In Part 5 of this 5-Part series, Wendi talks with Leela Mata about meditation and diet. After discussing what meditation is and why people practice it, Mata Ji talks about diet and its effects on the mind. She then gives a brief explanation of how to meditate for those who are new to the practice, and demonstrates how to use a simple mantra (word or phrase) to aid in entering a meditative state.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this week-long series of interviews with Leela Mata. As explained at the beginning fo the week, Peaceful Valley Ashram is a special place for us here at Pure Jeevan. If you ever have a change to cisit Mata Ji or the ashram, we’d love to hear about it.
Peaceful Valley Seminars/Workshops Schedule
(Beginning July 24, 2009, there is a two-week teacher’s training yoga course being offered. There was another session for the course going on while we were there this weekend and it looks like an incredible program for becoming a certified yoga teacher!)
In this video, Wendi talks with Leela Mata about the different branches of yoga and how diet and raw foods affect the practice of yoga. Of all the branches of yoga, Hatha Yoga is the most popular in the United States. Mata Ji explains that it is through the practice of Hatha Yoga, strengthening the body through the asanas (poses), that you awaken on a deeper level. You will become more open to connecting with your spiritual nature, to realizing more about yourself.
Wendi asked how diet affects the practice of yoga. Mata Ji explains that a pure diet is important for growth on all levels, since toxins (Ama) will be removed from the body. By cleansing the body, you will become more flexible. She advises that a healthy diet be approached in stages: first remove the meat and heavy items, gradually working toward a raw food diet.
Karma Yoga is explained on the video, and Mata Ji invites you to visit with her as a Karma Yogi (short or long term). During one of Jim’s Karma Yogi visits to the Peaceful Valley Ashram, he built some beautiful bookcases. You’ll be able to see them in part of the video. They are a permanent part of the ashram for others to always enjoy.
Peaceful Valley Seminars/Workshops Schedule
(Beginning July 24, 2009, there is a two-week teacher’s training yoga course being offered. There was another session for the course going on while we were there this weekend and it looks like an incredible program for becoming a certified yoga teacher!)
In part one, we tour the organic garden at Peaceful Valley Ashram. Among other things, you’ll see how they plant onions and marigolds to help deter bugs. (Keep those marigolds in mind, as we may just revisit them next week for another really neat video!) Leela also talks about her experience with biodynamic gardening, which produced an incredible population of earthworms for her.
Part 2: Meet Mommy & See Some Bees!
The highlight of part two is a chance to meet Leela’s mother (we call her Mommy), a 96-year-old organic gardener. You might think, “Well, what can a 96-year old really do outside?” Well, we’re here to tell you that this woman is incredible! She spends hours each day caring for her crops, strong and limber as many people decades younger.
Part two also shows some neat (though brief) close-up footage of bees busily working a large wild thyme patch that sprung up on the ashram’s front lawn. Fascinating stuff! When Peaceful Valley first formed, there were two large bee colonies that had taken up residence in one of the building walls. Leela called a local beekeeper to see what could/should be done about them, and the man reportedly was astonished at the health of the colony. He attempted to integrate those colonies with his own, hoping to improve the health of his bees. Sadly, those once-healthy bees became sick and died off. With world bee population being quite a concern in these times (an important topic that we haven’t covered in depth here yet), it was encouraging to see so many healthy bees abuzz at the ashram during this visit. Perhaps local hives are regaining their health!
Peaceful Valley Seminars/Workshops Schedule
(Beginning July 24, 2009, there is a two-week teacher’s training yoga course being offered. There was another session for the course going on while we were there this weekend and it looks like an incredible program for becoming a certified yoga teacher!)
In this video, Wendi talks with Leela Mata, spiritual leader of the Peaceful Valley Ashram, about her experiences with the raw food diet and a bit about a cob oven structure that was built on the ashram property. This is part 2 of a 5-part series featuring Peaceful Valley Ashram.
Peaceful Valley Seminars/Workshops Schedule
(Beginning July 24, 2009, there is a two-week teacher’s training yoga course being offered. There was another session for the course going on while we were there this weekend and it looks like an incredible program for becoming a certified yoga teacher!)
