Teaching to Evolve!

I express my humble pranams to all my teachers, mentors for the compassion they showered upon me! I express my deepest heartfelt gratitude to each and every person who has helped me tread this path

Swami Vishnudevananda

Before meeting Vethathri Maharishi and his outstanding team of great teachers, I learnt yoga for the first time from 1988 to 1992 for over four years at Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre in Chennai. The teacher at that time was Vishnu a short and a dark looking person.

He always had a lovely broad smile on his face and even today when I conduct asana pranayama session, I suddenly see Vishnu's radiant face and hear his soothing voice! 

I have to thank Swami Vishnudevananda for developing amazing teachers like Vishnu. Later in 1992 Vishnu left for his calling and for about a year my practice continued under a young Swami Girishananda!

That was when I came to know about their ashram in Uttar Kashi and Siddha Bari. I wanted to visit the ashrams and stay for some time in the ashram and do sadhana! When I expressed my desire to go to Uttar Kashi, Amma turned down the idea!

It is at this time I read the book by Swami Vishnudevananda on Meditation & Mantras! By 1992 in about four years I used to do asana and pranayama practice for almost 3 hours in the morning and again for about 3 hours in the evening! Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Ranjith Road, in Kotturpuram was my favorite hangout!

Practice was intense and had led me to the point, that I was looking for something more intense than asana and pranayama. Swami Vishnudevananda's book Meditations & Mantras kindled my curiosity! My search for something more intense and liberating had reached its summit!

I used to visit my cousin Balaji Vishwanath in Valparai almost every summer! In May 1992, also I was in Valparai. It is usually very cold even in Summer in Valparai and I used to intensify my practice from early morning till late into the day.

One of the days, Balaji asked me about the practices that I were doing, he was alarmed at the intensity of my asana and pranayama practices. As we continued our discussion about the aim of yoga about the classical approach to Kundalini Awakening and meditation, became the subject matter of the discussion.

That was when Balaji mentioned about Paranjothi Mahan and about the simplified method of awakening Kundalini. I decided to give it a try!

On 17th May 1992, I couldn't wait and felt the urge to go to Aliyar Arivu Thiru Koil to learn Simplified Kundalini Yoga! Got initiated by a simple looking old person known as Perasiriyar Sivagnanam!

From 1988 till about end of 1993, I did not have any interest in teaching yoga. It was the most interesting expedition that I had embarked upon. Yoga introduced a new ME to MYSELF

Vethathri Maharishi

Teaching yoga started under the guidance of Shri.Ajjeya Gowder, now known as Perasiriyar Arulanandam, of the World Community Service Centre in 1993! He used to encourage me to speak on varied topics, such as

• Efficacy of simplified exercises, 
• Kaya Kalpa
• Relevance of Simplified Kundalini Yoga in modern times
• Mind Manangement
• Introspecting Thought
• Avoiding Anger
• Managing Aspirations
• Overcoming Worrying
• Who Am I
• Bio Magnetism
• Universal Magnetism

I took the opportunity to organise and conduct several programs under the guidance of the senior mentors and professors of WCSC! From 1993 to 1998 for almost six years I organised hundreds of talks, workshops, training programs, initiated thousands of people into the system of SKY.

The satisfaction of teaching, the experience of seeing lives of people transform, encouraged me to take keen interest in seva!

My sadhana had taken a shift to the inner dimension! During this period 1993 - 1998, most of my time went in the study about Kundalini Yoga!

Swami Sivananda, Pandit Gopi Krishna, Vethathri Maharishi, Gnanavallal Paranjothi Mahan, and their books on Kundalini became the focal point!

In January this year(2018) I visited the WCSC ashram in Aliyar known as the Temple of Consciousness after 25 years along with Swami Atmabhishek! I thank Padmashri.S.K.Mailanandan, President of World Community Service Centre and Shri.P.K.Aroomugham, Vice President Of WCSC for giving Swami Atmabhishek and myself a lovely reception and arrangement during Swami Atmabhishek's stay at the ashram.

I was invited to the living room of Vethathri Maharishi in the Arivu Thirukkoil (Temple of Consciousness). It was an over whelming moment. The blessings and grace of Maharishi has always been with me and I could feel the strong connection with Maharishi! The hour long meditation in the basement meditation hall is indescribable!

