One of the primary lessons of every yogic path is to learn to train the senses. We are told that the five senses pull the mind into the material world and they need to be trained. Many of the practices we see in yoga – asana (postures), pranayama (breathing exercises), dhyana (meditation) and even mantra (repetition of sacred formulas) – are helping to create deep focus and manage the senses.

But have you ever thought carefully about why this is important?

When the senses are captured by the experiences of the material world then our attention is always flowing outwards into the world. The more you can train the senses then you become able to place your attention inwards, on your own being instead of the world.

Something amazing happens when you do this.

As you train your attention within yourself there is the opportunity to discover that there is a whole other dimension of experience within you: the experience of your subtle energy body.

The yogic view of our being is this – that we are consciousness beings with different layers of experience. These different layers of our being can all be stripped away leaving behind our true nature as consciousness.

The first layer or body is called sthula sharir – this is the physical, biological body that we are most familiar with. It is the outermost layer of our being.

The second layer or body is called sukshma sharir – this is the subtle energy body. It is the beginning of our spiritual awareness and power.

The third layer or body is call karana sharir – the causal body. It holds the cause or reasons for our existence. It is here that all our karmic seeds are stored (more about that at a later time).

For most of our lives we are so absorbed in the senses with our attention flowing into the world that we do not realize, we are not aware, of the deeper experience that is right there within us.

I remember clearly the first experiences I had where I felt my subtle energy body many years ago. It was so striking. It felt like stepping into a dimension I had always carried within me, yet had never known existed.
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Opening up to my energy body and wanting to explore that was the real beginning of my spiritual journey. 
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Deep within your being there is a desire, soul desire. It is the desire to know yourself, your power and to use it in alignment in the world.

Society as it is now teaches us that being in the world, achieving according to benchmarks in the world is all there is for us here, when in reality we came here to learn to know ourselves.

It is this fundamental mistake of the reason why we are here that leaves so many drained and dissatisfied with life. No matter how much you achieve you cannot be fulfilled if you have not learn about yourself and your spiritual power.

You can read more about this dissatisfaction in my previous article – Why Success Isn’t Enough: the call to Spiritual Awakening.

Continuously working in the world and giving energy only to material achievements slowly depletes not only the physical being (as in burnout) but it also drains your subtle energy body.

When you are unaware of the subtle energy body, how it functions and how to manage it consciously – you lose balance and become disconnect, often without realizing it. As you lose that inner balance (or perhaps you never experienced it before) you become more and more powerless and ineffective in the world. Over time this disconnection erodes your vitality and sense of purpose.

Of course this is a recipe for suffering. And because we do not realize, we do not know what is really happening within our being – we go about trying to solve the problem in a material sense. Then “fixing” the problem becomes another way that we bring ourselves out of balance – as we devote more time, energy and attention outside ourselves.

But the moment you become more aware of this dimension of your being – the subtle energy body – and begin working with it, something amazing happens. As you start taking care of this deeper part of yourself you reconnect with your power allowing life to become rich and navigable again.

This is what I experience daily. The more I open up my awareness to the subtle energy body and practice working with my energy, the more I feel competent to face all of life’s challenges and enriched by my inner connection.

I see that this is also what my students and clients experience. Many have come to me solely for the reason of feeling dissatisfied even though materially they are accomplished. As they begin exploring their spiritual power through the subtle energy body they find their passion for life rekindled. They rediscover the joy for life that they thought was lost.
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Learning about our subtle energy body, exploring and experiencing it is one of the primary reasons we have come into this world. So when we begin that journey we feel a deep satisfaction within our soul urging us to continue the self-discovery.  
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​The Sanskrit word used to describe the energy body is “sukshma,” meaning subtle. Contemplating the meaning of this word opens the door to perceiving the subtle energy body.
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Subtle means difficult to understand, so delicate that it is hard to detect or describe, and even a very fine distinction. Essentially what is subtle is easily missed by someone who is not paying attention or who is caught up in more loud and apparent phenomena.

The energy body is of a different quality than the material body and senses, a subtle quality. It requires a very refined attention and awareness to observe.

It exists parallel to the physical body in the subtle dimension of existence, the energy dimension, yet has profound influence on the material.

This subtle energy body is a body of “prana.” Prana means life-force, energy, also in some ways – breath. That is why one of the main practices for opening up awareness of the subtle energy body is “pranayama,” the breathing exercises of yoga.

This body has two main features – “nadis” or energy channels and “chakras” or energy centers. 

The nadis allow for the flow of energy and opening up of consciousness. The chakras are like the organs of the energy body – they access and channel different vibrations and qualities of energy.
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The subtle energy body synchronizes perfectly with the physical biological body – stimulating it, driving it and controlling it. Really, we are operating through then energy body first, and that drives the physical – but we have lost awareness of this subtle inner operation. 
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If the subtle energy body is closer to our true identity, it’s a natural part of us, how is that we are so unaware of it, we can’t feel it and have to relearn our experience in it?

There are a few reasons for this.

The first is that when we choose to come here into our Earth experience, to enter the biological body at birth – a body that is still forming and incomplete. Our energy body has to enter into an immature body and go through that growing process with the body till it is fully mature.

In doing this we lose most of our awareness as spiritual beings and have to reawaken to it in these bodies later on in our life cycle.