In August of 2007, I was on the verge of an emotional breakdown.My entire world had changed since I adopted the raw food lifestlyle. My body had released nearly 100 pounds of unhealthy weight, my health had dramatcially improved, I ended unhealthy friendships, I released a lot of stored emotional memories from childhood abuse, I realized that I wasn’t living in a location that met my needs anymore, and so much more. I can’t think of any aspect of my life that hadn’t changed, in one way or another, over the year and a half that led up to my urgent need for a retreat.
I told Jim that I was going to India. I didn’t know how I’d manage such a trip, but an urgent need to be at an ashram, alone with myself so that I could process all that had been happening in and around me, was so strong that there was no denying it. I needed to fully connect with my inner self, to give birth, in a way, to the person I had become — to fully embrace the new me and release the stress that came with all of the changes in my life. I needed to say goodbye to my old self and celebrate my new beginning.
Well, I didn’t manage to make it all the way to India because the Universe had something else in mind for me. “You must be at an ashram,” was the sentence that came loud and clear from my inner self. When you hear something so clearly, you can act on it and grow in many ways, or you can ignore it and miss out on a step along your personal journey in this life. I knew I needed to be at an ashram and since a trip to India wasn’t happening fast enough, I knew I needed to find an alternative. That’s when I remembered reading about an ashram being developed right outside of Pittsburgh (where I live)!
The ashram wasn’t open, yet. I didn’t let that stop me. I sent an email to Leela Mata, the spiritual teacher and visionary behind the Peaceful Valley Ashram, explaining my urgent need to get away. She opened her arms, heart, and doors to me for ten days. During that time I was able to quiet my mind, say goodbye to my life before adopting the raw food lifestlye, and give birth to my new self.
It was during that retreat that I asked myself a lot of important questions: Who am I, exactly? What fills me with love and passion? My answers were that I’m a lover; I genuinely love people. It fills me with even more love when I openly share my love with others, when I help others. There were many questions I asked myself. The many answers began to come together and point the way for a new path along my journey.
Before I left for my retreat, I purchased the Pure Jeevan domain name. I knew that I wanted to share information about the raw food lifestlye with others, so that they could have the opportunity for positive life changes just as I had experienced. It was during that retreat, however, that Pure Jeevan was truly born. Once I began to understand who I am and what I am passionate about, I was able to bring life to Pure Jeevan in a way that I had never imagined before.
In a little more than four months after my retreat, I officially launched Pure Jeevan with Jim’s immense talent and help. Out of my love for others, out of my desire to help others, I have been able to touch many lives. We have nearly 5,000 Pure Jeevan family members at this point (a year and a half later) and that number continues to grow. The letters I receive, sharing with me how my story and the information I share has helped so many of you change your own lives, brings me to grateful tears so many times.
Finding out who you are, what your passions are, and truly living your life to the fullest is one of the most beautiful parts of being alive. We need to take time for ourselves, however, to tune-in to the messages we’re getting from our inner selves. Too often the stresses, responsibilities, and relationships in life make us temporarily deaf to our true selves. That’s why it’s vitally important to insist on having time for yourself. It’s not selfish, as I once thought. It’s what allows us to thrive and blossom more fully into ourselves. It allows us to more fully live passionate lives.
When’s the last time you took time for yourself? When’s the last time you asked yourself some important questions and sat quiet enough to hear the answers so loudly that there was no denying what your next steps in life would be? For me, I may not have taken a trip to India, but everything I wished to accomplish by going away to India was gained. I was able to process many of the changes that had been occurring in my life, make plans for some new adventures, and gain personal insight and more fully understand what I want for myself.
I wish that for you, too! If you can manage to take a personal retreat at the Peaceful Valley Ashram, you won’t be disappointed. It’s truly a peaceful location with a beautiful spiritual teacher who has a loving mission. Keep in mind, though, that even a short retreat away from your daily life for just a few hours can do wonders!
To read an article I wrote about my ten-day retreat at the ashram, click here.
Peaceful Valley Seminars/Workshops Schedule
(Beginning July 24, 2009, there is a two-week teacher’s training yoga course being offered. There was another session for the course going on while we were there this weekend and it looks like an incredible program for becoming a certified yoga teacher!)
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