January - March 2016 Transformation Journal

American Meditation Institute americanmeditation.org

JANUARY - MARCH 2016

AVERILL PARK, NEW YORK

Self-Care for Healthy Living

Do You Really Want Our Politicians To Tell The Truth? see page 8 Photo: fellowshipoftheminds.com

Upcoming Classes and Events Inside this Issue: AMI Meditation Diet Beginner’s Meditation The Heart & Science of Yoga If you want to start and maintain a meditation practice, this course is perfect for you. / P. 5

FREE Guided Meditation Every Sunday morning at 9:30 you can experience a “guided meditation” with Leonard. / P. 4

AMI’s 6-week self-care program combines meditation, breathing, Ayurveda & Gentle Yoga. / P. 2-3

This three week course is not just another fad diet. It is based on scientific principles. / P. 4

Transformation

Practical essays to support and deepen your meditation by AMI founder Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) and other respected Yoga scientists. / P. 8

COMPLETE AMI CLASS SCHEDULE: Pages 2-5

AMI Classes for January - March 2016 ®

The Heart and Science of Yoga Complete Self-Care Program

Reduce Stress & Burnout • Relieve Pain • Optimize Health with Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev), AMI Founder Taught continuously since 1996 • For Mind, Body and Spirit

Introduction to Self-Care Now, in your present situation, you need to successfully balance all your many personal, professional and family responsibilities.

AMI’s time-tested Heart and Science of Yoga® Complete Self-Care Program will help you transform your stresses into strength, sharpen your decision-making skills, and meet every one of your challenges creatively.

What is Self-Care?

Self-care is an essential survival skill. SelfCare refers to easy-to-learn daily practices that can reduce stress and maintain and enhance your short and long term health and well-being. By maintaining AMI’s Self-Care Program you’ll be able to fulfill all your personal and professional commitments effectively and rewardingly.

Purposes of Self-Care Self-Care is not simply about limiting or eliminating stressors. It is also about enhancing your overall health and wellbeing. The purposes of Self-Care include: • Strengthening physical and psychological health • Managing, reducing and transforming stress • Honoring emotional and spiritual needs • Fostering and sustaining relationships

“A problem cannot be solved on the level at which it appears.

It must be solved on a higher level.”

ALBERT EINSTEIN AMI’s Heart and Science of Yoga® Complete Self-Care Program teaches you how to reliably access your own inner, intuitive wisdom from the superconscious portion of the mind.

By accessing this “higher level” of knowledge you will know (and know that you know) how to make positive, stress reducing and health affirming lifestyle choices.

Self-Care is essential to your OPTIMAL HEALTH Herbert Benson, MD of the Harvard Medical School, says the maintenance of optimal health is analogous to a three-legged stool that must be supported by SELF-CARE. Such as AMI’s

Heart and Science of Yoga® Complete Self-Care Program

Optimal

HEALTH

Self-Care Pharmaceuticals

Surgery

Leonard Perlmutter Leonard is a noted educator and founder of The American Meditation Institute.

He is the author of The Heart and Science of Yoga® and the mind/body medicine journal, Transformation. He has presented self-care courses at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Albany Medical College, The New York Times Yoga Forum with Dean Ornish MD and the U. S. Military Academy at West Point.

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americanmeditation.org • Tel. (518) 674-8714

What A MI’s Self-Care Program Can Do for YOU In 2007, AMI conducted a retrospective case study of participants who completed Leonard Perlmutter’s Heart and Science of Yoga ® Self-Care Program.

The findings included these positive, reproducible, long-term health-promoting changes: • Reduced cholesterol levels • Significant reductions in stress and fear • Improved energy levels • Diminished or extinguished • Increased creative capacity • Decreased anxiety and depression acute and chronic pain • Diminishment of migraine headaches • Lowered blood pressure • Elimination of irritable bowel syndrome • Weight loss • Lowered heart rate • Increased breathing capacity • Enhanced happiness and optimism • Improved restorative sleep

The Heart and Science of Yoga ® Self-Care Program Curriculum Meditation • Mantra Science • Diaphragmatic Breathing • Yoga Psychology Mind Function Optimization • Easy-Gentle Yoga • Lymph System Detox • Nutrition • Ayurveda YOGA SCIENCE How to use the mind for the best choices How to create new, healthier habits Understanding pain as an agent for healing Increasing energy, will power & creativity Antidotes for worry, stress and depression MINDFUL MANTRA MEDITATION Systematic procedure for mindful meditation Diminishing distractions with mantra science Learning the one-minute meditation Building focus, fearlessness, and strength BREATHING TECHNIQUES Breath as Medicine How breathing irregularities foster dis-ease Complete (three-part) yogic breath

WED NIGHTS: JAN 6 – FEB 24; Except Feb 10 & 17

MAR 2 – APR 13 Except Mar 16

6:30 - 9:00PM, $495.