The second reason is that just by coming into this world we place ourselves under the spiritual laws and universal principles that govern this world. According to yogic tradition this entire creation has a particular power, one of forgetfulness. That is called “maya,” a cosmic power of illusion that veils our Divine limitless nature.  Once we incarnate this power falls over us causing us to forget our fullness and perfection, and therefore lose awareness of our spiritual nature and the subtle energy body.

The final reason is that, even in the energy body there is maturation that has to happen. One of the reasons we choose to have a human experience is for the opportunity to use the physical body to work on our subtle energy body. So we might not be fully developed yet in the energy body and need to work on it more.

But even with all these reasons, our purpose remains unchanged: to awaken to our spiritual powers through the subtle energy body. By doing so you are fulfilling a major part of the purpose of your existence here on Earth.
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So how to begin? All yogic practices hold spiritual awakening, expansion of consciousness so that we can experience our subtle energy body and tap into its powers, as the goal – either overtly or covertly. But what most do not know is that the practices of asana, pranayama, mantra and dhyana are all preparation.

The primary way to awaken the subtle energy body, as is taught in my yogic tradition of Kundalini Mahayoga by my master Sri Vasudeva, is by association with someone who already has awareness of the subtle energy body, who has awakened their inner power of Kundalini.

Without this association with someone who is already awakened, all yogic practices take a long time to bear fruit. But with this association and the guidance that comes with it – awakening to your energy body becomes direct and immediately possible – often even within your first few sessions of deep practice.

Of course the more receptive you are and the more personal spiritual work you have done in preparation – the easier it becomes and more can be discovered quickly.

The awakened master becomes a living mirror. Their energy radiates like a magnetic field — attuning and activating those who come into contact with it. Because their energy body is alive and vibrant, it generates an energy field (similar to a magnetic field). And when we are in that field through association our own energy bodies become more vibrant, aligned and awake.

This is the secret. You do not have to do it alone. We came onto this Earth to have the opportunity of working with and interaction with so many other souls. Why not interact with those who will uplift us, guide us and help us to awaken ourselves. ​

​The Yoga Sutras, written by the great sage of yoga Patanjali – and perhaps the most well known ancient text for modern yoga practice, says:

This is his definition of yoga which translates to say “yoga is the suspensions of the whirlpools of the mind.”
All of the guidance he gives in the Yoga Sutras is aimed towards this goal – the stillness and clarity of the mind.

What most modern practitioners do not realize is that this stillness of the mind is the preparation for becoming aware of the subtle energy body. The sage gives this instruction and definition of Yoga knowing that if you are able to achieve this inner stillness of mind, then naturally the subtle energy body will be revealed in your experience.

Perhaps you have even had glimpses of this from your own practice of yoga, or even simply in moments of clarity and stillness that naturally comes in life.

When the mind becomes calm, and all agitation of thinking subsides, then like disturbed water settling, it becomes clear and we are able to perceive a different dimension of being – the subtle energy dimension.

A calm mind, that is not judging, expecting, projecting, remembering or asserting its own identity – has become a receptive mind. This receptivity is the key to sensing the subtle energy body, experiencing the flow of energy through the nadis (energy channels), and opening up the gateways to different levels of consciousness and energy through the chakras.  

From experience you will know there is no way to force yourself into a calm, peaceful state. You cannot beat your busy and restless mind into submission. The many practices of yoga give us a strategy to work with the mind to slowly cultivate inner peacefulness and openness.

This same idea is highlighted in the Bhagavad Gita – an ancient text in which the divine being Krishna counsels his friend and disciple, Arjuna, in the deep philosophy and practice of yoga amidst a raging war.

Krishna tells Arjuna that he must learn to tame the mind and bring it to peacefulness and stillness – and ever the realist Arjuna asks him incredulously – how can you say to do this… I feel the mind is like the raging wind – untamable.

Krishna shares with him that the restless mind, though wild like the wind, can be stilled — through abhyasa (disciplined practice) and vairagya (non-attachment).

These are the open secrets right there in these very well-known ancient texts of yoga. They are guiding us to open up awareness of the subtle energy body. They are giving these methods to awaken to your deep spiritual nature, but only to those who are able to recognize the instruction and understand what the outcome will be. 
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​Our life force, or prana, is being channeled from the subtle energy body into the physical. As you open up to more inner power, then more is available to you in the physical body for navigating and managing life.

As the three lower chakras (Root, Sacral and Navel) are developed we gain greater mastery over the physical body, health and vitality. These energy centers allow you to channel the light of the energy body in and through the physical.

It infuses the body with new vigor, allows you to recharge the nervous system and to connect powerfully through the five senses.

As the Heart chakra comes more into the light, we open up to the higher qualities of the heart. We are able to manage emotions with wisdom, we experience higher emotions like compassion and joy, and we are able to utilize the heart for healing.

As the Heart chakra opens and we channel more energy through it – a feeling of inner freedom grows within. The deeper beauty and richness of life is revealed, and we feel inspired to live in the world selflessly.

When the Throat and Brow chakras begin awakening – we begin accessing Divine intuition, knowledge, wisdom and higher intelligence. These are all powers that we hold within us, but remain mostly unexplored.  For many, these powers may have appeared only in fleeting glimpses.

