Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati - The Path of Karma

I am proud to introduce to you Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati. SwaminiJi is the founder and primary teacher of Kula Kamala Foundation & Yoga Ashram, a 501c3 nonprofit organization. She is a monk in the Sivananda Order of Sannyasins and a 500E-RYT registered with Yoga Alliance. She began practicing yoga in her early twenties and has found it to be a continually transformative, reaffirming and uplifting lifestyle, one which continues to help her integrate and connect more deeply.

Visit SwaminiJi at the links below and we hope you enjoy:

WEBSITE: https://kulakamalafoundation.org
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/kulakamalafoundation
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/kulakamalayoga/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@kulakamalayoga

During this conversation we speak on some of these topics:

• What gave her the drive to follow through on her dream? 
• How did you become a yoga therapist?
• Mantras as a way to learn. 
• Yoga as a solution to violence. 

Thanks for listening to this episode. Check out: 👇
Free Grow Your Yoga Live Webinar - Every Thursday at 12pm EST
➡️ Click here to receive link

New Student FREE Livestream Yoga Special ~ Try 2 Weeks of Free Unlimited Livestream Yoga Classes  at Native Yoga Center. info.nativeyogacenter.com/livestream Sign into the classes you would like to take and you will receive an email 30 minutes prior to join on Zoom. The class is recorded and uploaded to nativeyogaonline.com  ➡️  Click Here to Join.

Practice to a New Yoga Class every day with our nativeyogaonline.com course called Today's Community Class with code FIRSTMONTHFREE.

Native Yoga Teacher Training 2024- In Studio and Livestream - for info delivered to your email click this link here: ➡️ https://info.nativeyogacenter.com/native-yoga-teacher-training-2023/

Subscribe to Native Yoga Center and view this podcast on Youtube.

Thank you Bryce Allyn for the show tunes. Check out Bryce's website: bryceallynband.com and sign up on his newsletter to stay in touch. Listen here to his original music from his bands Boxelder, B-Liminal and Bryce Allyn Band on Spotify.

Please email special requests and feedback to info@nativeyogacenter.com

Transcript

Todd McLaughlin: 0:33

Welcome to Native Yoga Toddcast. So happy you are here. My goal with this channel is to bring inspirational speakers to the mic in the field of yoga, massage bodywork and beyond. Follow us @nativeyoga and check us out at nativeyogacenter.com. All right, let's begin. Welcome to Native Yoga Toddcast, I'm so happy to have this chance to introduce you to Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati. SwaminiJi is the founder and primary teacher of Kula Komala Foundation and Yoga Ashram, which is a nonprofit organization. She is a monk in the Sivananda order of sannyasins. And she's 500 RYY registered with the Yoga Alliance. She began practicing yoga in her early 20s. And has found it to be a continually transformative, reaffirming and uplifting lifestyle, one which continues to help her integrate and connect more deeply. Please check her out on her website,

https: 1:48

//kulakamalafoundation.org/. You will find her on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, of which the links are in the description for the show. This was really a pleasure. And special thanks to the Colemans for introducing me to Swamiji. And I think you're really going to enjoy this. Let's get started. I'm so excited to have Swaminiji here with me today. How are you doing today?

SwaminiJi: 2:19

I'm wonderful. Thank you so much for having me. It's really an honor to be sharing this space with you. And to be talking about this beautiful topic of yoga.

Todd McLaughlin: 2:29

Well, thank you so much. I'm excited to have this conversation with you. Some students here at the studio had recommended that I reached out to you because they had such wonderful things to say. And one of the things that I've heard about you already was that when you put your mind to something, you get the job done in relation to my friend John had said, when he heard you say I'm going to purchase a school and develop a yoga ashram. He thought, wow, that's an ambitious goal. But then he said, You've done it. Like you didn't just say, like, like maybe everyone has this dream of like, I'm going to do something big and then you know, not pull it off. So on that note, can we start there? What was what do you do with your Ashram? And how did that come about?

SwaminiJi: 3:24

Oh, boy. Well, I've been practicing yoga for a very long time and studying yoga for a very long time. And at one point in my life, following a pretty significant illness, I decided to become a teacher. Yoga was really the only thing and meditation of course, which is part of yoga, were really the only things that helped me to reconnect with myself, after having been significantly ill for a while. And so my intention was to learn as much as I could about the skill set associated with teaching yoga, and then bringing it to the community in a little bit of a different way. So I started off, working with at risk youth, working with families in crisis, I partnered with a lot of organizations that were crisis intervention organizations, for families and whatnot. And that was a very large part of what I was doing. And then the other part of me absolutely fell in love with the true wisdom behind these practices. When I went to India, I've was very blessed to have met my guru here in the United States, he was from India from Gujarat, Swami Adi up manana G. And I spent some time in India studying with him and he would come over to the States every year and I was studying with him here. And I just kept falling more deeply in love with the spiritual teachings and thought to myself, you know, there's death The only teachers out there that teach the spiritual aspect of yoga. But there are more that don't. And when we look at the condition of the world today, when we look at the problems that we face on a day to day basis, these teachings are so important. They're so central to our thriving to our health to our wellness, and to our sense of greater connection, that I decided that I wanted to, to develop an ashram here in the States modeled, of course, on the ones in India. And so I went to my husband and shared this dream with him this vision, and it really was a vision to because I saw the whole thing, it was down to the color of the walls and everything and, and he was very supportive. He said, You know, that's a very nice retirement plan. And I said, Honey, it's not a retirement plan. I think we're looking at this a little sooner, not later. And as I said, he was extremely supportive. So, so we began looking for schools. And we did a lot of traveling, looking at different locations. Our journey brought us to Redding, Pennsylvania, where this beautiful school called alces, consolidated elementary school, it was built in 1932. And then it was expanded in 1952. And it had been empty for a little while. And when we walked into the space, you could hear the chanting in the hallways already, you could hear laughter you I mean, I could, it was it was almost like being welcomed home. It was so normal and natural and obvious to be here. So I turned around to my husband, and I said, we found it, we need to look no further. Now, it's an interesting story. Because at that point in time, my husband had been diagnosed with cancer. And he had stage four colon cancer. Wow. Yeah. And so he was in treatment, pretty rigorous treatment, and he was facing some more surgeries. And in life in general, we were not in a place that most people would consider to be financially stable. Because so much of our our funds or personal funds, were going toward medical bills, and we we downsized greatly. And, you know, really what we had was a little bit of personal cash, and we had a 401 K. And we cashed the 401. K, and in order to buy the building, wow, that's

Todd McLaughlin: 7:37

a big move, isn't it?