(6 WKS) Physicians $795; PAs, NPs, Psychologists: $695; RNs: $595

HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE Call us to discuss how your Health Insurance plan might cover this program.

PHYSICIAN ACCREDITATION (15 CMEs) This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of Albany Medical College and The American Meditation Institute. Albany Medical College is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Albany Medical College designates this Live activity for a maximum of 15 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

YOGA PSYCHOLOGY & AYURVEDA How the mind supports optimal health The power of the present moment Building and healing relationships Introduction to Ayurveda EASY-GENTLE YOGA EXERCISES Yoga stretches to benefit: muscles, joints, glands and internal organs Physiological benefits of yoga postures MIND /BODY CARE PLAN The healing power of prayer The practical benefit of contemplation Creating a therapeutic care plan for yourself Learning to budget your time Integrating spiritual beliefs into daily life

Required Texts: The Heart and Science of Yoga ® and The Art of Joyful Living.

Registration Includes: Lifelong support for your meditation practice, a Guided Meditation CD, a copy of The Physiology of Easy-Gentle Yoga, and a complementary subscription to Transformation, the journal of meditation as mind/body medicine.

NURSING CONTINUING EDUCATION (15 contact hours) This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the American Nurses Association Massachusetts (ANA MASS), an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

PSYCHOLOGIST ACCREDITATION (15 CE hours) The American Meditation Institute (AMI) has been approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

AMI maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

The Heart and Science of Yoga ® Self-Care Program is Endorsed by Dr. Oz (Mehmet Oz MD), Dean Ornish MD, Bernie Siegel MD, Larry Dossey MD 3

americanmeditation.org • Tel. (518) 674-8714

All the Body is in the Mind

8th Annual Heart and Science of Yoga®

Leonard Perlmutter, AMI Founder

PHYSICIANS’ 30 CME CONFERENCE Meditation • Mantra Science • Chakras Diaphragmatic Breathing • Trauma • Neuroplasticity Yoga Psychology • PTSD • Ayurvedic Medicine Mind Function Optimization • Functional Medicine Easy-Gentle Yoga • Lymph System Detox Resilience • Yoga Nidra • Nutrition • Epigenomics Practices to Relieve Physician Burnout Cranwell Resort & Spa, Lenox, MA

OCTOBER 25-29, 2016 For Details: (518) 674-8714

americanmeditation.org/cme Delicious Gourmet Vegetarian Cuisine

From Recent Attendees 1. “This course was excellent and life changing by introducing me to a practice and philosophy so fundamentally different from the way allopathic medicine views the mind and body. I am so grateful for this experience, knowledge, expertise and compassion given by all the faculty and staff.” S.L. MD, NYC 2. “Life changing! Everyone in every facet of life should experience this. I’m so grateful for you and your institution and all involved for bringing truth to doctors with love and compassion. This is a light the world needs to see.” P.S. MD, RI 3. “This course has been the best CME course I have ever attended. It has given me a strong foundation, where I can help patients improve their lives with mindfulness. For myself, I have learned a skill that is lifelong and so powerful. I’m excited to use these skills for my greater good.” V.Q. MD, NYC 4. “A fantastic course! Very informative. It had a great mix of theory, science and practical use/practice. The spectrum of content was also balanced. Some of the more scientific/study presentations gave me the opportunity to see how I can incorporate this information within my practice.” R.G. MD, NY The AMI Core Curriculum is also endorsed by:

Dr. Oz (Mehmet Oz MD), Dean Ornish MD Bernie Siegel MD, Larry Dossey MD

Directions to A MI • 60 Garner Road I-90 Exit #8 (Rt. 43 E). Take Rt. 43 for 4 1/2 miles. In W. Sand Lake, take a right turn at the lighted intersection onto Rt. 150.

Go 1 mile on Rt. 150. Take a left turn on Cnty Rd #52/Sheer Rd (at stone wall). Go 1 mile on Sheer Rd and bear left at fork onto Garner Rd. AMI is the 3rd house on the right.

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A MI MEDITATION DIET

Save this Date!

Level I: Yes, you can lose weight without drugs, strenuous exercise, calorie counting or expensive gadgets that don’t work. Most overweight people have faced the frustration of trying to lose weight and failing time and again because they don’t understand that all the body is in the mind. The Meditation Diet approaches weight loss without making unrealistic starvation diet demands. This is not another fad diet. Rather it is a common sense approach, based on scientific principles, to help you lose weight naturally! The Meditation Diet provides permanent results through a painless method. Forget about old diet methods that never worked. AMI founder Leonard Perlmutter will share an ancient, revolutionary approach that guarantees positive results through the wisdom of Yoga Science.

