The Meditation Center

Sunday Satsang on Summer Break until Fall with Michael Smith and Jim Nelson 10:00 a.m. – 12 Noon
2020-08-23 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
Sunday Satsang on Summer Break until Fall with Michael Smith and Jim Nelson 10:00 a.m. – 12 Noon
Time: 10.00 a.m. – Noon
Jim and Michael will continue the study of spiritual topics in Fall of 2020. Stay tuned for announcements regarding the start date in September 2020.

Sunday Community Gathering (Satsang)
Sunday Satsang sessions are informal gatherings of people who are interested in refining their meditative practices and their lifestyles following the teachings of the Himalayan Yoga Tradition.
Senior Teachers Jim Nelson and Michael Smith host each session:

Meet from 10:00 AM – 12 Noon
45-minute Guided Meditation
Presentation and a Discussion

There are some Sundays when Sunday Satsang is not held or when other events and presentations replace the Sunday Satsang sessions. When that occurs, we try to notify all interested people in advance on The Meditation Center website.
To receive personal email announcements from Michael about the status of the Sunday Satsang sessions and/or the focus of the week’s offerings, please call The Meditation Center office at 612-379-2386.

Sunday Satsang on Summer Break until Fall with Michael Smith and Jim Nelson 10:00 a.m. – 12 Noon
2020-08-30 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
Sunday Satsang on Summer Break until Fall with Michael Smith and Jim Nelson 10:00 a.m. – 12 Noon
Time: 10:00 a.m. – Noon
Jim and Michael will continue the study of spiritual topics in Fall of 2020. Stay tuned for announcements regarding the start date in September 2020.

Sunday Community Gathering (Satsang)
Sunday Satsang sessions are informal gatherings of people who are interested in refining their meditative practices and their lifestyles following the teachings of the Himalayan Yoga Tradition.
Senior Teachers Jim Nelson and Michael Smith host each session:

Meet from 10:00 AM – 12 Noon
45-minute Guided Meditation
Presentation and a Discussion

There are some Sundays when Sunday Satsang is not held or when other events and presentations replace the Sunday Satsang sessions. When that occurs, we try to notify all interested people in advance on The Meditation Center website.
To receive personal email announcements from Michael about the status of the Sunday Satsang sessions and/or the focus of the week’s offerings, please call The Meditation Center office at 612-379-2386.

Sunday Satsang on Summer Break until Fall with Michael Smith and Jim Nelson 10:00 a.m. – 12 Noon
2020-09-06 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
Sunday Satsang on Summer Break until Fall with Michael Smith and Jim Nelson 10:00 a.m. – 12 Noon
Jim and Michael will continue the study of spiritual topics in Fall of 2020. Stay tuned for announcements regarding the start date in September 2020.

Sunday Community Gathering (Satsang)
Sunday Satsang sessions are informal gatherings of people who are interested in refining their meditative practices and their lifestyles following the teachings of the Himalayan Yoga Tradition.
Senior Teachers Jim Nelson and Michael Smith host each session:

Meet from 10:00 AM – 12 Noon
45-minute Guided Meditation
Presentation and a Discussion

There are some Sundays when Sunday Satsang is not held or when other events and presentations replace the Sunday Satsang sessions. When that occurs, we try to notify all interested people in advance on The Meditation Center website.
To receive personal email announcements from Michael about the status of the Sunday Satsang sessions and/or the focus of the week’s offerings, please call The Meditation Center office at 612-379-2386.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "More Spiritually Inspiring Stories from the Himalayan Tradition "retold by Michael Smith - October 15, 2020
2020-10-15 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – October 15,, 2020
7:00 p.m.. – 8:30 p.m.
More Spiritually Inspiring Stories from the Himalayan Tradition
retold by Michael Smith

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to
The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

Stay tuned for the details.
One of the most instructive and powerful ways that wisdom is communicated is through stories. Think of the folk tales, fairy tales and fables we heard as children – our cultural heritage – that have become part of personal fund of knowledge. Think of the aphorisms and metaphors that are part and parcel of our day-to-day communication with others. Think of Jesus’ parables in the Bible.
Swami Rama and Swami Veda told hundreds of teaching stories that were passed on to them from their parents & their teachers, the ancient texts, and the Indian folk lore of the Puranas, the Mahabharata, the Dhamapada, and the Jataka Tales.
Please join us this Thursday as Michael tells more spiritually inspiring stories.

No Thursday Satsang via Zoom on December 31, 2020 - Happy New Year to You and Your Friends!
2020-12-31 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
No Thursday Satsang via Zoom on December 31, 2020
Happy New Year to You and Your Friends!
There will be no Thursday Satsang via zoom on December 31, 2020, The Meditation Center will be closed for the evening.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: Swami Ritavan's Talk is Postponed - Join Us for a Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati and a Talk on the Cultivation of a Sattvic Mind and Kind and Loving Heart Space
2021-01-07 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – January 7, 2021
Swami Ritavan’s Talk is Postponed
Join Us for a Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati and
a Talk on the Cultivation of a Sattvic Mind and Kind and Loving Heart Space.
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
7:00 p.m. – Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30 p.m. – Special Talk with Swami Radha and Others

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

Save the date! Details to come.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: An Evening with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT 500 - January 14, 2021
2021-01-14 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang via Zoom
An Evening with Stephen Parker (Stoma), PsyD, E-RYT 500
January 14, 2021
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

Details to come.

Dr. Stephen Parker was initiated in the Himalayan Yoga tradition by Swami Veda Bharati and was given the initiate name Stoma in 1971. Among the first teachers certified by the Himalayan International Teachers’ Association, H.I.T.A., he began teaching hatha yoga in 1974. During that time he also studied Sanskrit with Swami Veda and South Asian languages and culture for his B.A. at the University of Minnesota.

Stoma is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500-hour level of the Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500). A member of the International Association of Y.T., he serves on the faculties of the Meditation Center in Minneapolis and the Sadhaka Gram ashram in Rishikesh, India. He is also a senior faculty member of the Himalayan Yoga Tradition Teachers’ Training Program. He has lectured on yoga, meditation, yoga psychology, and spiritual practice in the U.S. and Canada as well as in Caribbean countries, Holland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Lithuania, South Africa, Korea, Hong Kong, and India. In 2004 he helped originate and teach the first course on yoga in an American medical school at the University of Minnesota Academic Medical Center. In 2007 he received preliminary vows of renunciation from Swami Veda and the Shankaracharya of Karvirapitha.

Stoma has been a licensed psychologist in private practice in St. Paul, MN since 1985. He also serves as Adjunct Assistant School Professor of Counseling and Psychological Services at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. He teaches on the faculty of the Introductory Workshops of the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis. In addition to authoring journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Parker edited volume two of Swami Veda’s definitive scholarly work on the Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali and he has been a peer review editor for the Journal of Men’s Studies, the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, the International Journal of Yoga T. and Yoga Mimamsa. He is also the author of Clearing the Path, The Yoga Way to a Clear and Pleasant Mind: Yoga, Neuroscience and Emotion (2017) published by AHYMSA publishers.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "Storytime" with Michael Smith - January 21, 2021
2021-01-21 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – January 21, 2021
“Storytime”
with Michael Smith
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

7:00 p.m. – Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Stories with Michael Smith

Storytime is a pleasant theme, and an easy theme, because so many stories are available to us.
Swami Veda was a storyteller par excellence, and Indian culture is filled to brim with inspiring stories —that are a joy to share and a joy to listen to.
After the CHUDALA and SHIKHIDVAJA from the Yoga Vasishtha, the stories now will be much shorter, but they will be very powerful stories with lots of things
to contemplate in terms of how they apply to one’s daily life. So, after each story there will be a chance for us to share our insights.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: Prayer, the Language of Love" with Pandit Tejomaya - February 4, 2021
2021-02-04 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Thursday Satsang via Zoom with Pandit Tejomaya
“Prayer, the Language of Love”
February 4, 2021
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.
7:00 p.m. – Meditation with Pandit Tejomaya
7:30 p.m. – Presentation by Pandit Tejomaya

Prayer is the language of love. So says Swami Rama.

Join Pandit Tejomaya for an exploration into the beautiful role that prayer can play in life of a sadhaka.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "Celebrate The Ancient Traveler with Music and Poetry" with Chris Young, Swami Radha Bharati, Georgeann Bianchi, and Christopher Palbicki - February 11, 2021
2021-02-11 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – February 11, 2021
“Celebrate The Ancient Traveler with Music and Poetry”
Music by Chris Young
Readings by Swami Radha Bharati, Georgeann Bianchi, and Christopher Palbicki
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
7:00 p.m. – Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30 p.m. – Kirtan with Chris Young and Readings by Swami Radha Bharati, Georgeann Bianchi, and Christopher Palbicki
To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe
to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

Let us celebrate together this Thursday with the music of Chris Young and readings from Swami Radha Bharati, Georgeann Bianchi, and Christopher Palbicki.

Introduction and Reading “The Ancient Traveler” – Swami Radha Bharati-

Chanting OM/Guru Prayer – Chris Young

Reading – Georgeann Bianchi

Hanuman Chalisa – Chris Young

Poem: For Calling the Spirit Back from Wandering the Earth in Its Human Feet by Joy Harjo –
Christopher Palbicki

Mere Gurudev – Chris Young

The Community

Chanting OM

“The Ancient Traveler”
by H.H.S. Swami Rama

“The most ancient traveler in the universe is love. It is love that travels from the unknown to the known, from eternity to eternity.

