40-Day Spiritual Festival 2024 from June 12- July 21 (Guru Purnima), 2024
2024-07-18 08:00 - 23:30, 2024-07-19 08:00 - 23:30, 2024-07-20 08:00 - 23:30, 2024-07-21 08:00 - 23:30 (America/Chicago)
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.

10-Day "Guru Gita" Recitation via Zoom from Thursday, July 11 - Saturday, July 20, 2024
2024-07-18 20:00 - 21:00, 2024-07-19 20:00 - 21:00, 2024-07-20 20:00 - 21:00
New opportunity to prepare for Guru Purnima during the 40-Day Spiritual Festival….

10-Day “Guru Gita” Recitation via Zoom
Thursday, July 11 – Saturday, July 20, 2024
Begins at 8:00 p.m. CDT from the July 12th – July 20th
Exceptions are on Thursdays, the 11th and 18th…the recitation will begin at 8:45 p.m.

As a tradition in our Sangha, the Guru Gita’s recording by Pundits at SRSG is shared via Zoom during the 11 days leading to Guru Purnima. Tonight is the 2nd day that the Guru Gita recording will be shared via Zoom. The session will begin at 8:00 p.m. CDT.
“Three chapters in the latter part of the Skanda Purana, one of the most widely read of the 18 Puranas composed by Sage Vyasa, comprise the verses referred to as the Guru Gita, the “Song in Praise of the Guru”. The verses are the dialogue between Shiva and Parvati that serve as a fount of knowledge and wisdom about the Guru, the Guru’s power and greatness, and specific ways of paying adoration.” ~Stoma on 6/27/24~

Read here the text of the “Guru Gita” in English…new version.
Read here the text of the “Guru Gita” in Sanskrit.
The audio starts with: Mama catur vidha puruartha siddhyarthe jape viniyoga…
and continues with Verse One: (these audio verses match all succeeding written verses until 182 ending)
Sūta uvāca: verse one begins on bottom of page 3 of the English translation
Verse 1, Sūta said:
Kailāsa-śikhare ramye
bhakti-sandhāna-nāyakam,
Pranamya pārvatī bhaktyā
śankaram paryaprcchata.
To listen to the audio recording of the “Guru Gita” click here.

Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
2024-07-21 08:20 - 09:30, 2024-07-28 08:20 - 09:30, 2024-08-04 08:20 - 09:30, 2024-08-11 08:20 - 09:30
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.

Guru Purnima and Full Moon Celebration In Person and Via Zoom - July 21, 2024
2024-07-21 18:00 - 22:00
“Guru Purnima Celebration” In-Person and Via Zoom
Sunday: July 21, 2024
Guru Purnima Program on July 21, 2024
5:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. CDT
Global Full Moon Meditation
9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. CDT
Guru Purnima 2024 Celebration Schedule – Details to come.

9:00-10:00 p.m. – Full Moon Meditation via Zoom
with initial guidance by Swami Ritavan Bharati from SRSG, Rishikesh, India.

The Global Full Moon Meditation is hosted by the Himalayan Yoga & Meditation Center, HYMC,
Palatine Il. The Zoom link is available here at HYMC’s website.

For more information regarding the global full moon meditation schedule visit HYMC’s website here.

Read here…H.H.S. Swami Rama’s 1988 Guru Purnima Message.

Read here…Swami Veda Bharati’s 2011 Guru Purnima Blessing

“Celebrating Guru Purnima is a joy beyond words, a deep stillness that echoes a wholeness and holiness. A wholeness that guru provides the answers to our pursuits, our yearnings and reveals a purpose for life. To live and to love with a heart unconditioned by conflict, and a mind, unified beyond division.”
– Swami Ritavan Bharati-

Guru Purnima Global Full Moon Meditation - Will Begin Guided by Swami Ritavan Bharati - July 21, 2024, 9:00-10:00 p.m.
2024-07-21 21:00 - 22:00
Guru Purnima
Sunday, July 21, 2024
Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC
Global Full Moon Meditation
9:00-10:00 p.m. CDT

This Full Moon Meditation will begin guided by Swami Ritavan Bharati from SRSG in Rishikesh, India.
then followed by a silent meditation until 10:00 p.m.
Swami Ritavan Bharati has said, “The full moon meditations are an opportunity for us to come together in connecting with the universal mind-field bringing unity, harmony, peace, and love. Go into your silence; exhale-release, inhale-accept, forgive and fulfill, with purified heart and mind receive the blessings of the Lineage.”

