Yogacharini Lurelle's Page

Radhe Krishna and welcome to our divine company....

Namaste Yogacharini,

The story looks great on your website.  I enjoyed browsing around in it, especially your chanting video.  I wish I could snap my fingers and be in one of your classes in that beautiful space!

Love and Light,

Krishna Jaya

Namaste Yogacharini,

Thank you for your interpretation.  It is right on and had never occurred to me or been pointed out to me before.  I was very self-judgmental throughout the whole episode and you picked up on that.  Even though I've learned what it means to have compassion for myself, still, when I wrote up the story a year ago, I still didn't see that what you put your finger on was the crux of the episode.  Often it takes an other person to point out what we are too close to to see.  And hence the importance of satsang.  It's interesting to me now that Swamiji did not tell me the true lesson, but waited for either me to figure it out for myself or for you, or someone like you, to come along and tell me!

You have my permission to put the story on your Facebook page if you'd like.

Om Shanti

Krishna Jaya

(...and the continuation)

The decision was made to leave soon, but first I walked around the grounds to satisfy some curiosity.  A temple for Hanuman seemed inviting.  Inside it there was a roll of duct tape sitting on a windowsill.  My backpack was falling apart and tape was just what the Doctor ordered.  Did I ask someone permission to use some of their tape?  No, I just took it, repaired the pack, and returned what was left before being on my way.  No goodbyes, no nuthin.  Just another transient passing through an oasis of peace in a crazy world…

Now, I never lost any sleep over “the theft,” but it did subtly nag at me as the years ticked by, not just the tape part in isolation but the whole experience.  Years later I was in Santa Cruz studying and practicing Yoga under the direction of Baba Hari Dass at nearby Mt. Madonna Center outside Watsonville.  Swamiji had a Santa Cruz Ashram at the time as well as a wonderful health food store in downtown Santa Cruz where I shopped regularly.  Well, one day when I was picking up some groceries, Swamiji himself walked into the store.  He was surrounded by an entourage and it soon became obvious that he was being given a tour of the store.  A strong feeling came that here was a golden opportunity to make amends, alongside another feeling of the ridiculousness of how it might play out.  I tagged along, waiting for my chance.  There were none, as he was sealed off from the outside world by his entourage.  Now they were walking out the back door to the parking lot.  I followed.  There was the car and somebody was about to open the door for him, he would get in, the door would shut, and my chance gone.  “Excuse me, excuse me please,” I said, muscling my through to him.  “Yes?” Swamiji asked, with a deep gaze.  “Swamiji,” I said, “years ago I was at your Ashram in Connecticut and I stole some tape from one of your temples.  Will you please forgive me for this mistake?”  There was a pause…that searching gaze, and finally, “If you really mean it…” 

“I was wrong,” I muttered. 

“It’s okay,” he said, and climbed into the car. 

The door shut.  Sweet release!

Namaste Yogacharini,

About a year ago I joined a local yoga studio in the little town where I live in California.

I got on their email list and in the first newsletter they asked for people to send in stories about yoga, so I wrote up an acccount of something that happened many years ago.

It was never included in one of their newsletter, but I attach the first part of it here (the whole thing is too much to send all at once because of space limitations, hoping you might have a more favorable response.

Blessed Be,

Krishna Jaya

OF MINT, PEANUTS, AND DUCT TAPE

I was back in Maine for the summer and my sister had just returned from her school, too.  She had brought with her a picture book of Sri Swami Satchidananda doing Asanas.  Betsy had taken yoga classes and had shown me a few of the poses which I enjoyed doing, but only as exotic calisthenics.  I remember how the picture book fascinated me and at the end there was a reference to one of Swamiji’s Ashrams, Yogaville in Pomfret Connecticut.  There were still a few weeks before my summer job was to kick in.  Something from the deep past must have awakened in me, because a plan soon hatched to visit the Ashram and maybe get a glimpse of the accomplished Yogi.

There was a huge mint plant in our backyard so I potted a sprig of it to bring to the Ashram as an offering, loaded up my backpack and stuck out my thumb.  It was a pilgrimage of sorts, though I did not have much of a feeling for what that meant.  Consciously, it was more along the lines of giving me something to do before the job was to begin.  The trip was a lot of fun, with much walking, sleeping in bushes, etc. 

I was met courteously at the Ashram even though there had been no call ahead to let someone know I was coming.  My intention had been to plant the mint myself in their garden, but it was taken off of my hands by someone who then disappeared with it and my reserved nature caused me not to state my intention, but to go with the flow even though it was disappointing.  There was work to be done in the kitchen and soon I was prepping vegetables for the evening meal.  I was just starting to feel comfortable when someone appeared with another task for me.  He led me out to a shed where he sat me down in front of a huge burlap bag of peanuts.  Moisture had gotten into the shed and some of the peanuts were no longer good and it was my job to separate “the wheat from the chaff.”  He put two large pots in front of me and left. 

With hindsight, it’s easy to see that the peanut exercise was a test having to do with attachment to the outcomes of action.  After more than an hour of examining and distributing peanuts one by one, I looked at the huge burlap bag and it looked exactly the same as it had at the beginning (even though I knew it wasn’t because of the peanuts in the pots).  There was a mental/emotional short-circuit and I began to get really antsy.  Oh yeah, I had earlier asked if Swamiji was on the premises and meeting with people and was told that he was there, but in solitude and not meeting with anyone.  Not being able to plant the mint had been a bummer, hearing about Swamiji’s solitude had been a bummer, and now this…sorting an endless number of peanuts.  Gimme a break.

(to be continued...) 

Namaste Yogacharini,

I see you're path is Integral Yoga.  That's Swami Satchidananda lineage, yes?

Thank you for joining Gita group.

Questions, comments and/or submissions of all kinds are always welcome.

Bright Blessings,

Krishna Jaya