The Meditation Center

"Ayurveda: Life is Relationship! Living in the Material World " via Zoom with Gary and Cynthia Gran on June 8, 2024
2024-06-08 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago)
In Collaboration with Palatine Himalayan Yoga and Meditation Center
and the Milwaukee Himalayan Yoga and Meditation Center

Ayurveda: Life is Relationship! Living in the Material World
with Gary and Cynthia Gran
June 8, 2024
1:00-3:00 p.m.
Cost: $25.00
Register here.

Please join us for a fresh look at Ayurveda, the ancient Science of Life.
Ayurveda explains that the material world we live in is composed of the five great elements, and that we exist as body, mind and spirit in the realm of time, space and causation.
Swami Rama explained that the quality of our life is determined by the quality of our relationships in the material world – our relationships with ourselves, with each other, and with nature.
Are we trying to live outside of nature’s limits?
Are we being kind to ourselves and to others?
Are we in harmony with Life?
In this seminar, we’ll explore the essential elements and qualities of Life according to Ayurveda before reflecting upon our relationships both within and without. Our goal will be to move towards greater balance and harmony with Life. May all be well. May all know peace.

Gary and 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 are once again enjoying desert gardening, cooking and hiking at their home in Tucson, Arizona.
Gary Gran, DAy. CYT
Cynthia Gran, DAy. E-RYT 500, YACEP

Gary’s blog is ayurvedalessons.com.

Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
2024-06-09 08:20 - 09:30, 2024-06-16 08:20 - 09:30, 2024-06-23 08:20 - 09:30 (America/Chicago)
Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation
with Swami Radha Bharati
8:20 A.M. – 9:15 A.M.
Join for Morning Prayers: 8:20-8:30 a.m.
Sunday Morning Meditation: 8:30-9:15 a.m.

Join Swami Radha Bharati on Zoom for a guided meditation on Sunday from 8:20 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

"Beyond The Asanas: Intermediate Yoga Philosophy and Terms" with Paul Emerson, Ph.D. - Tuesdays: June 11 - July 9, 2024
2024-06-11 18:30 - 20:00, 2024-06-12 18:30 - 20:00, 2024-06-19 18:30 - 20:00 UTC
“Beyond The Asanas:
Intermediate Yoga Philosophy and Terms”
with Paul Emerson, Ph.D.
Tuesdays: June 11 – July 9, 2024
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Cost: $80.00

Register here.

Yoga philosophy can be complicated-different concepts, different language, different practices. Moreover, Indian philosophy is not a single entity but a variety of complementary views. This class will provide a road map and tools for further exploration of yogic texts. We will start with the timeline of Indian literature (week 1), discuss samkhya metaphysics on which the Yoga Sutras are based (week 2), explore the Yoga Sutras (week 3) and finally delve into some of the hatha yoga sanskrit texts (week 4). The overall focus will be on how to make these concepts practical and relevant to our own sadhanas (meditation practices). For texts we will use portions of Swami Rama’s The Royal Path, Swami Veda’s Philosophy of Hatha Yoga as well as various on-line texts.

Paul Emerson, Ph.D. is a biomedical engineer who has worked on dialysis, respiratory and cardiac products. At various times he has been a research scientist, manager of clinical research with a major biomedical company, software engineer and a university instructor. He holds 12 patents in the areas of dialysis, sleep therapy and implantable cardiac devices. For the Meditation Center he has been the local go-to person on the physiology of breathing and is a scholar of the ancient yogic texts. He has been teaching yoga and related subjects since 1976 and was certified in 1980 by the Rockford School of Yoga.

