Swami Prakashanand Saraswati & The Heart of Yoga

Stress relief & the teachings of H.D. Swami Prakashanand Saraswati.

It is a the scandal of our modern age that the practice of yoga, which has been extensively described and practiced since ancient times, has been reduced to a set of physical postures.

Experiences of the Barsana Dham retreats - Natural Stress Reduction and Spiritual Harmony

Shree Swamiji with devotees at Barsana Dham

Devotees at Barsana Dham are enjoying the satsang with
Swami Prakashanand Saraswati.

One of the most talked about concerns these days is stress. Stress negatively impacts our lives on so many levels, that it has become a constant threat to our health and happiness. One of the prime reasons for our ever-increasing levels of stress is our failure to recognize the persistent desire of our soul for spiritual fulfillment. When we continually ignore this thirst for Divine love, it intensifies our dissatisfaction. This ongoing discontent contributes to higher and higher levels of stress.

According to the Vedic scriptures, our soul has a very specific desire: it wants the ultimate love and beauty. We search for it in our lives in many places our jobs, families, hobbies, and homes. But the fact is that ultimate love and beauty is not material: it is Divine. And so, only devotion to God can fill the void in our heart. This Divine knowledge also explains the simple path of divine-love-consciousness and that it is particularly applicable to our modern world. Any person of any age or religion can adopt this devotion, because it only requires a sincere and faithful remembrance of the Divine love names of God. These names imbue divine love in a human heart. Simply remembering them sincerely through meditation and chanting evokes God's omnipresent Divine love power, and that power fills the void in our spiritual hearts.

Once you begin the natural practice of bhakti yoga at Barsana Dham, your mind will gradually become more calm, peaceful, and content. It's important to know that bhakti devotion is not something that is separate from your life. It is a way of life. It makes your life worth living, because it appears as a divine sweetness that can be tasted in every step of your life. You just have to add it to your daily living. What could be more simple and less stressful than that?

Young in years and old in hours: Kids at Barsana Dham studying with
a sanyasi student of Swami Prakashanand Saraswati.

Many people have found that one way to increase their experience of bhakti yoga is to retreat for a day or a few days to a spiritual environment that is dedicated to bhakti yoga devotion. Barsana Dham ashram, situated in the Texas Hill County on 200 acres of beautiful land 17 miles southwest of Austin, was created for this very purpose. This ashram provides a full spectrum of devotional activities for the Divine upliftment and devotional progress of every soul seeking Divine love. It offers the perfect environment in which to fully relax, meditate, and experience inner contentment through divine-love-consciousness.

At home, even a few minutes of sincere bhakti yoga meditation can fill your heart with the perfect love and beauty that you seek. Then contentment and peace will take the place of uneasiness and dissatisfaction in your life, and lead to ultimate harmony in your life.

I would recommend you to contact Barsana Dham if you would like up-to-date information about retreats, satsangs and talks in your city - as teachers from Barsana Dham, all trained by Swami Prakashanand Saraswati, regularly conduct programs in many cities around the world. I have found the staff at Barsana Dham very warm and welcoming to any queries I have. And the Barsana Dham teachers all have a warmth and clarity that appeal to both the heart and mind, and their chanting of Sanskrit verses and the Divine names opens the heart to experience Divine Grace. Website: Barsana Dham