TUESDAY NIGHTS, 7:00-8:00PM $125. (3 WKS) FEB 23, MAR 1 & 8

FREE GUIDED MEDITATION Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness Perlmutter LEVEL I: Join AMI’s FREE 20-minute guided meditation and satsang teaching. Participants may sit on comfortable chairs or on the floor.

SUNDAYS, 9:30 - 11:00AM, FREE

The Heart and Science of Yoga®

SUMMER RETREAT Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev), AMI Founder

July 14-17, 2016 The 16th annual July retreat presents the same core curriculum as AMI’s Complete Self-Care Program (see pages 2 & 3). These time-tested practices are designed for both the general public and healthcare professionals. Attending physicians, PAs, RNs, NPs and psychologists receive 18 CME credits.

Gourmet vegetarian meals are included.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: TEL. (518) 674-8714 OR VISIT ONLINE: americanmeditation.org

AMI Classes for January - March 2016

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YOGA PSYCHOLOGY BHAGAVAD GITA STUDY

Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness Perlmutter Available by CDL (Computer Distance Learning) Attend this in-depth course from your own home or anywhere in the world. Call 518.674.8714 for details.

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LEVEL II: In continuous six week installments this course presents the profound teachings of the Bhagavad Gita as a handbook on the science of life and the art of living. If you are seeking a manual or guide for the supreme task of living in the world today, this ongoing study will provide you practical wisdom, meaning and purpose for your life. Each week Leonard and Jenness will teach you how to reduce stress and confidently enhance your health and creative abilities, while providing you a fresh, positive perspective on all your family and business relationships.

MONDAY NIGHTS, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, $150. (6 WKS) JAN 4 - FEB 8; FEB 22 - MAR 28

THE CHAKRA SYSTEM

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Balancing Subtle Body Energies Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness Perlmutter Available by CDL (Computer Distance Learning) Study The Chakra System from your own home or anywhere in the world. Call 518.674.8714 for details.

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LEVEL II: The power to attain our own perfect health lies within each of us. It is simply a matter of attaining the necessary knowledge, and then cultivating our determination and will to employ the knowledge we have learned. This three-week course provides a detailed understanding of the meaning, anatomy, psychology and function of the ancient yogic chakra system. By learning to balance the chakras through the advanced mind/body medicine practices taught each week, you can increase your vitality and power of concentration, and rediscover your inner source of physical and mental health and well being.

THURSDAY NIGHT, 6:30 - 8:30PM, $195 APR 14 - 28 (3 wks)

BEGINNER’S MEDITATION The Basics for Getting Started Presented by members of the AMI Faculty

LEVEL I: Have you thought about trying meditation, but weren’t ready for AMI’s 6 week Heart and Science of Yoga® Complete SelfCare Program? This two session course provides step-by-step guidance on how to start— and stick with—a daily meditation practice.

It’s easy to learn the basics: how to deal with distractions, reduce stress, enhance your body’s immune system and become more focused, creative and content. This class also includes a FREE “guided meditation” CD. SATURDAY MORNINGS, 9:30 -11:00AM, $95. (2 WKS) JAN 9 & 16; FEB 13 & 20; MAR 12 & 19

A MI STRESS MANAGEMENT Techniques to Transform Stress Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) AMI Founder LEVEL I: Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the demands of life.

Unfortunately, the nonstop stress of modern life means your alarm system remains on high alert and never shuts off. Over time, high levels of stress can lead to serious health problems. That’s why “AMI Stress Management” is so important. This one evening class will provide you a range of easy to learn techniques that have worked for over 5,000 years.

TUESDAY NIGHT, 7:00 - 8:30PM, $75 JAN 12; APR 12

PERSONAL COUNSELING Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev), AMI Founder Int’l. Association of Yoga Therapists Meditational therapy is the world’s oldest form of mind/body medicine. With over 35 years of personal practice, Leonard will teach you how to observe and harness the power of your thoughts, desires and emotions to enhance your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being.

AMI HOME CENTER, By appointment. $125 /hr.

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CALENDAR FREE: SUNDAY GUIDED MEDITATION & SATSANG

Dinner • Movie • Satsang 2016 FILM DISCUSSION SERIES Friday, Jan 22, 5:30-10:00 PM

Sundays 9:30-11:00 AM with Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness

JANUARY 2016 JAN 4-FEB 8: GITA/YOGA PSYCHOLOGY see p.5 Mon. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM (6 week Gita Study)

JAN 6 - FEB 24: THE HEART & SCIENCE OF YOGA see p.2-3

A WALK

IN THE

WOODS

Wed. Nights, 6:30 - 9:00 PM (6 weeks Except Feb 10 & 17)

JAN 9 & 16: BEGINNER’S MEDITATION see p. 5 Sat. Mornings, 9:30 - 11:00 AM (2 weeks)

JAN 12: AMI STRESS MANAGEMENT see p. 5 Tues. Night, 7:00 - 8:30 PM

JAN 22: DINNER, MOVIE, SATSANG see p. 6 Fri. Night, 5:30 - 10:00 PM

Robert Redford, Nick Nolte and Emma Thompson The Appalachian Trail serves as the backdrop for a journey in the afternoon of life. The film teaches the importance of friendship, courage and dedication to purpose.

