The Healing Power of Yoga
I personally found TriYoga in 1993 when I was recovering from unsuccessful wrist surgery. The surgery actually made the pain worse, leaving me angry and depressed. I delved into yoga as a way to combat the depression and ended up finding much more. For the first time in 17 years of yoga practice, I began to experience subtle energy. Up until that time, my yoga practice had been about asana attainment – learning to do a headstand, Lotus, Hannuman, etc. I equated more advanced yoga postures with more advanced yoga practice. I now realize that after 17 years of practice I knew precious little. When I began to experience subtle energy while practicing asanas I realized I needed to find a teacher who had the knowledge and experience to guide me.
As "coincidence" would have it, that was the year Unity in Yoga put together a yoga conference in the Poconos, PA to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Vivekananda bringing yoga to America. All the leading yoga masters were there. That was where I first met Kaliji. The very first class I took with Her was a mudra class and I immediately felt the energy. The mudras I learned in that class are the same mudras I use at the end of every class I teach. They had a profound effect on me. While chatting in the hall at the conference I mentioned Kaliji to another teacher I had just met. She said that Kaliji was coming to her center the following month. I asked where her studio was, and she said Melrose. I would not have known about the workshop if I had not "happened" to strike up that conversation. I went to the workshop, and after told Kaliji how deeply I felt the energy of the TriYoga flows, and asked how I could learn. Who would teach TriYoga in this area? Her first words to me were that I would be the one to teach. The following month I was invited to speak at a computer industry conference in San Jose the Thursday before the very next TriYoga teacher training. I went expenses paid. At the time, Kaliji was doing teacher trainings quarterly, and "by coincidence" I was invited to speak at a conference in San Jose or San Francisco before each and every teacher training. I made every one that year – all flights paid for.
When I began TriYoga I had been in wrist braces for 7 years. I could not open a door handle. I could not pick up a carton of orange juice. Systematically, TriYoga strengthened and healed my wrists. Then it healed my back. But that was only the beginning. My knowledge of yoga continued to expand. The breathing practices cleared and focused my mind. Everything in life started getting better – my marriage, my writing, my speaking, success in my job, my yoga teaching.
The knowledge I was seeking came through the direct experience of the practice. To this day – 18 years later- knowledge is continually expanding.
When healing from shoulder surgery, the most difficult and painful physical recovery I have faced to date, I found that I was able to dissolve into bliss when the pain was beyond the reach of pain killers. Keeping the mind focused on mantra I experienced the difference between pain and suffering. Pain is in the body – suffering is in the mind. I remain grateful and committed to mantra practice.
TriYoga practices include the TriYoga flows, pranayama, concentration kriyas, mudras, mantra, garden diet, and kirtan (music). TriYoga has transformed my body, mind and spirit and I have personally seen the power and benefits in my students and other TriYogis around the world. For this reason I decided to leave a 25 year career in high tech to dedicate 100% of my focus and efforts on TriYoga. I am committed to making TriYoga Boston a center for sharing and expanding the knowledge of therapeutic yoga. I well know the healing power of TriYoga and am committed to documenting and sharing the stories.
If you have a story, I hope you will share it too. We are working on a book, hopefully the first of many, and we intend to include case studies. We do not need to use your real name if you don't want to. But it TriYoga has helped you heal in any way, please share your story.
Jaya Guru Devi
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Mind Makeover
This January, instead of focusing on resolutions, I decided to do a mind makeover. For me, this meant taking on a new mantra. For the past year and a half I have focused my mind on the powerful Raksha Mantra given by Sri Swamiji: "Om Aim Hreem Sreem Shivarama Anaghaa Dattaya Namaha". I repeated this mantra (over) 350,000 times (the number I actually counted)- in meditation, while walking the dogs, cooking dinner, before going to bed, waiting in a doctor's office or online, and any time my mind started focusing on thoughts I did not want to focus on. This mantra became the groove my mind automatically went to. It has helped diffuse anger, fear, uncertainty. Instead of other thoughts, my mind always has a plan B – to focus on the positive vibration of mantra.
