Beloved,

Hari om from Haridwar, the holiest city at the foothills of the Himalayas.I am writing from our little orphanage "Matri Chhaya Gurukulam" in the jungle near Haridwar, where the children and the buildings are growing nicely. We now have more guest rooms for volunteers and people who want to come for deepened sadhana. I am here until May 15, and you are all welcome!

(to see photos and more information about our orphanage, go to http://www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org/english/photo_galleries/network_of_love.html

and click on "Orphanages"). I also want to take this opportunity to deeply thank all of you who have helped and participated in all of our Kriya Yoga and Ark of Love programs in 2008 on four continents --

so much love, dedication and creativity has really touchedmy heart. God bless your noble souls always.

2009: THE YEAR TO RE-INVENT OURSELVES

It is fairly safe to assume that 2008 will not be missed. In fact, it will probably go down in history as the year where decades of unchecked greed, blind consumerism, and selfishness finally revealed their catastrophic consequences for the economy, the environment, education, society, and our spirit
all across the globe.

Wonderful! Now comes the opportunity to re-invent everything - the way we produce, consume, work, entertain ourselves, teach, learn, communicate, love, share, and live for a higher purpose.To help with the process,

I have written a little guide which you will find attached. I have also attached an interview of Swamito written by a journalist and loving kriyavan, Miguel-Angel Cardenas from Peru.

SPECIAL EVENTS IN 2009

1. "Friends of Humanity" Training

Our FREE week-long trainings (in Spanish and English) will take place this year in two locations:
- in Bogota, Colombia for Level 1 (July 5-12, 2009)

- in Lima, Peru for Level 2 (August 23-30, 2009).

Please note that this training is only offered to people who have succesfully completed the Level-1 training in any of the previous years. More information and registration forms will be posted on our website www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org soon.

2. "Lifting the Veil of Maya":

Pilgrimage-Retreat in the Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia.

Last year's program was so successful that we will now make it a yearly event! The dates for this year are: September 21-27, 2009. All are welcome (including previous participants) but please book early, as space is limited. For more information and to pre-register, please contact Br. Devananda at devananda@arcadelamor.org

3. Brahmachari Initiation in Haridwar, India (April 13, 2009):

Usually reserved for life-long celibates, brahmacharya is also possible for mature couples who have renounced carnal relationship and who are ready to take the triple vow of poverty, obedience, and purity. I am delighted to announce that a new brahmacharya initiation will take place in the holy city of Haridwar
in the Tripura Yogashram on the bank of the Ganga river. Scheduled for April 13, this is the most auspicious date of Vaisakhi, a major festival for both Sikhs and Hindus, the new harvest festival!

4. "Maha Khumba Mela" pilgrimage in Haridwar, India (February 8 - 28, 2010):

Many of you have been asking me to provide all possible information at least a year in advance so that you may plan ahead to participate in the world's greatest religious gathering (which occurs only every 12 years), so here it is!

According to the Indian government, the Kumbha Mela in Haridwar will be held in March and April 2010. That is the official story. But the Khumba Mela really starts with the "Makara Samkranti" festival (when the sun enters Capricorn, which will be on January 14 in 2010), when millions of pilgrims and sadhus start arriving in the city.

The Khumbha Mela officially finishes on the most sacred bathing day which will be on April 14, 2010.

So the Khumbha Mela really lasts at least threemonths (from mid-January to mid-April).

Swami Sharad Puri, Swami Amlanand, Swami Chetan, and myself will be holding our Khumba Mela Pilgrimage and Yoga Camp in Haridwar from Monday Feb. 8 to Sunday Feb. 28.

1. The program will officially start with a reception in Delhi at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram on February 8.
2. The next day (Feb. 9) will be reserved for visiting the famous Akshar Dham temple and for doing some shopping.

3. The following day (Feb. 10) we will go by air-conditioned coach to Haridwar (a comfortable 6-hour ride).

Some of the highlights of the program in Haridwar are:

- Two Kriya Yoga guided meditations every day
- Hatha yoga classes
- Lectures on scriptures and Indian culture
- Visits to the Khumba Mela
- Sacred baths in the Ganga
- Meetings with sadhus, saints, and great mystics who will converge on Haridwar from all over India

- we will also organize visits to some of the many ashrams, temples, holy groves, and sacred places in and around Haridwar.
- And, of course, we will play with and serve the children of our orphanage!

