People often ask me how I am so grounded and vibrant on a vegan diet. The answer is simply that I prepare healthy foods and I focus on spiritual practices that keep me centered. I choose vegan foods that are grounding such as beans, whole grains, roots, and dark green leafy vegetables, like the collard, arugula, and mizuna greens in this photo. For that meal, I sautéd the collard greens in walnut oil and tossed them with some leftover tempeh and red bell pepper. Then I drizzled organic flax oil over the raw mizuna and arugula.

In addition to simple, tasty greens that are full of iron, calcium, and many other vitamins and minerals, I continue to sit daily in a silent meditation practice that balances my chakras (energy centers in the subtle body) and keeps me centered in my heart. In my pocket book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living, I describe meditation (and other spiritual practices) in an easy-to-read way that appeals to many people.

Currently, my favorite daily practice is one that I’m calling my “time out of time”, which I enjoy after my morning meditation. For my time-out-of-time practice, I light candles on my coffee table, then sit on the couch with a cup of hot tea. I begin by reading aloud my current vows (which I wrote on January 1^st), and then offering my tea to Neem Karoli Baba. After that, I sip the tea whilst reading spiritual teachings. Recently I have been reading books by Ram Dass. To read the book reviews, please click on the titles: Be Here Now, Be Love Now, and Still Here.

The past few mornings, since I am in between books, I’ve been reading the Vegetarian/Vegan Starter Kit (magazine) published by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), and I will write a blog article with quotes from that publication once I digest it a little more. As a vegan yogini, when I read about the ill treatment of factory farm animals, I am filled with such a deep sorrow that I feel sick to my stomach and my heart aches. Thus, I feel very inspired to do my part to help raise awareness about this issue. In short, the animals and fish are suffering very much because of the dietary choices made by the human species. And, the choice to no longer eat animal products, but to instead eat a plant-based (vegan) diet, not only reduces the suffering of the animals, but it increases the good health of the humans and dramatically reduces the global greenhouse emissions. So, going vegan is a win-win-win situation: the creatures win, the humans win, and the planet wins!

More on this topic soon.

May all beings, including the cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys, be free to live happy lives.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja’s vegan dinner by Teja Shankara.

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At the ShivaRatri all-night chanting event, a dear sister whispered in my ear, “You are the healthiest vegan I know – the other vegans I know aren’t so healthy – what are you doing?!” I told her a few things amidst the Shiva chanting, but there was more that I wanted to say, and I thought my answers might be helpful to others as well, so I will write them here today.    

According to some Mayan Calendar sources, today, March 9^th, 2011, is the day that time will speed up by twenty times. If that is true, then this blog article will be desperately needed by many people, because the number one thing that I do to stay healthy as a vegan is focusing on keeping myself grounded. Of course I eat healthy, organic foods, but my primary focus is on selecting the foods that will keep me grounded at any given moment.

I cook a lot of beans and grains, such as: garbanzo beans, black beans, lentils (green and red), mung beans, brown rice, wild rice, millet, quinoa, and oats. I include the following “toppings” on at least one meal each day: organic flax oil, Himalayan krystal salt, and nutritional yeast. For breakfast, I mash a banana and mix it with the following “toppings”: Vitamineral Green powder (1 Tablespoon), raw cacao nibs, cinnamon and ginger (powders), and raw cashews. I also take vitamins C, D, and a multi-vitamin each day. And, of course, I eat organic nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. If you have any specific questions about my diet, please post them in the comments section below this article. (Before posting questions, please read my previous blog “Why Eat Vegan” from 9-9-10.)

Beyond the foods I eat, I do regular, daily spiritual practices that keep me grounded. Some people say that spiritual practices make them feel more spacey. If that is the case for you, try focusing your attention more on the root chakra (Muladhara), the energy center at the base of your spine. Please read the blog article I posted on 9-24-10, “Grounded at the Root” for more information on grounding spiritual energies. You might also like to read my pocket book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living, available in print and e-book versions on this website store.

