Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

If you are a taker of happiness you get misery, if you are a giver of happiness you get joy and love. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 

Kolkata, India 17th April 1997 Chapter 2 - The Path To The Goal That Is You   Day 83 - Bhajans When you sing bhajans, the vibration of sound energy gets absorbed into every atom of your body. This enkindles the energy in you and brings up the consciousness. Your entire body gets soaked in energy. Transformation happens.  A microphone absorbs sound and converts it into electricity, the body absorbs sound vibration and converts it into consciousness. If you sit and listen to gossip or violent music, then that energy gets absorbed by your body and does not give a nice feeling.  When you hear the knowledge or chant with all your heart, that elevates your consciousness. An ancient proverb in Sanskrit says that the words of Rishis and enlightened ones are translated into experience immediately. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji Celebrating Silence 

Bangalore Ashram, India 1st October 1997 Chapter 2 - The Path To The Goal That Is You Day 82 - Satsang The mind that seeks pleasure cannot be centred. When you are centred, all pleasures come to you anyway, but they cannot charm you any longer because you are the source of the charm. The mind that seeks pleasure can never achieve the highest.  If you enjoy drowning in your suffering, you cannot be centred, you are far away from the path. If you are after pleasure, forget about satsang. Why are you wasting your time? This is the Art of Leaving. You either seek pleasure or come to me. Question - What should we do when people talk negatively? Gurudev - From your side, give license to everybody to talk about anything, about anybody, anywhere, at any time. What type of time do you give the Divine?  Usually you give the time that is left over, when you have nothing else to do, when no guests are coming, there are no parties to go to, no then movies to watch, no weddings to attend. S...

Bangalore Ashram, India, 24th September, 1997 Chapter 2 - The Path To The Goal That Is You Day 81 - Seeker You can only seek that which you know and when you really do know, you already have it. You cannot seek something you do not know. Whatever you seek and whenever you seek it, it is always only one and the one is what you are already. So, you cannot seek something you do not know and when you know what you are seeking, you already have it.  When you seek the world, you get misery and when you want to find the way out of misery, you find the Divine. A man lost a penny and was looking for it in a bush when he found a huge treasure. He was not seeking treasure but only for his lost penny. In the same way, when you seek something you may get something else. The truth, or self, cannot be sought directly. There are 6 signs of a seeker : 1. An acknowledgement that one knows very little. Many people think they know without really knowing or they become trapped in their limited knowledg...

Stockholm, Sweden, 13th August, 1997 Chapter 2 - The Path To The Goal That Is You Day 80 - Sadhana (Continued) Usually, the solar plexus is slightly bigger than an almond but with the practice of yoga, meditation and Sudarshan Kriya, the solar plexus can become as large as an apricot. Then it performs better and balances the bodily functions. When the solar plexus expands, the intuitive mind awakens and the mind becomes clear and focused.  When the solar plexus contracts, you feel miserable, sad, depressed, and all sorts of negative feelings come. When the first rays of the sun fall on the solar plexus, it is beneficial for your body. Doing Surya Namaskar yoga asana, sun salutation in the early morning is an excellent way to expand the solar plexus.  Krishna was called Padmanabha, which means “whose navel is the size of a lotus flower”. If you become Padmanabha, you become absolutely creative. Brahma, the Creator, said to be born out of a blossomed solar plexus. These days, th...

Bangalore Ashram, India 26th November, 1998 Chapter 2 - The Path To The Goal That Is You Day 79 - Sadhana (Continued) Yagnas are the ancient methods of enriching the subtle, to purify the individual as well as the collective consciousness. Yagna has 3 aspects - 1. Deva puja - Honouring the Divine in all forms. 2. Sangatikarana - Hastening the process of evolution by unifying all the elements and people in creation. 3. Dana - Sharing with others, giving freely what one has been blessed with. Yagna creates energy and energy creates consciousness, awareness. Heightened awareness brings you close to reality and reality is a witness. To realise that everything is happening you need heightened awareness. And to bring about heightened awareness you have to increase prana.  Prana can be increased through - 1. Fasting and fresh food. 2. Cold water baths. 3. Total exhaustion, not letting sleep take over 4. Emotional peaks. 5. Singing and chanting. 6. Pranayam, Kriya and meditation. 7. Giving...

