#13 - Beyond Pursuit of Happiness

In this episode, I talk about who owns the IPR on Yoga and how to respect them. Enjoy listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I talk about the Gayatri Mantra(s), explain the meaning of it as well as some guidelines about practicing Gayatri Mantra chanting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Ram Vakkalanka shares the difference between self-expression and language and if Sanskrit is a 5,000 year-old language or 10,000-year old language… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Part-2 of the chat I had with Swami Sitaramanandaji, one of the senior Acharyas of the Sivananda organization, about the connection between Yoga and Vedic Astrology. Listen on for valuable insights on how Vedic Astrology is inseparably connected with Yoga and how Yoga practitioners, teachers and enthusiasts can benefit from knowledge of Vedic Astrology. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Part-1 of the chat I had with Swami Sitaramanandaji, one of the senior Acharyas of the Sivananda organization, about the connection between Yoga and Vedic Astrology. Listen on for valuable insights on how Vedic Astrology is inseparably connected with Yoga and how Yoga practitioners, teachers and enthusiasts can benefit from knowledge of Vedic Astrology. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As I travel around the world teaching, I meet many people who say to me that they feel lost in life. They don’t know where their life is going, where it should be going and why. Life begins to feel like a rudderless boat. No idea which direction the coast is. So, is there a purpose to life? What is worth pursuing in life? Is life about only pursuit of happiness? What does the Veda have to say about this?Lets explore these questions in this session of YPRV. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I frequently teach that what we call as life is nothing but a series of Karmic experiences. As much as we like to think that we have full control over our lives, the harsh truth is we don’t. Prakruti or the intelligence in Nature is constantly influencing our experience of life. So, the question is, how does Prakruti or Nature influence our lives, what is the medium through which Prakruti influences our lives - our karmic experiences? Let us explore the answer to this question in this session of YPRV. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I frequently teach that Vedas contain both scientific as well as spiritual wisdom. The spiritual wisdom of the Vedas consists of various philosophies such as Samkhya, Vedanta, Yoga etc., and their respective practices. And, spiritual wisdom can be found throughout the Vedic literature. What about scientific wisdom, where is it contained in the Vedic literature, and how is it expressed and taught is what I will address in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In modern Yoga communities, we often hear the word ‘Om Shanti Shanti Shanti’ being chanted either at the beginning or end of Asana sessions, Kirtans, and so on. You may be curious about the meaning of the word Shanti and why it is repeated thrice. So, let us examine the important concept as well as the valuable life lesson behind the word ‘Shanti’ in this episode of ‘Yoga Philosophy and Wisdom with Ram Vakkalanka’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As I mentioned in the episode entitled ‘the secret to understanding the Yogic scriptures’, before we read sacred scriptures such as the BhagavadGita, traditionally we chant some verses and meditate on the scripture. It is a powerful sacred ritual. Chanting these meditative verses helps us tune ourselves to the sacred scripture we are about to study. In the previous episode entitled ‘Meditation on the BhagavadGita-1’, I explained the Meditation on BhagavadGita. If you haven’t heard those two episodes yet, please listen to them first and come back to this episode. In this episode, I will share the slokas offering gratitude to Krishna, the teacher of BhagavadGita, gratitude to Vyasa, the Rishi who immortalized the teachings of Krishna in the form of the scripture and other slokas or verses of meditation, and explain them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.