While in Haridwar (from Feb. 10 to 26), all disciples will be comfortably lodged in our "Matri Chhaya Gurukulam" campus which is near the Kumbha Mela grounds.

4. OPTIONAL PROGRAM

For those who want it, we can also organize a photo safari in the famous Chilla range nearby, for a rare chance to see wild elephants, tigers, and an extraordinary fauna and flora.

5. SPECIAL CELEBRATIONS

We will also celebrate two of the most important religious festivities in India:

A) "Mahashivaratri" or "The Great Night of Shiva" at the famous Daksha Prajapati Mandir on February 12 (possibly the oldest temple in India, dedicated to Lord Shiva).

B) "Holi" (the joyful festival of colors consecrated to Lord Krishna on February 27 and 28. For this special celebration, we will travel to the very heart of bhakti, the holy city of Vrindavan where Krishna performed his enrapturing lila ("divine play")!

6. RETURN TO DELHI

From Vrindavan we will go by air-conditioned coach to Delhi on February 28 in the evening to the sri Aurobindo Ashram, for the conclusion of our three-week program. So start saving, book your tickets, and see you there in a year! To know more about the Kumbha Mela in general, go to Wikipedia.com and type "Khumba Mela"

WORLD TOUR 2009

Here is my schedule for 2009. Please remember to also check the page http://www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org/english/who_we_are/swamiji/swamiji_schedule.html for more details and the latest updates.

MAKING IT A MORE CHARITABLE YEAR

Most people tend to freeze up their charitable giving in times of economic insecurity. This survival instinct actually makes the situation worse for everybody:

- the poor who have seen prices rapidly rising and who are receiving even less assistance
- the charitable organizations which depend on generous donations to carry out their humanitarian programs
- the economy which loses more and more jobs and income from charity-driven industries
- the individuals who stop giving (or who never give) because they live in a spirit of poverty and survival although materially secure.

Please re-read the book I sent you a few months ago ("The Richest Man of Babaylon") to understand how this spiritual principle works.

Last month I sent a little report on our charitable work with the street children of La Paz. Ever since this last visit we have been trying to raise funds to provide a home for these wonderful and deserving children, who show so much promise. Since we wrote this report, little Franklin, one of the children, died of exposure, which give us an additional urgency to completing this project as soon as possible.

With God's bountiful blessings manifesting through all of you, I know that this dream will become a reality very soon...

ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD

A disciple recently donated to us a wonderful educational tool, which works even for the most illiterate child: a rugged little laptop specially designed for children living in poor countries. It has been a HUGE hit here in our orphanage! I hope to be able to find a way to get one for every one of children in the future...
To know more about this astounding product, you can visit the site of the charitable organization which produces it: http://laptop.org/en/

One wonderful aspect about this program is that if you decide to purchase one laptop to donate to the Hariharananda Mission for instance, they will ship a second one for free to another poor child somewhere in the developing world!

VOLUNTEERING

If you feel moved to contribute more than just financially to our little cause, you can also volunteer with your talents.

We are currently looking for:

1. fund-raisers and people with grant-writing skills

2. translators at a professional or near-professional level to translate:
- from English into French
- from French into English
- from French into Spanish

3. movie editors

4. software engineers (to make a simple program to memorize the scriptures in any language)

Remember that you are also always welcome to come and volunteer either as a short-term or long term-resident in our schools and orphanages in India, or a couple of hours a week in our centers for children at risk in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Brazil.

For more information, please visit our website www.reddelamor.org (currently in development) and contact Br. Devananda at devananda@arcadelamor.org

You can browse and download all previous "Monthly Lessons" at www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org/english/monthly_lessons/ monthly_lessons-index.html

Finally please remember to regularly visit our Blog in English http://www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org/blog/
... for more updates, podcasts, and other sources of inspiration!

Thank you very much.
May God and Gurus bless you always.

Humble,
Yogi Sarveshwarananda

Re-inventing ourselves in 2009 Download

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Message 28 February 2009

Dearest and divine souls,

Hari om from Uttarkashi in the high Himalayas! I am traveling this week with a group of disciples to visit the Swami Vivekananda Foundation school for poor children which Swami Chetan and I built on the banks of the Ganga river.