Friday, Feb 26, 5:30-10:00 PM

FEBRUARY 2016 FEB 13 & 20: BEGINNER’S MEDITATION see p. 5 Sat. Mornings, 9:30 - 11:00 AM (2 weeks)

FEB 22- MAR 28: GITA/YOGA PSYCHOLOGY see p.5 Mon. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM (6 wk.Bhagavad Gita Study)

STEVE JOBS

FEB 23 - MAR 8: AMI MEDITATION DIET see p. 4 Tues. Nights, 7:00 - 8:00 PM (3 weeks)

FEB 26: DINNER, MOVIE, SATSANG see p. 6 Fri. Night, 5:30 - 10:00 PM

MARCH 2016 MAR 2-APR 13: THE HEART & SCIENCE OF YOGA see p.2-3 Wed. Nights, 6:30 - 9:00 PM (6 weeks Except Mar 16)

Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels Take a behind the scenes look at the digital revolution with this portrait of the complex, talented and mercurial visionary at its epicenter.

Friday, Mar 25, 5:30-10:00 PM

MAR 12 & 19: BEGINNER’S MEDITATION see p. 5 Sat. Mornings, 9:30 - 11:00 AM (2 weeks)

MAR 25: DINNER, MOVIE, SATSANG Fri. Night, 5:30 - 10:00 PM see p. 6

Print and eBook Versions Now available at the AMI Bookstore Booksellers Nationwide

American Meditation Institute

Self-Care for Healthy Living

January - March, 2016 • Vol. XIX No. 2 ©2016 60 Garner Road, Averill Park, NY 12018

americanmeditation.org \ Tel. (518) 674-8714 ami@americanmeditation.org AMI is a tax exempt, non-profit 501(c)3 educational organization. Donations are fully tax deductible.

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Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda, Austin Stowell Steven Spielberg’s latest masterpiece tells the Cold War story of how the U.S. government attempted to win the release of captured spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers.

Each film reflects practical Yoga Science.

A gourmet vegetarian dinner begins at 5:30 PM, followed by a movie and discussion (satsang). A group meditation concludes the evening.

RSVP required by Wednesday prior to the event.

$20 per person - (dinner & complementary movie)

WHAT IS TRUTH? “The simple way of speaking the truth is by not lying. If you do not lie, you are speaking the truth.

But if you are trying to speak the truth and you do not know what truth is, then you are making your own truth. You say my truth is my truth and I am speaking the truth and you should listen to me.

That is confusion. Do not lie. By not lying, you practice speaking the truth.”

Swami Rama “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”

Galileo Galilei

“The pursuit of truth will set you free; even if you never catch up with it.”

Clarence Darrow “Adversity is the first path to truth.”

Lord Byron “Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.”

Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

George Orwell

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Socrates

“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away.”

Elvis Presley

“If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.”

Oscar Wilde, The Nightingale and the Rose

“If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.”

Mark Twain

“Silence is the mother of truth.”

Benjamin Disraeli

“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”

Winston Churchill “An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.”

Mahatma Gandhi “Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either.”

Albert Einstein “Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold.”

Leo Tolstoy “Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

“People think that a liar gains a victory over his victim. What I’ve learned is that a lie is an act of self-abdication, because one surrenders one’s reality to the person to whom one lies, making that person one’s master, condemning oneself from then on to faking the sort of reality that person’s view requires to be faked…The man who lies is the world’s slave from then on…There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.”

Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.”

Rene Descartes “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”

Thomas Jefferson “Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Benjamin Franklin 7

Do You Really Want Our Politicians To Tell The Truth?

By Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) Photo: mauret.com

In the run-up to the 2016 Presidential election, many voters are expressing their anger at candidates who do not speak the Truth.

From a yogic perspective this sociological phenomenon is extremely interesting––especially since politicians have rarely, if ever, been standard-bearers of the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth.

Since the dawn of civilization, politicians have worked to serve the consciousness (aspirations, concerns and judgments) of the people they represent. Is it possible that our current surge of anger toward politicians portends a genuine change in the consciousness of humanity? Could this desire for truthful politicians signify the dawning of a deepseated intuitive wisdom that knows true happiness and security can only be experienced by serving the Truth in mind, action and speech? Does the electorate really want our politicians to value and employ the Truth, instead of the old, unconscious habits that have traditionally relied on non-truth? And if that’s the case, what responsibility to the Truth does that require of me as a citizen and voter? If I hold my politician to a high standard of truth, am I not bound by the same standard in my own personal relationships?