Between 1992 to 2000, I had the blessing of meeting Vethathri Maharishi several times, to learn and imbibe the insights that Maharishi had gained through several years of arduous penance, study and research. Vethathri Maharishi initiated me into Kaya Kalpa. He personally initiated me into Thuria and Thuriatheetha practices. And later in December 1993, I attended the Arul Nidhi training conducted by Maharishi in Aliyar Arivu Thirukkoil!

Arulnidhi Bhaskar, Arulnidhi Krishnan, Arulnidhi Seshadri, Watch shop Arulnidhi Seshadri are some of the people along with whom we worked a lot in Triplicane and started a SKY meditation Centre at Samarao School in Singarachari Street.

Even today I have a copy of the invitation for inauguration of the Triplicane SKY meditation centre, which I gave to Maharishi at Thiruvanmiyur, He inscribed his signature and gave his blessings for the centre.

Guru Mahan Paranjothiyar

To intensify the learning and have the totality of Kundalini experience I met a contemporary of Vethathri Maharishi. Guru Mahan Paranjothiar, founder of Universal Peace Foundation!

From the year 1998 to 2000 for about three years Sri Paranjothiyar hand held me through advance courses. I would have spent hours together meditating during these years. Reading had come to almost nil!

Sadhana and Seva were the only two aspects of this period of three years. I was blessed with the opportunity to organize hundreds of programs in Chennai for Guru Mahan.

A grand reception was given several times to Guru Mahan in many parts of Chennai, every time Guru Mahan would return from an overseas trip. At a point of time, our home had become the head quarter for all activities in Chennai. I could not tolerate Guru Mahan staying in some hotel room and hence pleaded with him to stay at our small home in Triplicane. After that for almost seven years upto 2002, Guru Mahan and his team of devotees used to stay at our home. We were blessed with 100 or more visits and stays by Guru Mahan!

Some of the finest teachers who are today spearheading the work of Universal Peace Foundation in Chennai were initiated by be and trained during the period of 1998 - 2000.

Along with Guru Mahan I visited Rajnikanth in his house at Poes Garden and Guru Mahan had hinted to Rajnikanth that Gnanavallal Paranjothi Mahan had emphasized "The day when Politics and Spirituality come together that will be the day when Universal Peace will be possible".

I also had the privilege of meeting Shri.APJ.Abdul Kalam, along with Guru Mahan, in his quarters in Anna University, just a few days before he was nominated as the President of India.

During this period I did not accept any dakshina for conducting classes, I used to be offended when someone offered money. I conducted my yoga class in the name POORNA YOGAM!

Those periods of Sadhana and Seva from 1988 to 2000 were intense and it completely transformed my personality and brought out the potentials that were till then hidden within. From a person who was a sensualist, Sadhana and Seva had transformed me into a dedicated spiritual aspirant.

APPA had organised one program and invited all his friends and contacts for a satsang with Guru Mahan. We had organised that event at the Sringeri Sarada Math, in T.Nagar. Justice Shri.P.R.Gokulakrishnan, Advocate Gandhi, Shri.R.M.Veerappan, Bala Jothidar, Bharati Kavalar B.Ramamoorthy, Shri.Eknaath,  and many other eminent personalities of Chennai were guests for the evening and listened to the lovely satsang of Guru Mahan.

APPA was very close to Guru Mahan. Appa had made several trips to Tirumoorthy Malai and along with Guru Mahan, he had gone on several trips to  Himalayas, to Nepal just to name a few. Guru Mahan visited home in September 2017, to meet Amma and we had arranged for a Satsang. 

The above picture is when I had the blissful opportunity to perform pada puja of Guru Mahan.

Every year during the month of May, when Universal Peace Foundation organizes its annual children and youth development camps, Guru Mahan given me the opportunity to conduct a one day session at Thirumoorthy Hills.

The discipleship with Guru Mahan provided me the opportunity to dive deep into intense sadhana and hands full of opportunity for Guru Seva!