But when you learn to work with energy and you become conscious of your energy body you can deliberately begin accessing these soul powers and use them meaningfully in navigating life.

This is how we are meant to live – in full awareness of our Divine power and able to use them for our journey here on Earth.
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Some of the deep unconscious dissatisfaction that we feel is because the soul knows it has these powers but cannot access them consciously. This creates deep inner struggle — a suffering that feels unnatural to the soul. That is why there is the deep longing to regain full consciousness of your Divine nature and utilize these powers that are rightfully yours. 

To live in continuous awareness of your subtle energy — even amid daily life — is the true goal of spiritual practice. This is what it means to be spiritually conscious - that you are aware of this spiritual dimension of life even while navigating life physically with all its twists and turns.

This is not a theory for me — it is how I live, just as my Guru taught me. Daily I wake up with the awareness of my chakras and how they are tapping into the bigger energy fields of the world. At any moment I can sense the energy moving in and around me. I work with the chakras to boost my body, to strengthen my relationships, to become inspired and access my soul knowledge and to live in a more conscious way.

This is what I share with my students not just a few postures and breathing exercises. But a whole different way of living that is built on spiritual awareness.

For me this ancient knowledge is our spiritual inheritance. It has come through the sacred lineages of India, but it belongs to all of humanity. And I believe this is the way of the future… understanding subtle energy and how to work with it will become a guiding philosophy for the world.

If opening up to this dimension of life is calling to you there are a few ways you can explore it.

You can begin by reading my book, Start Meditating Today. In it, I share the foundations of subtle energy awareness and practices you can begin immediately.

• Start Meditating Today on Amazon
  
  

If you are ready to begin working with energy through meditation and want direct guidance – you can check out my Online Meditation Membership. It has many video lectures, guided meditations, and opportunities for interaction with myself and my community.

• Online Meditation Membership – OMM
  
  

Or if you feel that you want to really begin working one-on-one seriously to develop your spiritual awareness you contact me directly for mentorship and coaching on your spiritual path.

• Contact Ved

Above all, know this: subtle energy awareness is worth awakening. It gives you access to the source code of life. It is the most rewarding path I have walked, and I’ve watched it transform the lives of my students, time and time again.
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It’s time to reclaim your Divine Powers. Namaskar – my soul bows to you.

Yet beneath all of the material success, the success that most work their entire lives for, there is this quiet question: "is this all there is? Why am I not fulfilled?"
It's as though even though all the accomplishments, accolades and worldly success are there, there is still an emptiness. 

This awareness that worldly achievements ultimately feel empty and lacking substance is one that I have had even as a very young person. As a teenager I did not feel a strong drive to achieve any material goals. I still did pursue that - with the encouragement from my parents. 

But always there was this awareness, I knew that no matter how much I "achieved" or gained, that it would not fill the emptiness I felt inside. 

It is a very difficult place to be because no one tells you that success could feel this empty. The whole world has pushed the message that if you achieve these goals then you should be happy and fulfilled. 

But that doesn't happen. 

It took me a long time to understand this but with guidance from my own spiritual teacher - the Guru from my yogic lineage - I did begin to see. 

The soul, the spiritual essence that we are, always seeks expansion. 

No matter what is achieved materially it can only satisfy you for a time - because then the soul longing inside will nudge you, will tell you, "I want more."

Most people never come to understand this feeling deeply. This strong desire for "more." But if you carefully observe your life you can. 

After a time of pursuing this "more" in the material space (more money, more houses, more cars, more relationships, etc) you will begin realizing that material accumulation cannot satisfy this desire for more. 

​Yet most people will attempt to satisfy it this way because what other way is there? This brings out a restlessness as you pursue this drive for more. Perhaps it can even drive you to burnout, numbness, or down paths that ultimately bring you defeat. 

​But these symptoms... these are all signals to help you understand that the desire for more cannot be fulfilled through material means. 

That is when you start to realize, there must be something else than the material... that is the beginning of seeking, the beginning of the spiritual path. Perhaps that is what has led you to here. ​
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The deepest part of your being is beginning to rouse from its long slumber amidst the material carnival of this world - and is longing to know its own power, its spiritual power. 

The soul is finally waking up to the reality that nothing material can ever bring permanent satisfaction. It begins to long for something more... inner self-mastery and to evolve spiritually. 

This is a really tough place  to be. Because on one hand you have everything you have ever worked for in your life, all your choices bringing you to this moment of success, yet still you feel unfulfilled. 

And on the other hand there is this growing awareness that somehow everything you have worked and attained pales in comparison to the next step that you must take if you want to continue to chase the deep desire for "more."

I have seen this play out many times over the years with my students and those who attend my workshops, retreats and classes. 

Everyone clearly feels this emptiness and the seeking for more, but only a few are able to take the step beyond what is familiar to begin exploring earnestly their spiritual awakening. 

Any kind of breakthrough is difficult to do... because something must "break." We have to be ready to begin seeing life differently and open up to some hard truths. 

Some people do turn back to what is safe. A life of continued material expansion. But a few cannot ignore the deep feeling. The soul has awakened to such a point that it would be a deception to ignore the thoughts, feelings and awareness that is coming. 
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This is the beginning of a new life, a life that attuned to the spirit, to the soul. It can be intensely uncomfortable and unsettling, both internally, your heart and mind - and externally, reorienting your life in surprising ways. 