Trinidad, Caribbean 15th January, 1997 Chapter 2 - The Path To The Goal That Is You Day 78 - Sadhana All the problems that you face in life are because you attach too much importance to events. The events grow bigger while you remain smaller. Imagine you are riding a motorcycle on a busy road and in front of you there is a vehicle emitting exhaust fumes.  You have 3 options. You can remain behind the vehicle, complain and somehow bear with it. You can slow down or wait, allowing the vehicle to move far ahead. Or you can use your skill, overtake the vehicle and forget about it. As in the first option, most of you stick on the events and are miserable, inhaling fumes throughout your journey.  In the second option, you do not get permanent relief, as another bigger vehicle might move in front of you. Running away from events is not a permanent solution. Wise people use their skill to surmount the event. If your vehicle is in perfect condition, skill is effective. Conditioning the...

San Jose, California,  United States 11th July, 1996 Chapter 2 - The Path To The Goal That Is You Day 77 - Surrender (Continued) Self reliance requires enormous courage. When there is nobody else or you want to depend on yourself for everything, you need a lot of courage. Surrender takes less courage. A person who cannot surrender cannot be self-reliant either. If you don’t have enough courage to surrender, then it is not possible to be self reliant, you simply fool yourself. If you do not have a hundred dollars, you cannot have a thousand dollars.  Even a little fear is detrimental to self-reliance. Self reliance contains surrender. Fifty dollars contains ten dollars. Often people think that surrender is a way to escape from their responsibilities, then they end up blaming the Divine for all their problems. In fact, true surrender is taking total responsibility for everything.  How? Take full responsibility and then pray for help. Surrender eventually leads you to self-r...

साधारणपणे मधुमेही रुग्णाने काय आणि किती खावे हे प्रत्येक रुग्णाला प्रत्यक्ष किंवा फोनवर बोलल्याशिवाय सांगणे कठीण आहे. कारण अमेरिकन डायबेटिक असोशिएशनच्या ताज्या निर्देशानुसार प्रत्येक रुग्णाला त्याचे वय, रोगाचा कालावधी, त्याचा रक्तातील साखरेवरील ताबा, आनुषंगिक इतर व्याधी, इत्यादींची पार्श्वभूमी समजून घेऊन मगच त्याचा डायट ठरविला पाहिजे. मधुमेही रुग्णाने दर दिवसाला आपल्याला किती कॅलरीज अन्नाची गरज आहे हे समजून घेणे आवश्यक आहे. हे तुमचा आहारतज्ञ (डायटिशिअन) ठरवून देईल. त्या ठरलेल्या कॅलरीजच्या मर्यादेत दिवसभरातले खाणे आवश्यक आहे. याचा अर्थ मधुमेही व्यक्तींसाठी आहारविषयक जनरल गाईडलाईन्स काहीच नाहीत का? आहेत ना! पण या जनरल गाईडलाईन्स अमलात आणण्यापूर्वी एकदा तरी आहारतज्ञाचा (डायटिशिअन: डायबिटीस स्पेशालिस्टचा) सल्ला जरूर घ्या. मधुमेही व्यक्तींसाठी आहारविषयक जनरल गाईडलाईन्स अशा आहेत: प्रथिने, कर्बोदके आणि स्निग्ध पदार्थ यांचे योग्य प्रमाण: प्रथिने 10% to 15% कर्बोदके 55% to 60% स्निग्ध पदार्थ 25% किंवा त्यापेक्षा कमी मधुमेही व्यक्तींनी काय खाऊ नये ? (जनरल गाईडलाईन्स) 1. गूळ किंवा साखर (अगदी मध ...

Question - Gurudev, How can one stop thinking others are fools? Gurudev Sri Sri - You don’t have to. You can see the whole world as fools. The advantage is you don’t get attached to anyone. No one likes to associate with fools. You can think everybody is a fool and be cool.