In the year 1996 I started a business SUMA MARKETING. Within few years, due to hard work and sincerity the business grew is leaps and bounds. But due to wrong decisions, unprofessional expansion, I suffered severe setback in my business. Severe loss and financial crisis had come upon me with full force. 1999 - 2002 were horrible years in terms of my professional dimension.

Due to unavoidable situations, and unfortunate developments, I had to discontinue my connection with Guru Mahan! It was the most terrible time in life! In some other note I might write about this later! I lost my Guru - Disciple relationship and was spiritually orphaned!

VEDANTA

It was the time when my friend P.A.Venkatakrishnan and my late friend Hariharan Raman spoke to me about Shankara and Vedanta! I vividly remember the meeting we had at Ananthapadmanabhaswami Temple, Hari, Venkat, Ramanathan, Kannan were present when, Hari discussed about Advaita Vedanta.

Venkat used to live in Mylapore and we would meet in his home and discuss about our interests from dawn to dawn, fed at with delicious and sumptuous food by Kalavathi Mami, Venkat's Mother! I introduced Venkat to Kundalini Yoga and he had introduced me to Advaita Vedanta.

They introduced me to Swami Paramarthananda's lectures. I've been a student of Vedanta, listening to Swamiji since 2003!

The influence of Vedanta study in my life is immense. I thank Venkat for introducing me to Swami Paramarthananda!

Shri L.Ramadoss

Shri.L.Ramadoss has been teaching Atma Vichara Yoga for several decades. He is a great teacher. A ideal form of dedication to what he does.

I attended Atma Vichara course, if my memory serves me right in 1999! I did not have to learn anything more at that time. But a compelling well wisher emphasized me to attend the course. The content in the course was not new to me, the practices were not new to me. But, the spirit with which Shri.L.Ramadoss was conducting the course, the dedication that he had about what he was teaching, the conviction with which he had dedicated his entire life for the cause, it was new!

Shri.L.Ramadoss happens to be husband of my school English teacher Smt.Meera Ramadoss. When I came to know about it several years later, I visited him and took their blessings.

I had learnt and practiced so much from 1988 till 1999, but did not feel like teaching yoga! It was in 1999, I figured out that I will be doing injustice, if I did not teach yoga.

ATMA is POORNAM, hence I started  a small institute and named it POORNA YOGAM to share what I knew to all! Teaching Yoga itself became a Seva since then.

I sincerely thank Shri.L.Ramadoss for being such a sincere teacher and an inspiration in my life!

In my next sequel on Teaching to Evolve, I will share more experiences with you. 

Serenity of a Living Tradition in Chennai

Satyananda Yoga Centre is intimately connected to the tradition for which the inspiration flows from Swami Sivananda Saraswati. The system of yoga offered at our centre was given originally by Swami Sivananda, it has been developed by our Parama Guru Swami Satyananda Saraswati and is preserved and propagated by the luminaries Paramahamsa Swami Niranjananda Saraswati and Paramahamsa Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati.

When Paramahamsa Satyasangananda Saraswati inaugurated the Satyananda Yoga Centre - Triplicane, in Ocotber 2011, she said

“This centre will be a haven for the people of Chennai.”

Since its inception Satyananda Yoga Centre has helped thousands of people to empower their personality. Courses are conducted for children, youth, women, men, old people, sick people. We don't have short term relationship. Every person walking into the centre is considered as Divine and our teachers offer their Seva with dedication and devotion.

Since all people in Chennai will not be able to go to our Ashrams in Bihar and Jharkhand, we have dedicated this centre in Chennai for the benefit of people in Chennai. When people walk into the centre they feel that they have been touched by something sublime. When Swami's from our ashrams visited our centre, they said “We feel like we are in the Rikhia Ashram”.

We invite the people of Chennai to visit our centre in Triplicane and be touched by the sublime grace of our Guru Parampara!

To know about our centre visit www.syctchennai.com

Fine Tuning the Young Mind

NKT.M.Jeyagopal was torn apart between the intense yogic tranquility versus the sensual roller coaster life that he had habituated to during early youth! Though the yogic experiences were genuine and intense, the entrenched habits were also strong! As yoga practices intensified in the four years from 1988 to 1992, more and more effort was put in by him to deepen his experience!