SwaminiJi: 7:38

It's a huge move, because we had no hot water, we had no heat. There was a lot to be done,

Todd McLaughlin: 7:45

and where are you moving from Jersey, was where you were living before. So you're making a pretty big move into a new community where I'm guessing you didn't have like a following or, that's, that's a big move. So what do you think gave you that drive to follow through with that,

SwaminiJi: 8:07

um, the only thing that I can, that I can, the only way that I can label it is to say, it's a calling, you know, it's it, you know, when something is true for you, you know, when something is true, versus when you're trying to talk yourself in or out of something. And this was just a vision of a space of a sanctuary of a place of peace, that wouldn't leave me, it wouldn't leave my mind, it wouldn't leave my heart. And when we came here, and I, you know, I was sad, leaving my students in New Jersey and my community there, but they will come here to a lot of them, you know, they they've traveled out here, every so often. And it's always wonderful to see them and, and I think that most of them understood that I was following my heart when I when I did this. When we came here, it was just my husband and I, and we would work on the building, you know, and we would I would do some planning and painting and maintenance and stuff while he was recuperating. And then when he was feeling well, he would do it too. And we just filled our days in the evenings with with this dream, and this dream became history. And also, he realized how important it was what it could mean to the community to have a space like this. So, so I feel that it was really, it's what I'm meant to be doing in this life. And I have, I have no doubt about it. I don't worry about whether it's going to work or not work. It's meant to be here right now. One of the teachings of yoga of course, is you know, everything is transient in nature. And so the idea that, that it might not be here someday is perfect. be fine with me. Yeah, it's here now. You know,

Todd McLaughlin: 10:03

yeah, that's beautiful. You actually got me a little motional they're here in just thinking about your husband recuperating, and the two of you, you know, supporting each other, and, you know, giving him the space to heal and then having a project to work on. And I can imagine that would help you to help him to heal. Oh, absolutely. That that whole process. I'm curious to back up a little bit. And you don't have to go. If it's too personal. I understand. But what type of illness? Had you overcome? Did you you said that you're going through a tough time. But what were you able to overcome?

SwaminiJi: 10:45

Well, around the year 2000, I started to have petit mal seizures. And I started to have bouts of not being able to speak, walking into walls. And yeah, so there were

Todd McLaughlin: 11:06

walls like like you're walking forward not seeing the wall and just keep going and Bowman, and not Yeah,

SwaminiJi: 11:13

I would, I would be driving down my own road that I lived on. And I would have to pull over because I wouldn't know where I was. And so we went to doctor after doctor after doctor trying to figure out what was going on and, you know, received all kinds of possibilities. Few doctors thought I was having a series of mini strokes. I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I was I had a tumor that came up in my thyroid, I had to have that removed at that point, another tumor that I had to have removed. And it turned out that I had an advanced case of Lyme disease with a co infection of Ehrlichiosis. And it had gotten to the point where it nearly killed me. So it was a year that I was actually laid up and not able to do very much at all.

Todd McLaughlin: 12:02

Wow. Yeah. That is why don't underestimate

SwaminiJi: 12:07

the power of Lyme disease. Because

Todd McLaughlin: 12:09

yeah, I've heard that. What type of treatment did you undergo to make such a profound healing or turnaround?

SwaminiJi: 12:19

Well, it was such a it was such a multi tiered health issue. You know, there was the the the epileptic seizures that I was having, which were not grandma, they were pedophile. So it was more like zoning out spacing out. And it would happen a lot with fluorescent lights and stress. So there was medication that I took for a little bit of time, only had to take it for about eight months, and then it was able to come off of it. And then for the tumors, there were surgeries that I had to have and recover from. And for the Lyme disease and the Ehrlichiosis itself. I was on antibiotic treatment for about seven years. Wow. Bout seven years because the symptoms kept coming back. And they would come back very significantly. And so, so that was yeah, that was quite a time. Yoga got me through it. You know it absolutely did meditation got me through it. Faith got me through.

Todd McLaughlin: 13:17

Yeah. That's amazing to hear. When you guys worked on refurbishing and getting this school, can you explain the school in terms of like the size, the amount of rooms there are? What what are we talking about here? Sure.

SwaminiJi: 13:34

So the building is a 21,000 square foot building. It's a single floor, and then there's also a basement. And so if we're talking about the usable space, that's not the basement, it's probably about 16,000 square feet. And there's there are three zones in the school. So if you're looking at this from a zoning perspective, we had to go down to the township and rezone the buildings so that we could use it. We have about about a third of the building is dormitory space. So that's considered to be a residential zone. And then about a little bit more than a third of the building is the classroom spaces, the school itself. And in there we have Monday years which are temples, we have classrooms, we have offices, a student center, we have a library. And then we also have a commercial kitchen. And then the third space in in the third zone in the building is the auditorium, which is considered a public assembly space. We're situated on six and a half acres outside of reading in a town called dialysis and it's so it's a sizable building all together. I believe it has about 18 rooms. Now altogether, I believe it's about 18

Todd McLaughlin: 14:56

Wow. What was your vision at that point? For, is it a nonprofit? Are you registered as a nonprofit? Or as a business? Yeah,

SwaminiJi: 15:06

we are registered as a nonprofit. We're a 501. C three.

Todd McLaughlin: 15:10

What was your vision at that point for how you were going to utilize this space?

