For the Love of Yoga with Nish the Fish

We are about to have a very fascinating discussion: how do I know if I am enlightened? First of all,  while there are certainly different conceptions of realization among the various spiritual traditions, there is a universal principle that is common to the all. We first discuss this and offer a few insights about why this discussion would even be valuable to have from the point of view of spiritual practice. Then, we take up the unique conception of realization offered by Kashmir Shaivism and derive about 7 symptoms or signs of enlightenment. Essentially, this is a Kashmir Shaiva take on the "stitha prajnya" (stabilized wisdom) conversation between Krishna and Arjuna at the end of Bhagavad Gita Chapter II.May this be an offering to Swami Lakshman Joo whose birthday it is today! (9th May 2023)Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lecture. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

How do I bring in the abundance that I need to support myself and my loved ones while still remaining aligned with my spiritual values?What should I do with my life? How do I "make a living" without making myself into the "living dead"? For so many of us, "making a living" involved doing the kind of work we might not want to be doing but feel like we have to be doing to get by! Interestingly, the tradition of Paramadvaya or Non-Dual Shaivism, offers some very interesting insight into why work might feel like a drag and more importantly, what I can do to change that and come to live my highest calling! In this discussion, we explore what I like to call, "Tantrik career advice"!Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lecture. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Sooner or later, in spiritual life, we find that there are certain habits, patterns and attachments that are getting in the way either because they prevent us from practicing as much (or as well) as we'd like or because, for whatever reason, they are obstructing the natural joy and peace that should radiate from the depths of your being.   Naturally, then, we become interested in "renouncing" these things! And these things might take various forms: TV, substances, workaholism, sensual indulgences etc. So how do we do it? How do we wean off of these things in a way that is effortless, easeful and natural and not in a way that in violent and repressive? Can we learn to renounce in a way that is mental fortifying and not mentally debilitating?  This a follow up conversation to our discussion last week on "Is Religion Just Sexual Repression?" which you can watch here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/is-religion-just-81268681?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkThis is one lecture in a wider lecture series on the Bhakti Sutra of Narada. You can watch the other lectures in this series and keep up with the upcoming ones here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/narada-bhakti-80688555?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkOM Tat SatSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

What is the ultimate goal of spiritual life? I’m going to propose that it’s freedom, however we choose to articulate it. But what is that exactly? And does freedom mean the categorical end of all suffering and the attainment of the supreme bliss? What’s so blissful about freedom?   Today we’re going to articulate the Kashmir Shaivism position on freedom and contrast it against the freedom of other systems like Samkhya and Advaita Vedanta to show that ultimate freedom requires ultimate agency and absolute infinitude, i.e non duality. Remember, not all freedoms are the same. Different schools of spiritual philosophy offer different versions of freedom. As such, I hope to have a nuanced conversation regarding the goal of the various paths. Let's compare the concept of freedom of Cārvāka with that of Sāmkhya, Advaita Vedānta and finally, Kashmir Shaivism. Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday at 6pm PST.  There's Q&A right after the lecture. It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

This lecture is an exciting one: we’re going to discuss sex and more specifically sexual repression! To what extent are all spiritual experiences just hallucinations caused by repression, narcissism and grandiosity as the Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysts suggest? As spiritual practitioners we must take these kinds of critiques seriously and really engage thoughtfully with them since they can show us the deepest aspects of spirituality as it relates to very complex human psyche! We're discussing 10 different Western scholars, including Freud and Lacan to consider 4 arguments from the materialist for why all religion is repressed sexuality, drawing from Swami Tyagīshananda's commentary on the Bhakti Sutra. Then we are going to offer levels and levels of analysis in response to all for arguments making the case for the existence of a distinctly "religious" instinct common to all life and manifest to a greater degree in certain "genius" type individuals. Then, I'm going to try to use some Freudian reductionist language to say to the materialist: all instincts reduce to the sex instinct but the sex instinct must itself ultimately reduce to, what I'll call, the Urge to Transcendence.This is one lecture in a wider lecture series on the Bhakti Sutra of Narada. You can watch the other lectures in this series and keep up with the upcoming ones here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/narada-bhakti-80688555?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