But as I started feeling the nagging, unrelenting, suborn pain in my neck that resisted chiropractic adjustments, therapeutic massage and physical therapy, I decided it was time for a new mantra. Swamiji has also given the mantra "Om Namo Hanumate Namah". This is a mantra for service. As the concrete contractors do not call back and I look for new ones to speak with, as I make call after call to try to get prices on flooring, signs, shades, etc., etc., etc., as I stress over trying to figure out an plausible opening day and everything that needs to make that happen, instead of stressing and having it all land in my neck, the new plan is to surrender to service and repeat over and over "Om Namo Hanumate Namah".
For sure, this is attempting to turn this Type A personality into a instrument of service. In truth, type As can be useful when it comes to getting things done. But this is a new chapter. The purpose of this new center is to create a place to share this wonderful, healing, transforming practice on a greater scale. This is my calling. I am in service. Goodbye pain in the neck. Hello "Om Namo Hanumate Namah".
Today's Globe has an article stating the benefits of a focused mind. They recommend focusing on the breath, and watching the thoughts. I have practiced mantra for many years now, and highly recommend the practice. You can try the powerful Raksha Mantra or choose another. Make your own groove.
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Construction of New Studio Has Begun!!!
We are very excited that construction has finally begun.
Can you see our beautiful medtiation garden here?
Here are our new studios:
And this area will be our office and meditation room.
In case you want to do a drive by, here's what the front of the building looks like.
Hope you can use your imaginations and see the beautiful center we envision. We'll keep you posted on our progress.
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108 Salutations
On New Year's days 9 brave souls showed up for our special New Year's Cleanse and fund raiser.
We began by discussing the significance of the number 108. It is a very sacred and powerful number. Hindu dieties have 108 names. There are 108 beads on a mala. It has special mathematical properties (you can look this up). Other interesting facts about the number 108:
- The distance between the Earth and Moon is 108 times the diameter of the Moon
- The distance between the Earth and Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Sun
- The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth
- Powers of 1, 2, and 3 in math: 1 to 1st power=1; 2 to 2nd power=4 (2×2); 3 to 3rd power=27 (3x3x3). 1x4x27=108
- Sanskrit alphabet: There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108
- Sri Yantra: On the Sri Yantra there are marmas where three lines intersect, and there are 54 such intersections. Each intersections has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti qualities. 54 x 2 equals 108. Thus, there are 108 points that define the Sri Yantra as well as the human body.
If interested, you can do your own research and find out many, many more things about the number 108.
Except for one person who needed to leave early for a luncheon, EVERYONE completed the 108 salutations. It took about 2 1/2 hours.
I was surprised and delighted everyone hung in there. It was a challenge and a cleanse. I applaud everyone who participated and am very happy to donate $1,080 in honor of this accomplishment.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL
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Giving Thanks
After 9 long months of negotiation we finally signed a lease for 60 Prospect Street. The negotiations were complicated and difficult, not the kind of stuff to be shared widely. But now we are now moving forward as quickly as we can to obtain a building permit. The first step was the engineering department and presented our first post-lease obstacle. Arriving there, application and check in hand, I was told we need a civil engineer to estimate water flow, and we need to pay a sewer fee, which will be around $1600 in order to help Waltham raise money to repair its leaky sewers. Hopefully they will turn this permit around quickly and we'll be ready to apply for a building permit by the end of next week.
Regardless of the many delays, frustrations, and difficulties we have encountered so far and the many more we will surely encounter before opening day, today I feel deeply grateful. First and foremost, I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to follow my heart's dream and build a beautiful new home for our TriYoga community.
I am very grateful to all those who have enabled this vision to proceed.
First and foremost I give thanks to my husband of 35 years for his unconditional support which is making it possible for me to leave a highly successful and lucrative high tech career and devote full time to this center. He has also committed funds, time and talent to building this center.
I am grateful to our entire board of directors for their time, support, and work. We could not have gotten this far without Michael Bratt, our exceptional President, who has spent hundreds of hours over all these months to look at buildings, meet with contractors, building inspectors, shopping for flooring, obtaining a pro-bono attorney to help us negotiate the lease, reading the 30 page lease more times than we can count and finding a critical issue that potentially saved us a great deal of money down the road, and generally, for putting his heart, soul, time and financial support into this project. I am grateful for the very generous financial support that Ben and Joanne have given, which is helping to make this center a reality. I am grateful to Dina, who is responsible for creating the beautiful plantings that grace our current center, and holding the vision for the beautiful meditation garden that will welcome people into our new center, and donating her time and financial support to make this garden a reality. I am grateful to Nancy for providing her expertise in non-profits, and tapping her contacts for helping us with the Promissory note and other operational concerns.
