Monday, June 8, 2009

Importance of Maintaining Your Daily Spiritual Practice

Every time you feel tired and depleted of energy what is happening? Well your vital life energy is disappearing from your physical body. Your chakras become imbalanced and blocked.

Is this what you want? If not then one must look for the cause of this depletion. The cause relates to all of those "beliefs" that you have acquired throughout your life that have fooled you into "investing" your vital life energy into activities that leave you feeling depleted.

These are activities that are driven by your precious beliefs and that are “supposed” to help you cope and survive in this world. Please be honest with yourself and acknowledge that even the most spiritually elevated of us here on this planet fail to retain their vital life energy in spite of all of their “learned wisdom”.

So what is one to do, discard all of one’s beliefs or fill your life with distraction? How will one cope let alone feel any sense of peace and security? It's no wonder many cannot wait, out of fear, to fill their minds with more distraction, which in the end draws them further away from their spiritual practice.

What happens when you are seduced into giving up your Divine Vital Life Energy to something that does not serve you i.e. separates you from your life. Whether it is relationship issues, legal battles or money problems it is very easy to be taken away from your true self. Many circumstances arise out of other people’s own depletion which in turn tries to take yours. Follow your heart and know your path and continue your daily practices. In time you will regain your energies, which in turn can only strengthen you and also those that have been trying to deplete you.

What is the alternative? Continue to discontinue your daily spiritual practice, neglecting your daily meditation, your yoga? This leaves one feeling depleted, drained, powerless, helpless, vulnerable, frightened, traumatized, weakened, alone, frustrated, angry, hopeless, depressed, and eventually spiritually dead.

If necessary write out a schedule to follow your daily spiritual practice and be sure to follow it.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Summer Solstice Celebration 2010

Summer Solstice Celebration to be Scheduled for the Summer of 2010

There is much to plan but our dream to have a summer solstice celebration and a way to introduce Kirtan music; a form of

Bhakti Yoga
Is Coming to Fruition!

Bhakti Yoga is the yoga of devotion. Kirtan (sacred chanting) is a way to practice Bhakti Yoga, so come join us and chant to live music with Brenda McMorrow.

The scriptures say that the easiest path to self-realization is to chant sacred chants in the company of others. Chanting together unites our common consciousness, emanates positive energy into the atmosphere and transports you beyond your dualistic mind.




What is Kirtan?

The purifying power of devotion is mentioned in almost every spiritual tradition.

The word kirtan comes form the Sanskrit root "kirt" which means "to name, to communicate, to celebrate, to praise, to glorify."

Kirtan is a Devotional Chanting practice and an important aspect of the path of Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of Devotion. In the Ashtanga Yoga system, kirtan is categorized as pratyahara (methods which draw the mind inward). Kirtan can be seen as a bridge between our outer and inner selves and an expression of our desire to know and love God within.

Concentration and focus are important aspects of singing kirtan. To this end, closing ones eyes, clapping, and listening intently both to the chant and to changes in rhythm can help. Rhythm carries the energy of the kirtan; if the group is in sync, kirtan is enhanced and the atmosphere becomes charged with spiritual energy.

As in any spiritual practice, what we bring to kirtan will determine what we receive from it. If concentration, aim, feeling, rhythm, and repetition of the divine are combined, kirtan can be raised to a level that may carry the minds of all involved to a higher place, where communication becomes Communion, an offering and a True Prayer.


Tentative List of Times and Events for the

Summer Solstice Celebration 2010

8am – Silent Nature Walk & Mantras On the mountain

9am – Tai Chi demonstration

10am - To Be Announced

12pm - Picnic Lunch (BYO basket of food & blanket)

1pm – Raw Food Demonstration– with Alexi Bracey

http://www.stovelesscuisine.com/

1pm – Kids craft time (shakers for the kirtan)

2pm - Family Yoga with Mike Warcholyk

2pm – Intro to NIA- with Claire Tonack (MindBodyBreath Studios)

3pm – Sacred Path Workshop

4pm - Brenda McMorrow http://www.brendamcmorrow.com/

6pm – Vegetarian Dinner with Yves Veggie People(BYO blanket)

Relax & make new friends or take a trip to town

8pm - Bon Fire – Chanting and Drumming

Once again Keep in mind that the list of events is still in the planning stages and will be ready for the Summer of 2010.

Event Sponsored by Centre of Your Spiritual Heart

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Nepal- Outpost of the Cold War

Please read the words of a man who has journeyed the world to try and capture the ails and moments of peace - wonderful photography and moving stories of truth ~ Namaste ♥

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Evolution of our Centre






Hello to our readers. We are very excited with all of the wonderful things that have been happening at our centre. Many times you may have visited our site for new content and have found very little to read. Please know that much has been going on behind the scenes and soon we will be publishing many more articles to keep you reading and hopefully inspired. Hopefully too you will be able to come and visit us whether you live in Bancroft or in another country we look forward to having you visit.


Also you will find more information on our classes as well as schedules etc. One of our most popular classes is our Tibetan yoga. We also offer devotional chanting, Nada, Hatha and many other esoteric and spiritual based classes. Donations are gladly accepted.

Kirtan is coming to Bancroft

One of our Kirtan events will be the
Summer Solstice weekend Sunday June 20, 2010 where we will be having a Kirtan gathering.
We will be hosting singer Brenda McMorrow and her band http://www.brendamcmorrow.com
Our summer solstice event will be filled with many activities throughout the day including yoga, kids yoga, Nia dance and various workshops yet to be announced. We would like to thank the the committee sponsored through the Centre of Your Spiritual Heart for hosting this event. It may still be a year away but time does fly by. In the meantime be assured that more kirtan and other events including a performance of "Indian Classical Music" will be coming. Stay tuned!