Shivratri Sadhana Shivir 2016

The first of the two annual Sadhana Shivirs held at Shabad Surat Sangam, took place from March 4-6. It was conducted jointly by Swami Suryendu Puri Ji and Sadhvi Yoganjali Chaitanyaa Puri Ji. In addition to the regular, long-time devotees, plenty of new participants were there, especially from states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The morning meditations were held inside Tripur Shiva Peetham. The entire day was a one grand melody in which one kriya led to another, helping the participants to make the most of their time. Surya Kriya sessions were greatly relaxing and it was wonderful to note that throughout the entire camp what had otherwise been foggy mornings turned clear and blue. Sanjivani Kriya was also conducted and these three days became a workshop where people learnt to correct their breathing habits. Agni Kriya as always was very powerful.

The camp schedule also comprised of discussion sessions with Swamiji in the afternoons. You can find the links below to the recordings to know in detail what transpired in the three satsanga sessions. But since the discussions were in Hindi/Punjabi language only, here are essential points (as summarized by Swamiji himself) for the ‘English’ readers/friends/devotees.

Salient Points from Discussions on Day 1 (Listen or Download here)

• To progress in meditation one has to divorce the intellect and marry the heart. That means one has to strengthen the bhava (strong emotion) that I am the part and parcel of the Divine; and that the Divine resides within me. Therefore, I will have to travel inwards from the nine sensory organs to meet it.
• The chief obstacle in going within is the boundary of “mine” and “thine” that we have created. To dismantle that we will have to bring our body-mind under the sweet discipline of the Guru’s command.
• Kriyas are also effective only when done in Guru’s hukum (will). Otherwise they only end up in strengthening the ego.

Salient Points from Discussions on Day 2 (Listen or Download here)

• Don’t do anything to show-off or to please others/to gain respect from others. We only have to please the Guru/God.
• Accept your current level, whatsoever it is. If you are in household life, accept it; don’t complain about it. But we don’t accept. We think, plan and portray as if we are living in Mauritius when in truth we are sitting and living in Mallke. However, we don’t fool anyone, but ourselves.
• Then develop a thought-process of where I want to see myself. What is my faith? Faith signifies that to which our mind gets naturally drawn.

Salient Points from Discussions on Day 3: (Listen or Download here)

The crux of this discussion was that to walk on this path doesn’t only mean to sit once in meditation and then forget all about it. The process should permeate our entire routine. For that we can bring some very easy and effective changes to the way we eat, sleep, bathe etc. Here are Swamiji’s guidelines for the same:

• Don’t eat anything for 3 hours after a meal; give it time to digest. There should be a gap of at least 2-3 hours before dinner and going to sleep; else the food will not be digested properly. Eat with love and involvement and not while watching TV or conversing over the phone. Prioritize cleansing of the body: the morning hours are especially useful for that since the body is in the cleansing mode. So only take liquids for about 6 hours after waking up to assist this process. However, there are exceptions in the case of children and the diseased.

• Leave all external activity 30 mins before going to sleep; especially stop your involvement with electronic gadgets. Read something that is in line with your goal in life, meditate and go to sleep. It is better to sleep on the left side to aid digestive and cleansing process.

• As you bathe keep your eyes closed and observe your body. Chant or practice japa along with it.

• Develop the habit of listening to others with the intention to understand them. This will end needless quarrels and tension from our lives.