Every yogi, mystic, enlightened one and master has passed through this gate of awakening. 

The prince Siddhartha was awakened to the suffering of the world on a chance walk outside of the palace in the city and went on to abandon his kingly acclaim. He struggled for a time, but then awakened to an entirely new kingdom, one of the soul, and became the Buddha, an enlightened one. 

I often think of my own life as two different lives. One in which I was deeply unconscious, ignorant of my real power and struggling with fulfillment in the world - and a second life that began after my energy awakening that began to lead me deeper into myself. 

​This new life is not one that abandons the old, but one that is informed by the past, and helps you to access a deeper part of yourself. 

There is so much more within you to be discovered and experienced - your spiritual powers through the subtle energy centers or chakras. 

As you journey on the path of awakening you discover an entirely new dimension of life - subtle energy. This is what happened for me... and this was the excitement I had to continue my spiritual exploration. 

This world of energy became alive for me and it was there all along waiting for me to discover it. This is one of the reasons why I continue to share yoga the way that I do. Because I wish that everyone could become aware of their subtle energy and the power that they hold. ​

In a world that worships doing, visible accomplishments, and accolades - the depth and profundity of the soul is often missed. 

But the reality is that which will bring your fulfillment is not something visible. It is a phenomenon that you can only experience within yourself. The moment you begin walking the spiritual path earnestly a different level of satisfaction arises within you. 

My students often say to me that the spiritual exploration is the most engaged and fulfilled they have ever felt with anything else in their lives. And I understand this feeling very well, because it was the same feeling that came to me and keeps me close to my spiritual path. 

It is a deep resonance of the soul knowing it is walking the path it was meant to. 

But many people struggle with taking the practical steps of making time for their spiritual process. Even though they feel the impact they do not make it priority and get absorbed in the busyness of the world. Coming back to the spiritual process only periodically using it as a balm for the stress of the world 

Others struggle with it because they feel an immensity surfacing within them. As famous poem by Marianne Williamson goes:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

As you begin acknowledging your awakening and taking positive action on your spiritual path, sometimes you begin feeling an intense fear arising. In my yogic tradition this fear is recognized as the fear of your great power Kundalini Shakti coming to life. 

Then there are those who struggle with the societal norms. It can be hard to step away from the programming that we are brought up with and to take a step back from everything you "think" life is supposed to be about.

But I am here to let you know... you can. You are meant to discover your power within and to begin harnessing it even more powerfully than you have been in your life. You are meant to become awake to the powers of the soul through the chakras. 

It takes real courage and honesty to take the steps you need to on your path. But I believe you can do it... as I have, as my students do, and as all the masters have done before us. 

This isn't about escaping your life. It's about deepening it and awakening to an entirely new dimension of life. 

I have constantly counselled my students that the point of spirituality is not to leave behind the world. But to fully awaken ourselves, recognize our place in it and reintegrate into the world with a more enlightened consciousness. 

Every aspect of your life was carefully chosen by your soul to support your spiritual process. It may not seem that way - but once you become more conscious and discerning you will begin realizing that the soul was planning its awakening from the very beginning. 

The goal of our spiritual process is not quick fixes to the problems of life, but true authentic inner transformation that allows us to navigate life skillfully. 

As you awaken your inner powers a new level of wisdom and mastery rises in your life. Then you begin seeing the circumstances of life as an opportunity for your soul to sport with life, to play with life, to adventure in life. 

Real spirituality is not renunciation. One may abandon their family, their possession and their place in the world only to find that as they wander alone, they are carrying it all in their hearts and minds. 

Real spirituality is about deep connection and understanding the perfect place of everything, including ourselves. 

Any genuine yogic lineage will have a systematic approach to the spiritual process that allows you to unfold your spiritual potential step-by-step, in way that enables you to engage with your life meaningfully. 

My own lineage - Kundalini Mahayoga - embraces the world and our play in it as an opportunity to grow awareness and develop our self-mastery of our spiritual powers through the chakras. Through spiritual discipline and exploration - we learn to surf with the waves of life - allowing it to take us to ever deeper self-discoveries. 

I spent those three years with her until she transitioned. Her death was what solidified the spiritual path for me. When she passed I saw her power as a yogini - she was the one who ensure that I was connected to the yogic path. She consciously held her body even as it became decrepit, and at the right moment she chose to depart. ​

I saw the power of the soul that night... and that has guided me ever since. 

After she passed I chose to spend time in an ashram with my Guru -Sri Vasudeva, where I began to learn how to really go deeper into spiritual practice. A couple years later I found myself on pilgrimage in the Himalayas to the ancient temple of Kedarnath. It was there in the presence of that ancient spiritual site and my spiritual master  that I understood my place in this world and the life of guiding others on the yogic path that was meant for me. 

Since that time I have stayed committed to the spiritual process and to supporting those who want to learn this path of Kundalini Mahayoga. Serving and supporting others in their own spiritual awakening - giving them the tools to walk the spiritual path skillfully, that is my commitment. 

If this speaks to you then know that you are meant for this path. I invite you to become more conscious and ask yourself what is it that you truly want in your life. And then take positive action in alignment with that. 