Those who want to realize the greatest delight should realize themselves in others. This is the definition of true love.

The spirit of love is boundless and emancipates our being from illusory bonds and superimpositions. It is unity that will lead us to Truth. That which is the beginning and the end of the phenomenal world is divine…”

(The Essence of Spiritual Life, pages 94-95)

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "Awakening into Spring: Taking care of yourself as winter slowly starts to thaw into spring…" with Nikki Strong, Pernu Menheer, Saraswati Bhadri,and Charles Crenshaw- February 18, 2021
2021-02-18 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – February 18, 2021
“Awakening into Spring:
Taking care of yourself as winter slowly starts to thaw into spring…”
with Nikki Strong, Pernu Menheer, and Saraswati Bhadri
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m. – Guided Meditation with Charles Crenshaw
7:30 p.m. – Talk with Nikki Strong, Pernu Menheer, and Saraswati Bhadri

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe
to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

Gentle self care practices and tips… for this time of year. Please wear loose comfortable clothing and be ready to have some fun learning gentle movements, self massage, and general lifestyle suggestions for taking care of that precious one… that is you!

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "Storytime" with Michael Smith - February 25, 2021
2021-02-25 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
THURSDAY SATSANG VIA ZOOM – February 25, 2021
“STORYTIME”
WITH MICHAEL SMITH
7:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M.

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

7:00 p.m. – Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Stories with Michael Smith

Storytime is a pleasant theme, and an easy theme, because so many stories are available to us.
Swami Veda was a storyteller par excellence, and Indian culture is filled to brim with inspiring stories —that are a joy to share and a joy to listen to.
After the CHUDALA and SHIKHIDVAJA from the Yoga Vasishtha that we heard last yearn 2020, the stories now will be much shorter, but they will be very powerful stories with lots of things to contemplate in terms of how they apply to one’s daily life. So, after each story there will be a chance for us to share our insights.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "Storytime" with Michael Smith - March 4, 2021
2021-03-04 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
THURSDAY SATSANG VIA ZOOM – March 4, 2021
“STORYTIME” WITH MICHAEL SMITH
7:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M.

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

7:00 p.m. – Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Stories with Michael Smith

Join Michael on Thursday, March 4th, for “Storytime.” Storytime is a pleasant theme because so many tales and parables in the tradition are available to us as teaching tools and for pure enjoyment. Many times animals are the vehicles for the teachings within the story. Swami Veda loved the story of “Dattatreya and his 24 Gurus”, many of which were animals.

Swami Veda was a storyteller par excellence, and Indian culture is filled to brim with inspiring stories —that are a joy to share and a joy to listen to.

The stories told will be very powerful stories with lots of things to contemplate in terms of how they apply to one’s daily life. So, after each story there will be a chance for us to share our insights.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "The Sadhana of Moving" with Rodney and Joann Huff - April 15, 2021
2021-04-15 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – April 15, 2021
“The Sadhana of Moving”
with Rodney (Rajni) and Joann Huff
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter
on the home page of this website.
7:00 p.m. – Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Talk by Rodney (Rajni) and Joann Huff

Joann and Rodney will share the lessons learned and challenges faced during their recent move. Each step of the journey provided a spiritual mirror to look at issues like their relationships with possessions; how facing excessive clutter is like exploring the unconscious mind; and being intentional in setting up their new space. It’s a work in progress!

Thursday Satsang via Zoom and In-Person: "Developing Pleasant Mindedness in Challenging Times" with Paul Emerson Ph.D - July 29, 2021
2021-07-29 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Special Thursday Satsang via Zoom – July 29, 2021
“Developing Pleasant Mindedness in Challenging Times”
with Paul Emerson Ph.D.
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CDT

This is a Hybrid Zoom and TMC In-Person Event

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter
on the home page of this website.

7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Presentation by Paul Emerson, Ph.D.
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Paul Emerson is a biomedical engineer with a Ph.D. He is the authority on the physiology of breathing for The Meditation Center and has been teaching yoga for over 30 years. Paul has worked as a research scientist, has been a manager of clinical research with a major biomedical company and a university instructor. In addition, he holds eight patents in the areas of dialysis and sleep therapy. he is a scholar of ancient yoga texts. Paul was certified by the Rockford School of Yoga and began teaching in 1975.

TMC policy for those entering the building or participating in outdoor ceremonies will be requesting all to practice non-violence – being fully vaccinated or wearing a mask w/social distancing. Staff and volunteers will not be asking for vaccine certification cards as trust of community will be sufficient. All are welcome.