Many disciples are gradually arriving from all over the world, seeking the deep peace of the lofty Himalayas and learning about the ancient yogic and ayurvedic lifestyle and remedies to live a life free of stress, happy, and purposeful. I hope you too will take this opportunity in the future...

I have attached a wonderful poem by the great Swami Vivekananda titled "Song of the Sannyasin" which sets forth in very vigorous images the ideal of freedom and renunciation. A great read for all lovers of inner freedom--not just sannyasins!

In addition, here are three podcasts I think you might enjoy... in addition to the Storytelling Monk's podcast, I hope (-:

A wonderful series of podcasts on Buddhism by the American scholar and entertainer Alan Watts:
http://www.alanwattspodcast.com/Alan_Watts/Alan_Watts_Podcast/Alan_Watts_Podcast.html

Troubled about your yamas and niyamas? There is a great series from Randy Cohen, Times Magazine columnist, who answers readers' questions on ethical issues. The podcast is called, aptly, "The Ethicist":
http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/nyt/podcasts/cohen.xml

Some intelligent and respectful debates on the world's faith from American Public Media's "Speaking of Faith" podcast:
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/index.shtml

Sorry that these podcasts are only available in English. If you know of some inspiring and open-minded podcasts in French, Spanish and Portuguese, kindly let me know and I will consider them for future posts.

Thank you very much.
God bless you always.
Humble,
Swamiji

[Song.of.the.Sanyasin.doc]

Song.of.the.Sanyasin.doc 2009 Download

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My beloved souls,

Hari om from Santo Domingo, where I have just reached.

The last few months have been enormously busy in India and in Europe, that is why I was unable to keep up with the bi-monthly podcasts and Monthly Messages, but I am now on tour again (starting with the Caribbean Islands, then on to Miami and then South America) until the end of the year, and I will now be able to communicate more frequently with you all again and give you an update on the wonderful activities happening in India and other places.
 
But the main reason I am writing you, my beloved souls, is to let you know of an important life change for me.

Yesterday June 9 in San Juan, surrounded by a close group of devotees from Puerto Rico, I renounced my monastic vows and entered the householder life again.

I have been enormously blessed to have been initiated by Gurudev Baba Hariharananda into the noble monastic tradition of ancient India and live this life for 16 years (4 years as a brahmachari first, then 12 years as a swami), and the time has now come for me to re-enter the householder path, as the desire for family life has never left me in all these 16 years of inner struggle.

I am now engaged to my old sweetheart from 20 years ago, Allison Ma, whom I have just met again a few months ago after 20 years. She is a practitioner of Vipassana meditation, but has also taken initiation in Kriya Yoga. Our plan is to wait one year before getting married in 2010 (and yes, we will announce the date ahead of time to all of you, our Global Family!) 

I have talked to all my brother monks in India about it, and all have offered their unconditional support and approval.
They all told me that they will have even more respect for me, because I choose to accept my nature and my feelings, and avoid corruption. They also assured me that it is absolutely no problem to change status, and to leave the monastic order. Thousands of monks have done it and have been happily married.
They also said that by residing in our ashram and orphanages in India as a married couple, my wife and I would be a wonderful example for the children—-a spiritual householder couple from America.

About the transformation ceremony, they told me, "When you are ready to renounce the monastic life, you simply go to Mother Ganga or to the ocean, and offer your ochre-colored robes to her with a prayer saying, ‘O God, I am unable to maintain the celibate life, and I wish to enter the grihastha [householder] state again. Kindly accept my obeisance and lead my wife and I to fulfill our divine duties as householders with purity, honesty, and integrity.’”
This is what I did yesterday morning in the ocean in San Juan. Please pray for me my beloved ones on this new auspicious start in my life.

My life, service, and work will remain exactly the same as before: initiating, doing rituals, concerts, events, training, etc.

I feel particularly fortunate to belong to the Kriya Yoga lineage, which has always been primarily transmitted through householder yogacharyas, starting with the very first disciple, Lahiri Mahashaya.

I have prepared a short list of responses to answer the common questions I have heard about this life change.