“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).

This event is courtesy of the Palatine Himalayan Yoga & Meditation Center – HYMC.

For more information regarding the global full moon meditation schedule and to receive the Zoom link visit
HYMC’s website here.

Everyone is welcome!

New Dates In-Person Meditation I : Learning the Basics with Rodney Huff - Mondays: June 24 - July 29, 2024
2024-07-22 18:30 - 20:00, 2024-07-29 18:30 - 20:00
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.

Wednesday Mornings In Person and via Zoom – Gentle Hatha Yoga (Drop-In) with Sig Martell and Rosann Chamberlain
2024-07-24 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-07-31 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-08-07 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-08-14 10:30 - 12:00
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.

AHYMSIN Sangha of the Americas: July 25 - August 3, 2024 - Mark Your Calendars
2024-07-25 08:00 - 2024-08-03 17:00
Mark your calendars…
AHYMSIN Sangha of the Americas
July 25 – August 3, 2024
Dear Friends,
We are excited about the upcoming 2024 Himalayan Tradition, AHYMSIN Sangha of the Americas, coming in July!
This gathering of the Himalayan Tradition Family is the perfect way to deepen your practices during this unique gathering of like-minded seekers through daily yoga and meditation sessions, teachings and inspirations, which will include a 5-day Silence period. The event will take place at the beautiful St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, USA.
From Swami Ritavan Bharati:
” It is my profound wish that we will be able to have the joy of your presence among us, and of your participation for the first four days, or the full ten days of the event, so that we can all reconnect, continue to allow the teaching to grow, and continue to serve the legacy we share. Please do make time to attend this important gathering as a member of the Tradition.”
The 10-day program will be comprised of:

Arrival and check-in for the 10-day program will be on July 25.
AHYMSIN gathering with center presentations, inspirations and family connections, as well as daily prayers, yoga, and meditation, from July 26 to 29.
5 day period of Silence from July 29 to August 2, with guests departing August 3.
Daily presentations by senior members of the Tradition will also be available via Zoom.
A Family Gathering Kirtan Event to be held July 26.

*Prices represent Early Bird Pricing, and will expire 4/30/2024
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND TO REGISTER
In Loving Service,
AHYMSIN Administration
If you have any questions, please email: info@himalayanyoga

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC: "Miscellaneous Metaphysical Musings" with Michael Smith - July 25, 2024
2024-07-25 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang Via Zoom and In-Person Viewing at TMC – July 25, 2024
“Miscellaneous Metaphysical Musings” with Michael Smith
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. CDT
5:30-6:45 p.m.: In-Person Gentle Hatha Yoga with Sig Martell
6:15-7:00 p.m.: No soup is being served on July 25th.
Soup will be offered again on August 8th.
7:00-8:00 p.m.: “Miscellaneous Metaphysical Musings” with Michael Smith
8:00-8:30 p.m.: Meditation with Michael Smith
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

Join us tonight, Thursday, July 25th, for a wonderful and compelling discussion with Michael Smith…not wanting to leave anything out, Michael’s talk will have the theme of Guru and Unity — transcendent and imminent Balance, Harmony, and Integration.
Michael Smith 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.

Cancelled for July 28th - Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati
2024-07-28 08:20 - 09:30
Cancelled for July 28, 2024…
…will resume on August 4, 2024
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.

Cancelled for July 31st - Wednesday Mornings In Person and Via Zoom Gentle Hatha Yoga (Drop In)
2024-07-31 08:00 - 17:00
Cancelled for July 31, August 7, and August 14th
WEDNESDAY MORNINGS IN PERSON AND VIA ZOOM

GENTLE HATHA YOGA (DROP IN)

Time: 10:30am to Noon
Instructors: Rosann Chamberlain, Sig Martell, and Susan Guthrie
Fees: $12.00/class ($10.00 for seniors and students)

Cancelled - No Guided Hatha Class on August 1, 2024 Thursday Evening In Person: Gentle Hatha Yoga (Drop In) 5:30-6:45 p.m. Everyone is Welcome
2024-08-01 17:30 - 18:45
Thursday Evening In Person Gentle Hatha Yoga (Drop In)
There will be no guided hatha class on August 1, 2024

Time: 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Instructors: Varies…Chris Young, Michael Snodgrass, Sunita Gangopadhyay, Susan Guthrie, Eric Ness
Fees: $10.00/class
Thursday Evening 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 Evening In Person: Gentle Hatha Yoga (Drop In) 5:30-6:45 p.m. Everyone is Welcome
2024-08-01 17:30 - 18:45
Thursday Evening In Person Gentle Hatha Yoga (Drop In)

Time: 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Instructors: Varies…Chris Young, Michael Snodgrass, Sunita Gangopadhyay, Susan Guthrie, Eric Ness
Fees: $10.00/class
Thursday Evening 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.