40-Day Spiritual Festival 2024 from June 12- July 21 (Guru Purnima), 2024
2024-06-12 08:00 - 23:30, 2024-06-13 08:00 - 23:30, 2024-06-14 08:00 - 23:30, 2024-06-15 08:00 - 23:30, 2024-06-16 08:00 - 23:30, 2024-06-17 08:00 - 23:30, 2024-06-18 08:00 - 23:30, 2024-06-19 08:00 - 23:30 (America/Chicago) and 6 more dates
40-Day Spiritual Festival 2024 from June 12- July 21 (Guru Purnima), 2024
Read here “41st Annual 40-Days Spiritual Festival June 12-July 21, 2024″courtesy of AHYMSIN.org.
The festival is 40-days of purification of all aspects of our being through chosen practices.
Some options for practices are :
Begin or increase the Sangha Ganesha mantra japa…practice embodying Ganesha in stillness, in his stillness.
Decrease screen time, especially in the evening; put down the phone, turn off the computer.
Find ways to honor Earth Mother: walk in silence in the woods, feed the wild animals, nourish the ants, pick up trash in nature, contemplate one of the five elements in nature.
Fast one day a week, could be partial fasting or simply eliminating one preferred food item.
Contemplate that which helps you be still.
Do self-study and journal your experiences.
Study “Sutra 1.33,” the Brahma Viharas, especially Upeksha (equanimity in the face of evil.

Wednesday Mornings In Person and via Zoom – Gentle Hatha Yoga (Drop-In) with Sig Martell and Rosann Chamberlain
2024-06-12 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-06-19 10:30 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
WEDNESDAY MORNINGS In Person and Via Zoom – GENTLE HATHA YOGA (DROP IN)

Time: 10:30am to Noon
Instructors: Sig Martell, Rosann Chamberlain, and Susan Guthrie
Fees: $12.00/class ($10.00 for seniors and students)
DROP-IN HATHA CLASSES (ONGOING)
Everyone is Welcome! These classes are for all levels. Instructors excel at leading the class in relaxation, gentle asana (yoga positions) and pranayama (breath). Relieve stress, achy joints, improve balance at all levels and increase your sense of well being. No registration necessary, just show up.

Thursday Satsang In Person at TMC and via Zoom: "Spiritual Journaling" with Eric Ness and Simone Delos Santos - June 13, 2024,
2024-06-13 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang In Person at TMC and via Zoom – June 13, 2024
“Spiritual Journaling”
with Eric Ness and Simone Delos Santos
The 40-Day Spiritual Festival 2024
June 12th- July 21st (Guru Purnima)
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. CDT

Note New Schedule
5:30-6:45 p.m.: In-Person Gentle Hatha Yoga with Michael Snodgrass
6:15-7:00 p.m. Vegan Soup
7:00-8:00 p.m.: “Spiritual Journaling”
with Eric Ness and Simone Delos Santos
8:00-8:30 p.m.: Meditation Guided by Swami Ma Radha Bharati
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
8:40 p.m.: Snacks
Journaling can be a powerful tool for self-care and inner processing. It can help facilitate the energies of life forward into freedom, expansion, and liberation. We can become free of the stagnant, stuck energies that repeat old habits and patterns of mind often resulting in reactive responses. It can also help clarify direction and keep track of progress and growth.
Please join Eric and Simone in a lively, rich discussion and exploration of this practice.
Bring a favorite pen and blank notebook for a writing example exercise.
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.

Register Now!!! - 4-Seminar Series - "Practical Psychology of a Successful Sadhana" via Zoom with Phil Nuernberger, PhD - Sponsored jointly by Milwaukee HYMC and TMC in Minneapolis
2024-06-19 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago)
Sponsored jointly by
the Milwaukee Himalayan Yoga and Meditation Center &
The Meditation Center in Minneapolis

“Practical Psychology of a
Successful Sadhana”
via Zoom
with Phil Nuernberger, PhD
4 Seminars – 2-2.5 hours each
Wednesdays: May 22, June 19, July 17, and August 21, 2024
7:00-9:00 p.m. CDT

All Four Sessions: $108.00
A Single Session: $30.00
Register here
for all 4 sessions or any single session

I: Body, Mind, Jiva: Where is Your Identity – May 22nd
Let’s talk about what we actually become caught in the veil of samskaras, attachments, and beliefs.
II. The Powerful Mind: Your Finest Instrument – June 19th
A practical look at the mind’s resources and how to dance with them.
III. Creating and Sustaining Balance – July 17th
A successful spiritual life is the first and essential step to a successful transition to the next adventure. We explore ways to establish real harmony in life.
IV. Joyful Freedom – August 21st
The ways and means of actually gaining enlightenment. “It takes great effort to be something. It takes no effort to Be.”