To further protect the community, an Iso-Aire purification movable unit has been purchased to use in all rooms of TMC where people gather. These units have pre-filter, hospital quality HEPA filters, and a bi-polar ionization unit to remove pollen to pathogens

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: The Best of TMC's August Reruns from TMC's Vimeo Archive "Buddhism or Yoga?—Yes, Meditation" with Stephen (Stoma) Parker PsyD, E-RYT-500; August 5, 2021
2021-08-05 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Special Thursday Satsang via Zoom – August 5, 2021

The Best of TMC’s August Reruns from TMC’s Vimeo Archive
“Buddhism or Yoga?—Yes, Meditation”
with Stephen (Stoma) Parker PsyD, E-RYT-500

A Very Important Talk by Stoma – Recorded on September 24, 2020
This is another chance to hear and take in the wisdom of this presentation.
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CDT
This is a Zoom Event Only!
TMC will not be open on August 5th for in-person participation.
7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Vimeo Rerun Talk by Stephen (Stoma) Parker PsyD, E-RYT-500
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

For centuries philosophers have debated whether the truth of spiritual realization is better described by Buddhism or by other philosophies bundled together by Westerners and called “Hinduism,” one of which is yoga. In practice, their values and practices are more similar than different. A careful look reveals that the differences are mostly a matter of semantics. Even the “yoga sutras” shares many ideas and practices in common with Buddhism.

Dr. Stephen Parker was initiated in the Himalayan Yoga tradition by Swami Veda Bharati and was given the initiate name Stoma in 1971. Among the first teachers certified by the Himalayan International Teachers’ Association, H.I.T.A., he began teaching hatha yoga in 1974. During that time he also studied Sanskrit with Swami Veda and South Asian languages and culture for his B.A. at the University of Minnesota.

Stoma is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500-hour level of the Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500). A member of the International Association of Y.T., he serves on the faculties of the Meditation Center in Minneapolis and the Sadhaka Grama ashram in Rishikesh, India. He is also a senior faculty member of the Himalayan Yoga Tradition Teachers’ Training Program. He has lectured on yoga, meditation, yoga psychology, and spiritual practice in the U.S. and Canada as well as in Caribbean countries, Holland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Lithuania, South Africa, Korea, Hong Kong, and India. In 2004 he helped originate and teach the first course on yoga in an American medical school at the University of Minnesota Academic Medical Center. In 2007 he received preliminary vows of renunciation from Swami Veda and the Shankaracharya of Karvirapitha.

Stoma has been a licensed psychologist in private practice in St. Paul, MN since 1985. He also serves as Adjunct Assistant School Professor of Counseling and Psychological Services at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. He teaches on the faculty of the Introductory Workshops of the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis. In addition to authoring journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Parker edited volume two of Swami Veda’s definitive scholarly work on the “Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali” and he has been a peer review editor for the “Journal of Men’s Studies,” the “American Journal of Orthopsychiatry,” the I”nternational Journal of Yoga T. and Yoga Mimamsa.” He is also the author of “Clearing the Path, The Yoga Way to a Clear and Pleasant Mind: Yoga, Neuroscience and Emotion” (2017) published by AHYMSA publishers.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom Only: “Kirtan with Chris Young” - August 12, 2021
2021-08-12 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Thursday Satsang via Zoom Only – August 12, 2021

“Kirtan with Chris Young”
7:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M. CDT

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30- 8:30 p.m.: Kirtan with Chris Young
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Let us chant together this Thursday for healing and renewal for all beings with the music of Chris Young. Let us celebrate!

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "The Sadhana of Kirtan, Chanting, and Devotion" with Michael Smith and Chris Young - September 2, 2021
2021-09-02 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – September 2, 2021
“The Sadhana of Kirtan, Chanting, and Devotion”
with Michael Smith and Chris Young
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 pm.

7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Talk by Michael Smith and Chris Young

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

Kirtan is a sadhana in itself and can take a person into bhaktic ecstacy as shown in the lives of Ragani, Dennis Chernin and Parvathy Baul.
Chris Young and Michael Smith will share their thoughts and feelings about Kirtan.
Also two videos will be shown featuring Parvathy Baul: One, in which she explains her initiation into the little-known Baul Tradition** by her guru, and another very rare and inspiring video in which she dances and sings one of the Baul’s sacred songs, using the traditional instruments of her single-stringed ektara and her drum (duggi).
**The Baul Tradition is included in the list of “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.”

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "Sadhana" with Stephen Parker (Stoma) - September 16, 2021
2021-09-16 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – September 16, 2021
“Sadhana”
with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT-500

7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT-500
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Talk by Stephen (Stoma) Parker PsyD, E-RYT-500
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

Details to come.