1. What will be your new official name?

Instead of Swami Sarveshwarananda Giri, I will be Yogi Sarveshwarananda Giri (or with an alternate spelling, Yogi Sarveshwar Ananda Giri)
The scriptures specify that both "Ananda" and "Giri" have always been householder names, so I can keep being "Divine Joy in Everything" (which is the meaning of this blessed name Baba gave me, and which changed my life forever). Thank God!

2. What will we call you?

In India most people will still call me "Swamiji" -- not because I am a former monk, but because that is how spiritual teachers are often called there. Otherwise people can call me "Yogiji" if they want to use a title, or simply "Swamito" or Sarvesh to be informal. All appellations are welcome!

3. What will you wear?

According to the scriptures, only monks can wear ochre-colored robes. Which means that I can wear any other color. My brother monks advised me to wear white or yellow or peach, which is what spiritual teachers usually wear in India. Initiatlly I will wear mostly white. Then I will see.

4. What will you continue to do, and what will you not do anymore?

I am still a Yogacharya and continue to serve Baba Hariharananda with all my heart and soul by initiating people in Kriya Yoga, giving lectures, conducting retreats, providing counselling, organizing spiritual events, offering free "Friends of Humanity" trainings, leading pilgrimages, etc.

I am still a priest, celebrating weddings, conducting funerals, doing house blessings, celebrating ecumenical masses, performing rituals, etc.

I am still working full-time for the family of Hariharananda Missions which I created around the world

I am still working closely with Rajarshi Raghabanandaji (Baba's most advanced disciple alive today) and his Kriya community in India

I continue my service full time to the widows, orphans and abandoned old people in Latin America and India through the Network of Love
grassroot movement Baba has blessed since its inception in 2001.

I will still live in ashrams and our schools and orphanages in India, where my brother monks have assured me that my wife and I will always be welcome.

The only thing that will be different is that I will no longer initiate brahmacharis nor do monastic trainings. I will continue to guide spiritually the current brahmachari that I initiated -- Brahmachari Devananda. His monastic guidance will be performed from now by my brother monks in India -- Swami Sharad Puri, Swami Amlanand Giri, Swami Chetan, Swami Sharadananda, and Swami Shuddhir Giri, who have generously and enthusiastically accepted to take over that function from me.

All the rest is exactly the same.


5. Will Allison Ma accompany you in your travels?

She will not be able to travel with me this year, but she will do it from next year (2010) onward.

I wanted you to know everything in detail, my dearest souls, because we are all the children of our beloved Baba Hariharananda and I will always honor that sacred relationship first and foremost.

Thank you very much.
God bless you always.

Humble,
Yogi Sarveshwarananda Giri

Yogi ji Initiation Messages.doc 2009 Download

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My beloved and divine ones!

Hari om from Lima.

I pray that you are well and growing confidently in God's brilliant light. I have not been able to write in a while due to our many expanding programs in Latin America... which is all good news!

I have now finished two 8-day free trainings of the "Friends of Humanity" -- one was in Bogota, Colombia (Level 1), and the other was here in Lima, Peru (Level 2). We now have a beautiful new team of loving hearts and healing hands ready to serve and give to this world. This was one of my most blissful experience -- to see people awakening to their potential and recognizing that, as Mahatma Gandhi said so wisely, "we must be the change we want to see in this world." I am also pleased to report that our past and and present graduates have started a "Friends of Humanity Club" to further their studies and put them in practice. We are developping a website for this club which will be opened to all. More about this in our next message next month...

In the meantime the kriyavans of Peru just surprised me by creating a BEAUTIFUL website for my programs in Peru. You can see it at http://kriyayoga.grameco.com/. The tabs at the top of the page have the description of every aspects of the different activities. We will use this format from now to promoite our kriya and charitable programs in all cities in the world.

Our work with the Ark of Love in Latin America is progressing nicely - I am now working on completing a "Manual for Ark of Love Volunteers" which is currently being edited and has already been sent to all our Ark of love centers. In this respect we are happy to welcome the kriyavans of Cali, Colombia, who have just started a new Ark of Love in their city this year! Congratulations and many blessings to you all...

Our orphanage in Haridwar (called Matri Chhaya, meaning "The Grace of the Mother") just received seven new little angels. We have a couple of volunteers from Brazil who are staying there for one year to help take care of the orphans, teaching them English, hygiene, creative activities, storytelling, playing, and loving them immensely. And I just received news that the second wing of the building is nearing completion, and that soon we will be able to receive 50 more orphans!

