Wisdom

Light On Yogi: Siddhi Saraswati – Australia

Siddhi Saraswati is a yogi to the core, but it might surprise you to know that she doesn’t practice classical yoga postures. Siddhi is proof that yoga is more about poise than a pose. Read about how her relationship with life, learning, nature, and multiple sclerosis makes her a true yogi.

Words by Siddhi

In 1985 I heard about an Australian medical doctor who had spent a decade studying with a guru in India and had returned to Australia to teach yoga as the foundation of wellbeing. That doctor was Swami Shankardev Saraswati.

My meeting with him soon after changed my life in a most positive, nurturing way.

It sparked in me a deeper connection to yoga, and I became certain that it was to become my vocation. I traveled to India to further my studies and completed my teacher training back in Australia. I taught yoga in Sydney and enjoyed a wonderful yoga community for well over a decade.

In 1998 I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It moved quickly through my brain and spinal cord, damaging parts of the myelin sheath, the neural pathway that sends messages from the brain to the body. My brain, spine controlling balance, proprioception, cognition, voice, and movement were all affected.

I tried hard to retain the life I’d grown to love, but when I could no longer drive or teach I was forced to leave my students, my community, and to find a new way of living.

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Salute the Solstice

Today is the Sun’s celebratory day, the Summer and Winter Solstice!

The summer solstice occurs when the Sun’s movement across the Southern hemisphere sky reaches its highest point. It’s the day that has the longest daylight hours of any in the year.

The winter solstice in the northern hemisphere sky is the day that has the shortest daylight hours of the year.

The word “solstice” derives from the Latin sol for sun and “sistere” meaning “to come to a stop or make stand.”

Wherever you are in the world, pause, give a thought to this life-giving planet, and its dual nature of giving and taking life.

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The Nine Nights Of The Goddess – Navarātri

Yoga and tantra provide maps and paths through the maze of complex existence. They aim to transform the body-mind from raw, mundane states of existence to refined, exalted states of experience and realization.

Within many yogic and tantric traditions, certain seasons, months, and times of the day are given special importance.

They are ‘auspicious’ times when cosmic energies are heightened and, as such, support psycho-spiritual practice. These auspicious moments in time assist us in achieving positive results. For example, dawn and dusk are said to be ideal times for yoga and meditation.

The festival of Navarātri or Nine Nights (‘nav’ is nine and ‘rātri’ is nights) is one of the great ceremonies in the lives of Hindus in India. The exact time of this celebration varies according to the lunar calendar. It begins on a dark moon in the Indian autumn (in the month of Ashwin, usually in October) and ends ten days after. In 2018 Navaratri started on the 8th of October (depending on which part of the world and time zone you live in).

This period of The Nine Nights is devoted to invoking The Great Mother Goddess, The Divine Creative Power, or Shakti, the creator and supporter of the universe. She is most closely identified with Durga, an exquisitely beautiful goddess who rides a lion, and who wields in her many hands’ awesome weapons, including the ‘shul’ (pike), ‘chakra’ (wheel), ‘parashu’ (ax), and ‘talvar’ (sword).

Durga is said to be the manifestation of the power of all the goddesses that, long ago, faced a terrible and irresistible demon called Mahishasura.

Mahishāsura is a mythic representation of the human ego in its demonic form

Many yogis do not see Navaratri as a religious process, but rather as a psycho-spiritual one, and a unique opportunity for yogic practice. 

They adopt certain practices and rituals to understand their psychological shadow and to confront their egos.

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The Magic Of Guru Purnima and The Total Lunar Eclipse

July 27th brings the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century. It coincides with Guru Purnima; the celebration of the guru.

Seers and mystics favour eclipses for spiritual practice. It’s a time when your efforts will be amplified—seen, heard, and enjoyed by your spiritual mothers and fathers, and thereby rewarded.

Pay homage to your guru if you have one, and to your inner guru, the light and consciousness that reveals your true path.

Pray, meditate, perform mantras, or rituals, or simply practice self-awareness and reflection.

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Light On Yogi: Bhakati Jane MacRae – Canada

Words by Bhakati

A head-on motor vehicle accident over twenty years ago left me catastrophically injured.

Every bone in my face was broken, and my left leg was in 16 pieces. In the aftermath, I had a bleed in the brain and still have left-sided weakness, without the use of my left hand.

However, I survived the multiple trauma, and I continue, slowly and steadily, to heal and love life!

There have been wonderful healers along the way; my beautiful chestnut horse, K.C., and Big Shakti have been the major factors in my onward journey.

Having been a student of Sri Chinmoy since 1978, I knew the importance of meditation, and especially relaxation, so I began with Big Shakti’s guided relaxation meditations.

I moved away from group meditations after Sri Chinmoy’s death, and I was longing for new supportive teachers and community.

Big Shakti’s online courses and seminars not only helped me to meditate more regularly, but they also gave me a renewed sense of connection to a global community. I felt a strong heart connection with Swami Shankardev and Jayne Stevenson.

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