NKT.M.Jeyagopal got initiated into Simplified Kundalini Yoga on 17^th May 1992 at the Temple of Consciousness, Aaliyar, Pollachi when he was about 24 years. There were a million questions in the young mind about the higher dimensions of yoga practices and philosophy.  After practicing the several stages of meditation and introspection courses for over one year, and adhering to a systematic and disciplined effort, Jeyagopal had several inner awakenings.

In 1993 he was given the title Arul Nidhi by Vethathri Maharishi after being initiated to be a teacher of SKY. From 1993 to 2000 for over seven years, Kundalini Yoga engulfed NKT.M.Jeyagopal into its fold and rendered a renewed and transformed person.

On a fine afternoon, a Saturday in 1993, Vethathri Maharishi was sitting on the dais in front of about 300 people from all over Chennai. The venue was the World Community Service Centre, in Thiruvanmiyur. Vethathri Maharishi was conducting the KAYA KALPA session.

Simplified Kundalini Yoga(SKY), a modern re-presentation of the practices and concepts of Kundalini Yoga and the Vedantic Philosophy was the contribution of Vethathri Maharishi. NKT.M.Jeyagopal had been initiated into SKY by Vethathri Maharishi.

On that Saturday afternoon, Vethathri Maharishi was explaining about the concept of Kaya Kalpa and initiating the members present to the techniques of Kaya Kalpa! His systematic and scientific explanations and the direct experience of awakened states of consciousness had gained a huge following in the nineties itself.

The world famous violin maestros Ganesh and Kumaresh were participants and NKT.M.Jeyagopal had the opportunity of introducing both of them to Vethathri Maharishi. Vethathri Maharishi was delighted to meet them as they were in the prime of their youth and had globe trotted to present their musical genius.

Young minds are generally skeptic when they are asked to believe. It becomes all the strange for them if not explained from their level of understanding. Ganesh and Kumaresh are world acclaimed music icons, with a very sharp mind and intellect. The eagerness with which they were approaching Kundalini Yoga was resonating in NKT.M.Jeyagopal, he could see the appeal that yoga could make to the young minds.

FROM BHOGA TO YOGA

The early childhood provided a cultural backgroud of a devout hindu Brahmin family, that had The yoga journey of NKT.M.Jeyagopal started with practice of Asanas and Pranayama from Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Chennai in 1988. For over four years he learnt the basics of Yoga from his yoga teacher Vishnu at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, known as the Sivananda Yoga popularly, developed by Swami Vishnudevananda.

From 1988 to 1992 for four years NKT.M.Jeyagopal practiced yoga for almost 6 hours every day, with the thirst to know everything that yoga had to offer. Four years of intense advanced asana pranayama practices, brought about a complete change in the physical and psychological structure and functions.

When he had mastered all the movements, inversions, contractions and stretches, NKT.M.Jeyagopal felt the need to intensify his practice and search, but in the physical domain there was nothing more he could have done. Flexibility, strength, endurance and agility were achieved, but there was a sense of dissatisfaction. There was nothing more that the yoga centre could teach NKT.M.Jeyagopal.

He had to either go for their teacher training program or take to sannyas. NKT.M.Jeyagopal was not inclined to become a teacher, because he was a seeker. He had heard about Kundalini Yoga, about Vedanta, Sri Vidya and many other streams of psychic and  spiritual traditions. He had read masters like Sivananda, Vivekananda,  Ramana, J.Krishnamurthy, Osho Rajneesh and Maha Periyava! Reading of the works made him know that there was lot more than just asanas. Yoga was unleashing a grand path to NKT.M.Jeyagopal! 

SWAMI SIVANANDA VISITED TRIPLICANE

On 1^st  & 2^nd October 1950, Swami Sivananda was in Triplicane Chennai. He addressed several satsangs, in and around Triplicane.

In Triplicane Swami Sivananda said

“Divine Life is a syntheses of service, devotion and knowledge. It is not a dry philosophical doctrine. It is the yoga of synthesis which is eminently suited to the people of this age. It is practical religion. It enables you to converse with God daily, hourly, minute after minute. In Such communion lies supreme goodness, eternal joy and immortality.”