Phil Nuernberger, Ph.D. is a direct disciple of H.H. Sri Swami Rama and was personally trained by Swamiji since 1970. Dr. Phil is one of the few Americans to receive initiation by Swami Rama into the highest levels of the tantric tradition of the Himalayan Sages. With his Master’s instruction and blessing, Dr. Phil has been teaching and initiating others in this tradition since 1972. He was instrumental in helping Swamiji build the Himalayan Institute, and served on its Board of Directors until 1992.
Dr. Nuernberger is author of six books. The most recent are Eternal Self , Freedom’s Path: The Dancing Soul, The Warrior Sage: Life as Spirit, as well as, Strong and Fearless: The Quest for Personal Power and From Loneliness to Love: A Journey of Spiritual Awakening.

Happy Summer Solstice! Thursday Satsang In Person and via Zoom: "Path of Fire & Light: Swami Rama in Illinois, 1989" with Gary Gran CYT, DAy.
2024-06-20 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang In Person and via Zoom: – June 20, 2024
“Path of Fire & Light: Swami Rama in Illinois, 1989” with Gary Gran MBA,CYT, DAy.
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. CDT
Happy Summer Solstice!

5:30-6:45 p.m.: In-Person Gentle Hatha Yoga
7:00-8:00 p.m.:”Path of Fire & Light: Swami Rama in Illinois, 1989 with Gary Gran MBA,CYT, DAy.
8:00-8:30 p.m.: Meditation Guided by Swami Ma Radha Bharati
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
8:40 p.m.: Snacks
Every year from 1986 to 1989, Swami Rama presented a series of lectures on the Path of Fire & Light. His stated purpose in offering these seminars was to ensure that his students were well-informed on the practices of the tradition. Proceeds from these seminars helped fund the opening of the Himalayan Institute Hospital in Dehradun, India. According to the HIHT website:
“Swamiji started this project in 1989 with an outpatient clinic of only two rooms. The hospital at HIHT currently has 750 beds and is serving approximately 10 million people of Garhwal, Kumaon and adjoining areas.”
The 1989 lectures were given at the Sheraton Hotel in Northbrook, Illinois over the course of three days, August 18-20. He offered many intriguing tips to refine our standard practices. But the primary focus was to present what he called ‘the monastery system’ of meditation, with an emphasis on third chakra practice and solar science.
“You don’t need to be still like a log – you are a living being!” – Swami Rama
Gary Gran has been treading the Himalayan path since the late 1970s. He was in attendance for the 1986,1987 & 1989 Path of Fire & Light seminars, and will be presenting a recollection of the 1989 teachings from his personal notes. He has served the tradition in various capacities over the years beginning at the old Glenview center in Illinois. He is a certified yoga teacher and an Ayurvedic educator, having published more than eighty articles on yoga, meditation and Ayurveda. He and herself Cynthia enjoy desert gardening, cooking and hiking at their home in Tucson, Arizona, and are currently in summer residence in Minneapolis.
Gary Gran, MBA, DAy. CYT

FREE International Day of Yoga Events at The Meditation Center - June 21, 2024
2024-06-21 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
On Friday, June 21, 2024
International Day of Yoga
All events are FREE!!!
Stay tuned for more details; event is subject to change
In-Person Lunch Break Noontime Yoga Combo Class
with Daniel Hertz
12:15-1:00 p.m.

