Peramadi

Ah... Reading chapter 13 on the great Kak Bhushunda is heartwarming. This is truly the only book ever needed for self-realization, imho. Thanks for the link.

No offense taken Thanks for expanding on your needs further. My next suggestion would be two books: 1. David Frawley -- “Hinduism: The Eternal Tradition” Apologies for the title of this next book. But Linda is associated with The Himalayan Institute and studied Hinduism under Swami Rama. 2. Linda Johnson -- “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hinduism"

Thanks. What kind of brush do you use? Meaning, can you buy them on Amazon?

I have been taking cold showers for over a year now. Where I live, winter time air temps go to mid-teens but water temp will be around 34-38 F. Feels wonderful and energetic. After shower heartbeat comes down to lower 50's and stays that way for hours in the morning. Nothing like it.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Vasisthas-Yoga-Special-Paper-27/dp/0791413640/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Vedanta is a central pillar of Hinduism. A great book on Vedanta that I liked is called "Yoga Vashista". Though a big book, it's repeated illustration of how one would achieve liberation. Check out this on Amazon and read some of the reviews. Cheers.

Hello Sagebrush. The version of Gita that I am reading is Jnaneshwar's Gita, which was written by a Nath Tradition exponent Sant Jnaneshwar around 1290 A.D. when he was just 16 or 17 year old. This version is special in the sense that he was writing in a trance, as I understand. So, he would take every Shloka and expand on it. The above reference that I mentioned comes from his "explanation" of Shloka 8:27. Here is the complete writing: 246. Yogis know that they are truly the Eternal whether they are in the body or out of it, just as they know a rope is a rope and not a snake. 247. Does the water know whether it has waves or not? The water itself remains the same all the times. 248. The water is not born of the waves, nor does it disappear when they when they subside. Those who become the Absolute while still in the body are like disembodied being. 249. For them, there remains no memory at all of the body. So when do they die? 250. Why then should they seek the right path? Is there ever anything to lose once a person has become one with time, place, and everything else? 251. When a clay pot is broken, the space within it goes away and merges at once in all space. Otherwise it would get lost. 252. Consider this also: only the form is lost. The space was in the space even before the form of the pot appeared. 253. In this way, Yogis who have realized their oneness with God are not concerned with whether the path is right or wrong. (my interpretation: Stop your approval-seeking from the outer world. There is no right or wrong path. You don't need others to certify the path) 254. For this reason, O Arjuna, you should become absorbed in yoga so that you will have perpetual evenness of mind. I found this version of Gita in a half-price bookstore while looking for a Castaneda's book. This book was misplaced and I was fortunate to find it!. Thanks.

I recently have switched to Jnaneshwar's Gita. Just finished reading 8:26-28. Reference to clay pot and the space within it is fascinating. "When the clay pot is broken, the space within it goes on its way and merges at once in all space... The space was in space even before the form of the pot appeared".

Thanks, Cauvery. The other one of his Kirtans that I enjoy is "Jai Jagadambe Maa Durga". Brings peace in my heart...

Thank you, Cauvery. Please do look into Swara Yoga. What I meant by "lost knowledge" was that Vedic knowledge was always passed onto next generation by guru-shishya parampara and once this chain was broken, we learnt by reading books which lost it's original context / nuances or from others who read those books and gained some experience along the way. But I do believe that when one is sincere and driven, help arrives in unimaginable ways. Happy tidings...

Vedic astrology, the calculations side --especially-- was harder for me. I never had a good teacher as well. While given up on this, I met a lady recently who is kind of an expert on Swara Yoga --based on which swara is flowing with sun/moon combinations and she thinks this can be good substitute for everyday uses. This is part of the astrology but not widely used AFAIK. But I feel this is a lost knowledge and not many pointers that are authentic. I have been practicing this for about 6 months and have yet to form opinions about it. Would appreciate thoughts from others as to its use.

As suggested by Teddy above, Pigeon is really good for opening hips. Try variations of this pose also. Another one, stand in mountain pose with legs a foot apart. Now start tracing infinity (or figure 8) with your tail bone. Always move from one feet to another from heel-to-toe. When weight is one foot you make a semi-circle and another semi-circle on the other foot. And as always, keep breathing in a rhythm to match the movement. Do it for 3-4 minutes and see if this helps. This always helped me loosen up.

Sharing my recent experience. My istha devata is Lord Shiva. In bed, I was practicing Yoga Nidra and slipped into a vision/dream. In a hot coal furnaces with white/red flames, I noticed a python burning in the fire. First reaction from me was to panic and try saving this python and tried finding anything to pick it up. Then I saw it's eyes which was black but very serene and reassuring. I seemed to ask (non-verbal) if it's burning up but it said no and it's perfectly alright. And then I saw it's body... it was made up of hot coal it was resting on. I noticed my spinal column warming up while having this vision. My interpretation of this entity is that it was a "Naga Deva" from underworld but somehow connected to Kundalini.

Thank You. Very fascinating... I am viewing his videos on youtube. This sage seem to have depth.

Thanks, Kubba.. For the link. Very interesting. I have experienced involuntary micro-movements in fingers, toes and at times neck muscles, all happening while sitting in meditation. This actually relaxes the body even more with tension melting away. I would think if I nurture these movements (of course, in a watcher mode and not actively doing it), bigger movements come spontaneously. I will ask my teacher and let you know about this.