Let me affirm for you that you deserve to be fulfilled and satisfied in your life, and that can only come from meaningful spiritual growth. Our souls came her not just to enjoy and achieve materially, but also to explore its spiritual powers and identity. 

Unless we engage with sincerely we will continue to remain thirsty for "more."

Begin looking at this soul longing that you feel, the longing for more. And really examine if more material gains will give it to you... certainly there will be enough evidence in your life to see it. 

If you feel ready to explore meditation I invite you to take a look at my book - "Start Meditating Today." In it I share the basics of meditation, give important spiritual skills, and also invite you to contemplate some bigger spiritual possibilities. 

If you are ready for a much more structured approach you can join the waitlist for my Online Meditation Membership. It is a tremendous resource and has many opportunities for spiritual exploration. 

Finally for those who want the quickest results and the most support - I invite you to contact me directly and I can offer some advice on how to proceed. 
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Consider what would truly make you fulfilled. It is not just material success - but Soul success. 

The Enlightened masters constantly remind us - it is not mastery over the external world that defines success - but mastery over oneself. The moment you begin walking that path of self-mastery, you are finally taking charge of life at a deeper level. 

You can experience something greater, the spiritual dimension of energy, the power of your soul through the chakras, and your deepest nature of satchitananda, conscious-blissful-being.

But it begins with walking your spiritual path, honoring the soul longing that you feel and acting in alignment with it. I urge you to give attention to that soul desire. Sometimes it might be crowded out by the external experiences of the world, but again and again it will rise until you begin walking the spiritual path that is meant for you. 

When you are ready to walk that path, and you seek support to do so skillfully, do reach out and connect with me. It would bring me no greater joy than to support your awakening, and by extension the awakening of our world. 

Namaskar. My soul bows to you. 

Namaskar beautiful souls...

Just sharing some pictures with you from our Mantra Healing session that I facilitated over the weekend.

Mantra Healing is a free community event that explores the deep inner healing of mantras, music and Bhakti Yoga. In it I share the spiritual science behind mantras and we dive deep into the experience together.

We generate a powerful uplifting vibration together that supports each person in going deeper within themselves, and to heal every level of being.

I am looking forward to hosting more of these throughout the year, and hope that you will be curious to join me and experience it yourself.

To attend in person in Trinidad and Tobago please contact the coordinator Kala: 744-4601. Our next session will be in March.

Special thanks to
Ana N. for capturing these photos and refreshments.
Vocalists and musicians who co-create a beautiful space.
Kala N. for coordinating.

Divali is called the festival of lights. It celebrates the triumph of Light over darkness. The Light represents wisdom, goodness, prosperity, and compassion. Darkness is the ignorance that brings forth all the challenges and suffering in life. 

On this day we honor the return of the Light into our lives, and cultivate higher consciousness of the Light within. 

In my community, we take the opportunity in celebrating Divali to explore Bhakti Yoga - devotion and the opening of the heart. This also synergizes with the deeper meaning of Divali which celebrates the Goddess Lakshmi as one of  the focal points.

Goddess Lakshmi is connected in Vedic Astrology to the planet Venus, which is resonant with the Heart Chakra. The power of Maha Lakshmi is the deeper soul qualities that express through your heart - kindness, gentleness, compassion, and prosperity. 

It is fitting then to practice Bhakti, as this is the yogic path of purifying the heart and opening up to its spiritual depth. Bhakti utilizes puja (ritual worship) and kirtan (chanting of mantras and singing the Divine names of the deity).

You will also see that we included Maha Kaali in the honouring. She represents the work that we must do for spiritual transformation and is often worshipped on the new moon. Divali which takes place the darkest new moon of the year also holds Kaali's vibrations.

Every year I try my best to host a retreat locally. For the past few years we would travel to the sister isle Tobago, and have the retreat there. This was my 5th annual retreat.

This year I made the decision to remain in Trinidad and plan to do so for the following years. 

The focus of this retreat was on meditation. 

This is just a short clip from one of the workshops. In it I speak about the unfulfillment that comes from giving attention to world, and give insight into where you find ultimate fulfillment, deep inside yourself. 

Meditation is the practice of learning to turn inside, moving away from the senses and the material world, and residing in beingness where you are deeply restored. 

Most of my retreats have multiple elements to create a collective energy and support holistic development of the participants. 

In this retreat we practiced postures, breathing exercises, and meditations in the morning. In the night we would meet for some chanting and meditation before turning in. 

During the day there are meditation workshops and even more meditation opportunities aside from personal time to enjoy the surroundings. 

All of this comes together to create a transformative and supportive space for spiritual growth. 

Learn more about my

Guru Purnima is celebrated on the first full moon following the summer solstice. It is a day that celebrates the "guru."

The Sanskrit word guru has been adopted into modern English as a word for an expert or teacher, but holds a far deeper meaning.

The syllable "gu" represents darkness and ignorance. The syllable "ru" represents the Light of knowledge of and understanding. The guru is one who dispels the darkness within our being, bringing the Light of understanding. 

Guru is usually the word reserved for spiritual masters. Those beings who have advanced their spiritual consciousness and serve humanity by guiding people to discover their own inner spiritual consciousness. 

This year some of my students arranged and hosted a small satsang for Guru Purnima at my studio. It was quite impromptu, but I still wanted to share some of it with you. 