SwaminiJi: 15:18

Well, it's very interesting. There were a number of avenues that I was, was looking at. And the first was to integrate the yoga therapy. So the yoga as therapy is, again, what brought me through the the health trauma that I had in my own life. And so a large part of what I was doing was training yoga therapists. I have many 1000s of hours of training and certificates and degrees and whatnot. And so I've been over the past about 12 years training yoga therapists. And so sometimes they come here and stay for a training and sometimes they, they come and go in a commuter type of fashion. So that's the one avenue is that it's a school. It's an educational center for yoga therapy. It's an educational center for therapeutic yoga teachers and meditation teachers. Then the second path that we that we've walked down is service. So the service to the community, we have organic gardens, and we donate a very large portion of what we grow to, to the local food kitchens, to individuals in need. We work very closely with a cafe down in Redding called Esperanza is which is a Pay What You Can cafe. In line with that we have our own Pay What You Can cafe, we serve vegan, gluten free food, and which is very delicious. Our cook Linda is wonderful. And we also have Romani who fills in from time to time, and she's a baker. And so everybody walks away with a happy belly for sure. So we have we have the service aspect. And then the third path that we follow is the needs of the general public. So we run wellness retreats, mindfulness retreats, Day long weekend, we run classes, and all of our classes are by donation so that money is never an issue for people, they can always come to class. The retreats do have a sliding scale for scholarships, in the event that someone has, you know, a financial need, so that the idea of money keeping them away from spiritual teachings is not an issue. And so we do spiritual education for the general public as well we teach. I teach the Bhagavad Gita, Mantra, read all types of different scriptures. We're currently going through in a class that I'm running the Vivica to the money by Shankaracharya. And so that's a 16 week course we meet once a week and they get to learn the ins and outs of Shankar has worked. Well, yeah.

Todd McLaughlin: 18:12

Amazing. Holy cow. Maybe a little bit. Yeah. Wow. I mean, well, first of all, the fact that you have you become a yoga therapist, and now you're at the point where you're training people. That's an incredible path that takes a lot of work. The organic garden part, that's amazing that you're growing food, that's a whole nother skill set. Where do you have someone doing that for you? Are you are you out there to like, planting pruning picking are

SwaminiJi: 18:49

one of the one of the mottos that I live by, is I will never ask anybody to do anything that I'm not willing to do myself. Yeah. So So I have my hands and everything. So yes, I do the gardens, and I plant the seeds. And I, you know, work with the weeds and all those other types of things. Yes. But generally speaking, we have a very wonderful community of volunteers, and also a small staff of employees. And they all work so hard because they have such faith in the mission. You know, they understand, in their own experience, the value of the teachings of yoga, and so they wish to see the space thrive, and be available for people to be a real sanctuary for people to come to. We always say when an individual walks through the front doors, the first thing they should feel is peace. That's the first thing they should feel unencumbered peace. And then while they're here, the experience that they have while they're here is hopefully one that allows them to go back through the doors out into the world with a little bit of extra peace as well.

Todd McLaughlin: 19:55

Nice. And then you're teaching yoga philosophy and making some of the deeper aspects of yoga. Now, everything you kind of laid out seems so I get the feeling like a lot of us as yoga teachers and yoga practitioners dream about access accessing yoga on these levels, but the modern commercial slash business element makes it challenging to pay rent and pay teachers. And there's just like such a interesting challenge, how have you been able to just go full on into the parts that most of us would be so nervous about? Trying to make livelihood from, it seems like you've done it so effortlessly. But just from my own experience, you know, having a yoga studio for the past 17 years and teaching for 20. And I love organic gardening. And so everything that you're talking about is like, things that I and also the element of making it donation based, I guess, it seems like you just you just did it. Like you just didn't worry too much about it. But but can you give any more insight on? Do you see the struggle that I'm talking about, like, as a as a modern day yoga teacher, like, thinking like, wow, how amazing to have a community of folks at all appreciate things like philosophy? Because sometimes it seems like we're philosophy is a great part about yoga. But some people are just people might be like, Yeah, I just want to stretch, I just want to move, I just want to sweat, I want to do yoga, I don't want to think about and talk about the spiritual aspects and or the philosophical aspects. And so based on everything I've said, Do you have any insights? Oh, sure. Do? Yeah.

SwaminiJi: 21:54

So I, it's very important to remember that when you opened your yoga studio, you had no idea whether people would come? People told you they would come, you know, some friends were like, oh, yeah, go ahead, do it, I'll come to class. Absolutely. But really, you had no idea how many regular consistent students you would have, how you would meet your rent every month, how you would pay the bill, or teachers, if you hired other teachers, you took a chance, you took a leap of faith because it was something that you felt very called to do. And no matter whether it's opening a yoga studio, or any other, you know, type of establishment, if it is the same way for everybody. Now, the challenge that we have is that that's kind of where it stops. Because the the community at large is pretty aware of the word yoga. And they have a general idea in their mind what that looks like. Stretching, you know, power, vinyasa. Physical and, and that's perfectly fine. I am not. I am, I am not a supporter of commercialized yoga. I am not a supporter of of watered down Yoga. But I do understand absolutely, that for most people, they have to start on the physical because they're physically embodied. And that's where they carry their pain, their suffering, their tightness, their stress their traumas and their body. So that's the first place they start. But we don't have to stop there. And neither do they. Of course, it's up to them how far they want to take it. But just like a student is going to come into your yoga studio, looking for, you know, a hatha yoga class. If you offer a mantra as a class, you're also going to have students who come in who are attracted to that. Yep. Even though it's not as common, not as as familiar to the general public, there is still a very large community out there who are familiar with it and who are looking to learn more beautiful example, I have a mantra program that I teach. Tonight, we actually meet. This is the this is a four week module. And in the four week module, they're learning short mantras. So there are learning mantras that have between say, four and eight lines. And many of these students, you know, they've come to the classes at the ashram and they've chanted the invocation mantra, but they haven't chanted these other mantras. But they have come for other things. And they have realized that what is taught here has been valuable to them, so they're willing to take the chance and to see, could this also have value to me? Yeah, yeah, that's a good one teacher. has to be the one to overcome the fear first. Yeah, yeah. And the second thing is that this is what I do. This is who I am. I don't do anything else. I mean, I go to the movies once in a while I hang out with my grandkids sometimes, you know, I travel a little bit, but, but my day to day life, I choose not to do other things so that I can do these things that I love. So my time and my, my energetic investment is, is here. And that's another thing that society might not be completely comfortable with. Because we're told, Go to happy hour on Friday, and go away every weekend and be be distracted. You know, go find some fun, go find some happiness, but the reality is that the happiness is right here. And I can go wherever I want to. But if I don't realize the happiness is right here inside of myself, then no matter where I go, I'm not going to find it. Yes. So rain and all that energy. Yeah. And stay here and work on the things that truly matter to my heart. Yeah, yes. Started garden started.