Free Lunch Break Noon Time Yoga Combo Class at TMC

Take a midday break with Daniel to stretch, relax, center, nourish, and refresh your body and mind before continuing the tasks of the day or going back to work.
12:15-12:30 p.m. – gentle stretching
12:30-12:45 p.m. – guided relaxation
12:45-1:00 p.m. – guided meditation

Daniel Hertz, MS, BCB, E-RYT 500 has been on the faculty of The Meditation Center since 1995. He is the author of a memoir entitled Everything is A Little Bit Alright: yoga, meditation, and a dog named Roy. It is available on Amazon at this link.

Read here Daniel’s article, “A Winding Path” in the AHYMSIN April newsletter.

Global Full Moon Meditation via Zoom from Chicago, June 21, 2024, 9:00-10:00p.m. CT
2024-06-21 21:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago)
Thursday, May 23, 2024
Global Full Moon Meditation Via Zoom
9:00-10:00 P.M. CT
This Full Moon Meditation via Zoom will begin guided by Pandit Dabral followed by a silent meditation until 10:00 p.m.
This event is courtesy of the Chicago Himalayan Yoga & Meditation Center – HYMC.
To get the Zoom link and for more information aregarding the global full moon meditation schedule
visit HYMC’s website here.
“You are lovingly invited to sit in meditation for an hour wherever you are, in your home or with friends. Total beginners and longtime practitioners, non-initiates and initiates are welcome. If you cannot sit for the entire hour, sit as long as you are able; as Swami Veda has said, ‘Let the quietness of the mind continue even after you rise..’” (Courtesy of AHYMSIN.org January 2023 newsletter).
Everyone is welcome!
“Yoga Philosophy views the mind as Universal field; its waves passing through us and becoming our individual minds. This Universal mind is a radiant force and is also known as a Universal Guru within.”
“When all sit together at the same time even in different parts of the world, they connect to the Universal Guru mind and generate a strong field, like so many magnets being joined together and forming a much stronger magnet; the strength of each then equals the combined strength of all.”
– Swami Veda Bharati –

Cooking Class - Simple, Delicious Vegetarian Foods: Celebrating Early Summer on Your Plate with Cynthia Gran and Simone Delos Santos - June 22, 2024
2024-06-22 09:30 - 13:30 (America/Chicago)
Simple, Delicious Vegetarian Foods: Celebrating Early Summer on Your Plate
Saturday, June 22, 2024
with Cynthia Gran and Simone Delos Santos
Saturday, June 22, 2024
9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Limited to 10 students.
Register Here!
We will offer easy to follow recipes, highlighting seasonal produce. Some hands-on assistance is possible, but not necessary to participate in this class. We’ll finish the session by eating our freshly prepared foods, enjoying a delicious lunch together!
Join Simone and Cynthia for a fun morning and a satisfying meal.
Bring a pen and notepad!

New Dates In-Person Meditation I : Learning the Basics with Rodney Huff - Mondays: June 24 - July 29, 2024
2024-06-24 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
In-Person Meditation I : Learning the Basics
with Rodney Huff (Rajni)
New Dates!!!
Mondays: June 24 – July 29, 2024
Instructor: Rodney Huff (Rajni)
6:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $75.00
Register here!
This class introduces the student to the basics of meditation in the Himalayan Tradition. Relaxation techniques, pranayama (yogic breath), ideal sitting postures, and the use of mantra will be taught to help the student focus the mind and relax the body. Beginning Raja yoga philosophy is also included in this class. Treat yourself to the many benefits of a regular meditation practice.
Rodney Huff first came to the Center in January of 2000 and quickly took as many classes as he could. Since then he has traveled to India to study at Sadhana Mandir and Sadhaka Grama in Rishikesh. He began teaching Hatha yoga in 2003 and has been a regular teacher of Hatha Yoga (I & II) as well as Meditation I. Rodney is grateful for the opportunity to teach at a place as special as the Meditation Center. The teachings he received transformed his life, and he hopes that each of his students can have an equally rewarding experience.
