The Monk and the Businessman on Stress Management - Part 2

We continue our The Monk and the Businessman series with a second installment on stress management.
This week we talk about unrealistic goals as a major cause of stress, and the need to abandon control—because we never had it in the first place! The Bhagavad Gita as the perfect manual of stress management.
Happy listening!
God bless you all.
Swamito

New Podcast series: The Monk and the Businessman

Today we start a NEW series titled The Monk and the Businessman. It consists of a series of conversations between Swamiji and David Fischman, a noted business leadership author. Together they explore a wide range of issues relevant both to the business environment as well as to one's personal life—stress management, time management, empowerment, communication, learning from experience, vision and motivation, taking responsibility, and team spirit.
The first section — stress management — deals with stress identification, interpretation and resolution.
This week we talk about the difference between eustress (positive) stress and negative stress, and how the stress response is largely an unconscious choice. Story of how the racist woman gradually overcame her prejudice. How to see all difficulties as gifts, and how St Teresa of Lisieux could attain peace in the midst of the most intense suffering.
Happy listening!
God bless you all.
Swamito

Listening to Silence podcast - Part 3 (and final)

We conclude with our series on Listening to Silence — the fine art of speaking, listening... and knowing when to leave things unsaid.
This week we talk about the art of spiritual contentment: example for children — the Birthday Gift; how the Master answered the question "What does it feel like to be enlightened?"; and The Three Reasons Why We Need To Go to School (humor).
Happy listening!
God bless you all.
Swamito

Hailstorms devastating poor families in Latin America

A series of violent hailstorms have affected many cities in Latin America this month. While in Curitiba two weeks ago, I witnessed the destuction of a very poor district. It ravaged a little school for poor children where we do some of our Ark of Love activities, as well as 150 houses in the poor neighborhood. These poor people have lost everything — house, clothes, beds, furniture, food, and whatever meagre resources they had.
The Ark of Love and Kriya Yoga disciples immediately joined hands with the local Kundalini Yoga community headed by Gurusandesh Kaur and her husband Akal Murth and are organizing relief efforts (click on the image to see the flyer). We have already received and delivered to the affected families three vans full of basic essentials, but much more is needed! If you are interested in contribuing to this relief effort in any way, please email the Instituto Guru Nanak in Curitiba.

Listening to Silence podcast - part 2

We continue with our series on Listening to Silence — the fine art of speaking, listening... and knowing when to leave things unsaid.
This week we examine the difference between outer silence and inner peace, and how the master "cooks" the disciples to perfection.
Happy listening!
God bless you all.
Swamito

NEW: Financial Yoga

We begin today our series on "Dehypnotizing Ourselves" with a first installment on dispelling a few common myths about money, credit, and debt.

We have all heard (or should have heard by now) how we must all get serious about eliminating personal debt, cutting spending, increasing savings, and being smart about investing those savings... and yet few of us actually act on this vital advice.

One of the reason for this tragic passivity is that we get hypnotized by the media and government inaction into a false sense of security, and fail to see the consequences. We usually reason that financial markets have always a way to right themselves after a while, and that we will be able to ride out the next crisis as well.

Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, and all the signs of an enormous financial crisis looming on the horizon are clearly present for all to see. No single event will precipitate the crisis; rather it will be the slow and inevitable compounded effect of the approaching exhaustion of traditional energy sources (such as gas and oil), pension funds bankruptcy, global warming and its economic and ecological effects, the ever-increasing national deficit of most nations, the unsustainable monetary system of many nations, the unwillingness of most developed nations to reduce spending, the lack of savings, the renewed arms race... which will plunge the world into economic and social chaos.

As early as half a century ago, Paramahamsa Yoganandaji in his talk "World Crisis" had already warned his disciples in these strict terms: "There is a world revolution going on. It will change the financial system… How can you meet the world crisis that is coming? The best way is to adopt plain living and high thinking. Unless you make drastic changes in your living habits immediately, you will be rudely surprised; conditions will change in a way you cannot imagine now. You still have food and clothing, even luxuries, that people in other nations do not. So it is best to accustom yourself now to simple living. Choose a dwelling place that is adequate, but not larger than you really need, and if possible in an area where taxes and other living expenses are reasonable. Make your own clothes; can your own food. Grow your own vegetable garden, and if feasible, keep a few chickens to produce eggs .... Keep life simple and enjoy what God has provided, without seeking false and expensive pleasures."

To help us shake off our hypnotic state and start taking action NOW, we need to understand a little more clearly what money is and how it is created. I highly recommend watching the excellent little animation feature called Money as Debt by Paul Grignon.

You will also find additional information in our new website section Dehypnotizing the Mind.

So meditate, arm yourselves with peacefulness, and start reducing that economic footprint! This is also Yoga. Financial Yoga.
God bless you all.
Swamito