Todd McLaughlin: 26:23

Started prior to garden, started garden, I'm reading a book right now called atomic habits, and the author is putting emphasis on making 1% small changes. And that amounts to a lot versus just goal setting. And then getting caught up on like this long term goal, just focusing in the moment on making little tiny changes. And it's quite fascinating. And I liked the way I'd like to start a garden, like just just plant a seed that grows. Yeah, learn from that experience, tries. Well, that's amazing. Why why do you think that the lineage of yoga and or the history, the, your connection to yoga took root so much more than say, any other religion and or philosophical or spiritual belief system.

SwaminiJi: 27:18

And it's not that I haven't looked at others, because I've studied others, quite intensely, actually, I was raised Catholic, I was a practicing Buddhist for a while, I have studied several other traditions as well. But when it came to yoga, which I was introduced to as a teenager, when it when it came to, to the scriptural aspect of yoga, the teachings of yoga, it, it just always felt like a coming home. To me, it felt like a truth. It felt like a place where where I could really put my feet down, and stand tall, and accept myself for my for who I am, you know, for my flaws, and for my gifts and for everything. And it also gave me permission to see my journey through this life, not only as a struggle full of suffering or failure or success, but to see this path is purposeful, to see this life as purposeful, the primary purpose being a commitment to our Dharma to the duty that we have, as human beings, to care for each other, to care for all of the beings on this planet to care for the planet itself. And, and so it really, were, whatever I read whatever scripture I was studying, the same message continually came through unity, non violence and kindness and service to each other. And those were the things that had the most power, in my opinion. And those are the things that are needed the most in this world, to move us beyond the point that we're at right now.

Todd McLaughlin: 29:08

Yes. In relation to the point that we're at right now. Do you feel yoga? is the solution for the violence that we're watching in the world?

SwaminiJi: 29:22

I feel it could be, I feel it could be. I think there's still too much misunderstanding out there about yoga and so many, many people are very resistant to it. Because they think that it's somehow violates the tradition that they practice. But the reality is that whatever tradition, whatever religious tradition and person belongs to the practice of yoga and meditation and the tenants of yoga, the Yamas, in the neon has, you know, the non violence, the truthfulness, that these things actually emphasize and strengthen the faith that a person has, no matter the path that they're walking And so it very well could be an answer. But I think more likely, what happens is that there are pockets of people. And, and, you know, you and I are very blessed in this life because we're leaders of, of those pockets, you know. And and so a large responsibility comes on to, to us to to offer students the opportunity who are the ones who are interested, we don't push things on people ever Yoga is not about conversion in any way, shape or form. But for the interest of student, to teach them to inform them about the possibilities of peace, about the possibilities of seeing the world with a more unified sight, and in an a more connected in intention. And then those pockets will support each other and eventually grow and grow and grow. You know, it's a cycle like that, right? Everything works separately. And eventually, perhaps those those pocket communities will become so large, that they'll have a greater say, in the way that this this state, this nation, this world is regulated, and decisions perhaps will begin to be made orienting out us toward a greater peace, rather than more fear, rather than more competition and separation.

Todd McLaughlin: 31:35

A great answer. Great answer. What what when you think of violence currently? Where does your mind go straight away? Like, is it a local situation? Are you seeing Ukraine and Russia situation? Are you seeing America? What? What is on your what's heavy? Well, maybe you don't want to be heavy on your heart. But like what ways have you when you when you think about what you're watching what you're seeing, but what is what is drawing your attention in relation to violence that you think could be changed and or different than the way it is?

SwaminiJi: 32:20

Well, when I hear the word violence, my mind immediately goes to two places. The first is the individual. And the idea of personal suffering, and the role that personal suffering and, and lack of support play in an individual becoming violent. And understanding what violence is also is very important. So we need to understand that violence is not just war, in the Ukraine, or elsewhere in the world, violence is in your thoughts. Violence is in your words, violence is in is an actions, nitrous, but you know, I'm saying violence, then every single person's words, thoughts and actions. And so when when when someone says hello to us, for example, and we kind of turn our nose up at them and turn away, that's a violent action. And that violent action has consequences both for for one's own self, and for the individual that it was targeted toward. So the first place that my mind goes to, is the mental emotional condition of the individual human being, and how they're dealing with their suffering, and, and wishing for them, that they would stumble across teachings and teachers that would show them that would illustrate for them be the example to them, of ways that they can minimize their own unnecessary suffering, so that they can maximize their happiness, and in maximizing their happiness become puce, more peaceful people. The second place that my mind automatically goes to is governance, of course, absolutely. Because governance is everything in our larger communities, and even in our smaller ones. So whether we're talking about you know, your local school council, or state level or national level or global leaders, what are we hearing? What example are we receiving? are we hearing that, that life itself matters? are we hearing that children matter? That elderly matter? That the hungry matter, that those without medical care matter? That that racial injustice matters? are we hearing this? Or Or are we hearing excuses? And the more that we hear excuses, the more that that we witness, leaders actually avoiding time talking about these these difficult truths. The more angry the heart becomes and the more angry without the appropriate skill to deal with that anger. That anger becomes violence. So governance needs to change. Now, is that overnight? Of course not. Yeah. But it's, it's something that's absolutely worth talking about.