If time is truly speeding up today, then it is more important than ever to slow down internally. We each can make such a difference in visioning a healthy earth into being – by eating organic vegan foods, by taking the time to go inside and ground ourselves each day, and by helping others to do the same. If you know in your heart that eating vegan is the right thing to do for this sacred earth and her beloved creatures, then you will have the full support of the Universe to be as healthy as I am while eating a vegan diet.

May all beings be free to live and enjoy healthy lives. May all the creatures be loved and protected by the humans. May we all understand the interconnectedness of everything, everything, everything… Cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, humans: ALL ONE!

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

See me live talking about my soup cookbook here: Yogini-Bliss on YouTube

Photo of sunlit creek in Lithia Park by Teja Shankara.

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Today’s date has a nice ring to it: 10-1-10. October in Ashland is such a mix of leaving the warmth of summer behind and heading into the cold of winter. Once again I will be bringing out my mantra to help me keep a positive attitude: “The cold air is strengthening me.”

Regular, daily spiritual practices also strengthen me. Through sitting in silent meditation morning and evening, and through cultivating the Witness, working with the chakras, chanting (singing) devotional songs, studying spiritual teachings, and serving others, I raise my vibration and strengthen my core. I feel so inspired to share these practices with others, because they have helped me so much on my journey.

In high school I was a cheerleader, and those cheerleading qualities of enthusiasm and passion still live in me. Now, instead of cheering for the Tigers to win the basketball game, I’m cheering for people to open their hearts through doing regular spiritual practices. That is why I wrote Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living. In this easy-to-read pocketbook, I give basic instructions for beginning a meditation practice, and I outline the other practices that I do on the Raja Yoga Path. This book would make a great holiday gift for yourself and for many of your friends and family, so I am putting it on sale at half-price from today through December 16^th, 2010. Please click here on Store (or on the book title) to order your copies now!

Please note that 10% of every sale and donation on this website goes to Amma’s charitable organizations.

Thank you all for your continued interest and support. It is my intention to help raise the vibration of the human species. I work to spread the Light through giving Reiki healings, publishing blog articles, and offering weekly Radiance Rising Circles. At each circle I remind everyone that any time we do spiritual practices, we create healing energies that we can send out with our conscious intention. I send those healing energies out to the Whole, where-ever they are needed for healing and for peace.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

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Monday evening, at the Radiance Rising Circle, when we each said our name and a quality that we would like to call into our lives, I said, “Teja, grounded,” and I delighted in hearing the circle repeat that out loud three times. Any time we feel excited, or in love, or spiritually expanded (or all of the above!), we need to make sure we ground all of those ecstatic energies.

At the beginning of the New Year 2010, I wrote a blog entitled, “Getting Grounded in Times of Rapid Change.” I just re-read that article and found it quite useful myself! I especially enjoyed remembering the list of practical things to do for grounding, such as touching a tree or a stone or the earth; soaking feet in hot salt water; and focusing on the breath.

The chakra associated with the earth element is the Muladhara or root chakra, the energy center located at the base of the spine. Tuning in to how the energies feel in that center and visualizing the color red there can help to ground our energies. I also like to imagine that my root chakra is deeply connected down with the crystalline core of the earth.

Before chanting at the Radiance Rising Circles, we first chant the mantras associated with the chakras. We begin with the root chakra and chant up to the crown chakra. Then, after chanting and silently meditating and sharing spiritual teachings, we close the circle by chanting back down the chakras, so that we end the evening’s circle with our attention on the root chakra. Any time we raise our energies and vibrations with spiritual practices, it is good to bring those energies down to the root so that rather than feeling spaced out, we feel calm, centered, and grounded. As one woman pointed out, that is a good thing when you have to drive home after the circle!