Before we can begin to answer these questions, it would be helpful to first know 8

the traditional yogic implications of the word Truth and to see how Truth can be accessed by the human mind.

Truthfulness (Satya) Truth is the eternal, unifying consciousness that dwells in the heart of each individual.

We access the Truth through our conscience (buddhi in Sanskrit), and the more frequently and attentively we employ that Inner Wisdom in thought, word and deed, that alignment, that union perfects us. It frees us to think clearly and fulfill the purpose of life without pain, misery or bondage.

Once we are determined to find the Truth everywhere, through our purified thoughts, speech, and actions, the Truth itself brings each of us loving, nurturing relationships that meet our specific needs.

Truthfulness (Satya) is the avoidance of all falsehood, exaggeration and pretense. But satya is more than mere conventional honesty. Remember this: first and foremost, a fact, in order to be the Truth, must be in harmony with ahimsa––non-injurious, nonharming and non-violent. If a thought, word or deed is injurious, it is considered to be only a fact, but not the Truth. Truthfulness is essential to the unfoldment of your intuitive, discriminating faculties.

98% of the People are Blind!

Now that you have a basic understanding of Truth and the mental process for accessing it, it’s critically important to recognize the handicap each of us suffers from that inhibits our access to Truth.

“98% of the people are blind.” Those were the exact words my meditation Master, Swami Rama of the Himalayas spoke to me and my wife Jenness when we visited him at his Pennsylvania ashram in the summer of 1992. We had requested a private meeting to gain a clearer perspective on challenges we faced in certain professional relationships.

After explaining to us that all relationships, professional and personal, require us to access and lovingly employ the Truth, Swami Rama precipitously concluded our conversation with the bold and provocative oh by the way statement, “98% of the people are blind.”

As you can imagine, the comment momentarily threw us off balance. It was shocking. Did we hear him correctly? “Yes,” we assured each other as we struggled to understand why the teacher we respected so highly would paint such an unkind and judgmental caricature of humanity. Even after our return home, consternation abiut this continued to color our thoughts. We decided to write a letter explaining how troubling we found his statement, because it conflicted directly with the highest principle of Yoga Science––ahimsa (non-injury, non-harming).

Ten days later we received his very concise and emphatic response. The entire note read, “Any negativity is in your mind.”

Seeing these words in stark black and white made one point come into sharp focus.

Swami Rama was telling us in no uncertain terms that the problem originated in our minds, and it must, therefore, be resolved in our minds. Swami Rama’s unwavering attitude also brought to mind something that we already knew––that whenever there is consternation in the mind it is always the ego playing a trump card to win control. With that small but important degree of clarity, we set about earnestly examining and reexamining Swami Rama’s teaching to discover for ourselves how and why he declared that, “98% of the people are blind.”

In the days and months that followed, we made this quest an integral part of our daily contemplation practice. What we discovered through the process was enormously revealing and illuminating.

As we honestly and dispassionately examined each new and ongoing relationship, we began to recognize that we were actually blind ourselves to viewing other people as they truly are. For the first time we could see how often our perceptions were skewed by our own conceptions of right and wrong, like and dislike, acceptable and unacceptable. Our personal experiences reminded us of the words of philosopher Thomas Merton, “The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves and not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them; we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”

Even though in the past our mental attachments had sometimes exhibited the power to darken our landscape and compromise our ability to see people clearly, our meditation tools of nonattachment (vairagya), one-pointed attention (dharana), discrimination (buddhi), self-enquiry (vichara) and the muscle of will power now helped us observe the cunning activities of our egos.

We began to watch with a sense of amusement how our egos tried to combine a few exaggerated impressions, memories, expectations, assumptions and judgments to create distorting and myopic perspectives––presented as unquestioned truths.

We became more and more mindful of this, and discovered that we could see through the ego’s attempt to masquerade as the buddhi. With the help of our meditation tools we recognized the conscious mind as the seat of our personal, individual, egoic identity––a veritable catalogue of all the concepts that comprise I, me and mine. Slowly, slowly, we understood that it is the conscious, rational mind that “thinks” and “schemes” about how to fulfill certain desires, while its trusted colleague, the unconscious mind, functions simply as a database of learned “programs,” tape recorded from our prenatal days through the first six years of life.

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At about the same time, we also discovered the work of developmental biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton. In his book The Biology of Belief, Lipton wrote, “If our unconscious beliefs conflict with our conscious desires the unconscious mind will prevail because it is one million times more powerful an information processor than the conscious mind.

And as neuroscientists know, it operates about 95% of the time.”

