, I showed my new wedding ring to a friend, and he said, “Ahhh… Mrs. Shankara!” Then I ran into another friend from Mt. Shasta, and we joked that my husband was off meditating in the Himalayas, and as we parted, she said, “You married well!”

Then, the day after Kate and I experienced our very long hugs with Amma (“Amma filled me with a sense of Okayness!”), I went up to Amma for my most amazing darshan ever! As I advanced up the darshan line, I decided to show Amma my snake ring. After making that decision, I became very nervous: I was shaking and feeling like I might throw up… But I thought about my intention to be married to Lord Shiva first (no matter what is happening with earthguy lilas), and somehow I mustered up the courage… So when it was my turn, I told Gita, Amma’s attendant, that I wanted to show Amma my ring… Amma hugged me first, and as she started to say “My daughter, my daughter, my daughter” into my ear, I spontaneously began saying “Om Namah Shivaya” quite loudly into her chest, and as I did that, she switched to saying “Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma” into my ear… and then, as I came out of the hug, I showed her my ring, and she smiled so Big – a huge sparkling-like-diamonds-shimmering smile – and she kissed the gold cobra snake ring on my wedding ring finger! 

After that darshan, I did danda pranam (full-body prostration on the floor), and cried with Infinite Gratitude! I felt so in love with everyone and everything, and I knew that everything is allright in all the worlds.

May all beings experience Infinite Gratitude and Love!

Om Namah Shivaya ~ I bow to my Beloved Husband, Shiva Shankara, who is Pure Consciousness and Bliss! 

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photos of Teja’s wedding ring and of Teja Sun-Blessed in Amma’s Field taken by Teja Shankara.

Comment (3)

This is a short note to share the gorgeous beauty on my kitchen table today. This past week has been a wild ride: I returned home from my pilgrimage to see Ammachi (in California) on June 10^th; my parents arrived to visit on June 11^th; and I went back to work at the outdoor gear shoppe on June 12^th. This past week I worked over 49 hours, while my parents were visiting! They drove away today, and although I felt sad to see them go, I have to admit I am enjoying this quiet time to myself! With the boys at Papa’s house, I now have a little time for reflecting… while I catch up on dishes, laundry, bills, and shopping!

Here’s my little reflection for today: after being away from Amma for ten days now, I am amazed at how the transformation is not only lasting, but it is deepening and ever-unfolding. I asked Amma to help me release the attachment to the earthguy, and to help me find acceptance and peace… And Amma has given me all of that, and so much more! I am experiencing what Rumi called “the sweetness that comes after grief.” I feel so in love with everyone and everything!

Well, now I’m off to take a barefoot walk in the sunshine…

May all beings everywhere find Acceptance of What IS… and may that Acceptance lead to an experience of inner bliss! 

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of gorgeous roses on kitchen table by Teja Shankara.

Comment (2)

This was my second day of taking a break from Facebook, and already I understand how necessary this break is for me at this time. I really enjoyed the Facebook playground for more than two years, but over the past few weeks I noticed that my system was feeling overloaded, and I intuitively sensed that Facebook was one of the biggest contributors to that overload. So yesterday, on my first day since deactivating my Facebook accounts, it felt a little bit strange to not be going on Facebook, but then it also felt like a huge relief. And right away I witnessed two things: 1. There is a lot more time in the day now… I cleaned off the piles of clutter on my kitchen counters for the first time in over six months! And 2. It is a lot quieter now… Both my personal energy field (around my physical body) and my living space are quieter!

I wasn’t surprised to find more time on my hands, but I was surprised to experience the quiet. I just had not realized how crowded and noisy my energetic spaces had become. And I definitely had not realized that Facebook was the main cause of my system feeling overloaded. I loved Facebook so much, and I saw it as a very positive force in my life, because it filled me with inspiration; it filled me with hope; and it filled me with a sense of being connected to so many beautiful beings all over the world. It was like linking in to a large matrix of international pen pals! 

As I re-read the previous paragraph, I am struck by the word “filled” – that is indeed the key word! Facebook filled me and filled me and filled me… until I was full-to-overflowing! Thus, my intuition signaled the much-needed break. I don’t know when I will feel drawn to go back. For now, taking this break from Facebook is certainly correct. I am resting in Gratitude that I listened to my intuition.

May all beings listen to their intuitions. May all beings rest in Gratitude. May all beings love themselves fully.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja’s happy kitchen plants by Teja Shankara.

Comment (2)