"Articles"

This interview took place at Yashodhara Ashram in British Columbia, Canada on the beautiful Kootenay Lake during my 10-day Yoga Retreat the end of July. Interview with Swami Samayananda Candess: What motivated you to become involved with the Ashram? Swami Samayananda: In the late '70s I was in a PhD program in Transpersonal Psychology in California at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and it was one of the first of its kind anywhere in North America.  And it was in the first half of the year I was there I met Swami Radha. She came as a teacher in the course and she was teaching one of the workshops she had created called Life Seals. She had been very supportive of the whole transpersonal movement because she thought it was a way that women could come into the work, which was very dominated by men, the whole psychological field [was dominated by men]. And also she thought it was the women who would bring a more feminine approach into psychology and also open it up more to

Chakras are energy centers in the body within our subtle bodies. The word chakra means “wheel” in Sanskrit. The chakras appear to function as energy transformers, taking the higher level of energy in our subtle body and bringing it into a lower level of energy, which is then translated into hormonal, physiologic, and cellular changes throughout the body. To visualize the chakra you can imagine a small circle of energy the size of your fist. I liken the chakras to small computers within your body filled with valuable information. The Hindu system recognizes numerous chakras or energy centers, but I usually work with the seven main ones located along the spine. I have been intuitively reading the information in chakras for about 12 years now. More recently, an eighth chakra is appearing to me where I read karmic information. The information I am supplying here is from the writings of Anodea Judith, Caroline Myss, Paul Pearsall and my many years of studying and learning about chakr

As Domingo, my cairn-terrier mix and I were walking along the river yesterday; I saw my first buttercup of the year! It was one lone buttercup and my response was a child-like joy!  I love Spring! Although the details are different for many of us, our spirituality and beliefs often teach Spring as a time of rebirth and new growth. Here is my 2010 Spring experience. From my last newsletter you may remember I have been on a weeklong cleanse at Optimum Health Institute in Austin, Texas (www.optimumhealth.org). My friend Cheyenne had set this up for me and we were to meet there. She drove from Colorado (remember the White Eagle Village in the last newsletter) and I flew from Spokane. While flying I journaled in preparation to the experience. Check out my journal article in my blog The Essence of Who I Am. The experience was incredible. Healing happened on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level. The workshop was highly organized which I loved and our schedule was planned

by Steffie Genevieve, MSW, LICSW, CDP Have you ever wondered why a particular story line keeps playing out in your life? Do you find yourself in the same emotional patterns over and over again? Have you wondered why you are drawn to a particular personality type? Have others given you a nickname because of particular traits or behaviors they see in you? Do you have a gift or talent? Are you in a job that really suits you or not? Have you recognized your abilities but not been able to utilize them to their greatest potential? These questions and others have perplexed us since we entered this existence. The stories, patterns, personalities, nicknames, and natural abilities are all part of what has been studied by great minds known as archetypes. They are patterns that are emulated and universally recognized. Jungian psychology referred to it as a collective inherited unconscious pattern that is present in individual psyches. Archetypal patterns are ever present and applied to our d

What is passion? When you think of people you know, who would you say is passionate? How do you identify passion? How do you recognize it? What qualities describe passion? When I put this question out to others some of the responses I received were passion involves intense feelings, not all of them pleasant. Inspirational passion was described as Mother Earth and dance. One woman stated passion for her was being able to do things she was not able to do previously. One man responded with a memory of a trip to Nelson, British Columbia that was full of passion for him. Of course being a nation of romance many of us think of falling in love and sensuality. For me passion as an inner energy that moves me toward creativity, life, love, new adventures and new ideas with intensity to become, to become more fully who I am and to express myself fully and vibrantly in the moment. Passion is a natural state of being. When you watch children you notice they are full of passion, alive, in the

As I began to eat less, I also became much more interested in the foods I ate. I researched and found the reason behind eating organic. I had heard that eating this way was beneficial, but had never really thought about why that might be so. Organic Foods You may notice organic food at your local grocery store. Many wonder what the difference is between organic broccoli and the broccoli you have been purchasing and eating most of your life. A brochure by the USDA National Organic Program explains that organic food is grown by farmers who are conscious of the importance of using renewable resources. These farmers want to preserve the soil and water so they can be used by generations to come. When the word organic is used in reference to animal products, it means that the animals that are the source of those products have not been given growth hormones or antibiotics. Organic food is produced “without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredie