SAIEN

Relation between Breath and Thought The breath, or Prana, is intimately connected with  thought  and  mental activity . 1  Sri Aurobindo notes that  Pranayama , the practice of breath regulation, sets the  Pranic currents  free and removes dullness from the brain, allowing  higher consciousness  to descend. 2  His personal experience at Baroda demonstrated that practising Pranayama for several hours daily led to an  illumined and powerful mind , significantly increasing poetic output and enhancing memory. 3  This indicates that the Pranic currents sustain mental activity, and changes induced by Pranayama alter the brain, removing obstructions that hinder higher thought communication. 4 Furthermore, the  cessation of thought  is observed to lead to the  cessation of breath ; the entire  kumbhak  (breath retention) effortlessly establishes itself when thought ceases. 5  Conversely, when thought resum...

As consciousness advances, Sri Aurobindo (1939) envisioned that the desire for food would “…progress from the type of a mutually devouring hunger to the type of a mutual giving, of an increasingly joyous sacrifice of interchange … Thus the law of Hunger must give place progressively to the law of Love, the law of Division to the law of Unity, the law of Death to the law of Immortality.” (The Life Divine: Death, Desire and Incapacity). We are being called to view agriculture not as a ‘business’ or a transaction with nature, but a participatory ‘joyous sacrifice of interchange’, a way of mutual action and growth.   Can agriculture be more than growing food? Can it be a path toward human unity and the evolution of consciousness?  Over the last five decades, Auroville has undertaken remarkable ecological restoration work—today, much of the township is now under a forest canopy. Alongside this, a network of community farms has taken root, supplying fruits, vegetables, grains, milk,...

Places of worship Temple, Church, Mosque, Synagogue . . . Mirror the divinity Within each soul With ageless purity. Why allow anything  To come in the way When seeking Ananda? Let nothing count, Nothing be important Except yearning For pure joyfulness.  To be one With Godliness, Absolutely, entirely. The seeking spirit  Wholeheartedly, Focussed,   Firmly resolute. Rishi Aurobindo's Integral Yoga More powerful  Than any shlokà . . . Urges the elevation Of the human mind Towards Sat-Chit-Anand. Leads, guides Every sadhak To manifest  Highest potential Of human evolution. As sacred, Awe inspiring; No less   Edifying Than The altar of worship  Or heartfelt prayer. It awakens, Stirs, inspires, Mesmerizes The searching soul To become aware, Seek, joyfully attain Tryst with the Divine. - Mira Ramchand Daryanani (India)

Particularly in the West, when people think about Yoga, they believe it is a series of physical postures or exercises done with a certain sense of concentration. They associate Hatha Yoga with the entirety of yogic practice, and in many instances, treat Yoga as a form of physical conditioning. The field of Yoga is, however, something much different, far vaster and more powerful than just physical conditioning. Yoga means 'union' and the object of yoga is the union of the soul with the Divine. Sri Aurobindo has noted that yoga is essentially a form of applied psychology, as it delves into the inner realms, the thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions and reactions of the being and aims to shift the standpoint from that of the external ego personality to one of union with the Divine, with the motive force and power of action derived from that oneness with the divine Force as it manifests. Once the seeker recognises the deeper aims of Yoga, the perfection of the physical conditioning...

A call arises from within, A seeking passion climbs towards unseen peaks.   For but a moment all other desires are stilled. There is no pull to being here or escaping there. Since every container holds the same waters, The futility is seen of gravitating to one pot in preference to another. The restless manipulations of the mind, Triggered by preferences are stilled. Wherever I am these elusive waters flow, Drenching every moment with love. Surrendered to the invisible arms that deliver me to each moment, I let go of the compulsive need to be elsewhere. Fully present to the love that carves each moment I drink in infinity from its home in the infinitesimal. - Anahita Sanjana (India)

Detachment is opposite to attachment. Scientists have shown that our default brain settings naturally cling to attachment. Naturally, we are glued to relationships through friends and family, colleagues, hatred, praises, comments, feedback and what not constantly impacting us throughout the day. While we feel happy to be praised, we struggle in the face of negativity. The most common result of this negativity is a tendency to react back building stress within our body. In the words of Sri Aurobindo -  “Detachment means standing back with part of the consciousness and observing what is being done without being involved in it. There is no “how” to that; you do it or try it until it succeeds.” 1 In simplest terms, it means that one has to activate the “witness soul” as stated by The Mother. The witness soul is just an observer and it does not react to praises and criticisms. Yoga teaches us to be more focussed and disciplined and calm our mind. A controlled mind is more detached. A de...