Todd McLaughlin: 35:12

Yeah, good point. Great point. When I think of Ahimsa, non violence in relation to gardening, and I plant out some different plants that I'm hoping to harvest and then eat, and some bugs come in, and completely decimate my plants. So I have this like idea, like, I'm gonna do this organically. And then all my food is gone. I'm down, you know, not not all but like, you know, when you're gardening, you're trying to, like, hopefully have something to eat when you're done. And so then I know, some people say, Well, okay, get out the pesticide, we're gonna kill those bugs, you know, like those bugs, even though there's bugs are just kind of cruising around, and they're like, cool food, you know, they're not, I don't think they're thinking, let's do this to harm the people that planted it, there's some sort of natural order going on, where they're just there, and the food is there. So they eat it. So I do, I think that if I were to say, okay, respect for all creatures, and, and let them eat out of my garden, because they're just as hungry as I am. But then if we're trying to feed ourselves, like, that's always been a challenge for me, you know, and I know, there are organic ways of doing things like there are ways to be clever, you know, there's ways to like maybe just take lemon juice and get the ants to not come around, because they don't like that the lemon or the citrus. But have you ever had a struggle with that or not necessarily struggle, but just do contemplate that when you're looking at how to conserve for your community to make sure your community is taken care of, versus say someone taking advantage of it? And, you know, not respecting the community? How do you balance all that?

SwaminiJi: 37:06

Yeah, so So the first thing, the the environment, the local ecology, you know, we are in a farm and forest area, so we have a lot of wildlife. And right away, the first thing that I that I did when we were setting up the gardens is I set up deer stations. So along the property of certain plants at the edge of the forest, because they're edge browsers, we would put food there for that, we would put kitchen waste out there, you know, leafy greens and all these types of things, not only for the deer, but for other critters to so that they they would go to those places because they were constantly being filled with food. And and that seemed on one level to work very well in them not coming into the garden. Now they do like hostas, so, so on the meditation path, they will walk up the meditation path and have a little lunch on the hostas, but we're okay with that, you know, so we we try to take care of the wildlife as as they would be entering into the property by offering them something. Then we also do have, you know, we had a groundhog who made a little nest in the garden one year, little, little, tiny little thing. And we were sitting out there waiting, and he came out and he just was so shocked to see us there, you know, and so we had a sound, it might sound silly to individuals who, who don't appreciate nature in this regard, but communication is everything, you know, and we just welcomed him. You know, we just, I actually just kind of looked at him and said, You're welcome here. You don't have to run. You know, just please don't eat everything. And sure enough, you know, he he's, I'm not saying that my words. Yeah, see. But I'm just saying that that's the that's the mindset. Mindset is it's okay for them to be here. This is actually more there's that hours, right. And then for the insects, pesticides are not good for anybody. A pesticide will kill a bug. That seems pretty obvious. So if it's, if it has the capacity to kill a bug, then it also has the capacity to harm another biological being and meaning us and anything in between. So we don't use pesticides here. What we do is all natural we use diatomaceous earth we use, you know all the natural things like you said lemon juice and things along those lines. And then we will also painstakingly go through and handpick bugs off like if we have a squash and squash bug infestation. We'll pick the squash bugs off and relocate them and we will dispose of the eggs if they're on the bottoms of the leaves. Yeah. Right now the way that we're disposing of them is that we're putting them in the garbage. And then the garbage truck is taking them away and bringing them to the garbage dump. So they probably have a lot of squash bugs, and they're wondering why. So?

Todd McLaughlin: 40:18

I mean, we do have to pick and choose a little right, don't you think? Yeah.

SwaminiJi: 40:24

But there's a very important, there's a very important teaching from the Bhagavad Gita. I believe it's chapter two, verse 24. And in there it says, you know, everything is Brahman, and hear the word Brahman is is another word for divinity, or for god or goddess. Everything is Brahman, the food is Brahman, the act of offering the food is Brahman, the altar is Brahman. And the act of preparing the food and then eating the food yourself is also Brahman, the fire within you that's going to digest that food is Brahman. So So if we go through our relationships, whether it be with nature, or with each other, and we recognize more and more, the inherent presence of that divinity, then we see that that as long as it's not being done, vindictively, viciously vengefully, with hatred, that we're never taking something away, because we're actually not able to. God is everywhere, in everything, without exception. So when you move the bug, you're moving god, yeah, when you take the squash off the plant, you're, that's God too, when you cook the squash, that's God, when you eat the squash, the act of offering that nourishment to the body is God, and the fire within the body will be called chitara Give me the fire within the body that helps to digest that food that's also God, so Oh, God. So so don't don't, one thing that we can do is not allow ourselves to do things hatefully remembering that everything is is divinity, asking you for relationship. So if you do have to dispose of a bug eggs, if you do have to find a way to keep the insects under control in your garden, so that you also have something to offer, you know, the fire within them, then do so with a sense of humility, and with love. And with with as much understanding as as can be had that I'm actually not taking this bug away from God, I'm not taking this, this bug is, is God. So so my act here is is not one that is separating it out. Unless there's hate involved, unless there's something you know, along those lines involved. Does that make sense?

Todd McLaughlin: 43:06

It makes perfect sense. It makes perfect sense. I feel like when I think about people getting really up in arms about don't take away my firearm. And because I want to be able to protect. And then I remember, you know, thinking in relation to say, Bhagavad Gita, and this idea of Arjuna on the battlefield, seeing his relatives on the other side, and then being told you need to go to battle, even though you don't want to inflict harm on your teacher, your teachers, your family members. I guess that's why I think that book is so profound, because we kind of face that challenge every single day, in relation to what to do with the bug. What to do with are the people that are homeless, you know, on the streets and and how do we confront these really challenging issues? It seems like it attempts to try to answer that so long ago, so obviously, this is a problem that we've been or challenge that we've been up against 1000s of years 1000s of years.

