February 2014 Newsletter

It is common to hear people speak of strong feelings and emotions as though they were the same thing. But they can have separate meanings, and it's useful to think of them separately.

Paramhansa Yogananda wrote and spoke frequently about strong feelings as being necessary for growth. It seems strong feelings can provide the fuel for will power. Anger, hatred and other disruptive emotions however, won't help us. They stand in the way of growth.

When Swami Kriyananda as a young man loudly proclaimed “Get Out!” to clear himself of what he considered intellectual arrogance, I don't think he was driven by anger. Rather he had a powerful feeling about what he needed to do to grow. He was using that feeling to power his will to change himself.

Emotions usually drive us, but we can drive feelings. To illustrate, I feel strongly that acceptance and gratitude are key to spiritual growth. My being emotional about that wouldn't move me along the path.

Timothy

Magnetism: The Power to Attract What You Need

February 14 - 16, 2014
July 25 - 27, 2014

There is a subtle power in the universe that you can plug into, like an electric plug into a socket. This generates a magnetic field that can attract what it is you need.

Take this course to learn specific techniques for tangible results.

Led by Nayaswami Naidruva

Inspiration from Yogananda

Don't be like a straw fire in your devotion. Enthusiasm is good, but keep it under control. Otherwise, you will merely scatter its power.

If you explode dynamite high in the air it will only make a loud noise. If you bury it in the ground, however, its explosion may make possible the building of highways, or the construction of tall buildings. Enthusiasm, similarly, is wonderful, but learn to be enthusiastic about the right things, in the right way. Feeling should be calmly focused. Don't burn away its intensity in a straw fire.

To demolish the mountain of delusion before you, he continued, inwardness is necessary. Devotion must be kept under control. It should be a secret between you and your Beloved

From Conversations with Yogananda, Crystal Clarity Publishing.

Therapeutic Yoga Retreat

February 28 - March 2, 2014

Yoga therapy can ease symptoms, prevent illness, and contribute to an improved sense of well-being. Yoga therapy works at deeper levels of being, where health challenges originate.

You will leave with a yoga routine designed to help you take your next step toward increased health and well-being.

Led by Maitri Jones

Inspiration from Swami Kriyananda

Watch your heart: That is where attitude reveals itself for what it is. A right attitude will lift your energy from the heart toward the spiritual eye. A wrong attitude will depress the heart's energy and pull it down towards the base of the spine. When a wrong attitude intrudes itself, you may actually feel the energy draining downward from the brain, first, and then downward from the heart. Right attitude will bring you inner harmony, peace and contentment. Wrong attitude, on the contrary, will bring you disharmony and an inner sense of heaviness.

Attitude is the most important thing on the spiritual path. When your attitude is good, you'll be able to sail through every test - often without even realizing that it was a test. When your attitude is wrong, on the other hand, everything will seem to be a test. You can find in even kindly smiles some cause for irritation.

From Sadhu, Beware!: A New Approach to Renunciation Crystal Clarity Publishing.

Inner Renewal Week
Renew Your Spiritual Life!

7 days: March 2 - 9, 2014

This precious jewel of a week should not be missed!
The week's programs can permanently transform and deepen your spiritual life. The spiritual directors of Ananda, Nayaswami Jyotish - the successor of Swami Kriyananda - and Nayaswami Devi lead the week. They share beautiful and useful spiritual teachings with magnetic joy, humor, humility, and personal experience.

The "happiness retreat" pic of the month

Having way too much fun in Gyandev's class...

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