Here are some (very low quality) videos of the chanting from that session. Perhaps you can connect with the vibrations. Enjoy, namaskar. 

Hymn to the Guru

Guru Mantra

Guru brahma
Guru vishnu
Guru devo maheshwara
Guru saakshaat parabrahman
tasmai shri guruve namah

The guru is the creator, sustainer, and destroyer. Guru is the witness of all, the absolute. To that guru we bow. 

They asked me to sing this one as it is one of my favorites. 

Bolo bolo sabmela bolo om namah shivaya
om namah shivaya (x2)

Juta jata me gangadhari
Trishula dhari damaru bajave

Dama dama dama damaru baje
Gunj uta om namah shivaya

Om namah shivaya (X4)

We often sing this Kali mantra to the primordial shakti, as an honoring to the power of Kundalini that drives our spiritual transformation. 

Kali Mantra

Om hreem shreem kleem
adya kalika paremeshwari svaha

jai ma, kalika, svaha

Jai mata kali maha kali
jai ma jai ma

Day 21 for the 21-Day Dhyana Sadhana, 21-Day Meditation Practice daily online retreat as we approach Divali 2024. 

Our last day of this 21 day sadhana. Thank you very much to everyone who participated. I hope that you have experienced more within your own being, learned some meditation skills and will continue your spiritual path through meditation. 

In this meditation we combined many of the skills you have learned in the past days to open up the inner space and experience deep inner connection. 

Let's come into our practice. Thank you very much. Please join me in the inner space.

Becoming skillful in your breathing and opening up your awareness. Expand the consciousness as much as you can to observe and experience all that is within you.

Observe the body, the vitality, the heart, the mind. Open up to the flow of energy and even open the consciousness into the group space. Feeling that group connection, the togetherness.

Balance your breathing, making the inhale and exhale equal. Steady, slow, conscious, and bring stability into your space.

Breathe into the root and strengthen yourself there on the inhale. Begin drawing the energy upwards, giving a little tension to the root and drawing the energy upwards, inviting the flow upwards within the central channel.

Some of you may feel the sacral chakra activate as you do this. If that happens, give a little tension to the sacral chakra. Invite that creative energy upwards as well.

Use some abdominal breathing to create an energy reserve, a buffer for the body and for the upper chakras. Use the abdominal breathing and build up the energy in the gut, storing more energy there. Keep the focus on the upward flow of energy.

Now join me at the heart breathing through the point of the heart and feel that root and heart connection.

Draw the energy from the root up towards the heart. Open up to feel the depth of the heart, the loving vibration of the heart. And in that heart space, I invite you to connect with me. Connect with me through the subtle space, through the energy space that I may support you from within.

Gently bring your attention into the throat. You can use Ujjayi breathing, creating a little constriction in the air passageway as you breathe, creating the sound, it's called ocean sounding breath.

Focus on the throat, listening to the inner silence.

Now taking a deep breath.

Draw the loving energy, the stillness and silence up towards the brow. Breathe through that point of the brow, opening up to the mental field, as you breathe out, clear the thoughts you do not need.

As you breathe in, go deep into that expansive space, the vastness of the mind deep within your being. You abide in a place of stillness and silence.

A boundless space, infinite, eternal and omnipotent.

Though that space seems like emptiness, nothingness, it vibrates with beingness. It vibrates with the power of the eye.

The power of I am.

It is pregnant with power. It's pervaded with power. Even though to the human mind it seems like nothing.

Gaze into the stillness. Listen to the silence. Open up the curiosity of your mind and heart to delve into it.

In that space, there is no thought, but there is a sense, a sense of I.

I am looking, observing. Pay closer attention to that sense of I.

Now take a deep breath, keeping your awareness, keeping this inner connection. As you breathe out, bring the feeling down to your heart.

Opening up your heart to the silent space.

Now going down into your abdomen. Take a few deep breaths, opening up the navel energy center to this silent inner space. You can feel how your mind is managing this process.

Mind is becoming the distributor of that inner power, of that inner connection.

And now focus at the base of the channel and try to take the feeling all the way down to the root.

And begin using whole body breathing, feeling the expansion of the body, feeling the joints floating open as you inhale, and then relaxing as you exhale it.

Now gently tune your mind to your life and the world around you.

Give attention to your senses, energizing the senses, holding them in a place of intelligence.

Thank you very much. Take a deep breath. Pull yourself fully back into your body, fully alert and ready.

And when the moment is right for you, you can gently open the eyes.

1. How has participating in this 21-day meditation practice impacted you? 
2. What are some realizations and learnings that you want to remember? 
3. What is the next step you need to take for your spiritual path? 

Day 20 for the 21-Day Dhyana Sadhana, 21-Day Meditation Practice daily online retreat as we approach Divali 2024. 

Today I speak about the evolving ego - your sense of self that is going through a process of transformation and purification. Ego is call "ahamkar," in Sanskrit. Literally translated this means the "I-maker," the appearance of the sense of individuality. 

In meditation you are guided to reposition the ego for greater purification and transformation in alignment with the wisdom and power of the masters. It is an invitation to experience deep beingness. 

​Thank you very much for listening, everyone. You all have been very attentive over the past 20 days. It makes me feel fulfilled. As a guide, let's come into our meditation posture.