SwaminiJi: 44:22

And we haven't please we still haven't realized the answer, which is right. So the answer for the bug is respect the bug. The answer for the homeless is respect the homeless Yes, sir. Both by understanding that all all their hearts want is to be happy and thrive. It looks different than what baby what your happiness looks like, or my happiness looks like to our egos you know, it looks different. The bug just wants to propagate you know, wants to feed itself and wants to mate and have little bugs. You know, the homeless person, maybe they just want to have a warm place to sleep and not have to be out in the rain and maybe a decent meal. And for people to not be cruel to them. Yeah. So so whatever it is that we're seeing whatever whoever it is we're encountering encounter them with respect, with honor with kindness, and with a genuine understanding that we all really do want the same thing. We want to be happy. But the problem is, most of us think that that happiness lies outside of ourselves, and that someone else is in the way of me getting it. Yeah, it's a good point. Yeah. And so that homeless person is in my way that bug is in my way. And when we stop looking at it that way, when we recognize that we're all working for happiness, and we all could look more inside for the truth of where that's actually going to be found. Then perhaps, you know, more people would be supporting the homeless supporting children who have been traumatized supporting women, and women's rights supporting rather than existing in a state of fear. I have to have my gun to protect myself. That argument has never sat well with me. Yeah.

Todd McLaughlin: 46:25

No, I hear you. When you think about Gandhi, what do you think?

SwaminiJi: 46:31

When I think about Gandhi, In what regard? My goodness, there's so many I know,

Todd McLaughlin: 46:35

I guess my first thought the first vision I have of Gandhi is, you know, having people peacefully protest and, and then being able to enact a large group group of people to actually turn the cheek, turn their cheek to violence, like, you know, to stand their ground, but if someone comes out and with a club to let them to get clubbed in, but don't retaliate, amazing, absolutely amazing.

SwaminiJi: 47:09

There's a value to that. Yeah, there it is. And, you know, unfortunately, most people will be very resistant to that, because they'll they, you know, we've been, we've been told that we're expected to protect ourselves that we're expected to, to fight. But the reality is dominantly speaking, we could say, we have a responsibility to be a gateway, and in our own life, for others, to have an opportunity to find the innermost truth of themselves. And so with regard to Gandhi, and the passiveness that was practice there, many of those individuals with the batons, who were doing the hitting, at some point, the shock of it came to them, and they realize the harm that they were committing, and they changed. For some of them, they didn't. This is in the Bhagavad Gita, again, and many other Scriptures where it says, Do not be attached to the outcome. The only thing that belongs to you is the work. So so whether all of the troops decided to put their batons down, or 10 out of 1000s decided to put their batons down. The idea is that at least there was a portion, a number of people who realized the value of kindness over violence, and decided to put the violence down. Yeah. And for others, that wasn't their moment to have that realization.

Todd McLaughlin: 48:53

Yes. Amazing.

SwaminiJi: 48:58

Yeah, it really, you know, there's so much to it. And, and I know that we only have a short time to talk, but, and these, these conversations can go on for a very long, long time, because there's so many levels to it, you know, there's so many levels to it. I find that most people are very resistant to passivity, even in the simplest of terms, you know, somebody steps in front of them in line at Starbucks. passivity there will not fly very well will it? No, because they want their coffee. Now, to look at that and say, well, we'll why are they so? So gung ho on that was my spot in line, I have to get my coffee, who are you to step in front of me? It comes to fear, you know, it comes to this idea that I don't have enough. Yeah, I'm lacking. And, and if if, if I let you get in front of me that I'm going to be lacking even more and I don't want to lack more because I've identified I tried happiness as being having more and more and more of what I want, versus being more and more and more of who I truly am. And not worrying about somebody stepping in front of you in line at Starbucks.

Todd McLaughlin: 50:22

I heard or I saw that you have expanded and bought a place or have a place in Ireland now.

SwaminiJi: 50:31

Yes. Wow. So now it's an exciting time,

Todd McLaughlin: 50:34

surely do you have Irish history and your genetics? I do.

SwaminiJi: 50:39

My grandmother was born and raised there. And so so we do have heritage there. And I went there for the first time last year, and just fell in love with it, and went to my grandmother's hometown in Roscommon and saw the house that she used to live in, which is basically a pile of rubble. Now, she lives in a one room stone cottage, when she was a child. And so I was there with my adult children. It was not long after my husband had passed away. And so we went there as a healing journey also. And we each brought a stone home from her cottage and just kept going back, kept going back went back five times in one year. I was just

Todd McLaughlin: 51:30

so yeah, really intrigued.

SwaminiJi: 51:33

Absolutely. I brought some people with me a few times. And you know, we just kind of explored and practiced yoga and learned about Ireland. And, and one thing led to another and I just decided, you know, Well, I'm obviously drawn here. So. So this is another place where there can be sanctuary, you know, and there already are sanctuaries. It's not like I'm doing something completely new. There's a lot of sanctuaries. But there are 8 billion people on the planet. We need more sanctuaries. Because 8 billion people aren't going to fit into one yoga studio. Yeah. Yeah. So I thought this would be a wonderful place to do this. And I met I am a devotee of the Divine Mother. And so I see it to be my, my calling to, to make or to leave or to impress. Wherever it is that I find myself for a period of time, something that inspires people to get to know her. And so the ashram over there is the Saraswati ashram and Mandir. A mandala is a temple. And, and yeah, you know, it's it's going to have its first group of visitors in July.

Todd McLaughlin: 52:50

Wow. Did you have a temple built?

SwaminiJi: 52:54

No, it's a it's actually a house with a detached building. And it's very simple, very sweet. It's on an acre of land. It's on the shores of the Carib Lau, which is one of the larger lakes in Ireland in northern Galway. And it's very homey, you know, ashrams don't have to be humongous. Temples don't have to be huge. They're beautiful when they are but they can also be small. And as a matter of fact, pretty much every hindu home has a temple in it. You know, they have their temple room, their Monday, your room that has their personal avatar of God and usually many different avatars of God.

Todd McLaughlin: 53:34

Yes. That sounds so amazing. I've been wanting to go to Ireland my whole life. I have not. I have a feeling I'm coming on there. I'm going. I saw that you had a I saw you had a flyer set up that said a woman's retreat. And I was like, oh, man, I guess I can't go to that one. But I'm sure. I'm sure. But it looks it looks amazing. I my dad's side of the families from there, so I've kind of wanted to go for a long time. So that's really cool. I'm excited that you've been able to pull that off. That's amazing.