Remember to check our ever expanding website www.reddelamor.org for more materials and information on our charitable activities in the world.

We are also in the process of developing a little cottage industry for our poor girls and widows in India, whereby they manufacture lovely little malas and spiritual toys, and the proceeds from the sales will go towards their education, health care, and helping them set up their own business. I brought in my luggage nearly a thousand malas that they had already made while I was in India, and selling them through our various Kriya programs. They are very well-received! I wrote a little document to explain the use and purpose of these malas, which I have attached for your information. One volunteer is also helping me build a website to sell these malas online. Finally, I will need to find some way to have these malas and toys distributed in stores in various countries. Any suggestions or leads, feel free to pass them on, my dear souls.

We are setting up a new website to sell these malas. In my next message I will tell you more about it.

I have also attached a document I recently wrote to share some yogic insight on the treatment and management of anxiety and depression, as these psychological disorders are becoming increasingly widespread in modern societies. Feel free to share this information with your contacts, loved ones and anyone you think might benefit from it.

The next event on the horizon is our third annual Isla del Sol retreat in Lake Titicaca September 21-27. This combination pilgrimage and retreat will be on theme of divine Love this year. There are a couple of places left, so if you are interested please contact Br. Devananda at devananda@arcadelamor.org...

Finally, some opportunities for you to become involved and help spread the message of joyful and compassionate living of Baba Hariharananda and the Kriya masters:

1. We need donations to continue supporting our charitable activities with street children, adolescents at social risk, widows and abandoned children and old-age people in Latin America and India. Kindly consider making a regular donation to help. For details about how to contribute, please visit our page at http://hariharanandakriyayoga.org/english/join_us/contribute_index.html

2. We need people who have experience in fund-raising so that we can start applying for government grants and corporate donations. Anyone willing to help? Please contact Br. Devananda at devananda@arcadelamor.org

Thank you very much. May God and all masters bless you all.

Humble,

Yogi Sarveshwar Ananda Giri
 

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My divine and darling souls,

Hari om from Santa Cruz, Bolivia!

I pray that you are all well and treasuring your True Wealth -- your breath.

DIVINE LOVE RETREAT

I have just finished conducting our second annual "Divine Love" week-long retreat/pilgrimage in the mystical Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. 18 participants from Colombia, Mexico, Bolivia, Argentina, France and the USA came together to share a week of teachings, meditations, chanting, metaphorical storytelling, dynamic activities and exploration of the Island of the Sun and the Island of the moon, the twin "Fontanel of the World" as described in the ancient Andean culture. We concluded our program with an educational and charitable program for the poor children of the island.

Our dear Cesar from Bogota will create an illustrated report which will be sent with the next monthly message.

During this retreat, we learned from our French participant Annah Ma a marvellous style of walking effortlessly and consciously in the mountains; it turns long hikes in rugged terrain into a joyful, effortless moving meditation. I have attached a document which summarizes its principles so that you may enjoy this wonderful practice immediately.

FRIENDS OF HUMANITY TRAINING LEVEL 1 IN BOGOTA
Our dear Juan Sebastian not only gave all his enthusiastic participation to the free "Friends of Humanity" training in Bogota last July, he also wrote a very nice little report about it which I have attached. May it inspire you to attend the next one in 2010

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
Our next two international events will both take place in India in 2010:

1) A week-long Kriya Yoga seminar conducted by Rajarshi Raghabananda (Baba Hariharananda's most advanced disciple) and myself, with the participation of many old-time Yogacharyas of Baba Hariharananda. This first annual international Kriya Yoga seminar will be attended by many old-time disciples of Paramahamsa Hariharananda from India and other countries. It will take place from January 26 to 31, 2010 at the newly-finished Hariharananda Kriya Yoga Mission ashram in Banabira, Orissa, in India.
And if the name "Banabira" sounds familiar... yes, it is the famous "Kriya Yoga village of love" which I mentioned in an earlier report last year. You can read about it at this link:
www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org/english/pdf/force-download.php?file=A_VISIT_TO_HEAVEN_ON_EARTH.pdf