For us, Dr. Lipton’s words were very helpful in deciphering the cryptic message from Swami Rama. When any relationship threatens our concepts of identity, security and happiness, a heavy curtain of prerecorded, unconscious forces descends into the conscious, rational mind, blocking our access to the Truth. In such situations, without the guidance of a meditation practice, each of us becomes a “tempoplegic.” We become temporarily blinded or paralyzed by unconscious concepts and emotions that diminish our discrimination and creativity. As a consequence, our relationships inevitably suffer.

In such a condition, even if we earnestly desired to overcome our blindness with affirmations and positive thinking, those efforts would be futile. The powerful unconscious mind cannot respond in any other way than as the tape player it is. There’s no real “entity” in the unconscious that we can talk to or reason with. Its prerecorded software of habits and preconceptions, simply replays over and over again whenever it’s “switched on” by a relationship that is perceived as emotionally threatening.

But the software of the unconscious mind can be changed by accessing and engaging its “record” button. That’s where meditation can help. A daily meditation practice teaches us how to erase old, unhealthy taped messages in the unconscious mind and also how to record new, healthy messages. In meditation, when we learn to focus our one-pointed attention on the mantra, its unique vibration can automatically activate the unconscious “record” button and registers a new taped message of love, fearlessness and strength that we can draw on in challenging circumstances. That’s why Yoga Science considers the mantra to be the shreya––it’s our personal guidance system 10

that enlightens our decision-making abilities to fulfill the purpose of life without pain, misery or bondage to further darkness.

In addition to providing us the possibility of recording a new message in the unconscious mind, our meditation practice also teaches us how to erase portions of old, prerecorded material that only bring dis-ease. In seated meditation, when any thought other than the mantra comes forward from the unconscious mind into the conscious mind, we recognize it as the preya––an ego or sense gratification that blindfolds and separates us from our own Inner Truth and wisdom. When we have a relationship with any preya, we first honor and witness the thought that competes with the mantra and then surrender it back to the Origin from which it has come (a.k.a. God). When we consciously withdraw our attention from the competitive thought, that subtle thought-object (preya) returns to the unconscious mind and effectively erases a bit of the old recorded program. When we redirect our attention back to the mantra, the mantra records a new, healthy program that will enhance every relationship.

Through our own personal experience, we’ve discovered that meditation is actually an engineering science. A daily meditation practice can record a new, positive and expansively creative message over our old, debilitating unconscious tapes. Meditation frees us from a state of blindness and bondage to fear, anger and self-willed desires by gradually bringing the elusive power of the unconscious under the direct guidance of our own Inner Truth. Real happiness is knowing that regardless of our circumstances, we can always choose to access and serve the Truth rather than the darkness of blindness.

Recognizing both the handicap inherent in the human condition and the remedial power of meditation, we ultimately came to the same conclusion as our teacher, Swami Rama. “Yes,” we concluded, “98% of the people are blind.” And in certain situations when our own emotional buttons are being pushed, we too exhibit the handicap of severely limited vision.

So, in light of the handicapped human condition, do you really want politicians to

speak the Truth? If I say, “Yes,” does that mean I understand the implications of that choice? Through the voting process, we, the electorate, designate one politician as our “ego annex” to represent us. As the winner in the political contest, this individual becomes an extension of our own personality––as long as we both continue to see eye-to-eye on certain basic issues. But if 98% of the people are blind to the Truth, the woman or man we elect will obviously be just as handicapped as the electorate. What if we suddenly decided to hold our politician to a higher standard of Truth than we presently embrace for ourselves? For that politician to remain in office speaking the Truth, the electorate would have to bind itself to the very same high standard.

For our “ego-annex” politicians to serve the Truth in mind, action and speech, they must certainly have faith that they are accurately reflecting the same consciousness, the same set of mental concepts as the electorate.

If they served anything else, they know they would never be re-elected.

The politician who is “blind” to speaking the Truth is not the real problem. It’s just a symptom of the handicapped consciousness of the electorate. The real problem lies in my mind and yours. If you and I cultivate the meditational skills necessary to liberate our own minds from the unconscious forces of fear, anger and self-willed desire, we can change our blindness into 20–20 vision. As we change our consciousness, we change the consciousness of the electorate, the nation and the planet––because there is only One Consciousness. Through this process, we will be ushering in a new age in which Truth is more highly prized than convenience and habit. And working toward the elimination of this kind of disease is worthy of our best effort.

Truth versus Fact A brief story set in Nazi Germany during World War II illustrates and clarifies the concept of truthfulness (satya). A Jewish man, seeking refuge from an uncertain future, went to the farmhouse of a neighbor. The two had grown up together as best friends, so he had no reservations about asking the German, “May I stay in your house? Will you hide me?”

“Of course,” the German replied without hesitation. And the brave farmer made a small apartment for his Jewish friend in the basement of the house and provided food, water and clothing.