In this lecture, we do a lot of philosophical work to show, at least for the sake of theoretical understanding, that everything you see in this world is nothing but Consciousness. From this, we come away with three insights:1. To judge, criticize or resent anyone is to judge, criticize and resent God.2. To serve and help anyone is really an act of worship to God. 3. You yourself are God so you have infinite strength and potential to do anything, including overcoming #1 and doing #2 above! Of course, this is the central teaching of the Ramakrishna movement: "shiva jnane, jiva seva": knowing that everyone is Shiva, serve them as an act of worship. In this lecture, we explore the metaphysical foundation for such a teaching in light of the insights of Paramadvaya Vada, or Kashmir Shaivism. Here is an abstract of what was discussed:What is Consciousness? None other than your very own Being, your own essence. Consciousness is You! And also, because of its Transcendent nature and its innate Freedom, Consciousness is God. Wait a minute! Doesn't that mean...you are God? Yes! Absolutely, yes! But of course here in Advaita Vedanta, or Classical Non-Duality the God that you are is the Impersonal God, Brahman without Attributes. What about the Personal God who creates, maintains and destroys? Non-Dual Shaivism, in its radically reconciliatory attitude shows that the Impersonal God is also the Personal God and such, Consciousness/You is/are also, like the Personal God, performing all the divine acts of God: creation, maintenance, destruction, self-revelation/grace, self-concealment/judgement. You can never be parted from God because you ARE God, in both the passive and dynamic aspects! But then why don't I have any control over what happens to me? Ah, because God is Consciousness and Consciousness is distinct.  from and prior to the mind which is where our preferences live! Naturally, then, the preferences of our mind and our inability to exercise personal will to meet them is not a rebuttal against our essential nature as Consciousness, God, who wills sometimes independently of the mind in a spirit of play! Support the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

In Non-Dual Shaivism (paramadvaya) the word "shiva" doesn't always refer to the blue fella sitting atop a tiger skin mat meditating in the Himalayas. While "shiva" literally means "blessing" or "auspicious", the word "Shiva" in this context comes closer in meaning to Satchidananda Brahman, which means pure, Formless Awareness...but with a few nuances! In order to show how the Satchidananda Shiva of Tantra differs in some respects from the Satchidananda Brahman of the Vedas, we first have a discussion about Consciousness Itself (Shiva) and demonstrate what exactly makes it "shiva", a blessing. In what sense is Consciousness and Bliss the same?  In this lecture, we make the claim that the more aware you are, the happier you feel since Happiness Itself is intrinsic to Awareness Itself. Ultimately, the Saguna Sakara form of Shiva as the God of Meditation/Renunciation (the blue fella on the tiger skin mat) is nothing other than the Nirguna Nirakara form of Shiva and Formless Awareness.  In a different lecture, we'll demonstrate this claim. For now, we'll continue to dwell on the Formless aspect some more which is at the heart of Non-dual Shaivism. Next week while we're on the topic of Formless aspect of Shiva, we will have a discussion about how this Formless Awareness is playful. Lord Shiva, that is, the very Awareness that you yourself are, by which you are made aware of all the varied phenomena of your life, performs 5 divine acts in His sacred dance: Creation, Maintenance, Preservation, Self-Revelation and Self Concealment. It's almost as if Consciousness, in a spirit of play, manifested Itself as a world in order to play hide and seek in. This is one of the foundational ideas that is unique to Non-Dual Shaivism (Paramadvaya/ Advaita Shaiva Darshana) and we'll take it up in earnest in the next class.This the second lecture in our new series exploring foundational concepts in Kashmir Shaivism. Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST.  There's Q&A from 8-10pm PST right after.It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