Dr. Stephen Parker was initiated in the Himalayan Yoga tradition by Swami Veda Bharati and was given the initiate name Stoma in 1971. Among the first teachers certified by the Himalayan International Teachers’ Association, H.I.T.A., he began teaching hatha yoga in 1974. During that time he also studied Sanskrit with Swami Veda and South Asian languages and culture for his B.A. at the University of Minnesota.

Stoma is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500-hour level of the Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500). A member of the International Association of Y.T., he serves on the faculties of the Meditation Center in Minneapolis and the Sadhaka Grama ashram in Rishikesh, India. He is also a senior faculty member of the Himalayan Yoga Tradition Teachers’ Training Program. He has lectured on yoga, meditation, yoga psychology, and spiritual practice in the U.S. and Canada as well as in Caribbean countries, Holland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Lithuania, South Africa, Korea, Hong Kong, and India. In 2004 he helped originate and teach the first course on yoga in an American medical school at the University of Minnesota Academic Medical Center. In 2007 he received preliminary vows of renunciation from Swami Veda and the Shankaracharya of Karvirapitha.

Stoma has been a licensed psychologist in private practice in St. Paul, MN since 1985. He also serves as Adjunct Assistant School Professor of Counseling and Psychological Services at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. He teaches on the faculty of the Introductory Workshops of the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis. In addition to authoring journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Parker edited volume two of Swami Veda’s definitive scholarly work on the “Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali” and he has been a peer review editor for the “Journal of Men’s Studies,” the “American Journal of Orthopsychiatry,” the I”nternational Journal of Yoga T. and Yoga Mimamsa.” He is also the author of “Clearing the Path, The Yoga Way to a Clear and Pleasant Mind: Yoga, Neuroscience and Emotion” (2017) published by AHYMSA publishers.

Details to come.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "Architecting Your Post-Pandemic Life" with Eric Ness - September 23, 2021
2021-09-23 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – September 23, 2021
“Architecting Your Post-Pandemic Life” with Eric Ness
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

7:00 p.m.: Meditation guided by Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Talk by Eric Ness, “Architecting Your Post-Pandemic Life”
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

The pandemic has brought many changes to our lives, most of them involuntary. Even though the changes didn’t happen the way we would have chosen, some people are finding that some are to their liking. At some point the pandemic will be over and we’ll have the opportunity to go back to life as we knew it before. Being meditators, we can approach this transition intentionally instead of just defaulting back to what we knew.

This talk will present tools to architect your post-pandemic life the way that works for who you are today. We’ll examine which old habits and relationships are worth reintroducing into your life and which ones can be let go of. You’ll walk away with a clear vision of what your new life will look like and the strength to let go of what is no longer needed.

Eric has been teaching meditation and yoga for over ten years. His teaching is based on the experiences that he had while immersed in a meditative environment. He deepened his study of meditation while participating in the residential program at The Meditation Center. He also trained for three years at the Swami Rama Institute for Meditation in India. His calm teaching style brings students the tools they need to move toward a peaceful state of mind.

Hybrid Thursday Satsang In Person and via Zoom: “Christian and Yoga Interconnections” with Paul Emerson, Ph.D. - September 30, 2021
2021-09-30 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Hybrid Thursday Satsang
In Person and via Zoom
September 30, 2021

“Christian and Yoga Interconnections”
with Paul Emerson, Ph.D.
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Talk by Paul Emerson Ph.D.
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

One of Swami Veda’s interests in his later years was “interfaith dialog”. Along those lines a number of famous spiritual teachers have referred to Jesus as a “mahayogi”–Parahamsa Yogananda and Ramakrishna to name just a few. While the traditions of Christianity and yoga certainly have centuries of divergent history, theology and occasional conflict it’s sometimes useful to reflect on the commonalities. The Jesus story would certainly not sound unfamiliar to a first century Indian yogi although they might wonder at some of the specific cultural details and nuances. This talk will spend some time looking at the common strands of yoga with both orthodox and less than orthodox Christianity.

Paul Emerson is a biomedical engineer with a Ph.D. He is the authority on the physiology of breathing for The Meditation Center and has been teaching yoga for over 30 years. Paul has worked as a research scientist, has been a manager of clinical research with a major biomedical company and a university instructor. In addition, he holds eight patents in the areas of dialysis and sleep therapy. he is a scholar of ancient yoga texts. Paul was certified by the Rockford School of Yoga and began teaching in 1975.

TMC policy for those entering the building or participating in outdoor ceremonies will be requesting all to practice non-violence – being fully vaccinated or wearing a mask w/social distancing. Staff and volunteers will not be asking for vaccine certification cards as trust of community will be sufficient. All are welcome.

To further protect the community, an Iso-Aire purification movable unit has been purchased to use in all rooms of TMC where people gather. These units have pre-filter, hospital quality HEPA filters, and a bi-polar ionization unit to remove pollen to pathogens.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "Everything You Wanted To Know About Meditation (And Its Practice), But Were Afraid to Ask" with Members of the TMC Spiritual Committee - October 7, 2021
2021-10-07 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – October 7, 2021

“Everything You Wanted To Know About Meditation (And Its Practice), But Were Afraid to Ask” with Members of the TMC Spiritual Committee

Swami Radha Bharati, Lori Beron, Paul Emerson, Kay (Shanta) Gendron, Jim Nelson, Stephen (Stoma) Parker, and Michael Smith

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Panel Discussion by the Spiritual Committee
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Overview of Presentation

New to meditation, an old sage or somewhere in between, join a panel of senior teachers for a lively discussion and on the problems and promises of keeping a meditation practice. How does one keep meditation “fresh”? Why aren’t I “enlightened” yet? What are the tricks for keeping a regular meditation time? Am I making progress? Why don’t I see pretty lights? Or what do I do if I do see pretty lights? These and other questions brought by the gathering will be answered.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: “The Divine Mother and The Himalayan Tradition” with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PSYD, E-RYT-500 - October 14, 2021
2021-10-14 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – October 14, 2021
“The Divine Mother and The Himalayan Tradition”
with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PSYD, E-RYT-500

7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT-500
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Talk by Stephen (Stoma) Parker PsyD, E-RYT-500
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.
“My Phantom Lady”
(an excerpt)
by H.H.S. Swami Rama

…”Mystic being from the subtle world, had I not received Thy love, I do not know what shape the rest of my life would have taken. Thou revealest to me the melody and the magic of the deeper realms, with all Thy loving care. Thy soul comes and goes as a messenger in this world from the shore of the ocean of mystery. It is Thee of whom I now and then catch a glimpse in the dewy autumn morning, in the scented night of spring, in the innermost recesses of my being. Sometimes I strain skyward to hear Thy eternal whispers.”

A burning desire lives in my heart, an earnest longing to realize the Infinite in the finite. An unceasing endeavor to explore the limits of the limitless is a dominant theme of my life. Mere forms and names of the world are amusing but not fulfilling. Satyam, shivam, sundaram—peace, happiness, and bliss—is the only goal of my life.

(Love Whispers, pages 13-14)

Details to come.

Dr. Stephen Parker was initiated in the Himalayan Yoga tradition by Swami Veda Bharati and was given the initiate name Stoma in 1971. Among the first teachers certified by the Himalayan International Teachers’ Association, H.I.T.A., he began teaching hatha yoga in 1974. During that time he also studied Sanskrit with Swami Veda and South Asian languages and culture for his B.A. at the University of Minnesota.

Stoma is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500-hour level of the Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500). A member of the International Association of Y.T., he serves on the faculties of the Meditation Center in Minneapolis and the Sadhaka Grama ashram in Rishikesh, India. He is also a senior faculty member of the Himalayan Yoga Tradition Teachers’ Training Program. He has lectured on yoga, meditation, yoga psychology, and spiritual practice in the U.S. and Canada as well as in Caribbean countries, Holland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Lithuania, South Africa, Korea, Hong Kong, and India. In 2004 he helped originate and teach the first course on yoga in an American medical school at the University of Minnesota Academic Medical Center. In 2007 he received preliminary vows of renunciation from Swami Veda and the Shankaracharya of Karvirapitha.

Stoma has been a licensed psychologist in private practice in St. Paul, MN since 1985. He also serves as Adjunct Assistant School Professor of Counseling and Psychological Services at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. He teaches on the faculty of the Introductory Workshops of the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis. In addition to authoring journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Parker edited volume two of Swami Veda’s definitive scholarly work on the “Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali” and he has been a peer review editor for the “Journal of Men’s Studies,” the “American Journal of Orthopsychiatry,” the I”nternational Journal of Yoga T. and Yoga Mimamsa.” He is also the author of “Clearing the Path, The Yoga Way to a Clear and Pleasant Mind: Yoga, Neuroscience and Emotion” (2017) published by AHYMSA publishers.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "The Beauty of Sri and the Present Moment" Kirtan with Chris Young - October 21, 2021
2021-10-21 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – October 21, 2021
Kirtan with Chris Young”
“The Beauty of Sri and the Present Moment”

7:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M. CDT

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30- 8:30 p.m.: Kirtan with Chris Young
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Let us chant together this Thursday for healing and renewal for all beings with the music of Chris Young. Let us celebrate!

The Divine Mother, “Sri”, is an experience of the present moment and of beauty. Join Chris in this kirtan, it being an opportunity, a vehicle, to receive an experience of Beauty; a time to drop the worry and the hurry, set aside the intellect, and simply be… with people who are beautiful, in a setting that is beautiful, and with beautiful music.

“Kirtan is a spiritual practice that originated in India centuries ago. The word “kirtan” means singing, chanting, and praising the Divine. It is a sacred practice anyone can do; no special training is required. The music does the work for you, carrying you to a state of tremendous joy and mental clarity…

…But the most important instrument in kirtan is the voice,’There is a sacredness in everyone’s voice. It is like hearing your own soul’, shares Milwaukee-based kirtan wallah Ragani. who leads one of the largest ongoing monthly kirtan events in North America. Your voice comes from within; it is uniquely yours. Unlike an instrument which acts on you, emanating from the outside in, the voice acts internally, emanating from the inside out. When you sing kirtan, you can literally feel the sound resonating inside you. ‘massaging’ your inner organs with sacred mantras…”

(Kirtan! Chanting as a Spiritual Path. pages 7 and 9)

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "Free Will" with Pandit Tejomaya - November 4, 2021
2021-11-04 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – November 4, 2021
“Free Will” with Pandit Tejomaya
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Talk by Pandit Tejomaya
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

With each of our actions, from the simplest to the most complex, from the grossest to the most subtle, we act according to our will. And while there are countless influences ready to colour our actions, it is us and us alone who choose each act in complete freedom. Understanding this process at all of its levels and strengthening the instruments whereby we harness the infinite power of our will are tremendous efforts for any Sadhaka. In the words of Gurudev “You are the architect of your life and thus have the capacity to change and shape your destiny.”
Pandit Tejomaya was initiated in the Himalayan Tradition by Swami Veda in 2008. He was initiated as a Pandit by Pandit Dabral, and received the name Tejomaya in 2012. He took the vows of a Vanaprastha, or Forest Dweller, in January of 2017.

Pandit Tejomaya resides on Gabriola Island in the Salish Sea of Canada’s British Columbia where he lives a life of sadhana and devotion.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom:“Remembrance of the Mahasamadhi of H.H.S. Swami Rama of the Himalayas” November 11, 2021
2021-11-11 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – November 11, 2021
“Remembrance of the Mahasamadhi of H.H.S. Swami Rama of the Himalayas”

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

Program Schedule
7:00 p.m.: Brief introduction on the meaning of Māhasamadhi
7:05 p.m.: Showing of a video entitled “A Gift of Eternal Gratitude”
7:30 p.m.: Flower Havan
7:50 p.m.: Guided Meditation by Swami Radha Bharati
8:15 p.m.: Community sharing of stories and memories of H.H.S. Swami Rama
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

25th Anniversary
H.H.S. Swami Rama’s Māhasamadhi
November 13, 1996

H.H.S. Swami Rama of the Himalayas left his body on November 13, 1996. Please join us on Thursday, November 11, 2021 for a celebration and memorial of the life and teachings of this great master from The Himalayan Yoga Tradition. H.H.S. Swami Rama was a yogi, scientist, researcher, writer, and humanitarian.
“In 1996, this fully enlightened Master and representative of the ancient lineage of yogis left his body. His memorial today is in the hearts of his disciples and students who carry his work. He is most remembered for his great love for all and the magnetic power of his spirit, such that as he walked, one felt pulled to follow behind him. The full impact of his legacy will be realized perhaps in a century.”

Om
Gurave namaḥ.
Parama-gurave namaḥ.
Parameṣhṭhi-gurave namaḥ.
Paramparā-gurubhyo namaḥ.

~ Swami Veda Bharati ~
from Swami Veda’s Blog
On the First Maha-Samadhi Anniversary of H.H. Swami Rama
Published: 13 November 2015 | Written by Swami Veda Bharati

On the First Maha-Samadhi Anniversary of H.H. Swami Rama
Phone Address by Swami Veda
The Meditation Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
November 2, 1997
OM! OM! OM!
The days become sacred when a sacred being imparts a special grace or energy to the forces in the universe. All the annual cycles of celebration and commemorations are built around those occasions. In our present day society and thinking, the human being is no longer a unit in the universe; he views himself as something outside the universe, trying to control the universe as an outsider. This view is incorrect, we are part of the universe, the energy and life that flows through us is the same one through whose rhythms and waves, all the planets, stars, constellations, breath patterns, respond. That enlightenment is not an individual event; it is a cosmic or ultra-cosmic event. The coming into body of a sacred being, an enlightened being, also is not an individual event. It is not something over which only the immediate physical relatives rejoice; it is something of universal importance. It is a universal event. It is beyond the category of the birth of planets. It is said that when an enlightened being sits for his final enlightenment session all the saints, past Buddhas, and enlightened ones attend upon him. And thereafter, his rhythms are not the rhythms of an individual. Those of us who were fortunate to see the Master walking, who recall at times walking with him and feeling as though we paced together with the universal force, with some unseen, unknown magnet – those of us who experienced that phenomenon will never forget it, because it was not an individual but the condensation, the convergence of an unknown number of universal forces passing through that particular space, time, matter coordinate that we call an individual.
I’ve said, “The days become sacred.” Those of us who have been taught to be in tune, even to a minor degree, to be attuned to those rhythms, to the beat to which a master walks, find that on those sacred days, certain special waves touch us. These are not the waves of a physical energy, but rather something happens within the consciousness. We do not realize that it is all synchronized, that the events of consciousness are synchronized with the events in the universe. Or rather, to put it more correctly, the events in the universe are projections of the events in consciousness… (an excerpt)