Srinivasa Gandhi Nilayam, Madras International Fellowship on Inter-Religious cooperation, Museum Theatre, Egmore, Sai Samaj, Shivaji Vyayam Mandal, Bells Road, and many more places, were visited by Swami Sivananda and thousands of people thronged to have a glimpse of the great Rishi.

No wonder a Satyananda Yoga Centre has been founded in Triplicane. Our centre in Triplicane, is dedicated to the teachings given out by Swami Sivananda, developed by Swami Satyananda, preserved and propagated by the illumined masters of our tradition.

The spiritual vibrations that were invoked by Swami Sivananda in Triplicane can be felt, when you learn yoga from this centre. During Sivananda Janmotsav celebrations every year from 8th -15th September, participants feel the presence of the great masters blessings at the Satyananda Yoga Centre – Triplicane!

If you wish to read the lectures that Swami Sivananda had given out during his stay in Triplicane, you are welcome to our library, or you can find it in the book Sivananda's Lectures, During All India and Ceylon Tour 1950.

To know more about our tradition visit http://www.syctchennai.com

Satyananda Yoga – A Global Yogic Movement

Sri Swami Satyananda was a great visionary. In early sixties, when the whole world was trying to find out its external direction, Sri Swami Satyananda traveled the entire length and breadth of the whole world and sowed seeds of a spiritual renaissance!

Drawn by this impeccable clarity and scientific presentation of the ancient wisdom of the yoga, millions of people took to yoga, as a personal practice, for their spiritual upliftment, to research and explore the role and impact of yoga in several dimensions and applications.

You can find an amazing teacher of yoga a Sannyasin or a Swami in any part of the world. Sri Swami Satyananda's visits ranged from the eastern countries, to Europe, from the Americas to Iceland, Asian countries to Arabia.

Well established teaching facilities, centers, research institutions have been founded inspired by Sri Swamiji all over the world. Satyananda Yoga Centres in Chennai founded by Sn.Shiva Rishi follow the teaching of Sri Swami Satyananda and our peers, yoga teachers, researchers, Swamis, ashrams, can be found any where in the world. During the World Yoga Convention in October 2013, participants and delegates from 46 countries, expressed their sentiments and gratitude to this yoga tradition. This was proof for the outstanding work done by our tradition!

To get a complete list of centres and ashrams all over the world, visit http://www.yogamag.net/links.shtml

If He can be Transformed! Why not YOU?

Shiva Rishi is a spiritual name given to him by his Guru Swami Niranjan! He has even received a Karma Sannyasa Diksha from his Guru and is guiding thousands of people!

About 30 years ago, back in 1986, M.Jayagopal (As he was known then) should have passed out of +2 from DAV School, Goplapuram, but two years prior in 1984, he moved out of DAV to The Hindu Higher Secondary School, Triplicane, since he could not cope with CBSE curriculum.

His parents had to arrange for tuition for Mathematics, since he found it very difficult. Shri.D.Murugesan a great math teacher, was engaged by his parents to help him understand and do better in Maths. It was one of the toughest teaching experience for Shri.D.Murugesan, as Jayagopal was lazy to study, distracted, reluctant student. He was playful, interested in having fun and very mischievous! Not a day passed without Jayagopal being punished by one teacher or the other.

Such a child was touched and transformed into a seasoned and intense practitioner of yoga when he was 20 years old. In 1988, he joined his first yoga classes in Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, in Chennai. Jayagopal's life took a new turn. The inner journey started when he continuously practiced Asanas and Pranayamas for over four years guided by Swami Vishnudevananda's centre in Chennai.

He found the inner experiments intense, invigorating and illumining. The same child who could come no where near concentrating even for minutes, could practice yoga for hours together, which he continued to do for over four years.

The intense practices had increased his pranic frequencies, clarified the mind of useless thoughts and realigned entrenched self limiting habits. Jayagopal found it very interesting to read and learn about yoga and became a voracious  reader of yoga, yoga philosophy!

From a  lazy, reluctant, distracted student, yoga had transformed Jayagopal into a keen, enthusiastic, focused student! Yoga came into the young boys life like a magic wand!

Just Give Yoga a chance!