SwaminiJi: 54:10

Yeah. What part of the island are they from?

Todd McLaughlin: 54:12

I don't have close, or I don't have accurate historical information. So I can't answer any of that. I just, I think it's I know it's somewhere from Ireland. Unfortunately, it's amazing, that are familiar personal, my own personal familial lineage lineage has just been, it's almost like you come to the United States of America. And everything from the past is gone. new life, new world, Dawn, you know, and I, none of that was information was transferred, it was just not transferred. Which is

SwaminiJi: 54:52

I think a lot of people are in that situation. And, you know, family ties and ancestry is really very important to us as human beings. It's a connection. It's it is a lineage of sorts, you know. And I guess I was very fortunate that growing up my grandmother, who partly raised myself and my brother, she would tell us little stories about her favorite areas in Ireland. You know, she would say how she loved the Connemara mountains, and the Connemara ponies. And, and of course, these things were fantasies in our minds as children because we hadn't gone there. So when the time finally did come, and she was really the only person in the family who kind of, you know, shared all of this with us. So when we finally did come, it was like we were hearing I was hearing her words, repeated in my mind. And I could point out and say, Oh, those are the Connemara mountains that Nana loved. Those are the ponies that she thought were beautiful. Yeah, so very connecting experience, for sure.

Todd McLaughlin: 55:51

I can imagine that would be I wanted to write some notes down when we first started talking. And there was two main things that we wanted to touch upon, we got to touch upon non violence. And all I wrote down is what what is peace? I don't know if that's going to be clear enough question. But maybe we'll just make it real simple and clear. What is peace Swamiji.

SwaminiJi: 56:16

So pieces piece has multiple layers. But two very important layers are the experience of contentment, and the letting go of unhealthy desires. So when we're driven in our life, by desires, and And here we're talking primarily, at least at first about unhealthy desires, then there can't be peace, because each of those desires is like a wave in the ocean that's coming crashing into the shore. So the more that we can alleviate our attachment to to our unhealthy desires, and then eventually, even to the ones that are neutral, and healthy, and just have an appreciation for everything that comes our way, then, the more profound the experience of contentment is that we feel in that state of contentment, we no longer or at least much of the time no longer have the need to lash out and react. And in that instance, we're less likely to be violent and harmful to ourselves and to others. So the peace is the expression of that contentment. And then of course, there's also an aspect of peace, That is devotional that we take sanctuary in the understanding in the knowledge or in the faith, that there is a divinity, that there is something sacred that brings us all together that gives us a common purpose that unites us. And that that unity, that natural unity that exists between us, no matter what our station is in life, that that natural unity is enough to, to sustain us, to allow us and empower us to answer the calling of our own heart and to inspire us to find new and always more. Oh, more beneficial ways of of doing things of approaching life and relationship. And so that devotion, and that purposefulness in our lives, also leads to peace.

Todd McLaughlin: 58:34

Great answer. When you answer questions, do you feel like you have to think about them much now? Or do you feel like you've been steeped in the yoga long enough that it's just kind of flowing from an understanding versus an intellectual knowledge?

SwaminiJi: 58:51

I think that it depends on what the question is.

Todd McLaughlin: 58:53

Yeah. Yeah,

SwaminiJi: 58:56

most certainly, you know, I've been doing this for quite a long time now. And I've undertaken some pretty intense studies. I am a monk in the Saraswathi Dasha nama. So I've taken my vows of sanyas. And I've committed myself to two studies of the Scriptures and the teachings and the wisdom that is there. But my students would always giggle a bit because I do a wisdom circle on Sundays Satsang, where everybody comes in, and we talk spiritually. And typically, I don't prepare for those I, it's I didn't prepare for this. I don't usually prepare for talks. And I'll just start talking. And it'll be a flow of consciousness. And a student will inevitably raise their hand and interrupt and say, Can you repeat that? And we'll all just start laughing because the answer is no, I can't repeat that. Because it was a flow of consciousness. It's almost like I'm not the one talking, you know, I've allowed it to come to come through me. I don't have any any boundaries up against it. I'm not afraid to talk about love. I'm not afraid to talk about peace. I'm not afraid to talk about unity. And so, so the the wisdom of those things just flows. But of course, there are times where I'm teaching academically, that I may have to go back and review something for accuracy sake. You know, so so we shouldn't underestimate the power of education and of continual study. It's very important, for sure,

Todd McLaughlin: 1:00:29

great answer, you have a guru. And I'm quite certain that I'm sure somebody who has been working or living at your Ashram has at some point, want to do to be their guru. And how do you navigate that?

SwaminiJi: 1:00:51

Well, I do have a guru, my my guru has dissolved from the human body at this point. So he is he is with the spaciousness with the divine. But he, he served me so so honorably, and so majestically in the time that I that I knew him and his embodiment, he taught me so much, his name was Swami Satyananda Ji, and he was part of the Shivananda lineage. He had an ashram, in Gujarat, in India. And so when I look at him, it's, it's perfectly natural in my own heart to recognize him as a guru, as somebody who is steeped with with this wisdom, and who has lived his life, you know, with God, and expressing the goodness of God. So, do I have students who come to me and ask me to be their guru? Yes, I do. I don't see myself in that regard, though. And so what what I offer to students instead is a relationship. It's a teacher student relationship. And it may be similar in some ways to the guru disciple relationship. But it's also dissimilar, because I'm here to serve, to serve them in the context of their modern Western life. I'm here to teach them if they wish to learn, they don't have to live here at the ashram, they don't have to, you know, give monthly tithe things. They don't, not, not every student would have to anyway, not every disciple would have to anyway, but in some lineages they do. There's, there's really not a requirement on them at all, other than to know that I'm here for them if they need me. So I've, I have taken this this concept of, you know, the guru disciple relationship. And instead of, because the West is not friendly to that. And so instead of focusing on that, I say, you know, if, if you wish for me to be your, your teacher, your official teacher, and you want to have a ceremony around that, then let's make a vow to each other, that I will teach you to the best of my capacity, and to the best of your capacity, you will listen to those teachings and you'll work as best you can to embody them and to try them out in your life. And if you get stuck, you'll ask questions. And as best I can, I'll answer them. And that's it. You know,

