The Meditation Center

Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati from 8:20 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
2021-10-24 08:15 - 09:15 (America/Chicago)
Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation
with Swami Radha Bharati
on October 24, 2021
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.

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

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

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

7:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M. CDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Full Moon Havan with Emilio Bettaglio and Full Moon Meditation with Swami Ritavan Bharati - October 20, 2021
2021-10-20 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago)
Wednesday – October 20, 2021
Full Moon Havan
with Emilio Bettaglio
8:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. CDT
and
Full Moon Meditation
9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. CDT

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

If zoom participants wish, they may join the process by performing their own flower/water puja in their homes. All that is needed is a large bowl, such as a clean salad or mixing bowl, some water to fill the bowl about two-thirds full, a candle, and some flower petals. Flower petals can be obtained at most flower shops or use petals from your garden. Approximately 200 offerings will be made into the havan, each with a petal offering.

View and listen here to Swami Ritavan’s

Full Moon Meditation Message and Blessings

Swami Ritavan invites you to join us for a group meditation starting at 9 o’clock in the evening. Or if you are not able to be present during the zoom meeting, meditate wherever you are at that time.

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.”

Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati from 8:20 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
2021-10-17 08:15 - 09:15 (America/Chicago)
Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation
with Swami Radha Bharati
on October 17, 2021
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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Love Whispers, pages 13-14)

Details to come.

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

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

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

Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati from 8:20 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
2021-10-10 08:15 - 09:15 (America/Chicago)
Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation
with Swami Radha Bharati
on October 10, 2021
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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overview of Presentation

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

Navaratri 2021 - Tuesday, October 5th through Wednesday, October 13th - The Meditation Center is Celebrating the Nine Days-Nights (Navaratri), with Special Events
2021-10-05 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago)
Navaratri 2021
The Meditation Center is Celebrating the Nine Days-Nights (Navaratri),
with Special Events.
Tuesday, October 5th through Wednesday, October 13th

All events at the Meditation Center.
Only Sunday’s Event Will Be On Zoom.
To receive the Zoom link to Sunday’s haven please subscribe to the e-newsletter at
Immortal She is, pervading all things that grow downward and all things that extend upwards. It is by Her brilliance and light that the darkness of ignorance vanishes. She, Devi, the Divine One who has expounded Herself as the very being of the universe and the custodian. Mother Deity, the Divine Mother, Shri who is the refuge of all forms, of all thoughts and sentiments – all Her expressions in the power of will, power of knowledge, power of creativity – Lalita, the tender one, the gentle one, Tripura Sundari, the Beauty of the Three Realms, She whose name is beauty. She, who has revealed Herself in Creation, through the powers of Shree. (The meaning of this event for which Sadhakas celebrate).
Tuesday, October 5th: 7:00 p.m.
Pujas and initial recitation of “Sri Lalita Sahasranama” (1,000 Names of Mother Divine, Lalita)

Read here the 1,000 Names of Lalita, the Mother Divine, “Sri Lalita Sahasranama.”

Wednesday, October 6th through Wednesday, October 13th
8:00 a.m.; noon; 8:00 p.m.
(3 times per day one-hour recitations/contemplations)

Listen here and follow the 1,000 Names of Lalita, the Mother Divine, “Sri Lalita Sahasranama” recited by Swami Veda Bharati

Sunday October 10th: 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Special Mother Divine Havan (japa and prayers with offerings into sacred havan kund)
This event will be on Zoom.
The link will be made available soon.

All events at the Meditation Center.
For further information please call the Meditation Center (612) 379-2386.

TMC Covid-19 Policy

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

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

Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati from 8:20 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
2021-10-03 08:15 - 09:15 (America/Chicago)
Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation
with Swami Radha Bharati
on October 3, 2021
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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cancelled - Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati from 8:20 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
2021-09-26 08:15 - 09:15 (America/Chicago)
Cancelled Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation
with Swami Radha Bharati
on September 26 , 2021
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.

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

Join Swami Radha Bharati on Zoom for a guided meditation next Sunday, October 3rd, from 8:20 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Join the Fall Silence Retreat from September 24th – September 28th.