The Hariharananda Mission West is financially supporting the development of the Banabira ashram, as well as the future plans to construct a little school, an ayurvedic clinic, and a guest house for visiting disciples in this extremely poor and lovely part of central India. If you feel moved to sponsor financially some of our educational and charitable activities, or to become involved as a volunteer, kindly contact us at informes@arcadelamor.org

2) The Kumbha Mela Camp!
An opportunity to have a taste of the famous Khumba Mela (the world's largest religious gathering which returns only every twelve years in Haridwar): our first three-week long Yoga camp at our Matri Chhaya Gurukulam campus in the holy city of Haridwar. The dates are February 8 to 28, 2010, which will allow us to enjoy the Shivaratri and Holi festivals as well! Please see www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org/english/pilgrimages/mahakumbh_2010.html for some preliminary information.

More details about the cost and how to register for both Indian programs will be posted on the www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org website soon.

NEW: YOUTUBE CHANNEL!
I am pleased to report that some of our graduates at the "Friends of Humanity Club" have just created a YouTube channel! You can visit it by going to www.youtube.com/user/HariharanandaMission
At present there is only one video -- but a spectacular one: a rare excerpt of Baba Hariharananda's 93 birthday celebration at the Miami ashram in 2000.
Please note that we actually have three YouTube channels:
- an English one at www.youtube.com/user/HariharanandaMission
- A Spanish one at www.youtube.com/user/MisionHariharananda
- A Portuguese one at www.youtube.com/user/MissaoHariharananda

We have TONS of video clips which will be gradually added to these channels in their respective language, so be sure to come and visit them frequently!

SEVA OPPORTUNITY
We are gradually assembling a fund-raiser team to help us obtain funds from corporations, private fundations, and government agencies.
We are also looking for professional-standard editors in English and Portuguese for the 70+ books by Rajarshi Raghabananda and myself that we are planning on bringing out gradually over the years.

If you have some experience in these fields and would like to contribute, your participation will be warmly welcome! Kindly contact us at informes@arcadelamor.org

PAST MESSAGES
If you have recently been added to our mailing list, please note that ALL past "Monthly Messages" and documents are available for free download at www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org/english/monthly_lessons/monthly_lessons-index.html

Thank you very much. May God and all masters bless you all.

Humble,

Yogi Sarveshwar Ananda Giri

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My Beloved souls!

Hari om from Brasilia. I pray that you are experiencing the highest joy and light consistently in your life.
I am currently completing my 2009 South American tour -- the busiest and most succesful ever! -- and I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have helped organize and participated in our numerous activities all over Latin America!

Here is an update on what to look forward to in the future...

I. INDIAN PROGRAMS

Here are all the details of the two Indian programs for 2010:

1. International Kriya Yoga seminar with Rajarshi Raghabananda, Yogi Sarveshwarananda Giri, and several long-time acharyas of Paramahamsa Hariharananda
Date: Tuesday January 26 - Sunday January 31, 2010
Cost: $150 (including all courses, food and lodging. Costs of local transportation and extra-curricular activities are not included.)
Organizing institutions: Hariharananda Kriya Yoga Mission and Hariharananda Mission West
Address: At-Banabira, P.O. Tabada, Via Sohela, Dist. Bargarh, Orissa 768033, India

Local contacts:
1. Yogananda Sahu. Cell phone: +91 (97) 7829-3191
2. Chitrasen Debta. Cell phone: +91 (99) 3722-3217
3. Yogi Sarveshwarananda Giri. Cell phone: +91 (99) 9745-9486

PLEASE NOTE:
- This seminar is open to ALL Kriyavans initiated in the lineage of Paramahamsa Hariharananda.
- Accomodations are rustic in this poor part of India, and we are doing the very best we can to ensure a comfortable and hygienic experience for all, but one should not expect Western standards of living over there. To go with a spirit of adventure and flexibility is part of of our sadhana (spiritual practice)!

