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SoulPancake

I have recently become more involved with Twitter and started following SoulPancake and the actor Rainn Wilson (one of the creators of SoulPancake) and have found that this one is going in my favorites. It is a community, a website, a blog all in one with a strong emphasis on community and sharing. Here is a video about SoulPancake and what it is. It's a great site and definitely one to visit regularly.

Guruji's 59th Jayanthi!!

Rev. Jaganath Carrera wearing the maha garland we made him. It was one of the many things he had to wear during the ceremony as you can see.

Saturday January 24th we celebrated Rev. Jaganath Carrera's (Guruji) 59th jayanthi (birthday). It was a beautiful and auspicious event. During this celebration a puja was performed, guests gave gifts, and food was shared. However, because it had been a long day for the kids, we had to leave early and did not get to partake in the food.

For many the word puja is confusing, as well as the actions of a puja itself, so let me explain. A puja is performed in order to honor, praise, give thanks to God, Gods, or guru. (A guru is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge and wisdom, which he/she uses to help others on their spiritual paths. It literally translates GU: darkness and RU: light - one who helps another out of darkness and into the light.)

 It is an event in which you treat the deity or guru as your most esteemed guest. During a puja prayers are recited, chants or songs are performed, and offerings of flowers, incense, food, and candle light are made. To many this may sound strange, but it is just a way to show respect and humility towards God and remove the ego. It also a way to show love to the God or guru. The ceremony itself reminds me allot of going to Catholic Mass and listening to the priest say the prayers and bless the holy Eucharist. Though, a puja is a bit more lively than Sunday Mass. Below are some more pictures of Guruji's Jayanthi celebration. Click on images for larger versions. Enjoy!!


Chanting before Guruji's arrival.


Guruji has just arrived and the puja is about to begin.


Bathing of feet.


Bathing feet with honey.




The garland was beautiful, but very big. I had to hold it like I was holding a snake.


Placing the maha garland around Guruji's neck.




Aarti




Jai and Daddy (Gopal) going up to Guruji.


Bharatan and Mommy (Sumati) going up to see Guruji.






Keeping Jai occupied.




Still keeping Jai busy.


End of ceremony. Some share songs, skits, and poems as gifts.
All were beautiful.

The celebration took place at Naturally Yoga in Glen Rock NJ.
For more info on Rev. Jaganath Carrera click here.

Happy 59th Jayanthi to our beloved Guruji!!

Making the Maha (flower) Garland

My husband and I had the task of making the maha (flower) garland for Guruji's Jayanthi celebration. (Jayanthi is the birthday celebration for your guru) Our beloved Guruji, aka Rev. Jaganath Carrera, is turning 59. Yay!! Now really I did not make this garland. My hubby did all of the work. I just took the pictures. Honestly, he's the florist, not me, so he was better off doing the whole thing anyway. And I must say he did an excellant job!! So here are the pics of him making the maha garland. How the garland was used in the celebration will be in a future post. Enjoy!!

Yellow and white carnations. We used about 100 of them.

Threading some of the first flowers.

I love this pic.


Gettin' there.


They look like dancers.


More threading. Yes, those are what his hands look like on a normal basis. See being a florist isn't so pretty. You get landscaper hands.


Getting longer.


It's getting late and the silliness has started.

 
Almost finished. I stood on a chair to get this shot.


All done!! What a beauty!!

Update on Ram: The Boy with Divine Powers

For more videos CLICK HERE.

For official site CLICK HERE.

A Boy with Divine Powers

The Boy With Divine Powers (5/5)
by circusoflife

A video I stumbled upon. Very interesting story about a boy who goes into a deep trance meditation and survives for days without food or water. Then, one day he is just gone!

PERFECT?!

NO-ONE IS PERFECT!!!

And I am a member of the non-perfect club as well. Though I teach Yoga and try to be as earth friendly as I can be, I am still a student and still have many mishaps (like going to the McDonalds drive thru). I am a mother who sometimes finds herself screaming and pulling her hair out (what's left of it these days) but the truth behind it all isn't about being perfect. It's about being okay about not being perfect. That's true Yoga. That's true life! We can try and try and try to do our best for ourselves and everyone around us, but if we are just trying to be perfect at Yoga, Green living, etc. then we are missing the point.

It's not about how much you recycle or how long you can hold a headstand or even if you remain calm and serene all day long (even in rush hour traffic w/ a screaming two yr old). It's about loving the fact that sometimes you lose your mind, or you put the plastic bottle in the garbage can again! It's about coming to terms with life and how it goes, goes, and goes even though you are not perfect. As long as you see your imperfections, your true self, as not hurting you, but guiding you to the next lesson then you will learn to love those imperfections in yourself and in those around you.

Because if we were all perfect how boring would that be?

CHAM!! NYC

Cham is a ritual dance of Bhutan. It is an ancient ritual dance of Tantric Buddhism. It has been performed for centuries in Bhutan at religious festivals to illustrate teachings and/or moral instruction. This video shows the dance being performed in Battery Park NYC. It is performed by Buddhist Monks and during the dance both performers and audiences gain merit. It was hosted by the Rubin Museum of Art www.rmanyc.org.