Todd McLaughlin: 1:03:47

yeah, really good answer. I think that's sometimes unbalanced to me,

SwaminiJi: 1:03:53

religion, you know, people get stuck in certain things and certain ways of looking at things. And I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with the guru disciple tradition. There's nothing at all wrong with it. As a matter of fact, it's it's so very right. But the West isn't quite ready for it. You know, so we have to meet people where they're at. We have to meet people where they're at. That's the greatest gift that we can give another human being besides peace, is to meet them where they're at.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:04:27

Oh, man, I'm really happy. I had this opportunity to, to speak with you one on one and to share this with our listeners. I think this is amazing. And I really appreciate you taking time to share your stories and your experience. I often asked when we're moving toward closing the conversation. I'd like to ask if you have any final words or that always sounds so intense final words but like any, you've already offered wonderful ideas around peace, non violence. Focusing on your what your dream is, and not letting anything get in the way and healing and health. And these are seemingly the most important things that we are up against or living with these days. Is there anything else? So? Is there anything we missed? Is there something? Is there something you'd like to add to what you've already presented?

SwaminiJi: 1:05:34

Well, I think there's we could sit here for another couple of hours.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:05:38

I think we could. I know, for the sake of it, maybe we could do it again. So I mean, Dr. Cook, if we, if we break these into little segments, then, you know, palatable. I, I sometimes people say to me, well, Todd, you could just shorten your podcast down to 20 minutes, and maybe more people listen on might man an hour goes by so fast, like an hour's nothing, going less than an hour to me right now. It's just i just i. So I do think we could we could or we could set up the time slot to do like a three hour? Sure. Be nice and extended? Yeah.

SwaminiJi: 1:06:13

We could do a study, you know, we could actually do a study of one of the Cardinals.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:06:18

Yeah, that would be great. That would be amazing.

SwaminiJi: 1:06:22

So I guess if I was going to, you know, say one thing to kind of wrap up this session, it would be that, that there's a very beautiful mantra that is chanted at the end of a lot of yoga classes that use mantras. And the chant is Lokar, samasta, Sukhino, above unto the basic translation of this as May all beings be happy. The extended translation of this mantra is, May all beings be happy, and free from suffering. And May my words, my thoughts, my intentions, and my actions have something to do with that. So if we wish to exist in a more peaceful world, in a more peaceful self, with a more peaceful life, then we must embody that mantra. So every day, multiple times when you're happy when you're sad when you're frustrated, when someone took your parking spot, when someone steps in line in front of you at the Starbucks, start chanting Lokah samasta Sukhino Bhagwan to Lokah samasta Sukhino Babalon to and remember that your thoughts, your words, your actions, your intentions, they are what puts peace in the world, or violence. It's it really is as simple as that.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:07:52

Yeah. Yeah, that's a great point. Lokah samasta Sukhino, Ubuntu. Exactly. Perfect.

SwaminiJi: 1:08:03

A real honor to be here with you. Thank you so much for having me.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:08:07

Thank you. And I'm really, you know, thank you, John, and Mandy Coleman for introduced. I really appreciate it. They're so sweet and opening the doorway. And so I'm excited to go to Ireland. I'm excited to come move some what kind of bugs where you move in, we could move some bugs or squash bugs or squash bugs. We could give the little squash bugs and alternative somewhere else. Absolutely. And dig my hands in the dirt out there. That sounds incredible. I've never been to that that part of the state. So I got two new places to put on my map.

SwaminiJi: 1:08:48

Absolutely, absolutely. Get the little, the little pushpins out.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:08:52

That's right. That's right. Right,

SwaminiJi: 1:08:55

mark them with a green pushpin green for compassion and love working with a green pushpin.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:09:00

One thing I love about reading about Yogananda is work in relation to when we hear, you know, like a guru or a person or a saint, or someone who's really adept at yoga could be in one place, and then another place at the same time, almost this ability to like, you know, move through the molecules and somehow see the whole world and that almost sounds like well, that's just absolutely impossible. Science can prove that that's not possible, but the element of like somnium ah, and and you know, it when we read Patanjali and he says, somnium on the moon will give all understanding of all the stars around it, or some Yama on an elephant will give us the strength of an elephant and this idea that maybe I could be there with you up there. But even though I have to travel, or that we're all connected, or we're all or we're already in Ireland right now. We're already we're already in Yeah.

SwaminiJi: 1:09:57

Pretty there. Yeah, It's a very beautiful teaching actually. And it really is about moving through the barriers of separation. And acknowledging that time is a human made concept. Space is also a human made concept. And so the time and space that exists between us are human made constructs, and that when we when we move through the barriers of those constructs, then we come to find out that there are there are other ways of communicating. There are other ways of having an experience in this life. All we have to do is declutter the channels you know, that's a whole nother conversation but the clutter the channels and and start looking, you know, start seeing don't just look for it actually see, with wonder and Ammar connections that exist that are obvious. Yeah.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:11:01

With a little help from Zoom.

SwaminiJi: 1:11:05

Zoom is the modern day teleportation device. Yes.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:11:11

Thank you, internet. Yes. Well, thank you again, and I will reach out to we'll schedule another one. And we'll we'll keep going. We'll keep diving in a little deeper. Wonderful.

SwaminiJi: 1:11:25

I really look forward to it.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:11:28

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

SwaminiJi: 1:11:30

Many blessings.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:11:36

Native yoga taught cast is produced by myself. The theme music is dreamed up by Bryce Allen. If you liked this show, let me know if there's room for improvement. I want to hear that too. We are curious to know what you think and what you want more of what I can improve. And if you have ideas for future guests or topics, please send us your thoughts to info at Native yoga center. You can find us at Native yoga center.com. And hey, if you did like this episode, share it with your friends, rate it and review and join us next time