2. Khumba Mela Yoga Camp with Yogi Sarveshwarananda Giri, Swami Sharad Puri, Swami Amlananda Giri, and Swami Chetan
Date: Any week between Monday February 8 and Sunday February 28, 2010
Cost: $175 per week (including all courses, guides, Kumbha Mela events, food and lodging. Costs of local transportation and extra-curricular activities are not included.)
Organizing institutions: Sri Hariharananda Trust, Tripura Yogashram, and Swami Vivekananda Foundation
Address: Matri Chhaya Gurukulam, Laksar Road, Jagjeetpur, Haridwar, Uttarkhand 249408, India

Local contacts:
1. Reception: +91 (99) 9798-6539
2. Yogi Sarveshwarananda Giri. Cell phone: +91 (99) 9745-9486 and
3. Swami Sharad Puri. Cell phone: +91 (93) 1902-2436
4. Swami Amlanand Giri. Cell phone: +91 (93) 1903-9989
5. Swami Chetan. Cell phone: +91 (94) 1207-7723

PLEASE NOTE:
- This yoga camp is open to ALL seekers, irrespective of their spiritual practice or lineage.
- Participants are required to register and pay for a minimum of a one-week period upon arrival. This period of time can be renewed for up to three weeks in total, but not shortened.
- People will be housed either in our brand new Matri Chhaya Gurukulam orphanage or in nearby comfortable ashrams.

GENERAL POINTS ABOUT THE INDIAN PROGRAMS

- There will be an opportunity to receive initiation on the first day of either program for people desiring to learn the authentic Kriya Yoga technique of Paramahamsa Hariharananda (the initiation donation is separate from the seminar fee).
- These events are not for tourists or casual visitors, but for dedicated seekers desirous to embrace the disciplined atmosphere of the ashram life and deepen their spiritual practice.
- Participants are required to attend all classes of the program(s) they have registered for, except for special cases approved by prior arrangement.
- People are entirely responsible for all of their transportation arrangements (international and domestic), from their country of origin to the ashram, and their return journey. Due to an increase in the number of people visiting us each year, we are no longer able to provide assistance in this area, but will be happy to refer you to reliable resources for all of your domestic transportation needs and extra-curricular activities and accomodations.
- Various Kriya Yoga centers are contemplating organizing themselves to go to these Indian programs as a group. It is a wonderful idea that can save its members a lot of time and money, and make it a fun activity!
- For more information about these two programs, please go to www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org/english/pilgrimages/pilgrimage_index.html

II. HELPING HAND

We rely on your generous financial contributions to be able to continue our charitable activities with poor children and widows. One of the terrible effect of the worldwide economic recession has been to see a dramatic increase in the number of street children worldwide. See for instance this recent article (in English) from the New York Times at www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/us/26runaway.html

However it is not all bad news. In fact, there is a LOT of great, uplifting stories about individuals making a difference in the face of misery and injustice. You do not hear about it much in the media, but if you know where to look... Try here for instance: www.csmonitor.com/makingadifference/

If the Spirit moves you to want to contribute, here are a three novel ways you can do so:

1. Facebook
We have started a "Facebook Cause" page and would like to invite you all to join it and help us raise funds by donating and recruiting new members.
You can visit it at at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/334240
... and kindly consider making a donation. If everybody donated just $10, we could immediately raise over $20,000!!!

2. GoodSearch and GoodShop
You can raise money for Hariharananda Mission West just by searching the web ("Goodsearch") and shopping online ("Goodshop"). It is a simple as clicking on the "GoodSearch" button at the bottom of our website www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org
Or much simpler, you can download the Goodsearch/GoodShop toolbar at www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/ and install it in your web browser!
If you are interested, you can see the money that has already been raised through this simple method by visiting the page www.goodsearch.com/nonprofit/hariharananda-mission-west.aspx

3. Frequent Flyer Miles
Another way you can help is by donating your unused frequent flyer miles to a charity such as the Hariharananda Mission West. Please see the excellent article at http://www.johnnyjet.com/folder/charity.html to learn about it.

More information about how to contribute can be found at http://hariharanandakriyayoga.org/english/join_us/contribute_index.html

III. STUDY MATERIAL

This month I am attaching Part 1 of some notes taken from my latest "Lifting the veil of Maya" retreat in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Thank you very much to Manuel Baba for his excellent note-taking and formatting skills!
In this first document you will learn about the relationship between the subconscious and the ego, and some typical ego manipulations. Next month, you will learn about how to identify and rewrite toxic beliefs. Happy studying!