On Saturday, Feb 18th 2023, millions if not billions of people all over the world will be pulling and all nighter to celebrate the great God of renunciation  and yoga, Lord Shiva.But what's all the fuss and hullabaloo about anyway? In this video we discuss what mahashivaratri, the Great Night of Shiva is and what about it makes it special. Lord Shiva is the symbol of meditation, renunciation and asceticism. These ideals are at the heart of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism. And this same blazing renunciation and surrender to God  can be felt in Sufism and Christian hesychasm or asceticism. As such Shiva, as a symbol, belongs not only to Hindu thought and culture but to every spiritual tradition where inwardness, meditation, renunciation and devotion can be felt. This is a night for all, whatever path you may be on. All night long, there will be singing and dancing, chanting, meditating and spiritual fervor all around in celebration of this spirit of renunciation and yoga.The atmosphere in positively electric and wherever in the world you might be, whatever your practice and path might be, as a spiritual practitioner you can tap into the tanmatras (spiritual vibrations) in the air to supercharge your practice! OM Namah Shivaya!Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST.  There's Q&A from 8-10pm PST right after.It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMIf you'd like to support us, you can do so here:https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jaima...Support the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Happy New Moon! Because this is the first New Moon of the year and an important puja to the Divine Mother (Ratanti Puja), I thought it would be nice to discuss an important approach to spiritual life! This is a rather foundational topic and with Mother’s grace, I pray I can do it some justice: How To Practice Spirituality. My only prayer is that something in this lecture inspires you to start practicing now and if you've already been practicing, then to intensify your practice. Give your entire being to your practice! Devote your whole mind and heart to your practice. Dive in! Plunge deep!Spiritual life is about doing. It is about becoming. It is about being. It is not enough to watch from the sidelines. You can attend all the lectures you want, you can read all the books you want, you can even write books and give lectures and talk about spiritual ideas ad infinitum but until you practice to make these ideas your own, until you integrate the teachings into the fabric of your being, until the teachings shine forth in your life and become manifest in each and every moment, what have you got, really?  It can never hurt to be reminded; spirituality is about a lot more than book learning!  But naturally, we must then ask, if spiritual life is about practice and integration, how then should I practice? What does spiritual practice really look like?No one way is the only way. There are an infinite number ways to reach Truth which is Itself Infinite and each of them are as good as any other, according to predispositions and capabilities of each individual practitioner. With that being said, in this lecture, we read through the first chapter of Way of a Pilgrim to illustrate a few very important general principles about spiritual practice. Then, we make the case that across several different mystical traditions, japa or recitation of mantra is the central practice of choice! OM Tat Sat.May all of this be an offering. Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST.  There's Q&A from 8-10pm PST right after.It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: Support the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Many people feel like their path is the only path to salvation and that their God is the only God. However, if you wanted to get to the beach, aren't there many routes, each unique in their own way and yet each equally capable of taking you to the same destination? Further, if God is an infinite being, then shouldn't such a being express Itself in (and allow Itself to be reached by) an infinite myriad of ways? One thing is clear: the saints of all the major religions all the world over have demonstrated through their experiences that every religion works to create peace, blessedness and virtue. Every religion then is just so many ways of describing the one truth. Every religion is just so many paths to one goal. And while people might argue and bicker and even kill each other over what to call water, the mystics of the world understand that whether you call it "Self" or "No-Self," "Allah" or "Yahweh", "Krishna" or "Jesus", it will quench your thirst all the same. This idea is of course at the heart of the life and teaching of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa. His has always been a message of the essences of things, a message of harmony and universality. Interestingly, this sentiment is also present in the teachings of Tantra especially in the exegetical works of great Shiva masters of the 10th and 11th CE in the Kashmir Valley. In this lecture, we take up the question: "what does God look like?" to illustrate the above sentiment and make a plea for religious harmony! NOTE: I wrongly titled the text Svabodhodaya Manjari authored by Viranatha as Shivabodhodaya Manjari, forgive me! Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST.  There's Q&A from 8-10pm PST right after.It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM