Gururaj Ananda Yogi
How to Meditate with Gururaj
"When you are emotionally involved in something, your mind does not think straight.  But as soon as you have detached yourself, become non-attached to the problem, then the solution just arises on its own."
Website  |  Meditation  |  Classes  |  Retreats  |  Teachings  |  About AMS  |  Bookstore
AMS Newsletter 
Volume 45, April 2016
In Memoriam


In the early morning of April 4, Ma, wife to Gururaj Ananda Yogi and mother of Biren, Praneet and Jaiwant, passed away after a life filled with love, joy, and after seeing all her family doing well and the memory of Gururaj preserved throughout the world. Please join us in sending our love and support to the family.

 Upcoming Retreats
daffodils and sun

EAST COAST SPRING RETREAT
April 15 - 17, 2016
Sloatsburg, NY


NATIONAL SUMMER RETREAT
June 29 - July 4, 2016
Haverford, PA
more info coming soon...


GURURAJ:  I always encourage people to come to courses.  It's very good to meditate very regularly at home, but when you come to a course, there is a certain energy imparted which you might not be able to see that goes deep within the core of your personality.  And you are never the same person again.  ~ US 86-40

 Satsang
Choices
 
GURURAJ:  Happiness and joy stem from within. The choices that are made for you by Divine Will will always produce happy results because Divinity itself is nothing but joy. It is we that distort that joy and make ourselves miserable. Therefore we say, "Not my will, let Thy will be done." Who is that "Thy"?  That "Thy" is your real inner self. 
 
If you tap those inner resources and say, "Thy will be done," you are bringing forth, through the various facets of your mind to your physical body, that joy where every cell of your body is permeated by that joyousness. When you have that joyousness, why do you want to make a choice? 
 
If your end and aim in life is to experience joy, and joy means no conflicts, then you do not need to make a choice. You make a choice only because of conflicts in the mind. If there were no conflicts, you do not need to make a choice at all.   
 
As you go down the road, you might pass a few restaurants. You make a choice: is this a good one or is that a good one? So you pop into a fancy one and the food might not be good at all. How valuable is your choice?  Meanwhile, you have passed another restaurant that is not so fancy looking but the food is good. 
 
Most times, choices do not work out because the choices that you think you make are only made on the surface value of the mind, combined with experiences that you have had or the external influences that would help you make the choice which you think is right. It might not be right.
 
But if one lives a life of surrender by tapping the inner resources we have - Thy will be done - you will see that you will always be influenced to do the right thing without even choosing to do it.  
~ US 84-35

Teaching
Teacher Training

AMS will once again be offering its 9 month teacher training certification course beginning this Fall. It is an online "live" course that meets for 2 hours every other week. More information will be coming shortly.

If you are interested or have questions, please contact:
Kenton Yeager, Director of Teacher Training
kenton@americanmeditationsociety.org
Meditation in the Media
No Texts, Please, We're Meditating
from The New York Times

"...With increasing attention being paid to the physical and emotional benefits of meditation - lowered levels of stress and anxiety, an improved immune system, better sleep and a drop in blood pressure, to name a few - practice is finding new adherents in New York City..."