Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing: Meditation on Political Action" with Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., E-RYT 500 - February 5, 2026
2026-02-05 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang – February 5, 2026
Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC
“Meditation on Political Action.”
Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., E-RYT 500
7:00-8:30 p.m. CT
Everyone is Welcome!

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Maya Radovanlija
7:00-7:30 p.m: Guided Meditation
with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT 500
7:30-8:30 p.m. ” Meditation on Political Action”
with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., E-RYT-500
8:30 p.m.: Evening Chants

Join us on Thursday, February 5, 2026 for an inspiring talk by Stoma, “Meditation on Political Action” Can we maintain balance and equanimity through yogic principles in times of change and uncertainty?.
Stephen Parker (Stoma) 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. Stoma is a Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500-hour level of the Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500). A member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, he serves on the faculties of the Meditation Center in Minneapolis and the Sadhanamandir and Sadhaka Gram ashrams in Rishikesh, India.
He is also a senior faculty member of the Himalayan Yoga Tradition Teachers’ Training Program. He has lectured on yoga, meditation, and spiritual practice in the U.S. and Canada as well as in Caribbean countries, Holland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, 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 took 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 served 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 has taught 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,” and the “International Journal of Yoga Therapy.”

To support the work of The Meditation Center and register you can donate here or make a general donation by clicking on the “donate” button on the “Support TMC” website page..
There is parking available for TMC visitors in the St. Boniface lot across the street from the Center.

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC : “Mindfulness in Ayurveda: Mindfulness, Memory & Remembrance – Part V” with Gary Gran CYT, DAy. - February 12, 2026
2026-02-12 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC
February 12, 2026
“Mindfulness in Ayurveda:
Mindfulness, Memory & Remembrance Part V”
with Gary Gran CYT, DAy.
7:00-8:30 p.m. CT
Gary will be presenting via Zoom from his home in Arizona. The program will be streamed on the Center’s TV in the Hall of the Tradition.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: In-Person Gentle Yoga – TBD
7:00-7:30 p.m. Meditation Guided by Gary Gran CYT, DAy.
7:30-8:30 p.m. “Mindfulness in Ayurveda:
Mindfulness, Memory & Remembrance Part V”, Gary Gran CYT, DAy.
8:30 p.m.: Evening Chants
8:40 p.m. Snacks
How can mindfulness help us during troubled times? How do we heal ourselves and our wounded world? How do we care for ourselves and others when under stress? What are the important things to watch, to remember, to know? How do we protect our minds and our memory? These are important questions, and the answers don’t come easily, or all at once. Please join us for our final session on mindfulness, as we reflect together on the teachings of Ayurveda, the science of healing, remembering our connection to each other and all of life.
“May all beings be happy, may all beings be well, may all beings know peace. And may that peace come unto each of us.”
These days, the practice of mindfulness promises us everything from better health and better relationships to success in business and sports. The American Psychological Association’s website provides a list of proven benefits including less somatic distress, reduced depressive symptoms, lower anxiety, less neural reactivity and less emotional reactivity. In addition, there are positives including better working memory, better-sustained attention, better focus, more cognitive flexibility, greater relationship satisfaction, more self-insight, enhanced intuition, more equanimity, greater morality, greater empathy, and greater compassion. With a list like that, what are we waiting for?
How do we strengthen our practice of mindfulness? What’s the relationship of mindfulness to yoga? How is mindfulness connected to memory? What happens to our memory as we age? What are the important things to remember?
In this series of talks, we’ll take a deep dive into the long history of mindfulness practice. We’ll listen deeply and reflect on the rich treasure trove of mindfulness and memory practices. And we’ll share specific practices as passed down in the Himalayan Tradition.
All are welcome.
“This practice of constant mindfulness is taught universally by the yogis of the Himalayas, irrespective of their affiliations.”
– Swami Veda Bharati
Gary Gran, CYT, DAy. Gary and his wife Cynthia have been treading the Himalayan path since the late 1970s. They met at the old Glenview Center in Illinois and have served the tradition in various capacities over the years. They are both certified yoga teachers and Ayurvedic educators. They have published more than eighty articles on yoga, meditation and Ayurveda. They are currently in winter residence in Tucson, Arizona, enjoying winter gardening, cooking, and hiking.
To support the work of The Meditation Center and register you can donate here or make a general donation by clicking on the “donate” button on the “Support TMC” website page. Or donate through PayPal.
There is parking available for TMC visitors in the St. Boniface lot
across the street from the Center.

Maha Shivaratri Observance Via Zoom on Sunday : February 15, 2026 from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
2026-02-15 19:00 - 20:30
Maha Shivaratri Observance Via Zoom
“The Great Night of Shiva”
Sunday: February 15, 2026
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Shiva is the Lord of the meditator, the very identity of the meditator. The earliest iconography in human history is a meditative one as divinity sitting in the meditative posture. It is the iconography of Shiva. It is that one by whose grace we are drawn to a life of renunciation to go up the mountain, for he is the dweller of Mount Kailasha, the dweller of the highest mountain within us; the head. From his matted hair, the gushing river of inspiration , knowledge and wisdom flows. The very river descends from the highest of the heavens, comes right into our fontanel, and from there flows downward into the seven worlds (chakras), the seven continents, the seven oceans and becomes our very kundalini. That Shiva. To him I dedicate myself today and chant, “OM NAMAH SHIVAYA”
Join Emilio Bettaglio and Swami Ma Radha Bharati for a Maha Shivaratri program of inward observation and contemplation.
Maha Shivaratri Puja with Aarti: 7:00—7:45 p.m.
Guided Shivaratri Manasa Puja (Internal Sacrifice) by Swami Veda 7:45–8:30 p.m.
Read here…Swami Veda’s, “1996 Shivaratri Address”