Let's close our eyes.  Please take a deep breath. Begin with an exhale and then inhale, filling up the lungs. And exhale. Empty your lungs, in and out, and again, in and out.

Ensure that your head, neck, trunk is aligned, that the spine is straight and strong. Remember, the central channel stretches from the top of the head down through your body to the root.

That's the axis of power, the axis of consciousness. So align it. Try to feel, if you need to make any small adjustments.

And I invite you to open up to the group energy, that feeling that we are all connected in the group energy. We are all supported in that group energy. You and I have a deep connection as we explore the inner being.

By being in that group energy. We are connected to the power of the masters.

Let's seek to be receptive to the masters. Those great guides. May their wisdom, may their blessings flow into our experience. We seek to be receptive to that.

Just the act of opening up to the power of the masters, to their wisdom is a shifting in the ego. You are becoming more humble, more receptive.

And of course we need that. We need that support and that guidance to help us purify the ego. It's our inner support system, spiritual support system.

How will you know that you are accessing the masters? You will feel a gentle lift inside. You will feel a support is there with the mind, with the heart, with the energy.

Scan the inner space. Move the energy up and down the central channel. Where do you feel the most supported?

Do you feel it in your gut or perhaps the root or sacral? Do you feel it in the heart or throat or brow? Focus where you feel the most supported.

Breathe through that point. Connect to that inner support more consciously when you breathe in. Invite the power, invite the wisdom to flow, when you breathe out, release the ego resistance, Release the pride.

Release the close mindedness, the judgments and expectations. Just the act of that releasing is purification of the ego. You're learning to let go of patterns that you do not need, that do not serve you.

Even as you hold a particular point, focusing there, using your breath as the anchor there. Open up your awareness.

Become expansive, without boundaries, without borders. Join me in the vast inner space, the space of freedom. It's your being, beingness.

And affirm the sense of I, I am, I exist. Breathe from that space of beingness, of eyes. Breathe into that space of beingness.

Let's take a deep breath. Breathe into the point of the mind.

Permeating the mind with that deeper vibration, deeper space.

Breathe into the throat, breathe into the heart, allowing the heart to be filled from that space. Breathe into your gut, abdomen. Breathe into the sacral and into the root, holding your entire body in your awareness. Breathe into the body.

Slow inhale, slow exhale. Feel the expansion in the body with each deep breath. And feel how the body is held in that relationship with your inner self. Beingness.

Now tune into the senses, identifying each one of your senses. Feeling the weight of the physical body, drawing yourself back to physical presence.

Before we come back fully, let's affirm in the mind, strongly centering the mind:

I stay centered in the source of my being, conscious of the fullness and perfection that resides there.

May I learn to live in alignment with that.

May I be guided to experience that.

May every thought, emotion, word and action be aligned with that.

Take one last deep breath. Anchor yourself fully. Pull yourself into alertness in the body. When you feel ready, with a few gentle blinks, you can open the eyes.

1. What was your experience today? 
2. What would you like to remember and practice from today's meditation? 
3. What was challenging for you? What do you need to do to meet that challenge and work with it? 

Day 19 for the 21-Day Dhyana Sadhana, 21-Day Meditation Practice daily online retreat as we approach Divali 2024. 

Today I speak about the Buddhi, that power of intelligence that is part of the inner instrument of mind. The Buddhi is the capacity to discriminate and can be used to liberate yourself. Using your intelligence you can begin seeing the difference between what will capture you and what will liberate you, so that you can choose more deliberately what you want in your life. 

In meditation you are guided just to open the space and see how the Buddhi can direct its power. 

Let's get ready for meditation.

Let me invite you to close your eyes, align your spine, come into your breathing, open up your awareness to observe. And immediately the intelligence is engaged just in observation.

Immediately a subtle choice is coming.

Is holding the tensions in my body going to keep me captured or liberated? And of course, it's an easy answer. I need to relax and place myself at ease. A relaxed state will lead me into a deeper place within. So relaxed is more liberating.

Scan the body and use your breathing to let go of the tensions, to let go of the stresses.

Cultivate a sense of ease and observe the vitality of the body. Observe the condition of the body just by looking.

And again another question may arise. If my body is depleted, will it keep me captured or will it liberate me?

Easy answer. I need to recharge, rejuvenate the body to support my spiritual process. That's the more liberating choice.

Begin breathing along the central channel. Slow inhale, slow exhale.

Become skillful even as you breathe along the central channel. Re energize the nerve plexus in the gut, the heart and the brain.

Let each breath be very conscious, deliberate, tapping into the sacred energy, sacred power in you, nourishing and healing your body.

Now come into your heart. Open up to the emotional landscape.

What are you carrying in your heart today? What vibration are you holding there? And again your intelligence will examine.

Is holding this vibration going to liberate me? Or is it keeping me captured? Is it limiting me? If it's limiting you, then you need to clear the heart using your exhale. Release any old emotions, any limiting emotions.

And now, which emotion, which vibration will liberate you? Kindness, gentleness, compassion, deep unconditional loving.

Open up to that possibility. Breathe through the heart. Cultivate that vibration. Slow inhale, slow exhale.

And you can even use your intelligence in looking at the heart. What in the heart space is limiting me? What is holding me back here? Becoming curious in your observations and staying open to the answer, open to discover.

