Introduction

Hello, I am Yogacharya Gowrishankarananda the Acharya & founder of the Atmalaya® Ashram, Atmalaya® Meditation Program, and the Yoga Sadhana Foundation. This Blog is established to post various activities of the Ashram & its students. Through this Blog we will allow comments and questions to occur as well as offer advice for Spiritual Sadhana.

Testimonials

I have attended approximately 20 yoga classes with Yogacharya Gowrishankarananda since June of last year. Meeting Shankaraji and attending his classes have been timely and life changing. I have been an active and athletic woman for most of my life but something was always missing. I truly craved an activity that incorporated the mind, body and spirit in an intelligent, challenging and peaceful way. Ji’s yoga teachings have perfectly achieved this, unlike any other yoga or athletic endeavor that I have tried. Each class challenges me to balance and discipline my mind as well as my body. I am so happy to have found a physical activity that works in harmony with my physical body, I never feel like I have to force my body or try to make it do something it doesn't want to do. After each class I have a peaceful, balanced, awakened energy that I rarely experience with any other practice or activity. As well, I often leave class with spiritual principles to ponder during the following week. This is a great practice for those who are athletically experienced, spiritually evolved, or someone who is a newcomer to a mind/body practice.


Shankaraji is a respectful, positive, thoughtful and encouraging mentor. I would highly recommend this class/experience to everyone and every age.

...Lisa Anderson
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While I could write volumes on what I have learned through Yoga and how it has affected my life I feel compelled to express my sincerest and heartfelt gratitude for the profound life changing lessons of the Yamas and Niyamas. For me the most valuable teaching Yogacharya Gowrishankarananda has imparted to me is that of SATYA- truthfulness. He has continually exemplified this teaching to me through his own conduct; when he says he is going to do something, he follows through on it! This is the yogic value that I have struggled with the most throughout my life-time. Being honest with others requires that one first be honest with themselves. It takes courage to live out your personal truths because you will inevitably be challenged by others to do otherwise. Since I've begun my yoga practice with Shankaraji, I have gained a profound awareness of just how untruthfully I have been living. He has been incredibly supportive during my healing process of 'cleaning up' the discrepancies between the intentions I declare and the actions I actually follow through with. He has been a patient listener and unconditionally compassionate in the advice he has shared with me. As a result I am now re-aligning my thoughts, speech and actions with my inner truths, and am working towards restoring my sense of integrity and self-respect.


Namaste.
...Michelle Ancelin
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From the first time that I met Yogacharya Gowrishankarananda (AKA Shankaraji) he has been a guide and teacher in my life. In putting to words how he has benefited my life, well, words can't describe my gratitude. I have experienced love, caring, and deep passion from him throughout these years. This unwavering devotion to others and their lives, health, and spiritual evolution has impacted me greatly, allowing me to see the greatness of all that I am. Through him I have learned timeless wisdom, experiencing shifts in perception that have allowed me to create new and greater realities for myself throughout the years. With him I have personally benefited from a powerful healing experience that was both miraculous and profound. Through this experience and many others I have understood how much he has and is willing to give. Through his service, I and humanity will benefit beyond measure.

Thank you Shankaraji for the impact you have and are continuing to have on my Life. I am deeply grateful for the ongoing guidance, love, and compassion you show me.

...Lars Gustafsson
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I would like to express my thanks to Yogacharya Gowrishankarananda whom I respectfully refer to as Shankaraji and sometimes just Ji, for introducing and encouraging me to pursue the discipline of Yoga. Over the 15+ years I have known Ji, he has always had something captivating and intriguing to say regarding health, philosophy, human potential achievement, the pursuit of excellence, Yoga and self mastery.

As an expert in the field of mind, body, and spirit connections, I looked to Ji to "solve" my many years of pain that had crept up on my through the over-use of computers, poor posture, and lack of regular flexibility exercises. During my years as an amateur baseball player, I was quite flexible and pain-free. However, like many males who have come before me, as the years went by, I found myself working longer and more stressful hours in the pursuit of financial excellence while neglecting my physical well-being.