The Sanskrit mantras that we sing with the chakras (the energy centers in our subtle bodies), are as follows:

7th Sahasrara (Crown) ~
Bliss of Union with Divine ~ Inner Guru ~ White ~ NG

6th Ajna (Third Eye) ~
Intuition ~ Purple ~ Om (or Aum)

5th Vishuddha (Throat) ~
Expression of Truth ~ Blue ~ Ham

4th Anahata (Heart, center of chest) ~
Love and Balance ~ Green ~ Yam

3rd Manipura (Solar Plexus, above navel) ~
Will ~ Yellow ~ Ram

2nd Svadhisthana (Belly, below navel) ~
Sensuality and Creativity ~ Orange ~ Vam

1st Muladhara (Root at base of spine) ~
Sense of belonging on Earth ~ Red ~ Lam

As the seasons change, there can be a tendency to feel restless and excited. When we witness ourselves feeling ungrounded, there are many ways to come back to our centers, including focusing our attention on our root chakra energies.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photos of leaves on ground and Teja by Teja Shankara.

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This Sunday, July 25th, 1-4pm, I will be selling my books and leading chants with harmonium at the Sunday market at Jackson Wellsprings in Ashland.

This casual artisan market has a really great community feeling to it. Wonderful items for sale, including: hula hoops, jewelry, hand-crafted wooden meditation benches and more!!!!

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

http://www.facebook.com/tejashankara

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Today I woke up feeling exhausted like I had pulled a team of heavy horses through the sky on my back last night. Though I am usually a tea drinker, this morning I brewed a strong cup of coffee and sat down to read The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic, by Ramesh Menon. I am only 205 pages into this 686 page volume, and already I can honestly say that it is the best book I have ever read. After reading a section, I sat down to chant the 1,000 Names of the Divine Mother, a 45-minute chanting practice that I learned from Ammachi, that I do every Friday. Today this practice filled me with incredible Love and Bliss Shakti, and it renewed my inspiration for my creative work in the world.

So it is in this state of feeling really full of my true Self, in that deep place of the Heart, that I begin writing this blog entry, which is a continuation of the last blog post about the inside story on the Buzz for Bliss Campaign. (www.buzz-for-bliss.com) One week ago today my friend Pete and I conceived of the idea, and already more than 5,000 people have viewed my buzz cut video! (www.youtube.com/user/16Tejaswini)

The word is spreading fast and soon thousands of people will be getting their buzz cuts for bliss…

… But that is the story for a future blog. Today I will continue sharing my personal process since getting the buzz cut for bliss. I buzzed my hair to remind me to let go of attachments. Primarily, I was concerned about my attachment to Pete, my dear yogi friend who was visiting me for almost 3 weeks. After a really fun visit, the time came to take him to the airport, so he could fly to England to visit his family. Not knowing if or when we would see each other again, I cried as his plane flew away… But when I got home, I was fine for the rest of the day.

That evening, at the Radiance Rising Circle, I called in Gratitude to help me stay focused on the positive – gratitude for a great visit with Pete – rather than the negative – “poor me, he left.” The circle was particularly sweet that evening, with eleven of us sharing in a good discussion about how we navigate painful emotional states. One guy shared that he hadn’t thought about the spiritual process of expanding and contracting as a concept until he read about it in my new book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living. (This pocket book is available on this website store in print and by e-book.) I then talked about the importance of cultivating the witness to help us remain detached throughout the ups and downs of our days and nights…

That night I went to sleep feeling inspired and fulfilled, so I wasn’t expecting to feel how I felt the next morning: I awoke feeling as though my body had been cut down the middle and someone had taken one half and put it on a plane headed for another part of the world… I sat in disbelief at how strange the remaining half of me felt… As I went through my morning routine, I felt numb and dazed, as though half of me was touring some distant galaxy, while the other half struggled to understand what was happening here and now.

