Report – Yoga Workshop at Funasia, Richardson Tx
“Yoga – a way of life” workshop (http://www.rajadhirajayoga.net/funasia-free-yoga-workshop-richardson-tx) was organized at Funasia on December 13, 2008. Ananda Marga Yoga Society and Funasia organized one day free workshop. The workshop covered all the aspects of daily life of spiritual aspirants: Meditation, Asanas, Kiirtan, Song, Dance and Food. The objective of this workshop was to generate awareness about the benefits of practicing yoga in our daily life.
The workshop began with spiritual music with Kamal on guitar and Ashish on the microphone. Then the stage was set for Ananda Marga’s monk Aca’rya Shubhacetana’nanda Avadhuta to start his presentation on “Yoga Anatomy”
Da’da’ Shubhacetana’nanda, who devoted his life to serve the humanity, beautifully explained the cosmic circle, its evolution and how it relates to the development of human beings now. He explained how humans developed from the physical realm to become intellectual beings. He emphasized that now the movement has to be from intellectual to the spiritual level and this will be the “real” movement. In his simple words he explained how yoga is much more than physical exercise. Da’da’ Shubhacetana’nanda talked about the importance of Yoga in everyday life and how it can help each one of us in achieving the mission of our life.
“Yoga – a way of life” workshop (http://www.rajadhirajayoga.net/funasia-free-yoga-workshop-richardson-tx) was organized at Funasia on December 13, 2008. Ananda Marga Yoga Society and Funasia organized one day free workshop. The workshop covered all the aspects of daily life of spiritual aspirants: Meditation, Asanas, Kiirtan, Song, Dance and Food. The objective of this workshop was to generate awareness about the benefits of practicing yoga in our daily life.
The workshop began with spiritual music with Kamal on guitar and Ashish on the microphone. Then the stage was set for Ananda Marga’s monk Aca’rya Shubhacetana’nanda Avadhuta to start his presentation on “Yoga Anatomy”
Da’da’ Shubhacetana’nanda, who devoted his life to serve the humanity, beautifully explained the cosmic circle, its evolution and how it relates to the development of human beings now. He explained how humans developed from the physical realm to become intellectual beings. He emphasized that now the movement has to be from intellectual to the spiritual level and this will be the “real” movement. In his simple words he explained how yoga is much more than physical exercise. Da’da’ Shubhacetana’nanda talked about the importance of Yoga in everyday life and how it can help each one of us in achieving the mission of our life.
Da’da’s presentation was followed by a session by Dr. Ravi Batra. Dr. Batra, a renowned economist and an author of five international best-seller books kept the audience spell bounded while sharing the real life experiences he witnessed during his spiritual journey over the past few decades. He highlighted the importance of meditation and how he was benefited by making it a part of his daily routine. He has given the credit of all the success in his life to the meditation and to his guru Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. His life, right from the college days, was very eventful and full of spiritual experiences and is a live testament of God’s immense grace on spiritual aspirants.
Aca’rya Advaya’nanda Avadhuta, another Ananda Marga monk practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for past 25 years, practically demonstrated yoga poses(asanas), spiritual dance- kaoshiki, tandava and guided audience in the jam packed hall to perform them. He explained the benefits of asanas and the importance of guidance from an experienced yoga teacher. Dada Advayananda and Dada Shubhacetanananda have been conducting free yoga classes in the Dallas Fort Worth area for past many years. He has shared some of the secrets for keeping a healthy mind and body.
Ananda Marga’s founder, Shrii Shrii Anandamurtijii had said that a yoga practitioner should follow a sentient diet. In line with the objective to help people to adopt yoga practices in their daily lives, attendees of the workshop were offered sentient food. Some people expressed their surprise that sentient food can be so interesting, with so much variety and excellent taste. The food was prepared by the volunteers of Ananda Marga at their homes.
The program ended with songs of the dawn and guided meditation. It was a blissful atmosphere. Everyone in the hall felt the connection with the divine. The program ended with question and answers and the feedback from the audience about the workshop. Many people expressed their views. Few feedbacks were:
One of the attendee said he has never felt like that before, it’s a feeling beyond expression.
Another attendee said he never knew any thing about cakras
One of the attendee was so overwhelmed by the spiritual vibrations that she had tears in her eyes.
Another one said that the workshop has opened a corner of his heart which was closed for years and had lost that divine urge because of his busy life.
Everyone surely believed that we are here on this earth for a specific purpose. The goal set before us is neither above our strength nor beyond our endurance. As long as we have faith and an unconquerable will to get Him, victory will not be denied.
Here are the photos of the event