Yoga takes you closer to your true nature. Peace is our very nature. Yoga leads you to inner peace. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Yoga is a technology which would enable you to be more energetic. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Yoga is undoubtedly the best app that everyone must download in their lives. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The wisdom of Yoga transforms one from arrogance to self- confidence, from meekness to humility. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Meditation is a part of Yoga. Yoga has to be meditative, else it will just become an exercise. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Stretching the body is asana, stretching the breath is Pranayama and stretching the mind is meditation. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Yoga is a gift to humanity. It can help us sail over tough times. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Yoga makes our emotions very stable and our intuition very strong. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Question - Gurudev, why is Bhakti Yoga (path of devotion) considered to be above all, vis-à-vis Karma Yoga (path of action), Gyaan Yoga (path of knowledge)? Gurudev Sri Sri - Bhakti Yoga is more juicy, easy and much quicker to attain. This is the tendency of intelligent people, they want to do less and accomplish more.

Question - Gurudev, What are the benefits of doing Yoga? Gurudev Sri Sri - The benefits of Yoga are multi-fold: 1) Yoga has immense health benefits. 2) Yoga also changes the behaviour of a person since behaviour depends on the stress level in a person. It creates a friendly disposition and a very pleasant atmosphere. 3) Yoga has a secret to turn the state of mind. It empowers you to feel the way you want to feel at any time. Instead of being a victim of your own feelings. 4) We convey a lot through our presence and our vibes. Yoga helps to improve our vibes. Our ability to communicate depends on our ability to receive communication from others. Yoga helps us to have that clear mind. 5) Yoga is one of the best tools to nurture an individual to take responsibility. Innovation, intuition, skills, and better communication: all are side-effects of Yoga.

Doubt is also important in life, but only as much as salt in food. When it becomes too much, then it is a disease, it is called paranoia. When it just the right amount, a person stays alert and aware and does not get into the wrong company. So, just like salt in food, you cannot do away with it completely. But when it is more than required, then pranayamas and meditation help. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Meditation Yoga Chapter 6, Verse 42 athavā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām etaddhi durlabhataraṁ loke janma yadīdṛśam Or he may be born in the family of a wise yogi; indeed, such a birth is rare to obtain in this world. Here the merciful Lord says that a man of dispassion is “born in the family of a wise yogi.” The children of those who practise spirituality are high souls. Because of your practise, you have become a beam of light. Because of their longing for the Divine, your children are great souls who incarnate through you. They choose to be born through you, so that their spiritual advancement can continue. “Indeed, such a birth is rare to obtain in this world.” Many are born and get attached to the world, but how many are born in a family where they are pushed on the spiritual path? Here Krishna is also talking about your children. If you are spiritual and give your children a good spiritual education, this helps them advance towards God-Realisation. This spiritual ...

🍃 *Stroke has a new indicator.* *Blood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator - the Tongue* 🍃 *Senario :- During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine. They offered to call paramedics ... she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.* *They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.* 🍃 *Jane's husband called later to say that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Jane passed away)* *She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ.*  *Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today.* 🍃 *A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can reverse the effects of a stroke .... TOTALLY.*  *He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is ...

Question - Gurudev, Is Yoga all about just bending and twisting? Can you please clear this myth if I am wrong? Gurudev Sri Sri - Yoga is not just bending and twisting. Yoga is a lifestyle and should not be mistaken for only asanas. A disease-free body, quiver-free breath, stress-free mind, inhibition-free intellect, obsession-free memory, ego that includes all, and soul which is free from sorrow are the signs of a perfect yogi. As Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita, “Samatvam Yoga Ucyate” – equanimity in the individual is a sign of Yoga. Patanjali has said, “Yogaha Karmasu Kaushalam”. In Gita, Lord Krishna has said, Yoga is skill in action. Yoga is not just an exercise; it is how skilfully you can communicate and how skilfully you can act in any given situation. Yoga has a secret to turn the state of mind. It empowers you to feel the way you want to feel at any time. Instead of being a victim of your own feelings. We convey a lot through our presence and our vibes. Yoga helps to improv...

Seva means to do something for someone else without expecting anything in return. You should do seva in whatever way you can. But it does not mean that you do seva by making your family members uncomfortable or going against their wishes. Do your seva and also manage your family well. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar