The Meditation Center

Thursday Satsang In Person at TMC and via Zoom: Unity, a Forest of Old Growth Trees" Atma-Tattva-Avalokanam with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT 500 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. CDT
2024-08-08 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang In Person at TMC and via Zoom – August 8, 2024
“Unity, a Forest of Old Growth Trees” Atma-Tattva-Avalokanam
with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT 500
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. CDT

5:30-6:45 p.m.: In-Person Gentle Hatha Yoga with Chu Chen
6:15-7:00 p.m. – Vegan Soup
7:00-8:00 p.m.: “Unity, a Forest of Old Growth Trees”
Atma-Tattva-Avalokanam with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma)
8:00-8:30 p.m.: Meditation Guided by Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma)
Join Stoma in a discussion of “Unity” an old growth forest with a complicated network of communication among individual trees… Atma-Tattva-Avalokanam or “watching for the essence of atman everywhere around you”, awareness of Atman the Self.
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 (suggested donation $15.00) for Thursday Satsang or make a general donation by clicking on the “donate” button on the “Support TMC” website page.
Or donate through PayPal.
Note: 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: "At Home, Inside and Out, Feng Shui for Heart and Space" with Michelle Skally Doilney - August 29, 2024
2024-08-29 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom – August 29, 2024
“At Home, Inside and Out Feng Shui for Heart and Space”
with Michelle Skally Doilney

5:30-6:45 p.m.: In-Person Gentle Hatha Yoga
7:00-8:00 p.m.: “”At Home, Inside and Out, Feng Shui for Heart and Space” with Michelle Skally Doilney
8:00-8:30 p.m.: Meditation Guided by Swami Radha Bharati
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

How do we see ourselves reflected in our living and working spaces? How do our conscious and unconscious thoughts affect our physical spaces? What do we love about where we live, and what are the challenges? Everything is energy – the stories and emotions behind our objects, spaces, selves and our actual objects, spaces, selves.
Join Michelle to explore the connection between space and self. Interactive time to learn about your own space and what you can do to make it more comfortable and useable for you, in practical, everyday use and also to further your deeper work.
Bio:
Michelle Skally Doilney is a student and initiate in the Himalayan Tradition since 1997. She is a Certified Feng Shui Consultant, working with private and corporate clients, and teaching practical do-it-on-your-own Feng Shui since 2003. Michelle is currently consulting and teaching using feng shui and writing practice and is working on several writing projects drawing from her love of travel and photography, and from her yoga and Feng Shui experiences.
www.practicalenvironments.com
To support the work of The Meditation Center and register you can donate here (suggested donation $15.00) for Thursday Satsang or make a general donation by clicking on the “donate” button on the “Support TMC” website page.
Or donate through PayPal.
Note: There is parking available for TMC visitors min the St. Boniface lot across the street from the Center.

Thursday Satsang In Person at TMC and via Zoom: Presentation of a Recorded Audio Talk by Dr. David Frawley at SRSG: "Ritual, Sacred Space, and Sacred Time" (the Timeless Presence) Introduction by Emilio Bettaglio and Michael Smith - September 5, 2024
2024-09-05 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In Person at TMC and via Zoom – September 5, 2025
Presentation of a Recorded Audio Talk by Dr. David Frawley at SRSG:
“Ritual, Sacred Space, and Sacred Time”
(the Timeless Presence)
Introduction by Emilio Bettaglio and Michael Smith
7:00-8:30 p.m. CDT

5:30-6:45 p.m.: In-Person Gentle Hatha Yoga
7:00-8:00 p.m.: Presentation of a Recorded Talk by Dr. David Frawley at SRSG:
“Ritual, Sacred Space, and Sacred Time”
(the Timeless Presence)
Introduction by Emilio Bettaglio and Michael Smith
8:00-8:30 p.m.: Meditation Guided by Swami Radha Bharati
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Join us on Thursday, September 5, 2024 to hear Dr. David Frawley’s profound recorded talk. There will be time for discussion, comments, and questions.
From Dr. Frawley’s 2013 talk
“…as Swami Veda says, the chitta-prasādana. And here “ritual” also means “right action,” because action done with awareness becomes a ritual. And in this regard, everything in the universe follows a certain organic rhythm or order, which is a ritual, and which also is a yajna(sacrifice) – or we can say, creating the right lifestyle, routine or rhythm to our lives. We have biological rituals, like eating, breathing and sleeping. Everything we do has some sort of ritual connection.

And our yoga sādhana should also have its own ritual order. And ritual is also the foundation of the bhakti-yoga, or the devotion. These actions done in worship of the deities become a ritual: mudrā (sacred gesture), pūjā, yajna, mantra, the recitation the divine names. It has that ritualistic component where your action follows a certain structure designed to have a certain beauty…”
…So it’s very important that we have that sacred dimension to what we do. And then here also [it is important to understand that] yoga only works in sacred space and sacred time. It does not work in chronological time, and it doesn’t work in property, you know, space that is owned by somebody. So we need to create our own sacred space and our own sacred time in order to do the practice. And ritual is a way of creating sacred space and sacred time…

To support the work of The Meditation Center and register you can donate here (suggested donation $15.00) for Thursday Satsang or make a general donation by clicking on the “donate” button on the “Support TMC” website page.
Or donate through PayPal.
Note: 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: Ayurvedic Study Group: "The Preservation of Health - Working with our Biological & Psychological Urges" with Gary Gran DAy. CYT and Cynthia Gran DAy. E-RYT 500, YACEP on September 19, 2024 at 7:00-8:30 p.m. CDT
2024-09-19 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In Person at TMC and Via Zoom – September 19, 2024
with Gary Gran DAy. CYT and Cynthia Gran DAy. E-RYT 500, YACEP
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CDT

5:30-6:45 p.m.: In-Person Gentle Hatha Yoga
7:00-8:00 p.m.: Ayurvedic Study Group:
Ayurvedic Study Group: The Preservation of Health:
Working with our Biological & Psychological Urges
with Gary Gran, DAy. CYT and Cynthia Gran, DAy. E-RYT 500, YACEP
8:00-8:30 p.m.: Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
8:40 p.m. Clean-Up and Departure after Prayers

Once again, we’ll use the “Charaka Samhita” to guide us in our discussion of Ayurvedic principles and practices for the preservation of health. In this session, we’ll first consider some timely health tips and yoga practices for entering the fall season.
The autumnal equinox is considered to be the sunset of the year,
when day and night are in equal balance.
Then we’ll begin chapter seven on how to work with our biological urges and our psychological urges. We’ll be encouraged to restrain certain urges and to express others.
“Give way to your natural human urges—the urge to give, the urge to share, the urge to make sacrifice for others, the urge to knowledge, the natural urge to peace.” – Swami Veda Bharati

Please bring your ‘beginner’s mind’ and join us as we listen deeply to the words of the sages and share our reflections. Participation is invited! Attendance at prior meetings is not required. All are welcome.

Gary & Cynthia Gran 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 enjoy desert gardening, cooking and hiking at their home in Tucson, Arizona, and are currently in summer residence in Minneapolis.
Gary Gran, DAy. CYT
Cynthia Gran, DAy. E-RYT 500, YACEP

Gary’s blog is ayurvedalessons.com.

Thursday Satsang via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC: "Devotion to the Divine Mother as Exemplified in the Lives and Teachings of H.H. Sri Swami Rama and Swami Veda Bharati " with Stephen Parker (Stoma), PsyD, 500 E-RYT - October 10, 2024
2024-10-10 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC
October 10, 2024
“Devotion to the Divine Mother as Exemplified in the Lives and Teachings
of H.H. Sri Swami Rama and Swami Veda Bharati “
with Stephen Parker (Stoma), PsyD, 500 E-RYT
7:00-8:30 p.m. CDT

5:30-6:45 p.m.: In-Person Gentle Hatha Yoga with Maja Radovanlija
6:15-7:00 p.m. – Vegan Soup
7:00-8:00 p.m.: “Devotion to the Divine Mother as Exemplified in the Lives and Teachings of
H.H. Sri Swami Rama and Swami Veda Bharati ” with Stephen Parker (Stoma), PsyD, 500 E-RYT
8:00-8:30 p.m.: Meditation Guided by Stephen Parker (Stoma)
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
8:45 p.m.: Listen to Swami Veda’s recorded recitation of “1,000 names of Lalita, Sri Lalita Sahasranama.”The 8th night of Navaratri

During this time of Navaratri, join Stoma for a compelling discussion regarding the devotion of Swami Rama and Swami Veda to the Divine Mother. Come with your questions and stories of your experiences.

“Love Whispers”
by H.H. Sri Swami Rama
It whispers from the heights,
It whispers from the depths,
It whispers from the mountains and the streams.
It whispers from above and below,
From the petals of flowers,
From my little brooklet’s flow.
It whispers from there and everywhere.
Love is a whisper divine.
But among all the whispers I have ever heard,
Her whisper is supreme,
Fulfilling all my wishes
And life’s greatest dream.
( Love Whispers, page 1)

To support the work of The Meditation Center and register you can donate here (suggested donation $15.00) for Thursday Satsang or make a general donation by clicking on the “donate” button on the “Support TMC” website page.
Or donate through PayPal.
Note: There is parking available for TMC visitors in the St. Boniface lot across the street from the Center.

Thursday Satsang In Person and Livestream via Zoom : Wudang Mountain Taiji and Meditation" with 14th generation Wudang San Feng Master Zhong Xuecao (Master Bing) - October 24, 2024 - Note Schedule Change
2024-10-24 19:00 - 20:30
Special Thursday Night Satsang – October 24, 2024
Schedule has been modified from the regular schedule…begin time is at 6:00 p.m.
In Person and Livestream via Zoom
“Wudang Mountain Meditation”
with 14th generation Wudang San Feng Master Zhong Xuecao (Master Bing)
Donation $25.00 for the entire evening.
A Zoom link to you after you register.
Register here

6:00-7:15 p.m.: Wudang Taiji with Xuecao Zhong (Master Bing)
7:15-8:15p.m.: “Wudang Mountain Meditation Presentation”
with 14th generation Wudang San Feng Master Zhong Xuecao (Master Bing)
8:15-8:30 p.m.: Meditation with Master Bing
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Beginning at 6:00 p.m.(subject to change) join us for an Introduction to Wudang Taiji with Xuecao Zhong (Master Bing) Learn from a true master from the mountain… fundamental movements and principles of the beautiful and healing practice of Wudang San Feng Tai Chi. Accessible to all appropriate for all levels of experience.
Following the Taji class, Master Bing will speak on the topic of Wudang Mountain Meditation.
Master Bing, head instructor at the Wudang Dao Cultural Institute in the Wudang Mountains, will discuss and demonstrate various meditation styles (including sitting, standing and reclining) and techniques as they are practiced today and have been for hundreds and some, thousands of years in mountain temples and the remote mountain hermitages of Wudang.
Please join us for this fascinating glimpse into Wudang Mt. culture and internal cultivation.
For more information about Master Bing please visit wudangdao.com

Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom: "Tales from the dark side: Asuras east and west" with Paul Emerson PhD - October 31, 2024
2024-10-31 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In Person at TMC and via Zoom
October 31, 2024
“Tales from the dark side: Asuras east and west” with Paul Emerson, PhD
7:00-8:30 p.m. CDT

5:30-6:45 p.m. – Gentle Hatha Yoga – TBD
6:15-6:40 p.m. – Vegan Soup
6:40-7:00 p.m. – Diwali Puja with Emilio Bettaglio
7:00-7:30 p.m. – Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
7:30 -8:30 p.m. – “Tales from the Dark Side: Asuras East and West” presented by Paul Emerson Ph.D.
8:30 p.m. Evening Prayers
8:40 p.m. Join Us for Birthday Cake in Honor of Paul Emerson

When the seasons change and light becomes less, imagination stirs. We remember departed souls, tell stories of ghosts and think about other creatures that go “bump” in the night. The beings of light are temporarily forgotten and replaced and replaced by shadows. But of course the shadows also point us back to the light. Both eastern and western spiritual traditions have these stories of dark beings and their Ravanas (villain of the Ramayana) are Legion. Today being Halloween I thought would be a good time to tell some of these stories and remind ourselves of the light behind them.
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.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! No Thursday Satsang Tonight - November 28, 2024
2024-11-28 19:00 - 20:30
No Thursday Satsang Tonight – “Have a Happy Thanksgiving”
November 28, 2024

Thursday Satsang will resume on December 5, 2024

Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom: "The "Divine Mother and Mother Mary - Her Symbolism" with Michael Smith, Emilio Bettaglio, and Michael Showalter - December 5, 2024
2024-12-05 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing – December 5, 2024
“The Divine Mother and Mother Mary – Her Symbolism”
with Michael Smith, Emilio Bettaglio, and Michael Showalter
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga
7:00-7:30 p.m. – Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m. – “The Divine Mother and Mother – Her Symbolism”
with Michael Smith, Emilio Bettaglio, and Michael Showalter
8:30 p.m.: Prayers
Everyone is welcome!!!
Join us for a talk with Michael Smith as he explains the history of the image of Mother Mary that was in The Center when the building was a convent for St. Boniface Church, across the street. A slide show of many famous paintings of Mother Mary will be shown with explanations of some of the images. Michael will show a picture book of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Emilio Bettaglio will the share with us his own experiences regarding Our Lady. Michael Showalter will talk about his pilgrimage in Spain.
To support the work of The Meditation Center 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 Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing: "Yoga, Christianity, and Light " with Gary Gran - December 12, 2024
2024-12-12 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing – December 12, 2024
“Yoga, Christianity, and Light ” with Gary Gran

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga
7:00-7:30 p.m. – Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m. – “Yoga, Christianity, and Light ” with Gary Gran
8:30 p.m.: Prayers

Everyone is welcome!!!
Please join us as we reflect on the teachings of Christianity through the lens of yoga. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year in Christianity leading up to the birth of Christ at Christmas. This four-week period also marks the beginning of a new astronomical year as the sun reaches its solstice on December 21st. Many global traditions honor this turning of the year with the lighting of candles.

· What is behind the correlation of light with the Christmas season?
· What does yoga have to say about the winter solstice?
· Can yoga be practiced in the context of religion? Do they conflict?
· Is meditation taught in the Bible?
· How are we to interpret some of the sayings of Jesus?

“I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” – John 8:12 KJV

Jesus is well-known for teaching with parables. As a wisdom teacher, he tells us: “He that has ears to hear, let him hear.” – Matthew 11:15 KJV

In this evening’s contemplation, we’ll listen deeply to the teachings of the sages as reflected in art, in nature, in religious culture, and in language (including Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke). Our goal will be to enter and rest in the heart’s core. May we experience together the wisdom, the love, and the light of the wisdom teachings.

“Blessed is anyone who meditates on Wisdom and studies Her ways in their heart and ponders Her secrets.” – Ecclesiasticus 14:20

Gary Gran, CYT, DAy.
Gary first began to appreciate the depth of the Christian tradition when listening to Swami Rama, Swami Veda, and Swami Jaidev talk on the yogic interpretation of the Christian scriptures at the old Glenview center.
Gary and his wife Cynthia have been treading the Himalayan path since the 1970s. They met at the 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
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: "Musika Medica" with Maja Radovanlija and Molly Sturges - January 2, 2025
2025-01-02 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In-Person and Via Zoom – January 2, 2025
“Musika Medica” with with Maja Radovanlija and Molly Sturges
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga – TBD
7:00-7:30 p.m.: Meditation guided by Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.:“Musika Medica” with with Maja Radovanlija and Molly Sturges
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
Everyone is welcome!!!

About Musika Medica
Musika Medica is a women-led improvisational music, collective healing and meditation project that weaves together deep listening, musical exploration, and embodied inquiry. Rooted in the practice of attunement, the project responds organically to each unique context, creating experiences that transcend traditional performance boundaries. By collaborating with guest musicians, storytellers, and diverse community voices, Musika Medica crafts immersive concerts, workshops, and restorative performances that invite rest, reflection, and creative wondering.
Founders
Maja Radovanlija is a versatile guitarist and musical explorer whose artistic journey spans continents and musical traditions. Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) in 1975, she brings nearly two decades of classical guitar training from Eastern Europe, and Indiana University, Bloomington. Her musical path has been defined by a rich tapestry of collaborations that traverse diverse genres, from Balkan traditional music to jazz, intuitive free improvisation, and experimental soundscapes. Radovanlija is an active member of multiple distinguished ensembles, including the Szilard Mezéi ensemble, Minneapolis Guitar Quartet, Ensemble Studio6, MM Guitar duo, the Linda Chatterton-Radovanlija guitar/flute duo, and the Satu Jiwa improvised music collective. Her innovative approach to music-making reflects a deep commitment to cross-cultural musical dialogue and creative expression.
Molly Sturges is a healing-centered composer, soundrest artist, musical improviser, meditation teacher, and community healing facilitator, with over three decades working at the intersection of music, ceremony infused improvisation, collective healing, contemplative practice, and social justice. A United States Artist Fellow in Music, Molly brings depth and innovation to her research and creative endeavors. She has led and participated in a wide range projects including community sourced arts activations, creating and performing music for circus, sound installation creation, directing creative music ensembles and creating-directing Lifesongs, an intergenerationald music and end of life project for over twelve years. Currently Molly serves as a senior researcher in music and health and as founder/director of Waking The Oracle, an arts, earth kinship, and wellbeing project at University of Minnesota’s Medical School and Center for Spirituality & Healing. www.mollysturges.com
CONTACT
Maja Radovanlija, mradovan@umn.edu , 763-300-9795
Molly Sturges, mollysturges@gmail.com , 505-660-9473

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC: “Meditations from the Tantras” with Gary Gran CYT, DAy - January 9, 2025
2025-01-09 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC – January 9, 2025
“Meditations from the Tantras” with Gary Gran CYT, DAy
7:00-8:30 p.m. CST
Everyone is Welcome!

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Sig Martell
6:15-7:00 p.m. Vegan Soup
7:00-8:00 p.m.: “Meditations from the Tantras” with Gary Gran
8:00-8:30 p.m. Guided Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

In 1984, Swami Veda, then known as Dr. Usharbudh Arya, presented a series of workshops and lectures on ‘Meditations from the Tantras’ in Minnesota. On June 11, 1985, he presented a summary version of these talks at the Himalayan Institute of Glenview in Glenview, Illinois. The room was packed.
In this workshop, Swami Veda detailed a particular sequence of meditations from the tantric tradition. He explained that they weren’t intended for our daily practice, but that they were meant to educate us, and demonstrate the practices as given within the tradition.
So why are these teachings relevant to us today? They are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago and 1,000 years ago, because they hold the key to our healing, the healing of our relationships, and the healing of our earth.
During tonight’s satsang, we will share these universal teachings from personal notes taken during the workshop. Please join us as we ponder the healing message of the tantric tradition. All are welcome.
“Tantras are an extremely ancient body of texts. Tantra, like mantra, like yantra – they cover practically everything there is in the universe, but by way of a method as well as philosophy of personal experience.”
~ Swami Veda Bharati~
Gary Gran, CYT, DAy. was in attendance at the 1985 workshop and will be sharing theteachings from his personal notes. He 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 wintering in Tucson, Arizona where they enjoy desert 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 Via Zoom and Viewing at TMC Via Zoom: "A Year of Self-Study at SRSG and Other Sacred Places" with Susana Matos Allongo - January 16, 2025
2025-01-16 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and Viewing at TMC Via Zoom – January 15, 2025
“A Year of Self-Study at SRSG and Other Sacred Places”
with Susana Matos Allongo
7:00-8:30 p.m.
Everyone is welcome!

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga – TBD
7:00-8:00 p.m.: “A Year of Self-Study at SRSG and Other Sacred Places” with Susana Matos Allongo
8:00-8:30 p.m. Guided Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

In spring of 2023, Susana was at SRSG when applications for the Gurukulam program opened up. She applied and hoped to spend her year in Rishikesh but the Guru had other plans. She was not accepted, so she asked for guidance from above on how to spend a year in places where she could deepen her practices and work on her mind and emotions.
This will be an audio and visual presentation on her travels and spiritual purification experiences that include silence, meditation, surrender, etc. at various sacred sites.
Susana Matos Allongo lives and works in Puerto Rico and LA as a film and television assistant director, writer and director. She was initiated into the Himalayan Tradition in 2023 at SRSG and has spent time at the ashram and has traveled to other places in pursuit of spiritual purification.

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC: Viewing of the Film " Maha Kumbha Mela 2001 Diving Into Immortality, A Spiritual Journey with Swami Veda Bharati" - January 23, 2025
2025-01-23 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC – January 23, 2025
Thursday Satsang Viewing at TMC and via Zoom
January 23, 2025
Viewing of the Film ” Maha Kumbha Mela 2001 Diving Into Immortality,
A Spiritual Journey with Swami Veda Bharati”
Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) will be hosting tonight’s satsang.
7:00-8:30 p.m.
Everyone is welcome!

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Sig Martell
:00-7:30 p.m: Guided Meditation with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma)
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Viewing of the film
” Maha Kumbha Mela 2001 Diving Into Immortality,
A Spiritual Journey with Swami Veda Bharati”
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

The Maha Kumbha Mela 2001, held once in 144 years – the Festival of the ‘nectar of immortality’ – bring together of 70 million people in one month, has been documented in this IN-SIDE story. Many of us have returned from the ‘Kumbha Nagar’, formed alone the sandy floodplains of the river Ganges and the Jamuna. Many of us have gone through an experience as a ‘pilgrim’ that will have an impact on us; it will transform us in someway or another…the great saints and monks said so.
Being together with millions of pilgrims from all over India and all over the world has created an awareness within us of. togetherness, solidarity, collectivism, and the common spiritual grounds.
Once there in Kumbha Nagar, and with each other, one does not focus on minor physical insufficiencies or short comings, bit on the sense of being ONE. Whether Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Christian, or Muslim. All realize the we desire to merge into ONE.
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 Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC: “Tantraloka – Time & the Breath” with Gary Gran CYT, DAy - January 30, 2025
2025-01-30 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC – January 30, 2025
““Tantraloka – Time & the Breath” ” with Gary Gran CYT, DAy
7:00-8:30 p.m. CST
Everyone is Welcome!

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga
7:00-8:00 p.m.: “Tantraloka – Time & the Breath” with Gary Gran
8:00-8:30 p.m. Guided Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

In one of Swami Veda’s last public teachings before entering silence in 2010, he introduced us to the “Siva Sutras”, a primary text in Kashmir Shaivism. During those talks, he recommended that we continue our study of Kashmir Shaivism, and pointed us to the famous “Tantraloka” of Abhinavagupta. In particular, he felt it was important for us to understand the correlation of time and the breath as taught in Chapter 6 of the “Tantraloka.”
Why is this teaching important for us to understand today? Through this teaching, perhaps we can begin to understand our true relationship with time, life on earth, the universe, and the very life force that sustains us all.
The “Tantraloka” (Light of the Tantras) is considered to be the magnum opus of Abhinavagupta, the 10th-11thcentury polymath of Kashmir. In 37 chapters, he synthesized the various schools of tantra into a unified whole.
Please join us as we contemplate our place in the universe together. All are welcome.
“The tantras speak of a weave, a warp and a woof of the universe… The entire universe is a grid of single energy, in which grid I too have a little place, a little corner. I am connected to the grid and cannot be separate from the grid… Experiencing it is the work of the Tantra.” – Swami Veda
Gary Gran, CYT, DAy. was in attendance at the 1985 workshop and will be sharing theteachings from his personal notes. He 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 wintering in Tucson, Arizona where they enjoy desert 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 Via Zoom and In-Person Zoom Viewing at TMC: "Writing and Reading as Personal Practice" with Michelle Skally Doilney - February 4, 2025
2025-02-06 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday Satsang via Zoom and In-Person Zoom Viewing at TMC – February 6, 2025
“Writing and Reading as Personal Practice” with Michelle Skally Doilney
7:00-8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga – TBD
7:00-8:00 p.m.: “Writing and Reading as Personal Practice” with Michelle Skally Doilney
8:00-8:30 p.m. Guided Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Join us for a talk with Michelle Skally Doilney as she speaks about the benefits and the hows of using reading and writing as a personal practice. She will read examples from her own unedited notebooks and travel journals, as well as from Living with a Himalayan Master. Michelle will share benefits and how-tos of writing practice as another way to witness mind, to experience non-judgement and non-attachment. Bring your pen and paper for a short experience.
If you have further interest, Michelle will also be teaching an extended workshop on writing practice on February 15, 2025. 10:00-11:30 a.m., “Writing is for Everybody.”
Michelle Skally Doilney is a student and initiate in the Himalayan Tradition since 1997. She is a lifelong writer and a longtime student studying in-person with Natalie Goldberg, writing teacher and author of Writing Down the Bones and her latest, Writing on Empty: A Guide to Finding Your Inner Voice. Michelle is currently consulting and teaching feng shui, yoga, and writing practice. She is working on several writing and art projects drawing from her love of travel and photography.
www.practicalenvironments.com

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Zoom Viewing at TMC: "Contemplations of the Heart" with Cynthia Gran - February 13, 2025
2025-02-13 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Zoom Viewing at TMC – February 13, 2025
“Contemplations of the Heart” with Cynthia Gran DAy, E-RYT 500, YACEP
7:00-8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Michael Snodgrass
7:00-7:30 p.m. Guided Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m. “Comtemplations of the Heart” with Cynthia Gran
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
Much has been said and written about love. Swami Rama said, “Love is the most ancient traveler.” He also said, “I involve myself in endless deception if I try to name love…I have come to the conclusion that one should simply cherish that love is the voice from the unknown to the known and then to the unknown again.”
Let us cherish some inspirational voices. Join us for an evening of spiritually uplifting poetry, prayers and heartfelt readings.
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.

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC: Kirtan with "Shakti and Bhakti" led by Riley Slate and Ranjani Powers - February 20, 2025
2025-02-20 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing of Zoom at TMC
Kirtan with “Shakti and Bhakti” led by Riley Slate and Ranjani Powers
February 20, 2025
7:00-8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga
7:00-7:30 p.m: Guided Meditation
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Kirtan with “Shakti and Bhakti” led by Riley Slate and Ranjani Powers
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Join “Shakti and Bhakt”i with Ranjani and Riley for an evening of devotional singing and chanting.
Shakti & Bhakti is an Ohio-based kirtan group that leads gatherings in Dayton and surrounding areas. Comprised of passionate yoga practitioners, the band seeks to share their deep love for chant with fellow kirtan enthusiasts, spiritual seekers, and music lovers. Kirtans are more than just call-and-response chanting from India; they embody the essence of satsang, the company of truth. Together, we sing the name of God with love and devotion. We aim to have our kirtans serve as gatherings that nourish the mind and lift the spirit, fostering unity through sound and bhakti (love & devotion). The name “Shakti & Bhakti” captures our mission: Shakti symbolizes the power to be and become, while Bhakti signifies the path of intense love and devotion. Through this journey, we cultivate a profound love for God (our Inner Dweller and the Inner Dweller of all), leading to a beautiful unity that transcends diversity. Our music beautifully blends traditional bhajans, call-and-response chants, and original compositions, weaving Sanskrit mantras into meditative soundscapes. Each kirtan begins with a moment of silence, inviting us to unite as one voice in harmony and devotion.
Riley Slate was born in Cleveland, Ohio, but moved to Dayton at a young age. He was introduced to music by his grandfather and father, which inspired him to play the guitar, bass, and piano. At 16, he began his first paying gig as a musician, passionately pursuing this path, although he did have a brief four-hour stint in construction. Riley holds a performance degree from Wright State University and a jazz performance degree from the University of North Texas. Seven years ago, he faced uncertainty and dissatisfaction in his life until he reconnected with his childhood friend, Ranjani. This reconnection sparked positive changes in his life and eventually led him back to yoga, initiating his journey toward self-love and compassion for others. He reflects, “When I finally let go of all I was holding on to, everything began to fall into place.” Although Riley only learned the term “kirtan” five years ago, he has embraced it wholeheartedly. He loves knowing that this music has the potential to create a space for healing for himself and others.
Ranjani Powers has dedicated her life to yoga but never anticipated incorporating kirtan into her journey. Although she has always enjoyed singing—mainly at home and occasionally while gardening—joining a “kirtan band” was not part of her plans. Over the past three years, the Universe has presented her with life-changing decisions, and despite the challenges, she has embraced them. This shift has transformed her understanding of how she serves the tradition, leading to personal growth she never imagined. Throughout difficult times, Ranjani has always felt guided and protected. Rejecting this new phase would feel like dismissing a precious gift and an opportunity to serve in a way she never envisioned. Integrating kirtan into her yoga practice has become a highlight, and she loves collaborating with Riley on new chants. While this journey was unexpected, she fully embraces it and is committed to giving her best.

Maha Shivaratri Observance Via Zoom on Wednesday: February 26, 2025 from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
2025-02-26 19:00 - 21:00
Maha Shivaratri Observance Via Zoom
“The Great Night of Shiva”
Wednesday: February 26, 2025
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 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 Swami Ma Radha Bharati for a Maha Shivaratri program of inward observation and contemplation.
7:00 p.m: Introduction by Swami Ma Radha Bharati
7:15 p.m.: Swami Veda’s recording of Manas Puja (Internal Sacrifice)
8:00 PM: Swami Veda’s recording of 1,000 names of Shiva
Read here…Swami Veda’s, “1996 Shivaratri Address”

Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom: "A Trip to Greece" with Joann Huff - February 27, 2025
2025-02-27 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom – February 27, 2025
“A Trip to Greece”
with Joann Huff
7:00-8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Michael Snodgrass
7:00-7:30 p.m: Guided Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: “A Trip to Greece” with Joann Huff
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Traveling is such an adventure. Going to this historical beautiful country was wonderful and at times challenging. Let’s gather together and discuss our adventures to Greece.

One of Joann Huff’s favorite memories is meditating with a group from the Meditation Center. It was around 2003 at a teacher training event. Joann absolutely fell in love with the tools and the people. Before that day she had no idea all of this existed. This tradition has been a part of her life since that time. During Joann’s every day life she works as a nurse.

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 Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC: “Tantraloka – Time & the Breath”, Part II with Gary Gran CYT, DAy - March 6, 2025
2025-03-06 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC – March 6, 2025
“Tantraloka – Time & the Breath – Part II with Gary Gran CYT, DAy
7:00-8:30 p.m. CST
Everyone is Welcome!

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga
7:00-7:30 p.m. Guided Meditation
7:30-8:30 p.m.: “Tantraloka – Time & the Breath – Part II” with Gary Gran
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Please join us as we continue our study of Chapter 6 of the highly regarded Tantraloka of Abhinavagupta on the correlation of time and the breath. Attendance at the first talk is not required. All are welcome!
We will be honoring the translator of our text, Mark Dyczkowski, who recently made his transition. Om Shivo Ham.
We’ll continue studying the central breath practice as presented in the text, and see how it is related to the Kalachakra, or Wheel of Time. The Kalachakra is a fascinating weave that includes elements of pranayama, meditation, astrology, vastu shastra, and cosmology. We’ll also take a look at some cross-cultural comparisons, and attempt to reveal some of the universal elements of our shared experience of life on Earth.
Why is this teaching important for us to understand today?
Through this teaching, perhaps we can begin to understand our true relationship with time, life on earth, the universe, and the very life force that sustains us all. There will be plenty of tips on how to enhance our meditation practice. Please join us as we contemplate our place in the universe together. All are welcome.
“The tantras speak of a weave, a warp and a woof of the universe… The entire universe is a grid of single energy, in which grid I too have a little place, a little corner. I am connected to the grid and cannot be separate from the grid…Experiencing it is the work of the Tantra.” – Swami Veda

The “Tantraloka” (Light of the Tantras) is considered to be the magnum opus of Abhinavagupta, the 10 th -11 th century polymath of Kashmir. In 37 chapters, hemsynthesized the various schools of tantra into a unified whole.
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 wintering in Tucson, Arizona where they enjoy desert 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 Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC: “Tantraloka – Time & the Breath - Part III" with Gary Gran CYT, DAy - March 13, 2025
2025-03-13 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC – March 6, 2025
“Tantraloka – Time & the Breath – Part III” with Gary Gran CYT, DAy
7:00-8:30 p.m. CST
Everyone is Welcome!

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga
7:00-7:30 p.m. Guided Meditation
7:30-8:30 p.m.: “Tantraloka – Time & the Breath – Part II” with Gary Gran
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

In one of Swami Veda’s last public teachings before entering silence in 2010, he introduced us to the “Siva Sutras”, a primary text in Kashmir Shaivism. During those talks, he recommended that we continue our study of Kashmir Shaivism, and pointed us to the famous “Tantraloka” of Abhinavagupta. In particular, he felt it was important for us to understand the correlation of time and the breath as taught in Chapter 6 of the “Tantraloka.”
Why is this teaching important for us to understand today? Through this teaching, perhaps we can begin to understand our true relationship with time, life on earth, the universe, and the very life force that sustains us all.
The “Tantraloka” (Light of the Tantras) is considered to be the magnum opus of Abhinavagupta, the 10th-11thcentury polymath of Kashmir. In 37 chapters, he synthesized the various schools of tantra into a unified whole.
Please join us as we contemplate our place in the universe together. All are welcome.
“The tantras speak of a weave, a warp and a woof of the universe… The entire universe is a grid of single energy, in which grid I too have a little place, a little corner. I am connected to the grid and cannot be separate from the grid… Experiencing it is the work of the Tantra.” – Swami Veda
Gary Gran, CYT, DAy. was in attendance at the 1985 workshop and will be sharing theteachings from his personal notes. He 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 wintering in Tucson, Arizona where they enjoy desert 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 via Zoom and In-Person Zoom Viewing at TMC: "The Yamas and the Niyamas" with Pandit Tejomaya - March 20, 2025
2025-03-20 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang via Zoom and In-Person Zoom Viewing at TMC
“The Yamas and the Niyamas” with Pandit Tejomaya
March 20, 2025
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 Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: “The Yamas and the Niyamas” with Pandit Tejomaya
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
Yoga is Samadhi, and the five Yamas and five Niyamas are the foundation of Patanjali’s eight-limbed path to this peak of consciousness. Yet we won’t likely find an Ahimsa class at any local yoga studio or an Ishvara Pranidhana club down the street, so how then to bring Patanjali’s first two limbs to life? How do we transform the philosophy of an inspiring book into lived experience?

This question festered inside of Pandit Tejomaya for a number of years until finally, by Guru’s grace, it led to a seven year period of focused Sadhana. Panditji will join us via Zoom on Thursday, March 20th to remind us of his personal, systematic approach to Sadhana of the Yamas and Niyamas. The practice is quite simple but deeply personal wth the potential for lasting inner transformation. There is certainly no “one way” to engage with the Yamas and Niyamas, but finding a personally meaningful way to bring these ten gems of Patanjali’s philosophy to life or to greater prominence in our Sadhana can be especially helpful in these challenging times where fear can get out of hand.

Pandit Tejomaya completed his seven year focused Sadhana of the Yamas and Niyamas eight years ago as he entered into his Vanaprastha years and yet the work was never “finished”, it simply opened new doors. Tejomaya will share a bit of how the transformation is continuing on today.

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 and In-Person Viewing at TMC: “- Yoga and Sufism" with Gary Gran CYT, DAy - March 27, 2025
2025-03-27 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC – March 27, 2025
” Yoga and Sufism” with Gary Gran CYT, DAy
7:00-8:30 p.m. CST
Everyone is Welcome!

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Michael Snodgrass
7:00-7:30 p.m. Guided Meditation Swami Ma Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: “Yoga and Sufism” with Gary Gran
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Please join us for an evening of Sufi stories, jokes, poetry, prayers, history, inspiration, and meditation!
Yoga and Sufism have much in common. They can be practiced in a religious context, but they are not religions. They can be described as two of the ‘unifying streams in religion’, representing the philosophy, art and science of pure spirituality. They are methods of practice, or pathways that point us to the inner experience of unity, truth, love, and harmony with all that is.
Even though Sufism has been described as the mystical teachings of Islam, its roots began long before the advent of Islam. Sufism contains elements from Hellenistic, Hermetic, Christian, Jewish, Arab, Turkish, Persian, and Indian sources. It is a beautiful expression of the Perennial Wisdom that can be traced in all the spiritual traditions of the world.
“If anybody asks you, ‘What is Sufism?’ … you may answer: ‘Sufism is the religion of the heart, the religion in which the most important thing is to seek God in the heart of humanity.’
~Hazrat Inayat Khan~

Both Swami Rama and Swami Veda stressed the universality of world’s spiritual traditions. They taught the importance of understanding various traditions, their basic philosophies and their practices.
“Knowledge of various paths leads you to form your own conviction. The more you know, the more you decide to learn. When you have sharpened the faculty of discrimination, you firmly tread your path without any doubts.”
~Swami Rama~
“Living With the Himalayan Masters”
“A qualified preceptor in the Himalayan tradition… should be able to see the association between the Himalayan Tradition and other paths, such as those of the Sufis, the Tao, Ch’an, Zen, theraveda, Tibetan, Christian and others – together with their basic texts and historical backgrounds.”
~Swami Veda Bharati ~
“The Himalayan Tradition of Yoga Meditation”

Please join us as we contemplate the beauty of the Sufi teachings.
All are welcome.
Gary Gran, CYT, DAy. was in attendance at the 1985 workshop and will be sharing theteachings from his personal notes. He 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 wintering in Tucson, Arizona where they enjoy desert 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 Via Zoom and In-Person Zoom Viewing at TMC: "Writing and Reading as Personal Practice" with Michelle Skally Doilney - April 3, 2025
2025-04-03 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang via Zoom and In-Person Zoom Viewing at TMC – April 3, 2025
“Writing and Reading as Personal Practice” with Michelle Skally Doilney
7:00-8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga – TBD
7:00-7:30 p.m. Guided Meditation -TBD
7:30-8:30 p.m.: “Writing and Reading as Personal Practice” with Michelle Skally Doilney
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Join us for a talk with Michelle Skally Doilney as she speaks about the benefits and the hows of using reading and writing as a personal practice. She will read examples from her own unedited notebooks and travel journals, as well as from Living with a Himalayan Master. Michelle will share benefits and how-tos of writing practice as another way to witness mind, to experience non-judgement and non-attachment. Bring your pen and paper for a short experience.
If you have further interest, Michelle will also be teaching an extended workshop on writing practice on April 5, 2025. 10:00-11:30 a.m., “Writing is for Everybody. Part II”
Michelle Skally Doilney is a student and initiate in the Himalayan Tradition since 1997. She is a lifelong writer and a longtime student studying in-person with Natalie Goldberg, writing teacher and author of Writing Down the Bones and her latest, Writing on Empty: A Guide to Finding Your Inner Voice. Michelle is currently consulting and teaching feng shui, yoga, and writing practice. She is working on several writing and art projects drawing from her love of travel and photography.
www.practicalenvironments.com

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Zoom Viewing at TMC: "Yoga and the Beatitudes" with Cynthia Gran - April 1, 2025
2025-04-17 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Zoom Viewing at TMC – April 17, 2025
“Yoga and the Beatitudes” 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. “Yoga and the Beatitudes” with Cynthia Gran
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
The Beatitudes are eight phrases spoken over two thousand years ago by Jesus of Nazareth to his closest disciples. They comprise a “beautiful prose poem” which praises “those who have attained spiritual heights” and offers “the seeker instruction on how to transform” oneself. “These lessons are reminiscent of similar teachings such as the Ten Commandments, Buddha’s eightfold path, and the ten restraints and observances (yamas and niyamas) described in the Yoga Sutras.” We will discuss these phrases from the view of a variety of scholars and see how they are still valid in today’s world. Please join us for a spiritually uplifting discussion. All are welcome.
Quotes derived from Arpita’s book Psychology of the Beatitudes
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.

Thursday Satsang in Person and Via Zoom: "Musika Medica" with Maja Radovanlija and Molly Sturges - April 24, 2025
2025-04-24 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In-Person and Via Zoom – April 24, 2025
“Musika Medica” with Maja Radovanlija and Molly Sturges
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga – TBD
7:00-7:30 p.m.: Meditation guided by Swami Radha Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.:“Musika Medica” with Maja Radovanlija and Molly Sturges
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
Everyone is welcome!!!

About Musika Medica
Musika Medica is a women-led improvisational music, collective healing and meditation project that weaves together deep listening, musical exploration, and embodied inquiry. Rooted in the practice of attunement, the project responds organically to each unique context, creating experiences that transcend traditional performance boundaries. By collaborating with guest musicians, storytellers, and diverse community voices, Musika Medica crafts immersive concerts, workshops, and restorative performances that invite rest, reflection, and creative wondering.
Founders
Maja Radovanlija is a versatile guitarist and musical explorer whose artistic journey spans continents and musical traditions. Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) in 1975, she brings nearly two decades of classical guitar training from Eastern Europe, and Indiana University, Bloomington. Her musical path has been defined by a rich tapestry of collaborations that traverse diverse genres, from Balkan traditional music to jazz, intuitive free improvisation, and experimental soundscapes. Radovanlija is an active member of multiple distinguished ensembles, including the Szilard Mezéi ensemble, Minneapolis Guitar Quartet, Ensemble Studio6, MM Guitar duo, the Linda Chatterton-Radovanlija guitar/flute duo, and the Satu Jiwa improvised music collective. Her innovative approach to music-making reflects a deep commitment to cross-cultural musical dialogue and creative expression.
Molly Sturges is a healing-centered composer, soundrest artist, musical improviser, meditation teacher, and community healing facilitator, with over three decades working at the intersection of music, ceremony infused improvisation, collective healing, contemplative practice, and social justice. A United States Artist Fellow in Music, Molly brings depth and innovation to her research and creative endeavors. She has led and participated in a wide range projects including community sourced arts activations, creating and performing music for circus, sound installation creation, directing creative music ensembles and creating-directing Lifesongs, an intergenerationald music and end of life project for over twelve years. Currently Molly serves as a senior researcher in music and health and as founder/director of Waking The Oracle, an arts, earth kinship, and wellbeing project at University of Minnesota’s Medical School and Center for Spirituality & Healing. www.mollysturges.com
CONTACT
Maja Radovanlija, mradovan@umn.edu , 763-300-9795
Molly Sturges, mollysturges@gmail.com , 505-660-9473

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC: "An Embarrassment of Blessings" with Michael Smith - May 8, 2025
2025-05-08 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC – May 8, 2025
May 8, 2025
“An Embarrassment of Blessings” with Michael Smith
7:00-8:30 p.m. CT
Everyone is Welcome!

5:30-6:45 p.m.: In-Person Gentle Hatha Yoga with Michael Snodgrass
7:oo-:30 p.m.: Guided Meditation with Swami Ma Radha Bharati
7:30-830 p.m.: “Miscellaneous Metaphysical Musings” with Michael Smith
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
Join us on Thursday, May 8th, for a wonderful night of readings and contempalation with Michael Smith. Michael will read passages from his favorite books in the Tradition, accompanied by interesting stories of his own experiences.
Michel has been practicing & teaching yoga for over 50 years and is currently a curriculum coordinator for the International Himalayan Yoga Teachers Association. He has also been certified by the Himalayan Institute Teachers Association and the Behram Guard School of Yoga Meditation (an Iyengar-based Hatha Yoga School). He was a public school teacher for 35 years and also a professor of Comparative Religion at North Hennepin Community College. He has edited and/or illustrated several books on yoga and has lectured widely on stress management (the topic of his Masters Thesis) and also on holistic health. His main work has been to transcribe and to get the teachings of Swami Rama, Swami Veda and the Himalayan teachers out to as many people as possible.
To support the work of The Meditation Center and register you can donate here (suggested donation $15.00) for Thursday Satsang or make a general donation by clicking on the “donate” button on the “Support TMC” website page.
Or donate through PayPal.
Note: 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: "My Experiences at the Maha Khumba Mela" with Maja Radovanlija - May 15, 2025
2025-05-15 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In-Person and via Zoom
May 15, 2025
“My Experiences at the Maha Khumba Mela” with Maja Radovanlija
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Everyone is Welcome!

5:30-6:45 p.m.: Gentle Hatha Yoga with Michael Snodgrass
7:00-7:30 p.m: Guided Meditation Swami Ma Radha Bharati
“My Experiences at the Maha Khumba Mela” with Maja Radovanlija
7:30-8:30 p.m.:
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
Details to come,

Maja Radovanlija is a versatile guitarist and musical explorer whose artistic journey spans continents and musical traditions. Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) in 1975, she brings nearly two decades of classical guitar training from Eastern Europe, and Indiana University, Bloomington. Her musical path has been defined by a rich tapestry of collaborations that traverse diverse genres, from Balkan traditional music to jazz, intuitive free improvisation, and experimental soundscapes. Radovanlija is an active member of multiple distinguished ensembles, including the Szilard Mezéi ensemble, Minneapolis Guitar Quartet, Ensemble Studio6, MM Guitar duo, the Linda Chatterton-Radovanlija guitar/flute duo, and the Satu Jiwa improvised music collective. Her innovative approach to music-making reflects a deep commitment to cross-cultural musical dialogue and creative expression

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC: "How to Live Our Yogic Principles in Times of Uncertainty" with Stephen Parker (Stoma) Psy.D., E-RYT 500 - May 22, 2025
2025-05-22 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang – May 22, 2025
Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC
“How to Live Our Yogic Principles in Times of Uncertainty”
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 Michael Snodgrass
7:00-7:30 p.m: Guided Meditation with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT 500
7:30-8:30 p.m.: “How to Live Our Yogic Principles in Times of Uncertainty”
with Stephen Parker (Stoma) PsyD, E-RYT 500
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Join us on Thursday, May 22nd, for an inspiring talk by Stoma on how we can 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. Or donate through PayPal.
There is parking available for TMC visitors in the St. Boniface lot across the street from the Center.