At the time, I could not have explained it this well, but the Witness part of my mind was actively witnessing, and it was saying a few things to me, such as: “You are just adjusting to Pete leaving… that’s why you feel so strange. Just keep focusing your attention on God and on your work in the world.” I listened to that voice as I carried on with sitting still in meditation practice and chanting the Hanuman Chalisa and sipping hot tea while reading The Ramayana…

… But every time I tried to work on the computer (promoting the creative child we had birthed at the end of Pete’s visit: www.buzz-for-bliss.com), I felt worse and worse. Finally I realized that I needed to get away from the computer and the cottage (which were both reminding me of Pete’s visit)… I needed to bust out of my regular routine and do something else for a while…

… So I walked my buzzcut self (which still only felt half embodied), downtown, and took my half-self on a hike along the trail by the creek. The flowing, bubbling water combined with the heavy scent of the towering trees soothed my nerves, but still something felt wrong – very wrong.

So, I tuned in again to the Witness Consciousness, that part of my being that I have been actively cultivating for more than 6 ½ years… And, gratefully, the Witness gave me a fine little report:

“Your Consciousness is wide-open in Blissful Expansion, and your mind is doing really well. You are not creating suffering for yourself with negative thought patterns like you have repeatedly done in the past. What feels ‘wrong’ to you is not at the spirit or mental levels, but rather you are experiencing the pain of separation on a very physical, primal level. You are in the agony – physical agony – that a bird or other creature might experience when separated from their mate. This is an adjustment of screeching sorrow that you just have to go through – don’t try to run from it. Allow it, and give it plenty of space. Cry if tears come… Don’t judge yourself for feeling this way – this feeling is as natural as the birdsong of this planet. Allow yourself to feel, feel, and feel again. This too shall shift.”

Of course the tears flowed then, and they flowed on into the evening as I ate a nourishing vegan meal, repeated my mantra 108 times, sat in evening dhyana (meditation), and lay my head upon the pillow…

Earlier that day I had emailed Pete telling him about how strange I was feeling, and in his reply he had reminded me to be in Shiva Consciousness and to touch my head… That helped. Each time I touched my head and looked at my buzz cut in the mirror, I remembered my goal to release external attachments and to live in the internal Bliss of Union with Lord Shiva, the Hindu aspect of the Divine that represents Pure Consciousness.

The next day I awoke feeling somewhat better, but by afternoon the physical pain in my heart and gut propelled me to call my dear healer friend, Britt. She tuned in and agreed that I was doing well at the spirit and mental levels, but that I needed some help at the physical level. She said that I needed to clear Pete’s energy from my physical space. She instructed me to do the following exercise:

Sitting on my meditation cushion, I called in the spiritual help of Amma, Neem Karoli Baba, and the Reiki Guides. Then I visualized two bright red roses: one out in front of my heart chakra, and the other out in front of my solar plexus chakra – the two areas where I was experiencing seering energetic pain sensations. I put all of Pete’s energies that were in me out into those roses… then I took them outside and exploded them, letting them dissolve out into the sky and the clouds and beyond…

… Sitting again, I visualized two more bright red roses out in front of my heart and solar plexus chakras, and this time I called back all of my energies that were in Pete and put them in the roses as I pulled those roses into my heart and gut. Immediately I felt an energetic shift. What I had been experiencing as painful physical sensations (heart aching and gut feeling kicked) dissolved instantly, and the pain transmuted into feeling Blissful Union with Shiva. In that state of Remembrance, I placed a bright red dot bindi on my third eye, and doused my buzzed crown with Amma’s rose oil. I felt most grateful that my friend Britt had given me that simple yet potent exercise to do. It only took a few minutes, and it had a profound effect on my whole being.

Britt Magadini is available for psychic readings and energy healings. Her website will be live in a few days: www.wakingbeauties.com.

The following day I felt better, although I still had moments in which I experienced the pain of separation… But that is a natural part of the spiritual process of expanding and contracting. The more we engage in cultivating the witness, the easier this process becomes. I am so thrilled to see my progress and to experience the transformational power we can gain through the spiritual practice of cultivating the witness.

I know that my teacher Basil is proud of me as he shines Light upon me from some distant star. Oh, dear Basil, who I now call Yogi Shambho, I miss you as I type these words. Thank you for all that you taught me during those brief years we had together this lifetime.

May we all know the inner Bliss that comes from shedding our external attachments. Thank you, Pete, for showing up to help me learn more detachment. You’re a good yogi.