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "Everything You Wanted To Know About Meditation (And Its Practice), But Were Afraid to Ask - Part 2" with Members of the TMC Spiritual Committee - December 2, 2021
2021-12-02 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – December 2, 2021

“Everything You Wanted To Know About Meditation (And Its Practice),
But Were Afraid to Ask” with Members of the TMC Spiritual Committee

Swami Radha Bharati, Lori Beron, Paul Emerson, Kay (Shanta) Gendron, Jim Nelson, Stephen (Stoma) Parker, and Michael Smith

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Panel Discussion by the Spiritual Committee
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Overview of Presentation

New to meditation, an old sage or somewhere in between, join a panel of senior teachers for a lively discussion and on the problems and promises of keeping a meditation practice. How does one keep meditation “fresh”? Why aren’t I “enlightened” yet? What are the tricks for keeping a regular meditation time? Am I making progress? Why don’t I see pretty lights? Or what do I do if I do see pretty lights? These and other questions brought by the gathering will be answered.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "Gratitude: A key to happiness" with Daniel Hertz - December 9, 2021
2021-12-09 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – December 9, 2021
“Gratitude: A key to happiness”
with Daniel Hertz
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.
7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Talk with Daniel Hertz
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Gratitude is a skill that can be improved with practice. A gratitude practice allows us to see the wonder in every day activities that we take for granted. In turbulent times, the practice can be especially challenging to maintain. In addition to discussing the benefits of gratitude, we will practice some simple, hands-on techniques that can be done by children or adults to cultivate gratitude. Hope to see you there. Thanks!

Bio:
Daniel Hertz (MS, E- RYT 500, BCB) is the author of Everything is A Little Bit Alright. It is a memoir about moving from grief to healing through the practice of yoga and meditation. More information on the book can be found at this Amazon link.: Everything Is a Little Bit Alright: Yoga, Meditation, and a Dog Named Roy

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom: “The Meditation Center's Holiday Program 2021" - December 16, 2021
2021-12-16 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom – December 16, 2021
“The Meditation Center’s Holiday Program 2021″
“Celebration of the Season of Silence, Light, and Hope”
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m. – Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30 p.m. – Holiday Program

To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

Annual Holiday Program Schedule

7:00 pm: “Meditation on Light” guided by Swami Radha Bharati

7:30 p.m.: “Blessing for the TMC Community”
A Message from Swami Ritavan Bharati
read by Stephen (Stoma) Parker

Holiday Song sung by Chris Young

Reading: “Silent Night” by Swami Veda Bharati,
a paraphrase of the “Rig-Veda X.127.18, Hymn to the Night”
read by Kay (Shanta) Gendron

Holiday Song sung by Chris Young

Reading: ” The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry read by Paul Emerson

Candlelight Ceremony:
The lighting of candles accompanied by Chris playing
“Silent Night,” followed by the community singing
“Silent Night” together.

If you can, please have a candle ready to be lighted during this ceremony. A flashlight will also work if you have no candle. We request that all people turn on their videos at this time so that the screen will be sparkling with the light of our individual glowing candles. When the community joins in singing “Silent Night”,
please have your microphone turned off.

8:30 pm – Silence

Everyone is welcome to join!

Let us celebrate the Season of Light together on Thursday, December 16th.

Mark your calendars.

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom Only: "Resolutions for the new year: simplifying sankalpas" with Paul Emerson Ph.D.
2021-12-30 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom Only
December 30, 2021
“Resolutions for the new year: simplifying sankalpas”
Paul Emerson Ph.D.
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
7:00 p.m.: Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Talk by Paul Emerson, Ph.D.
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

He who lightly promises is sure to keep but little faith; he who is continually thinking things easy is sure to find them difficult. Tao De Ching (63)

The times of transition have always been considered to be particularly auspicious for meditation. These include dawn, dusk and the change of seasons. The year’s end is somewhat more artificial but it has also been a traditional time for reflection. And as we reflect we also are tempted to make resolutions. In yoga resolutions (sankalpas) are often made for both worldly as well as spiritual purposes. In this satsang we’ll discuss something of the psychology of these resolutions as well as how to keep them.