IV. PAST MESSAGES
If you have recently been added to our mailing list, please note that ALL past "Monthly Messages" and documents are available for free download at www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org/english/monthly_lessons/monthly_lessons-index.html

Thank you very much. May God and all masters bless you all.

Humble,
Yogi Sarveshwar Ananda Giri

Lifting The Veil Of Maya - Part1.pdf Download Top

My beloved souls!

Hari om from California. Blessed times are here!
We are entering the Holy Season common to so many religions:

- All Souls'/All Saints' Day in Christianity (November 1 and 2)
- Hajj in Islam (November 25-28)
- Thanksgiving in the USA (November 26)
- Bodhi Day in Buddhism (December 8)
- Hanukkah in Judaism (December 12-19)
- Hijra (New Year) in Islam (December 18)
- Solstice--corresponding to Yule in Christianity (December 21)
- Christmas in Christianity (December 25)
- Kwanza in African-American spiritual traditions (December 26 - January 1)
- Ashura in Islam (December 27)

This is a time to pause, to offer thanks, to share our time, love and resources with our less fortunate brothers and sisters.
This is the time to turn down the volume on the inevitable commercial fever inspired by the holidays.
This is the time to turn more inward and to contemplate in the secret cave of our being the unfathomable, inexhaustible treasure of our life -- our breath, our God.
Happy breath day! Happy holy day!

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As promised, I am attaching the second and final part of our class on the subsconscious and the ego. This material comes in two forms today: the continuation of last month's class notes, and a worksheet to help you design your new positive affirmations and track your subconscious' reactions.

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YOUTUBE CHANNEL UPDATES

Our divine Luna Ma has uploaded several new videos clips on our YouTube channel.
The new materials only appears in the Spanish YouTube channel at present (www.youtube.com/user/MisionHariharananda), but very soon new material will be added to the English channel (www.youtube.com/user/HariharanandaMission) and Portuguese channel (www.youtube.com/user/MissaoHariharananda) as well. Stay tuned!

Our dear friend Yogacharya Don Abrams from New York has uploaded several beautiful videos of Baba Hariahrananda on his own YouTube channel in English. Please visit it at www.youtube.com/kriyadonbaba

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Our 2010 India programs (Kriya Yoga seminar in Orissa and Kumbha Mela Yoga camp in Haridwar) are taking shape. At the request of many of you, I have prepared a guide for travelling to India, which I have also attached. Even if you are not planning to travel to India next year, it might inspire you to make a life-changing journey one day...

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PAST MESSAGES

If you have recently been added to our mailing list, please note that ALL past "Monthly Messages" and documents are available for free download at www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org/english/monthly_lessons/monthly_lessons-index.html

Thank you very much. May God and all masters bless you all.

Humble,
Yogi Sarveshwar Ananda Giri

Generic Daily Affirmations to Practice - Template.doc Download Lifting The Veil Of May a- Part 2.pdf Download Information for visitors to India-2010.pdf Download Top

My Beloved souls,
Hari om from the snowy Alps! I pray that you are all well and spending the Holy Days season in the spirit it was intended -- the sharing of love, peace and goodwill. This is not always easy to achieve in our over-committed social life and commercialized holidays. Please be mindful of the usual stress triggers: over-eating, shopping beyond our means, foregoing exercise, and trying to please too many different people all at once. This is the time to give to yourself the gift of seclusion and silence in the depth of your soul... Practice your formal sitting meditation and/or yoga or contemplative walk for just a few minutes a day if that is all you can manage, and watch your breath the rest of the day, whenever you remember to do it. This simple exercise will make a huge difference in the quality of your Holy Days season.

For your inspiration, I am attaching Baba Hariharanananda's "Christmas Story" -- the transcription of an inspired talk Baba gave on Christmas Eve 1990. What always thrills me is the way Baba relates these well-known events as if he were a permanent, omnipresent direct eye-witness. I hope you enjoy it.

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PAST MESSAGES

If you have recently been added to our mailing list, please note that ALL past "Monthly Messages" and documents are available for free download at www.hariharanandakriyayoga.org/english/monthly_lessons/monthly_lessons-index.html

Thank you very much. May God and all masters bless you all.

Humble,
Yogi Sarveshwar Ananda Giri

AChristmasStory.pdf Download Top