Guest guest Posted July 18, 2004 Report Share Posted July 18, 2004 “There’s No Money in it!” The phrase ran in my ears and made me laugh! Swamiji would have loved this joke – perhaps he is chucking in his Akashic heaven, relishing the irony of it all. He enjoyed such things immensely! Compliments can come to us from many directions – straight on, side wise or even “back-handed as they say. This compliment was definitely a “back-handed one!” The father of a senior students leases out his well-appointed hotel on a European island to various Yoga groups. For Yoga seminars and retreats. Recently, one of his clients remarked, “why don’t you upgrade you hotel, make it more luxurious, and offer massage and other new age therapies. Why do you insist on leasing it out to people teaching Swami Gitananda’s style of Yoga? Don’t you know that there is no money in Gitananda Yoga?” What a classic comment! What a colossal truth! There is no money in Gitananda Yoga that is for sure, as most of Swamiji’s devoted disciples have discovered. There is money in Iyengar Yoga, the so-called Ashtanga Yoga (Warrior Yoga) T.M., The Art of Living and many other modern brands of Yoga – but not in Gitananda Yoga, that’s for sure! Of course “Yoga” has been commodified. It is packaged, presented with an eye to market realities, sold and propagated. “Yoga is big business in America” a recent headlined article in an Indian weekly news magazine proclaimed. There is a “Yoga shop” on every corner in California. Bikram Chaudhury is trying to obtain a “copy right” for his series of Asanas, so that no one can teach or practice them without his permission. Mr Chaudhury is well on his way to becoming the richest Yogi in the world, second perhaps only to Mahesh Yogi of T.M. fame. Signs of “success” in modern Yoga are measured numerically: The numbers of students, buildings, centres, acres of land and dollars in the bank under the Guru – control. Big business! Big bucks! We get what we want! The big-name Gurus obviously wanted money and they got it! Swami Gitananda never wanted money. He never wanted huge Ashrams, large organisations, big bank accounts, fancy automobiles, and large numbers of disciples. So, he never got them. There was “no money” in “Gitananda Yoga.” Swami Gitananda only wanted God. And he got Him! Yogacharya Dr.Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani Chairman : Yoganjali Natyalayam and ICYER 25,2nd Cross,Iyyanar Nagar, Pondicherry-605 013 Tel: 0413 - 2622902 / 0413 -2241561 Website: www.icyer.com www.geocities.com/yognat2001/i_am_here Vote for the stars of 's next ad campaign! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 18, 2004 Report Share Posted July 18, 2004 my dearest meenakshi devi and dear ananda, i really enjoy all the mails which i get from you through this lovely modern means of internet. yes, there is no money involved in swamijis teachings, yet the benefits and wealth which we gain is so much more valuable. there is not a single day where i am not gratefully think of swami dr. gitananda - and of you. i just completed a weeks seminar in the southern part of bavaria in germany, where also claudia participated. i am very happy that she decided to stay with you at the 6-months course from the beginning to the end. i will take the opportunity to visit you once in a while if you agree and if there is place - and if i am able to leave roy alone. at present i am here with my children and grand children - meanwhile there are 5 grand children for me - my eldest is 19, the youngest not even 2.... it is really blissful. to all of you all the very best, may god bless you, may gurus blessings be with you, may you have further on so much strength to do your wonderful work. with my pranams, namaskar and dhanyavad i am yours hanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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