I am grateful to Karen Sebastian, who has donated her time to create the plans for the garden and handicap ramp which has saved us a very considerable amount of money, and I am grateful to her husband David Nauss. David created the original plans and detailed room schedules, met with contractors, and generally guided us through this process so we could get detailed estimates from contractors and feel very confident of our costs moving forward.
I am grateful to all the TriYoga teachers and interns who dedicate their time to teaching, practicing and expanding their knowledge of TriYoga. I believe we have the best teachers around. The training process is very demanding. The knowledge itself is ever expanding. It takes a very special teacher to devote themselves to continuous practice and expansion of knowledge. Our teachers are all very exceptional!
I am grateful to our entire community, all of you, for your continued support of the center through your presence, donations, and suggestions. I hope the new center will better support our community and become an attractive and inviting venue for numerous community activities. All of your suggestions are always welcome.
Lastly, and most importantly, I am grateful to Kaliji, for giving us all the amazing practice and knowledge of TriYoga. This practice, which allows us to tap into the unchanging knowledge and bliss of our true selves, is the greatest blessing in my life. My dedication to sharing this knowledge to help alleviate suffering and elevate each of us to seek our highest potential, is inspired by my desire to be worthy of all the blessings these teachings have brought to my life.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Jaya Guru Devi
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Sidewalk Sale Photos
Once again the weather cooperated for our 3rd annual sidewalk sale. Thought you might wish to see a different view of the center pre-sale. It is an almost overwhelming job to carry everything up the stairs, organize and price it all, then get it all set up in the morning. But we had some happy customers, and were able to contribute a lot of clothing to those who still have nothing in Haiti.
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Annual Sidewalk Sale – September 11
Our annual sidewalk sale will be Saturday, September 11, 9-2:00. This is usually a fun time for the entire community. Now more than ever WE NEED YOUR HELP to make this a successful fund raiser. This is a great time to get rid of clutter and contribute to the center. You can bring your stuff to the center any time before September 11. We hope you can also sign up for one of these times to help out.
- Wednesday Sept. 8, 6:00 pm, at the center, make signs
- Friday Sept. 10 – anytime after 9 am, put up signs
- Friday, Sept. 10, 9 am – help bring items upstairs
- Friday September 10, 10:00 am – ??? – price items (a great time for you to pre-shop the sale)
- Saturday, September 11, or rain date Sunday, September 12 – Working the sale
- 7:30 – 10:00 am
- 10:00 – 12:30 pm
- 12:30 – 3:00 pm
There is a sign-up sheet at the center. You can also email to sign up.
Thanks for your help. The money we earn from this sale will help us with renovation of the new center.
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Minutes of Annual Meeting
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Board Votes to Move Forward with New Center
We are a big step forward to creating a new center. The last big hurdle before the many small construction obstacles is signing the lease. There are still a few things to be worked out, but we are reasonably hopeful they will be.
This new large center will serve and expand our community, and apply the knowledge TriYoga to help alleviate suffering. It is a big and bold vision. We hope you will feel inspired to participate. The more you do, the more you will feel a part of the community, and may find you get more than you give.
There is much to do,. Completing this center will take a community!
Immediate needs:
- Fundraising Committee
- Marketing Committee
- Sidewalk Sale Committee (Sidewalk Sale will be Saturday Sept 11; Rain date Sunday Sept 12).
- Bookkeeping
Please let us know if you're interested in helping.
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, August 4th, 6:00 pm
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Annual Meeting – Decision on New Center
Tonight (6:00 pm) is our Annual meeting when we will elect a new Board of Directors for the coming year, and most importantly, make a decision on whether to move forward with the new larger center on 60 Prospect Street. We have been working on planning for this move since last Oct. We have looked a just about everything available in Waltham. 60 Prospect Street offers us room for 2 studios, an entrance area around the size of our current studio, a meditation room, men and women's locker rooms, and space for expansion. It also has space for a meditation garden in front. The location is on one of the busiest streets in Waltham, just a block from Main St.
We will need to do substantial renovations (to the tune of $100,000 -$125,000), but once we get in there the rent is extremely reasonable – just double what we are paying now. We really think we can do this, but of course we need your help. If you can't make the meeting tonight, please check out the plans and let us know what you think!
New Center Presentation to BOD v3
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