Over time, my body had tightened up, rebelled, and finally screamed in pain as the repetitive stresses of today's modern technological wonder, the personal computer, began to take its toll on my body. Neck pain, mid- and lower-back pain, and hand pain, has made daily work activities nearly intolerable at times.

As I acknowledged the need for therapeutic help of some kind, I sought out chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, and physiotherapy professionals in search of a "cure". Well, thousands of dollars and three years later, I realized that "treatment" was not the answer.

Shankarji helped me to realize that the "cure" comes from within and by eliminating the aggravating factors (self-defeating habits) that manifest themselves in pain.

My first healing experience with Shankarji came with a procedure I recall that could best be described as energetic or facilitated healing. As the facilitator, he focused in on my energy channels and proceeded to remove the blocks to optimum energy flow thereby allowing circulation and function to return to normal. "Hocus Pocus, hulla ballu, fruitcake, nutcase stuff, right? Whatever!" were my immediate thoughts. However, my entrepreneurial open-mindedness said, “OK, give it try. It couldn't hurt.”

Well, as I left his place after the one hour “treatment” and began walking to my car, I felt myself leaning and staggering to one side, almost as if I were drunk! Weird, thought I, as I pondered the experience and whether or not it was a valid procedure or just a hoax.

The next day Shankarji asked my how my neck was feeling. Keep in mind that he never touched me at all during the treatment! Well, my neck pain had disappeared in a matter of minutes and the feeling of leaning to one side was actually my body walking straighter for the first time in ages.

The pain later returned in a few days as I renewed my old routine and began to doubt that true healing had taken place. I later learned that, deep down, I was not mentally ready to release the issues and the pain that held me captive.

Had Shankarji not soon left for his international travels to learn more mastery in Yoga, I would no doubt have continued with more sessions to eliminate the pain permanently.

Fast forward two years later…

Shankarji and I find ourselves meeting again through mutial acquaintances. How fortunate for me!

Ji involved me in a private Classical Yoga class were I began my final pursuit to eliminate the pain that continued to haunt me. As part of the level 2 class, students were encouraged to pursue a 28-day routine known as Sadhana where, for 30 minutes each night, we did the same series of exercises to build discipline, focus, and a more flexible body. At the end of each routine, we have a final relaxation phase, it was during that phase I enjoyed the most profound experience of my life!

As I tilted my head to the right and then to the left, I sensed what felt like a live cockroach under my skin suddenly move downwards into my upper shoulder area and disappear into my body. I was positive that a blood clot had been the culprit and it had finally been dislodged only to move to my heart in the next 30 seconds. As I waited to die of this blood clot in the coming moments, I realized that what I held felt was actually a knotted muscle bulge in my lower-right neck muscle, which had aggravated me for nearly two years, suddenly un-kink and disappear! That was on day 8 of the routine and, 6 weeks later, as I write this letter, I am pleased to say that it has never returned. What a relief!!!!!!

Although I have other aches and pains that have yet to totally disappear, my range of motion and flexibility and far beyond where most males, and some females are at half my age. All this from only two months of Yoga!! I intend to continue these practices for the rest of my life and I encourage others to follow me in my journey.

Finally, to you, Shankaraji. Thank you for your wisdom, guidance, leadership and encouragement in facilitating me to heal myself rather than relying on external treatments and practitioners to provide me temporary pain relief, and at great monetary expense. Although alternative medicine and holistic treatments are far and away better choices than western traditional medicine involving drugs and surgical intervention, I now know why the practice of Yoga has survived for over 7000 years. I encourage everyone, starting at as early an age as possible, to pursue the discipline of Yoga as a means of preventative maintenance from the modern ills and stresses we find opposing our health. The concepts, techniques, and disciplines learned on your journey will help you to master your life in all areas, from physical to financial to relational well-being. When all is said and done, we only have our health. Why not enjoy it to its fullest, without pain, and with the vitality we all deserve.

Yours truly, in thanks for your service,

...Jim Steele.