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC : “Supporting Memory as We Age: Mindfulness, Memory & Remembrance – Part VI” with Gary Gran CYT, DAy. - February 12, 2026
2026-03-12 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC
March 12, 2026
“Supporting Memory as We Age:
Mindfulness, Memory & Remembrance Part VI”
with Gary Gran CYT, DAy.
7:00-8:30 p.m. CT
Gary will be presenting via Zoom from his home in Arizona. The program will be streamed on the Center’s TV in the Hall of the Tradition.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: In-Person Gentle Yoga – Michael Snodgrass
7:00-7:30 p.m. Meditation Guided by Gary Gran CYT, DAy.
7:30-8:30 p.m. ““Supporting Memory as We Age:
Mindfulness, Memory & Remembrance Part VI”, Gary Gran CYT, DAy.
8:30 p.m.: Evening Chants
8:40 p.m. Snacks
Our last session in this series will be very practical. We’ll detail anAyurvedic protocol for supporting memory as we age that everyone can practice. We’ll detail self-care practices, specific foods & herbs, yoga practices, and lifestyle recommendations that will help keep your mind and memory healthy and happy. Please join us for our final session on mindfulness and memory, as we reflect together on the teachings of Ayurveda and yoga, remembering our connection to each other and all of life.
“Mindfulness that the universe is flowing through us all is called love.”
~Swami Veda Bharati~
These days, the practice of mindfulness promises us everything from better health and better relationships to success in business and sports. The American Psychological Association’s website provides a list of proven benefits including less somatic distress, reduced depressive symptoms, lower anxiety, less neural reactivity and less emotional reactivity. In addition, there are positives including better working memory, better-sustained attention, better focus, more cognitive flexibility, greater relationship satisfaction, more self-insight, enhanced intuition, more equanimity, greater morality, greater empathy, and greater compassion. With a list like that, what are we waiting for?
How do we strengthen our practice of mindfulness? What’s the relationship of mindfulness to yoga? How is mindfulness connected to memory? What happens to our memory as we age? What are the important things to remember?
In this series of talks, we’ll take a deep dive into the long history of mindfulness practice. We’ll listen deeply and reflect on the rich treasure trove of mindfulness and memory practices. And we’ll share specific practices as passed down in the Himalayan Tradition.
All are welcome.
“This practice of constant mindfulness is taught universally by the yogis of the Himalayas, irrespective of their affiliations.”
~Swami Veda Bharati~
Gary Gran, CYT, DAy. Gary and his wife Cynthia have been treading the Himalayan path since the late 1970s. They met at the old Glenview Center in Illinois and have served the tradition in various capacities over the years. They are both certified yoga teachers and Ayurvedic educators. They have published more than eighty articles on yoga, meditation and Ayurveda. They are currently in winter residence in Tucson, Arizona, enjoying winter gardening, cooking, and hiking.
To support the work of The Meditation Center and register you can donate here or make a general donation by clicking on the “donate” button on the “Support TMC” website page. Or donate through PayPal.
There is parking available for TMC visitors in the St. Boniface lot
across the street from the Center.

Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom : The Divine Mother and First Day of Navaratri" with Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., E-RYT 500 - March 19, 2026
2026-03-19 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang – March 19, 2026
In Person and Via Zoom
“The First Evening of Navaratri and the Divine Mother.”
Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., E-RYT 500
7:00-8:30 p.m. CT
Everyone is Welcome!

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga Cancelled for the 19th
due to renovation of the 2nd floor bathrooms
7:00-7:30 p.m: Guided Meditation
with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT 500
7:30-8:30 p.m.: “The First Evening of Navaratri and the Divine Mother”
with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., E-RYT-500
8:30 p.m.: Evening Chants
8:40 p.m. Recording of the “1,000 Names of the Divine Mother”

Join us on Thursday, March 19, 2026 for an inspiring talk by Stoma, “The First Evening of Navaratri and the Divine Mother”
Stephen Parker (Stoma) 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. Stoma is a Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500-hour level of the Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500). A member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, he serves on the faculties of the Meditation Center in Minneapolis and the Sadhanamandir and Sadhaka Gram ashrams in Rishikesh, India.
He is also a senior faculty member of the Himalayan Yoga Tradition Teachers’ Training Program. He has lectured on yoga, meditation, and spiritual practice in the U.S. and Canada as well as in Caribbean countries, Holland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, 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 took 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 served 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 has taught 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,” and the “International Journal of Yoga Therapy.”

To support the work of The Meditation Center and register you can donate here or make a general donation by clicking on the “donate” button on the “Support TMC” website page..
There is parking available for TMC visitors in the St. Boniface lot across the street from the Center.

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Zoom Viewing at TMC: "Readings for the Season of Lent" with Cynthia Gran - March 26, 2026
2026-03-26 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Zoom Viewing at TMC – March 26, 2026
“Readings for the Season of Lent”
with Cynthia Gran DAy, E-RYT 500, YACEP
7:00-8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga
7:00-7:30 p.m. Guided Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m. “Readings for the Season of Lent” with Cynthia Gran
8:30 p.m.: Evening Chants
Details to come.
Cynthia Gran, DAy, E-RYT 500, YACEP, has been treading the Himalayan path since the late 1970s. Cynthia and her husband, Gary, DAy. CYT, first attended the old Glenview Center in Illinois where they met and have served the tradition in various capacities over the years. They are both certified yoga teachers and Ayurvedic educators. They have published more than eighty articles on yoga, meditation and Ayurveda. They are currently in Minnesota for the summer teaching at The Meditation Center. They enjoy desert gardening, cooking and hiking at their home in Tucson, Arizona.