Days later an SS officer knocked at the door. When the farmer opened the door, the Nazi officer briskly asked, “Are there any Jews in this house?” As a Yoga scientist, the farmer knew intuitively that if he answered “Yes,” he would be violating the principle of ahimsa. By declaring the presence of a Jew, he would be committing an act of violence, not only against the Jew, but against himself and the SS officer as well, because they would both become implicated in the injury that would surely befall his Jewish friend.

Remembering the wisdom of Yoga Science, the farmer knew that Truth must always be in harmony with ahimsa in thought, word and deed. Therefore, his impeccable response was “No, there are no Jews in this house.”

In twenty-first century America it seems that almost everyone believes he or she has a corner on what is the Truth. Ask the person on the opposite end of an argument, listen to talk radio or watch any number of television news commentators. All claim to know the Truth. Decisiveness in our culture is clearly more highly prized than thoughtfulness. Often wrong, but never in doubt, seems to have become the signature of our modern age.

Truth, however, in order to merit the support of our thoughts, words and actions, must be in harmony with ahimsa. Without meeting this criterion of non-harming, a so-called truth can only be considered a relatively true fact to be willingly sacrificed.

11

Developing Emotional

BALANCE

By Linda Johnsen

Photo: mondanite.net

It was the only time I ever saw Swami Veda look discouraged. “When I first came to the United States, I hoped my students would attain enlightenment. Now I’m happy if they at least develop emotional balance,” he confessed.

Enlightenment is a tall order. Nevertheless my teacher, Swami Rama of the Himalayas, insisted it was within our reach. “You can do it; you will do it—do it now!” But unlike India’s sadhus, who devote themselves full time to inner work under the personal tutelage of a watchful spiritual master, most of us are struggling to make a living, raise a family, and save for retirement. We don’t usually spend whatever free time we can muster sitting in high states of meditation.

You’re more likely to find us vegging out in front of the television.

Getting by in the material world takes a lot of energy, so it’s easy to understand why we slip back into our culture’s more usual mode of relaxing and recharging: mindlessly punching buttons on the remote. We try to keep up our meditation practice, but it can all too easily slide over onto the back burner of our lives.

Swami Rama was a practical man who recognized that not all of us are as highly motivated as his fellow sadhus. He wisely advised us to walk the spiritual path one step 12

at a time. But we can’t take a single step if we’re not balanced and don’t have clarity of vision.

Emotional Imbalance I spent much of my life at ashrams and yoga centers. These are wonderful communities that attract some of the best people you’ll ever meet. They are also often havens of blindness like resentment, malicious gossip, and infighting. (No wonder Swami Veda felt discouraged!) It doesn’t matter how sincere and idealistic an organization is, even if it’s an ecological, educational or spiritual group.

Put more than two people together in the same room long enough, and they’ll start to disagree—often vehemently. How can we achieve peace on Earth when even basically decent people can’t get along?

The root cause of these problems is not hard to find. Just put one person alone in a room long enough, and conflict emerges. “I can’t stand my mother, but she’s my mother and I should love her.” “Should I get a degree in pharmacology which I hate but would pay the bills, or in art history which I love but I’d starve?” “Should I buy the red shoes or the brown ones?” We’re constantly at war with ourselves. One part of us wants one thing, another part wants something else. It’s unpleasant enough arguing with

others; it’s really self-defeating when we argue with ourselves. It’s hard to imagine how we can end conflict in the world when we can barely deal with the conflicts inside ourselves.

The Yoga Sutra describes distractedness as one of the primary obstacles to spiritual growth. And what is more distracting than conflict?

We think the opposite of conflict is peace, but lasting peace in the world at large (or even in our closest relationships) is probably impossible to maintain. What we can attain is emotional balance. By calmly studying our vasanas, the urges, inclinations, desires and prejudices that blindly drive our reactions, we begin to get a grip on ourselves. We feel less conflicted. We’re less inclined to allow disagreements with others to metastasize into self-righteous fury. Our feelings no longer control us; rather, we learn to consciously direct our emotional responses in a more constructive manner. This is why the Yoga Sutra encourages us to practice svadhyaya, self-study.

Be honest with yourself. Are you still upset about being bullied as a child? About being betrayed by a partner? About a friend who borrowed money and never paid you back? Are you characteristically anxious, or hot-tempered, or depressed, or irritable?

Then you are being blindsided and out of balance. Predilections from your past, perhaps even from your past lives, are undermining your clarity of vision and your peace of mind.

In higher forms of meditation the mind becomes as still and clear as a freshwater lake with no waves on the surface and no currents roiling in its depths. The surface of such a lake reflects the bustle going on all around it without distortion as long as it remains motionless, like a mirror, or like a mind in perfect balance.