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

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

May Day photo of Pete & Teja by Howie Morningstar.

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These days many people share the perception that time is moving faster. Whether or not time really is moving faster, that perception can cause us to feel disoriented as we witness these times of rapid change. That disconcerted feeling is a state of being ungrounded.

We are electrical beings, so when we are grounded, much like a grounded electrical wire, we function smoothly. However, when we are ungrounded, we tend to feel frayed and put out sparks that alienate us from our wholeness and from our connection with All that is.

The spiritual practice of cultivating the Witness can help us understand what causes us to become ungrounded. (To learn more about the practice of cultivating the Witness, check out my new book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living.) Once we begin to witness and understand what causes us to become ungrounded, then we can sometimes prevent the ungrounded state, but not always. Most of us, even with the increased awareness achieved through witnessing, still get ungrounded on a fairly regular basis.

Since getting ungrounded is such a common experience for most people, I’ve chosen to focus this New Year’s blog entry on suggestions for getting grounded in these times of rapid change.

If you aren’t familiar with the phrase “getting grounded,” some other ways to express the grounded state include: getting centered, finding a sense of calm, returning to a state of inner peace, relaxing into accepting and trusting what IS, and remembering the natural human state of simple joy, happiness and bliss.

Two of the fastest and easiest ways to get grounded are focusing on the breath and connecting with the Earth. No matter where we are or what we are doing, we can easily place our attention on our breathing. Even just a moment or two of witnessing the breath helps to calm our systems. As with sitting meditation practice, you don’t need to try to force your breathing to be relaxed, but rather just allow your breathing to be natural, and watch it. (To learn more about beginning a daily meditation practice, check out my new book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living.)

To get grounded through connecting with the Earth, if at all possible, go outside and physically touch a tree or some stones. If it’s not too cold (and even, sometimes, when it is), I recommend taking off your shoes and socks and allowing your bare feet to touch the ground. If you must keep your shoes on, then you can bend down and touch your hands on the ground. Even just a few minutes of connecting with the Earth in this way has a profound effect on our nervous systems and we quickly feel ourselves calming down.

If you cannot go outside, there are other ways to connect with the earth element, such as holding stones and shells in your hands for a few moments. Certain gemstones are reputed for having a grounding effect. Some of these include garnet, black obsidian, hematite, and smoky quartz. You can also make calming herbal teas such as chamomile and tulsi, or try taking calming flower essence tinctures.

Another way to ground is through eating food, but we have to be cautious with this method and be sure that we choose healthy, nutritious foods. (Please buy organic foods when possible.) Grounding foods include: root vegetables such as beets, yams, turnips, potatoes, and carrots; grains such as quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, and millet; and beans, nuts, seeds, and seaweed snacks. (For healthy, grounding soup recipes check out my cookbook, Love Soups: A Vegetarian Soup Cookbook Inspired by the Soup Devas.)

Water can also help to ground scattered energies. Try soaking your feet in hot salt water for twenty minutes, or taking a long hot shower or a hot bath by candlelight. You can also try grounding scents, such as cedar, sandalwood, and patchouli.

In terms of the chakras (the energy centers within our subtle bodies), the first chakra is the chakra to focus on when we feel ungrounded. The first chakra, called the Muladhara chakra in Sanskrit, is the root chakra, and it is located at the base of the spine. This chakra is associated with the color red and with home and a sense of belonging. The element of this chakra is earth, and the Hindu god who rules this chakra is Lord Ganesha. (To learn more about the chakras and about the Hindu gods and goddesses, check out my new book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living.)

Lord Ganesha, the Hindu elephant-headed god, is known as the Remover of Obstacles, thus he is the one that Hindus appeal to at the beginning of any endeavor. Thus, as we begin the New Year 2010, it is an appropriate time to focus on Shri Ganesha, on our root chakras, and on practices that assist us in getting grounded.

In these times of rapid change, I wish everyone a blissful, grounded 2010!

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Through the Cedars photo by Crinity - CC license

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