Swami Mukundananda Talk, Yoga and Meditation JUNE 8-13 IN TAMPA
Swami Mukundananda will address an audience from all walks of life from June 8-13 at the Hindu Temple of Florida, 5509 Lynn Road, in Tampa. The free weeklong programs include yoga, meditation and discourses on “7 Secrets for Awakening Your Best Self.” Prasadam will be served on all days.
Swami Mukundananda is a world-renowned teacher of spirituality, yoga and meditation. He is the founder of the unique Yogic system JKYog, also known as Yoga for the Body, Mind and Soul. His discourses clarify the deepest concepts of the Vedic scriptures with wit and logic. Over the last two decades, Swamiji has been travelling all over the world, awakening thousands of seekers through yoga and spirituality. He has been invited to speak at various Fortune 500 companies such as Google, Oracle, Yahoo, and for the youth, he has conducted programs at prestigious universities like Princeton, Stanford, Kellogg, MIT and Duke.
Visit www.jkyog.org/events to register or call (727) 432-1020 or (813) 300-0584.
Q & A with Swami Mukundananda.
Q: In one of your recent lectures, you mentioned that pranayam is 20 times more beneficial than asanas and meditation is 20 times more beneficial than pranayam. Please illustrate since this sounds so incredible to most.
Swamiji: The Yog Vasishtha describes a conversation between Lord Ram and Maharshi Vasishtha. Once Lord Ram toured his kingdom of Ayodhya, and found that some of his citizens were sick. He was moved to pity. On returning to his palace, he asked Guru Vasishtha, “What is the cause of vyadhi?” Guru Vasishtha replied, “Ram, vyadhi begins in the mind. When we harbor negative thoughts — of hatred, anxiety, fear, envy, desire, etc. — this disturbs the manomaya kosha. When the mental sheath is disturbed, it agitates the pranamaya kosha. When the vital energy sheath is agitated, it manifests in the annamaya kosha (gross body) as disease.” The Vedas explain that our body houses five sheaths, or koshas. These are progressively deeper aspects of our personality. They are annamaya kosha (physical sheath), pranamaya kosha (vital energy sheath), manomaya kosha (mental sheath), vigyanamaya kosha (intellectual sheath), and anandamaya kosha (bliss sheath). When we engage in meditation, we purify the mental sheath from poisonous thoughts. We thus strike at the source from where diseases sprout. Pranayam helps strengthen the vital energy sheath of the body. When it is healthy, it automatically heals the physical body. Thus, to give us a comparison of their relative importance, the Hatha Yoga Pradeepika states that pranayama is 20 times more important than asanas, and meditation is 20 times more beneficial than pranayama.
BOCA RATON’S FAU Receives $750,000 to Name the Lata and Shiva Gangal Global Innovation Hall
Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science received a $750,000 gift from the Gangals nonprofit Foundation Inc. (GnF) to name the Lata and Shiva Gangal Global Innovation Hall in the Engineering East building (platinum LEED certified) on FAU’s Boca Raton campus. Last year, the Gangals also established a $500,000 gift for the “Gangal Family Endowed Scholarship Fund” to support talented students as they prepare for professional careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
In addition to these agreed gifts to the FAU Foundation, the Gangals directly award scholarships to FAU engineering graduate students. Their total gifts to FAU amounts to about $1.5 million.
“We are so incredibly grateful for the Gangal family’s generosity and their continued support of Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science,” said Dean Stella N. Batalama, Ph.D. “The Lata and Shiva Gangal Global Innovation Hall will provide our students with an engaging environment that will foster learning, creativity and collaboration.”
Shiva and Sneh Lata Gangal established their nonprofit foundation in 2014 in Coconut Creek. Shiva Gangal served as manager of large U.S. corporations from 1973 to 1983 and then as CEO of their 100 percent-owned Tri State Engineering & Management Company (1983 to 2001), an engineering design and construction corporation in West Virginia. He received his master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, in 1957. Sneh Lata Gangal also served as secretary and treasurer of Tri State Engineering & Management Company from 1983 to 2001 and received her B.S. degree from Agra University in India. Their daughter, Anjali Gangal, is a vice president of Branch Banking & Trust Co. in Fort Lauderdale.
“We are extremely proud of our affiliation with Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science and we are delighted to name the Global Innovation Hall,” said Shiva Gangal. “This recent gift is a continuation of our support to ensure that engineering students thrive in their environment and that the college’s programs continue to excel so that we can ensure a robust STEM workforce and knowledge base in South Florida and beyond.”
SARASOTA’S Ringling Museum Takes Festival Goers on a Journey Through India
The John and Mable Ringling Museum in Sarasota was the site of the Journey Through India Festival from April 26-28. The three-day festival was a showcase of Indian performance, food, dance, music and art. The event kicked off with a Bollywood dance party at which more than 1,000 guests danced to music provided by DJs Pram and Priya. Saturday events that were enjoyed by about 1,500 people included lectures, performances by community groups, art-making, local food and artisan vendors. A sold-out evening performance by sitar player Shujaat Khan was held in the Historic Asolo Theater. The festivities concluded with a Sunday morning Yoga Practice on the terrace of the Ringling’s historic mansion, Ca’ d’Zan.
FREE CLINIC OF TAMPA BAY NOW OPEN
A grand opening celebration was held March 23 for the Free Clinic of Tampa Bay. The chief guest for the ribbon-cutting ceremony was Dr. Kiran C. Patel. Also present was the now current Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
At 1323 W. Busch Blvd., Suite B, the charitable, 501 (C) clinic is open every Tuesday from 1 to 6 p.m. Its mission, according to Peace on Earth Foundation and Pathshala Inc. founder Kirit Shah, is “that not a single Hillsborough County man, woman or child resident should go to sleep sick tonight because of lack of money. If you don’t have insurance, but have a photo ID, and make less than $52,000 for a family of four or make less than $25,000 for an individual (proof of income required), you will receive medical care for free at our clinic as well as lab work, X-rays and prescriptions at low cost or no cost.”
Shah, who has taken the lead in its founding via contributions and donations, says, “I am fortunate the community has joined me in supporting this noble cause. Considering the support we’ve received, I am confident this clinic, which is open to anyone, will flourish. If you meet the criteria I mentioned, we will serve you. There is a primary care doctor on staff and we also have a specialist on our panel. And they are all volunteers.”
To make an appointment, call the office at (727) 455-6250. The clinic can be reached at (813) 999-4894 or email [email protected] or visit www.freeclinictampabay.com
