Musing of the Month

We all know that food plays a great part in human life. The best selling of all books are not bibles or other spiritual books but cookbooks. Our eating habits in the modern world, both in the East and in the West, create disasters in our lives. People are obsessed with food, so much so that it seems that they are born only for eating.

Modern man eats many times a day without knowing what comprises a nutritious diet. Taste has become predominant instead of nutrition in the formation of our dietary habits. Artificial foods are increasing daily. We have lost the sense of food value, and we eat foods that are unhealthy.

The mind and body are inseparable; if proper food is not supplied to the body, the mind is affected. Food that is not fresh or nutritious, that is leftover and full of spices or grease, is unhealthy and tamasic. Overeating and eating impure, unfresh food and food that is full of fat and spices create many diseases. Such tamasic food makes the mind dull, passive, and inert. Liquor is also tamasic. Those who eat heavy food full of fat and who drink alcohol excessively suffer both physically and mentally.

We all know that food plays a great part in human life.

On the other hand, rajasic food agitates the mind and creates hypertension; it is also unhealthy for the liver and hard on the kidneys. Rajasic food satisfies the senses, but it is not healthy physically or mentally. Neither is it healthy for those who want to tread the path of spirituality. Aspirants are advised that well-selected and well-prepared vegetarian food is healthier than a meat diet. Those who eat rajasic food become agitated, angry, and worried.

That food which does not cause inertia and heaviness and does not make one restless, lazy, or sleepy is called sattvic food. Those who eat sattvic food remain calm, quiet, and serene.

Food plays an important role in thought, speech, and action: it has profound effects on all aspects of human behavior. Diet and environment are two important factors that play a great role in sadhana. A calm, quiet, and serene atmosphere and a simple, fresh, and nutritious diet are essential requisites for the sadhaka.

HH Sri Swami Rama 

Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita 

Self-Study

With spring right around the corner, many of us start thinking about planting vegetables and eating the garden's bounty. Now is a great time to think about our diet and plant seeds to a healthier you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. When considering these questions, consider the food you eat, the company you keep, your entertainment, and anything you consume.

1. How can you make your diet more nutritious/sattvic?

2. How mindful are you when you eat?

3. Is your diet conducive to your yoga practice?

4. Do you live to eat, or eat to live?

5. How many times a week do you overeat?

6.  What causes you to overeat? 

Benevolence Corner

Soup On Wheels

TYS has frozen homemade vegan soup in the freezer. As a part of our outreach, if you need a meal or know someone who does because of illness, surgery, death of a loved one, financial problems, divorce, or anyone who requires a little extra TLC, TYS is here for you. If you know anyone who needs a meal, let us know at info@tysdayton.com

TYS Peanut Butter Drive

As part of our continued outreach to serve the Miami Valley, we are doing a peanut butter drive for The House of Bread. The House of Bread provides hot meals to those in need 365 days a year, and as part of their service, they give their guests 16 ozs or less of unopened jars of peanut butter to take with them after their lunchtime meal. They are running low on peanut butter and have asked for donations, and TYS wants to help fill their coffers with peanut butter. Please bring peanut butter to TYS; we will have a donation box in the Annapurna Dining Hall. Feel free to share with others; our goal is 30 jars.

Find out more about The House of Bread  HERE.

A Greater Dayton Podcast

If you or anyone you know has experienced domestic violence, you are not alone. It is more common than you may realize. While many times, domestic violence goes unreported, it still affects approximately 10 million people in the United States yearly. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence states that domestic violence impacts 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men. Dan Edwards from A Greater Dayton Podcast invited Ranjani to share her story and how yoga helped her to safety and heal after being kidnapped and tortured by her then-partner. Check out the link or share it with someone who needs to know they are not alone.

Spotify

Apple Music

Reflections with Kali

This month, I have been so inspired by our Soup on Wheels campaign! I lost count of how many soups we’ve been able to give away since we started. It has reminded me of what Ranjani has shared with us before about how, during the Kali Yuga, one of the best things we can do for others is to feed them nourishing food. When things get chaotic in our lives, we often lose concern for nutrition and become focused on getting calories, but calories don’t mean nutrition! I have loved seeing our TYS community come together and care for others in this way. 

It makes me think of the Bible verse that often comes up during our Adopt an Inmate campaigns that make me reflect a lot on what it means to be of service:

“For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in, I needed clothes, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you looked after me, I was in prison, and you came to visit me.”

Swamiji says, “selfless service is the finest of all prayers,” and making soup to share with others in times of need feels fulfilling - it feels like the right thing to do. Serving others is serving God; this campaign has been a great reminder for me. I read in one of Swamiji’s books that once you shift to doing real selfless service, with no ego or desire for a reward or a thank you, you stop feeling exploited when doing things for others, and all your actions become acts of service, and that has always stuck with me. I love that we can serve in this way.

Shakti & Bhakti Kirtan Dates

April 6, 2024

June 29, 2024

October 12, 2024

December 31, 2024

Come practice with us!

Wednesdays: Asana Class 6 pm - 7 pm / Kirtan 7 pm - 8 pm

Saturdays: Asana Class 9 am - 10 am / Kirtan 10 am - 11 am

Drop-in $15

Monthly Unlimited $90

Events

March 7: Celebrating Yogananda's Mahasamadhi: The movie Awake and snacks 6:00 PM

We had a busy February…

We would love to see you here!