Virtual Fall 5-Day Silence Retreat 2021 with Swami Radha Bharati, Jim Nelson, Emilio Bettaglio, and Daya Seeley - September 24 – September 28, 2021
2021-09-24 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago)
Virtual Fall Silence Retreat 2021
with Swami Radha Bharati, Jim Nelson, Emilio Bettaglio, and Daya Seeley
FIVE-DAY SILENCE RETREAT
Friday Evening, September 24 – Tuesday Afternoon, September 28, 2021
COST: $179.00
Register here.
“Only those who have learnt to merge their speech into the sea of silence
have found the fount of wisdom.
Immerse yourself in that sea.”

-Swami Veda Bharati-
(Silence Light Beyond Mind, page 160)
_____________________________

“Silence gives us ultimate peace, happiness and bliss.”

“There is no other way for peace but to go to the deep silence
where She resides in Her majesty.
Joy lies in silence and stillness.”

-H.H.S. Swami Rama –
(The Ancient Traveler Writings on Love, pages 78-79)
“Silence is the deepest and most authentic form of communication, both with others and within ourselves. It is the language that transcends the constant noise of our minds and allows us to experience our true Self, that purest state of Being, a state of peace, joy, and love.”
– Quotation from Jim Nelson –
Guided by Swami Radha Bharati and Jim Nelson and the light of Swami Veda Bharati, the schedule will include daily meditations, hatha yoga, and contemplative walks. Subtle body sessions will add depth to your silence experience. Staff will provide every support to guide your experience of silence.
Swami Ma Radha Bharati took her vows of Sanyasa in 2007 from Swami Veda Bharati. She earned an M.A. Degree and further formal studies in Comparative Philosophy at the University of Hawaii and an M.A. in Public Policy at the University of Minnesota, Humphrey School of Public Policy. Swami Ma Radha has been a disciple of Swami Rama of the Himalayas since 1971, and has been serving as Academic Director of Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama in Rishikesh, India, for the past ten years.

Jim Nelson has taught psychology and worked as a Consulting Psychologist for over twenty-five years at a Mental Health Clinic and in the Public School Systems. He has spent the past twelve years working with at-risk youth until his recent retirement. He was a member of the Who’s Who of American Teachers and was one of the first recipients of Medtronic’s Outstanding Teacher Award. He has taught yoga and meditation for thirty years and currently is Vice President of AHYMS-A an association of North and South American Meditation Centers dedicated to non-violence and spreading the teachings of the Himalayan Tradition. Jim has hosted many Silence retreats and spoken nationally and internationally on a broad range of Philosophical and Psychological topics. He has recently completed his Book: Running on Empty—The Seduction, Destruction, and Transformation of Our Youth.

Emilio Bettaglio was initiated into the Himalayan Yoga Tradition in 1971 by then Pandit Usharbudh Arya, and has been a regular practitioner since. He has received instruction on Pranayama practices from various teachers in the tradition over the years and most recently from Pandit Dabral. In 2019, Emilio took Vanaprastha vows and is currently a member of the Meditation Center’s Spiritual Committee.

Daya Seeley has been teaching Hatha Yoga classes since 2002. In late 2000, Daya found yoga/meditation courses offered through the Community Education programs in her town. Soon after, Daya collaborated with her yoga teacher in teaching small classes in a space that had been the local funeral home. This was before it was required to have a yoga certification. Daya went on to study yoga with a popular fitness-center-based teacher training program that required 11 levels of courses. She took them all, but wanted more. In 2002, Daya discovered the Institute of the Himalayan Tradition and was taught classical Hatha Yoga by Ma Devi, Swami Jaidev, and Maynard Speece. In 2007, Daya was initiated. This milestone was followed by a trip to India in 2009. In 2010, Daya entered a year-long Meditation Teaching Certification course through IHT. Since then she has been teaching yoga and meditation classes in the traditional way and has taught hatha yoga in silence retreats for both IHT and The Meditation Center. Daya continues her education through seminars and classes from fabulous teachers within the Himalayan Tradition Yoga community. Virtual Silence Retreat Schedule

Retreat Schedule coming soon.

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

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

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

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

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

New Thursday Evening Drop-In Hybrid - Gentle Hatha Yoga Class with Nicole Roberts
2021-09-23 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Chicago)
New Thursday Evening Hybrid Drop-In
Gentle Hatha Yoga Class with Nicole Roberts

September 23, 2021
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. CDT
Fee: $10.00

Section 1: Limited In-Person
-8 students max-

Register Here for In-Person Option

Section 2: Via Zoom

Donate here for Zoom Option

Or donate through PayPal.

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.

Join Swami Ritavan Bharati at TMC In Person or Zoom or the September Full Moon Meditation - September 20, 2021, 9:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
2021-09-20 21:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago)
Join Swami Ritavan Bharati at TMC In Person or Zoom
for the September Full Moon Meditation

September 20, 2021
9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. CDT

There will be no full moon havan ceremony with Emilio Bettaglio on September 20th
A havan will be held on Sunday, October 10, 2021 – Stay tuned for details.
Swami Ritavan invites you to join us for a group meditation starting at 9 o’clock in the evening. If you can not come to The Center tonight meditate wherever you are at that time.

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.”

Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati from 8:20 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
2021-09-19 08:15 - 09:15 (America/Chicago)
Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation
with Swami Radha Bharati
on. September 19 , 2021
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.

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

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

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

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

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

Details to come.

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

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

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

Details to come.

Hybrid Meditation I : Learning the Basics with Paul Emerson, Ph.D. Tuesdays: September 14 – October 19, 2021
2021-09-14 18:30 - 20:00 UTC
Hybrid Meditation I : Learning the Basics
with Paul Emerson, Ph.D.
After you register for this class, you will receive the zoom link the day before the class begins.
If you would like to retake Meditation I at half the cost please email us at info@themeditatationcenter.org.

Hybrid Class on Tuesdays: September 14 – October 19, 2021
An In-Person Option and a Zoom Option Are Being Offered
Instructor: Paul Emerson, Ph.D.
6:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $75.00

Section 1: (live at the Meditation Center, can zoom when you can’t make it): 12 max
Section 2 (zoom only): 12 max
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.
TMC policy for those entering the building or participating in outdoor ceremonies will be requesting all to practice non-violence – being fully vaccinated or wearing a mask w/social distancing. Staff and volunteers will not be asking for vaccine certification cards as trust of community will be sufficient. All are welcome.

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

In-Person Meditation I : Learning the Basics with Aaron Means on Sundays, September 12–October 17, 2021
2021-09-12 16:30 - 18:00 UTC
In-Person Meditation I : Learning the Basics
with Aaron Means
After you register for this class, you will receive the zoom link the day before the class begins.
If you would like to retake Meditation I at half the cost please email us at info@themeditatationcenter.org.
Dates of Series: Sundays, September 12 – October 17, 2021
Time: 4:30 p.m. – 6:oop.m.
Instructor : Aaron Means,
Fee: $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.
TMC policy for those entering the building or participating in outdoor ceremonies will be requesting all to practice non-violence – being fully vaccinated or wearing a mask w/social distancing. Staff and volunteers will not be asking for vaccine certification cards as trust of community will be sufficient. All are welcome.

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

Fall Sunday Book Club/Satsang with Swami Radha Bharati, Michael Smith, Jim Nelson, and Kay (Shanta) Gendron
2021-09-12 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Chicago)
Fall Sunday Book Club/Satsang
with Swami Radha Bharati, Michael Smith, Jim Nelson, and Kay (Shanta) Gendron
“The Art of Joyful Living” by Swami Rama
from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Swami Radha, Shanta, Jim, and Michael will continue the study of spiritual topics in Fall of 2021. The book chosen for the Fall Book club is “The Art of Joyful Living.” Details to come

Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati from 8:20 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
2021-09-12 08:15 - 09:15 (America/Chicago)
Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation
with Swami Radha Bharati
on September 12 , 2021
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.

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

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

Thursday Satsang via Zoom: "Peace in Renunciation" August 5, 2010 Audio Recording of Swami Veda Bharati - September 9, 2021
2021-09-09 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday Satsang via Zoom – September 9, 2021
“Peace in Renunciation”
August 5, 2010 Audio Recording of Swami Veda Bharati

7:00 p.m.: Recorded meditation guided by Swami Veda Bharati
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Recording of Swami Veda Bharati, “Peace in Renunciation”
8:30 p.m.: Evening Prayers

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

Overview of Presentation

“Letting Go, Letting Flow, Mind in Renunciation through Meditation”

In 2010, after the earlier major fiscal crisis, Swami Veda gave a lecture in Minneapolis with a prophecy for the future. His words still carry a vision that can answer many of the questions of these times.

Listen here to an excerpt of Swami Veda’s August 5, 2010 lecture (8.0 minutes.)

Sunday Book Club / Satsang with Michael Smith and Jim Nelson Is on Summer Break until Fall 2021
2021-09-05 10:00 - 11:30 UTC
Sunday Book Club/Satsang on Summer Break until Fall 2021
with Michael Smith and Jim Nelson from 10:00 a.m. – 12 Noon

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon
Jim and Michael will continue the study of spiritual topics in Fall of 2021. The book chosen for the Fall Book club is “The Art of Joyful Living.” . Stay tuned for announcements regarding the start date in September 2021.

Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati from 8:20 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
2021-09-05 08:15 - 09:15 (America/Chicago)
Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation
with Swami Radha Bharati
on September 5, 2021
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.

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

Join Swami Radha Bharati on Zoom for a guided meditation on Sunday, September 5th, from 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

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

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

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

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

Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati from 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
2021-08-29 08:30 - 09:30 UTC
Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation
with Swami Radha Bharati
on August 29, 2021
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.

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

Join Swami Radha Bharati on Zoom for a guided meditation on Sunday, August 29th, from 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Thursday Satsang Via Zoom: "The Virtues of Tamas: Tips for Stability in Yoga Practice" with Paul Emerson Ph.D. - August 26, 2021
2021-08-26 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Thursday Satsang via Zoom and In-Person at TMC – August 26, 2021
“The Virtues of Tamas: Tips for Stability in Yoga Practice”
with Paul Emerson Ph.D.
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

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

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

Overview of Presentation

In every beginning hatha or meditation class I’ve taught the subject of forming a habit arises. How do you keep going now that the class/retreat/experience has ended? In yoga-speak “tamas” is the heavy and dark quality of matter which often seems to get a bad rap. Yet it is also this quality which allows us to be stable and continue our practice over a long period of time. In this gathering we’ll explore those mental qualities which are conducive to continued efforts in yoga and mediation as well as tips for their cultivation.

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

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

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

EVENT D

“Yoga Sutras” Late Summer 2021 Series with Stoma - Mondays: August 23, 30, September 13, and 20, 2021 - A Hybrid Class Both In-Person and Via Zoom
2021-08-23 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Join us In Person or via Zoom…
“Yoga Sutras” Late Summer 2021 Series with Stoma
Mondays: August 23, 30, September 13, and 20, 2021

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
There is no class on Monday, September 6th, Labor Day
Begins at 7:00 p.m. with Meditation
Study of the “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali”

with Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma)
Chapter 3, the Vibhuti Pada

Cost: $55.00 for the series.
$15.00 for drop-in either in person or via Zoom
Register here for the 4-session series.
To receive the zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.

The late summer 2021 series of the “Yoga Sutras” with Stoma is being offered to anyone who desires to learn more regarding the gifts of meditation and yoga given through this text.

Everyone is welcome!

Join Dr. Stephen Parker (Stoma) for this special ongoing study of the text, the “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.” We are beginning the study of the third chapter, the “Vibhuti Pada.”

We will be using the text, either “The Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali,” or “The Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali with Bhasvati,” both by Swami Hariharananda Aaranya. Or you can use any commentary on the “Yoga Sutras” that you have available.

Full Moon Havan with Emilio Bettaglio, 8:00–8:45 p.m. CDT and Full Moon Meditation, 9:00–10:00 p. m. CDT, August 22, 2021
2021-08-22 20:00 - 22:00 UTC
Sunday: August 22, 2021
Full Moon Havan
with Emilio Bettaglio
8:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. CDT
and
Full Moon Meditation
9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p. m. CDT

To receive the Zoom link for this event, please subscribe to The Meditation Center’s e-newsletter on the home page of this website.
Details to come soon regarding the havan and the mantras that will be used for the ceremony.
View and listen here to Swami Ritavan’s Full Moon Meditation Message and Blessings

Swami Ritavan invites you to join us for a group meditation starting at 9 o’clock in the evening. Or if you are not able to be present during the zoom meeting, meditate wherever you are at that time.

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.”

Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation with Swami Radha Bharati from 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
2021-08-22 08:30 - 09:30 UTC
Via Zoom – Sunday Morning Guided Meditation
with Swami Radha Bharati
on August 22, 2021
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.

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

Join Swami Radha Bharati on Zoom for a guided meditation on Sunday, August 22nd, from 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