Now join me at the brow, focusing at that point there.

If there are thoughts, that's okay. Don't react. Don't engage with the thinking as you breathe out. Seek to clear the mental field, Clear the mind. Open up to the spaciousness of the mind.

When you do this, the intelligence is becoming purified that you may use your discrimination and seek a more mature intelligence. Be open to that. Let my intelligence be guided from the soul, from the source within me. Seek to align your intelligence with the deepest part of you.

Don't try so hard. Use your breathing to relax.

Remember, the evolving and maturing of your intelligence is natural to you. You're not making it happen, you are allowing it to happen.

Let's take a deep breath. All the way in, all the way out. Channel the flow of energy down into the body towards the root and strengthen the root.

Strengthen your gut. Breathing in and out, using abdominal breathing, intelligently preparing the body for its day of activities.

But even as you re engage with your senses, you feel the physical awareness coming back. Hold on to that clarity inside that neutrality inside that sense of watching. Seek to stabilize yourself there even as you engage with the world.

As we come to the end of our meditation today, let us strongly affirm in the mind:

I stay centered in the source of my being and I align my intelligence with that deepest part of me.

May my intelligence liberate me. 

Let me invite you to bring your awareness to our group. Holding the entire group energy.

Please send Namaskar to each other in the inner space. My soul bows to you. I honor you.

Now let's come all the way back. Feeling the weight of the body.

When you're fully alert and ready, with a few gentle blinks, you can open the eyes.

1. What are some ways that your intelligence is hijacked and not used to liberate you? 
2. What are some ways that you intelligence chooses liberation and freedom? 
3. What can you do to realign and mature your intelligence? 

Day 18 for the 21-Day Dhyana Sadhana, 21-Day Meditation Practice daily online retreat as we approach Divali 2024. 

Today I share the basics of the Antah Karana given by Vedanta philosophy. It describes 4 parts to the mind - manas, buddhi, ahamkar, and citta. What are their functions? 

In meditation you are guided in your energy process into the deeper space of observing the "I," or sense of identity, ego. 

So let me invite you into meditation. Thank you very much.

Let's turn our attention inwards, taking slow, deep breaths and opening up our awareness, opening up the consciousness to observe. Observe the many levels of your experience.

The body, vitality, the heart, the mind, the energy, the breath. Become skillful. You have been practicing with me for a few days. Become skillful.

Use your awareness to observe where needs to be energized. Where do I need to strengthen myself?

A good place to start is always strengthening the body, the vessel, by strengthening the root chakra, using the breath at the root, opening up the awareness of the energy there.

And if you feel the body has been depleted, the body still has some tiredness, then you need to revitalize in the gut using the navel chakra.

Deep abdominal breathing.

If you need to open up to the power of the heart creating that loving supportive vibration, then you know what to do. Go into the heart, strengthen that nerve plexus which you're breathing. Breathe through the point of the heart and open up to the loving vibration.

Let's take a moment to open up to the power of listening, the power of the throat chakra. By focusing either at the back of your neck or the front. Wherever you feel the power there, use Ujjayi breathing. That's where you gently constrict the throat so that when you breathe you can listen to the sound of the air flowing.

This has a powerful cleansing effect on your mind.

Remember, if you observe the flowing of thoughts, that's okay. Don't fight with the thoughts. Don't react at all.

Stand back. Don't be in the middle of the river of thoughts, in the middle of the stream of thoughts being washed away by them. Stand back from it. Come onto the banks.

The thinking is there, but you can just gently observe and you're more focused on the energy, feeling the breadth and the bigger experience that's surfacing.

Stay with the throat for now. Breathe through that space and begin listening to the stillness, the silence within you.

You're doing very well. I can sense from our group energy, that growing stillness.

Now refocus at that point between the eyebrows and breathe through there.

And now we're working to purify the manas. Clear that mental field. As you breathe out, release the thoughts. As you breathe in, relax the space. Open up to the spaciousness of your mind.

Suspend the mind from associating with anything and observe how that clears to space.

If you need to, you breathe out all the way down the central channel, Squeeze the root and on the inhale, keep the root locked and draw the energy up to the brow, feeding the brow chakra from the root.

Observe what happens when you do that.

As you feel the power building up in the manas, become more relaxed.

Don't try to do so much. Don't try to will so much.

Be carried. The energy is flowing on its own. Be carried. And in that clearer inner space, come into deeper self observation, turning your attention onto the sense of I, your own sense of self.

I am experienced, I am breathing.

And refocus on the sense of I letting go of the experiencing.

What is the nature of that sense of I? Who am I?

That's very good. Let's take a deep breath. All the way in, all the way out.

Using the power of the lungs and the diaphragm, breathing in and out, let's come strongly towards the gut. Using abdominal breathing in and out, feel the body in and out. Notice the senses.

As we come to the end of our meditation, let's strongly affirm in the mind,

I stay centered in the source of my being, staying open and curious of my deep spiritual identity.

May I experience that. May I be guided there.

Pull yourself all the way back to the body. Please ensure to ground the excess energies into the body, into the cells, into the muscles and bones.

Thank you very much. When you feel ready, with a few gentle blinks, you can open the eyes.

1. What did you observe in the energy process today ? 
2. Were you able to focus on the sense of self? Explore that.