Ishtadev Niwas Ashram Living Yoga Blog

December 2019 Satsang annotated from Sannyasi Shivani

18/1/2020

December 2019 Satsang Notes compiled by Chaitanya Chase from Sannyasi Shivani's Satsang

Below are the annotated notes taken from the recorded Satsang in December 2019. They relay Sannyasi Shivani’s experiences from her trip to Rikhiapeeth and bought forth some of the themes and teachings that Swami Satsangi relayed in through Satsangs while she was there.

The experience this year was really strong. The Devi, the Ganesha and the Shiva Aradhana’s were razor-edged and potent. It gave a good experience of being able to tell when you were functioning within the flow and when you were not.

During the Sita Kalyanam Yajna, over 15 people working in the Bhet department putting together the prasād. The emotional or personality experience could be put aside for the duty. Everyone was focused on working together as efficiently and correctly as possible with love and light-hearted banter as they worked. The moment of purification is when you acknowledge where you are, emotionally and have enough discernment to choose the right action.

During the Ganesha Aradhana, the Pundits were responsible for chanting the Ganapati Atarvashirsha 108 times in two hours. It was really an altering experience of what we are capable of and the efficiency and the clarity that we are able to act in when the mind has that focus that is not coming from the ego but is focused on the mantra or the divine.

Question: Is there any specific order to the Aradhanas? If yes, what are they and why? Answer: The first Aradhana is Sita Kalyanam to Devi and then the next one is to Ganesha and the next one is to Shiva. Swami Satsangi spoke about Sandhi; Sandhi is the point of connection. Ganesha is the point of connection between Devi and Shiva. Like a child is the point of connection between the mother and the father. Looking for and acknowledging the quality of that connection and honoring that connection is Sandhi; becoming aware of the bridges in your life and to honor those connections.

Swami Satsangi also spoke a lot about Faith. She said that Faith is an inherent quality in human nature. Everybody has Faith; it is not something you have to cultivate; you already have it. We have to become aware of how and to what we direct that Faith.

Swami Satsangi spoke about Living Yoga, and Living Yoga is Satyam, Sevam, and Swadyaya.

There are so many people in the world that do not have the tools. This is where Hatha Yoga and Karma Yoga bring us into balance. These practices - asana, pranayama, bandha, mudra - get us to ground zero; these are third-dimensional practices. Once we are at ground zero that’s when we start to evolve.

Swami Satsangi said we need to become “mindless” not “mindful”...she said to focus on emptying oneself while in the presence of Truth and Divine energies. So any opportunity to be in this presence and then have the courage to humble ourselves enough to empty in the presence, it changes your world.

To watch the Satsang for yourself check out this link.

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Sankalpa

1/1/2019

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- By Sannyasi Shivani

Sankalpa means to set a resolve, or statement of manifestation that you implore your whole being consciously, subconsciously and unconsciously into aligning with to make that resolve become a reality.

Yet, to set a resolve, we first need to inquire, dream and set intentions before they become resolutions. For the vow of a resolution is not a small thing for a human, regardless of the state of waking up that they embody. It is said that a Sankalpa is the one thing that cannot fail you. When the seed of resolution is planted into the depths of the unconscious, you have no choice but to unconsciously manifest its reality. This might be a good time to point out that a Sankalpa and a New Years resolution are two very different things and need to be interacted with as such. A New Years resolution is an intention stated to or for the outside world, for an external action to create an internal shift. In contrast, at least in my experience, a Sankalpa is an internal seed that is born of the soul that blooms internally resulting in natural changes or evolutions in our external world. They are born of qualities such as, “I am healthy,” rather than quantities such as, “I will go to the gym four times a week until I have lost x amount of pounds."

To set a Sankalpa that is befitted to a soul such as our own, first we need engage in some self enquiring and dreaming. Take stock of your strengths and weaknesses, ambitions and needs, a technique known in our lineage as "SWAN". Dig deep and get an honest, inquiry of who you are and where you are at. What qualities do you like about yourself? Are you kind? Are you generous? Be honest and find out which of the qualities you express could benefit from some refinement. Do you anger quickly, for example? Is your generosity tethered with strings of expectations in return? Only when we have the courage to be really honest with ourselves are we able to see our true opportunities for growth. Then, with this honest picture in mind, dream about who it is you want to be. Do you want to be kinder? Do you want to experience less anger? Do you want to give more without worrying about your own coffers, thus coming into a deeper direct experience of faith? DREAM BIG. Dream your fullest potential… and then set a resolution, a Sanklapa, that is the (present tense) embodiment of that. For example, "I AM HEALTHY", "I AM UNCONDITIONALLY GENEROUS", or "I AM LIVING MY FULLEST POTENTIAL."

When these seeds are planted firmly in the heart, the universe will quickly manifest opportunities for you to move into the embodiment of this. And this is where awareness, courage, and action toward resolve comes in for, if we want to experience a change in our reality, we have to be the ones willing to change! Not always an easy pill to swallow in a society that is always looking to the outside to conform to our comfort.

Next, create ceremony. When you know your heart's desire for your inner potential, write out your Sankalpa on a piece of paper, light a candle, put the paper on the altar and sing or chant mantra to create an orb of frequency in the room that is of the light and that can receive this prayer of your heart. When you can feel this shift in the space, set alight the paper with your intention written on it. Dissolve the intention so that it permeates the very air you breath…

My prayer to you for this year ahead is that you experience the courage and Grace needed to journey consciously and with gusto toward your fullest potential, your love of life, and your path to Re-membrance of your soul.

Om and Prem.

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December 2019 Satsang annotated from Sannyasi Shivani

Sankalpa

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