No Guided Hatha Class or Thursday Satsang Either In Person or Via Zoom Tonight - August 1, 2024
2024-08-01 17:30 - 20:30
There Will Be No In Person or Zoom Program for The Meditation Center’s Thursday Satsang
on August 1, 2024
The Drop-In Hatha Class is cancelled for Thursday evening.

Thursday Satsang will resume on August 8, 2024

Cancelled for August 7th - Wednesday Mornings In Person and Via Zoom Gentle Hatha Yoga (Drop In)
2024-08-07 08:00 - 17:00
Cancelled for August 7th
Cynthia Gran is teaching on August 14th
WEDNESDAY MORNINGS IN PERSON AND VIA ZOOM

GENTLE HATHA YOGA (DROP IN)

Time: 10:30am to Noon
Instructors: Rosann Chamberlain, Sig Martell, and Susan Guthrie
Fees: $12.00/class ($10.00 for seniors and students)

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
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.

Cynthia Gran Is Teaching - Wednesday Mornings In Person and Via Zoom – Gentle Hatha Yoga (Drop In)
2024-08-14 10:30 - 12:00
Cynthia Gran is teaching on August 14, 2024
WEDNESDAY MORNINGS IN PERSON and VIA ZOOM

GENTLE HATHA YOGA (DROP IN)

Time: 10:30am to Noon
Instructors: Rosann Chamberlain, Sig Martell, 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 and Via Zoom: “The Wisdom Tradition: Yoga, Christianity and the Divine Feminine” with Gary Gran, CYT, DAy. - August 15, 2024
2024-08-15 19:00 - 20:30
Thursday Satsang In Person and Via Zoom
The Assumption of Mary – August 15, 2024
“The Wisdom Tradition: Yoga, Christianity and the Divine Feminine”
with Gary Gran, CYT, DAy.
7:00-8:30 p.m.

5:30-6:45 p.m.: In-Person Gentle Hatha Yoga with Michael Snodgrass
7:00-8:00 p.m.: “The Wisdom Tradition: Yoga, Christianity and the Divine Feminine” with Gary Gran CYT, DAy.

8:00-8:30p.m.: Meditation Guided by Swami Radha Bharati

8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers
The development of wisdom is a central theme in Christianity, yoga, Ayurveda and Buddhism, with deep roots in ancient culture. Wisdom denotes a deep knowing, a gnosis, that comes from Silence. Our main theme on this night of the Assumption of Mary will be to trace the presence of Holy Mother Wisdom in the Christian scriptures.
In yoga science, wisdom is called prajna. In the Buddhist tradition, the Perfection of Wisdom is called Prajna-paramita. Ayurveda tells that to go against wisdom, prajna-paradha, is unwise! In the Jewish tradition, wisdom is called Hokmah. And in ancient Greece, wisdom was known as Sophia. Indeed, the ancient philosophers were lovers of Wisdom, Sophia being the root of the word philosophy.
Please join us for this prayerful reflection on our Mother Wisdom.
“One who doesn’t know the beginningless sound of Wisdom, the highest point of heaven where the gods dwell, what do they know of Wisdom?
Only those who sit quietly with focused minds know this inner truth.”
Rig Veda 1.164.39
“Meditating on Her is understanding in its perfect form, and anyone keeping awake for Her will soon be free from care.” Wisdom 6:15
“For in the end you will find rest in Her and She will take the form of joy for you.” Ecclesiasticus 6:28
~
“God the Silence and Mother the Silence, entwined …
you are rapt in listening.
Listen how they sing their listening…
Serenade by you with vow to become a song sung to same entwined entity who, since before locus and time, has been ever serenading to you.
In mindfulness of ascending notes of symphonies breathing cadences of gnosis, silence your serenade so it never ceases. Sing your silence that silence sing you.
May you be a song.”
From Serenade God with a Song of Silence by Swami Veda Bharata
~
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.
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.