Most of us can’t maintain this state of emotional equilibrium for long. There are too many thrashing fish (maybe even a Loch Ness monster or two) in our unconscious, just waiting to rise to the surface of our awareness. There are gale-force gusts of emotion that prevent us from experiencing the world with clarity and compassion. A lot

of our spiritual work entails discharging the energy of these vasanas. When we can relax with the person who used to bully us in school, or see an old lover with their new partner without falling apart, we are making progress in our spiritual lives. We are no longer at the mercy of our karma. As Swami Rama explained, moksha (enlightenment) means “freedom”—specifically freedom from karma. Our karma with the person who used to make us lose our balance is cancelled.

In my early twenties I studied with a Buddhist monk who was not much older than me. It was not what Jamspal taught that impressed me, but how unbelievably balanced he was. In his childhood Chinese soldiers had invaded Tibet. The temples in his region were destroyed, his spiritual mentors were hauled off to a state prison where many of them died, and members of his family were murdered. Needless to say, as a young boy he was severely traumatized. But Jamspal truly cherished the teachings his gurus had imparted. He meditated every day, contemplated on loving kindness and consciously cultivated emotional serenity.

Eventually he was able to forgive the Chinese and genuinely wish the best for them. I’ve had serious problems in my life, but nothing matching the magnitude of what Jamspal went through. He showed me it really is possible to release the charges of negative emotion that lie buried (or seared!) in our unconscious—not with tears or outbursts of anger that only amplify their power—but through the power of meditation and self-insight.

I remember learning to ride a bicycle when I was eight years old. At first my father trotted along behind me holding onto the back of the bike to keep it from tipping over as I pedaled furiously. Eventually I glanced back and saw my father was no longer there—I was riding all by myself. That moment was exhilarating. I was perfectly balanced on the bike and at liberty to steer anywhere I wanted. Fear of falling was gone—I was in control. I felt light as air and incredibly free.

To be balanced is the best feeling in the world. To be so centered in the Self, the 13

Source of all, that nothing can ever knock you off your balance is to be enlightened.

Body Balance We all know what happens when the body gets out of balance. If the nervous system isn’t in tune with itself, or our last meal is having a heated argument with our digestive system, illness ensues. If things get unbalanced enough, the body is no longer viable.

Bad news for us; good news for the funeral industry.

Success in Yoga Science demands balance at every level. We must eat enough food to sustain our metabolism, but not so much that it creates lethargy or disease. We must get enough exercise to maintain our cardiovascular system, but not so much that we run ourselves into an early grave. (Recent studies have shown that exercising too avidly can be as disastrous as not exercising at all.)

In our easy-gentle yoga classes we learn a variety of postures that can balance the

entire mind/body. But it can be difficult to find balance in these positions when the mind wanders. Physical and mental balance must go hand in hand.

The classical meditation poses are designed specifically to keep the spine vertically aligned. You can easily see why by slumping forward, then sitting up straight in a relaxed—not rigid—manner. The moment you sit up straight, you enter a balanced and attentive state. In many cultures slumping or hunching over are associated with submissiveness, laziness, or poor health. When the back is straight, kundalini (the energy of consciousness) can flow freely throughout the nervous system. You feel enlivened and intensely aware.

Swami Rama taught us that the single most valuable practice for attaining balance is to activate the body’s central energy channel sushumna. This entails bringing not just the body but the breath into balance. By focusing your full awareness on the breath

The Heart and Science of Yoga

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at the bridge between your nostrils and practicing Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana), you cause the spongy tissues inside your nose to readjust themselves. This allows you to breathe slowly, evenly and completely through both nostrils at the same time. These kinds of yogic breath practices (pranayama) have an astonishing effect on the brain, bringing its right and left hemispheres into synchronization and stilling the thought process. This very enjoyable state of equipoise feels like finally coming home to yourself. It facilitates a very enjoyable and health-affirming state of mental and emotional balance.

Moksha—enlightenment—is a state of freedom from all imbalances. The world

continues to twirl in its usual crazy course, and your body still eventually sickens and dies, but you maintain clarity of vision while remaining balanced in your highest and best Self. Spiritual masters, it is said, balance on the head of a pin with the angels.

Swami Veda wished those of us on the spiritual path would all develop emotional balance. After that, it’s just one more step to enlightened awareness.

Linda Johnsen is author of Daughters of the Goddess: The Women Saints of India, Lost Masters: The Sages of Ancient Greece, and six other books.

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Summer Retreat LEONARD PERLMUTTER (Ram Lev)

JULY 14-17, 2016 at AMI Meditation • Mantra • Breath • Mind Function Optimization Lymph System Detox • Ayurveda & Alkaline Nutrition • Easy-Gentle Yoga This retreat is open to the General Public.

Physicians receive 18 CME credits and RNs, NPs, PAs and Psychologists receive medical education credits. americanmeditation.org/courses/summer-retreat