Yoga has solutions for every malady of the body and mind. Hath yoga, pranayam, yoga nidra and meditation, a combination of holistic health, help bring back the energy and glow to the tired body and mind.

The only thing is that these should be learnt from a trained person and even better, that is to ensure best results, from a real master. With Anandmurti Gurumaa, we have the unique opportunity to learn from a realized master.

In this video, we find the master beckoning the seeker to visit Rishi Chaitanya Ashram (the abode of Anandmurti Gurumaa) to learn ways to cure insomnia.

We wish Shrutika, the questioner, all the best in her endeavour and trust that more and more of us will take this golden opportunity to be cured of our ailments and evolve spiritually by attending yoga and meditation camps by Gurumaa, in which personally guidance is given by the master.

Even otherwise, if one visits the ashram by prior appointment, one can be assured that necessary care will be taken.

Vagaries of the mind are very difficult to explain. Gurumaa advises us not to live in fear and insecurity, but to try and create happiness and opportunities for ourselves in this present moment.

If we are worried and anxious all the time, this feeling gets passed on to our subconscious mind and it starts creating a fear and phobia by painting fearful pictures of the future. But this is not at all conducive to harmonious living.

So if we want to live a happy and peaceful life being in the present and not thinking of the past and future, we must get rid of all insecurity and fear from our lives and live life positively. Keep watching this video to know more about this topic.

There is confusion in our mind between the love for fellow creatures and the love for God. The love for creatures comes from the mind and God is beyond the mind. So we cannot equate our love for beings and our love for God.

For loving God, we have to go beyond the mind. Love, feeling and attachment for worldly objects comes into the realm of maya but transcendental love for God cannot be equated with maya.

Gurumaa discusses the answer to the question asked by a seeker. Maya is but an illusion created by the mind and which the mind blindly gets attached to. But God cannot be termed an illusion, in fact he is the only supreme truth in this world and everything else is temporary and has no support or truth to it.

Listen to this video and understand the answer to a question which is uppermost in our minds, we equate our worldly love with the love that we think we have for God.

But as the seeker evolves and moves closer to God, he realizes everyday that the world and its objects are only an illusion and he has to move away from these if he wants to come closer to the self-effulgent, ever-present and everlasting truth and bliss that is God.

The subconscious mind stores all the experiences of our past lives. If we learn to program or control it, we can improve our performance and life skills significantly.

Ideas have to be put from the conscious mind to the unconscious mind repeatedly so that they get engrained in it. This is somewhat like how we learnt to drive a car.

For some time, the conscious mind continuously feeds information to the unconscious mind on how the car operates. Finally, a day comes when we can drive the car effortlessly. That is when the subconscious mind has been programmed to run the car.

There are various methods by which the subconscious mind can be programmed. The two most successful ones are past life regression and yoga nidra, which is a meditation and relaxation rolled into one.

In this video, Anandmurti Gurumaa, a realized mystic speaks about how Yoga Nidra enables our conscious mind to program our subsconscious mind. So, keep listening to know more on this enthralling subject.

However nowadays during festivals many are focused on the rituals and traditions and ultimately forget the significance of these auspicious days!

One such festival is Makar Sankranti. While most are focused on accumulating good deeds by bathing in holy rivers and chanting mantras, Gurumaa beautifully explains that Sankranti actually translates to the inner revolution that place inside a seeker while they are in the presence of a Master!

Under the guidance of a master a seeker learns proper techniques and practices which help eradicate negativities such as attachments, greed, desires etc. that exists within the mind. As the mind becomes purified virtuous qualities such as selfless love, compassion, forgiveness etc. spontaneously arise.

Hence an inner revolution has taken place! One can surely be freed from their inner enemies and begin a beautiful journey towards the inner world, ultimately experiencing the divinity that resides within!

According to the scriptures of India if one is not wondering “Who am I?” “Where have I come from?” and “What is the purpose of my life” they cannot claim themselves to be humans.

The major distinguishing feature between humans and other creatures is that humans have the ability to realize the identity of their true Self.

However in this illusionary world there are very few people who tell you to contemplate on such questions. Most people will tell you to enjoy life and stop worrying about such things that make no sense!

Where can we understand the true meaning of life and who we really are? In this video Gurumaa explains that it is only a self-realized master who can break all our bondages and reveal the supreme consciousness that exists in you!

Gurumaa says one is extremely fortunate if they have come in contact with a great Master. It is the fruit of good actions that allows one to go in their presence. In the company of such great saints true wisdom can be obtained, allowing one to fulfill the true purpose of human life!

Although this term is used quite frequently in everyday conversations, many people fail to realize the real significance of karma.

According to Hinduism this entire world is bound by the laws of karma. Hence good actions bear one rewards and blessings while negative actions bring about diseases, misfortunes and suffering.

The law of karma also explains how the actions of our previous lives influence our current conditions. Every being is bound to perform an action and bear the fruits according to the actions performed.

According to the sages of India a human birth is extremely rare and priceless, and is a gift granted by the Lord. It should not be wasted in this birth-death cycle because there is a higher purpose for which every human being is born.

What is the purpose of this life? As the sages say the real purpose of this human birth is to discover who we really are! If we cannot discover this reality we have wasted our whole life.

As Gurumaa says bad habits and indiscipline destroy the body (or the vehicle that can allow one to dive within). The mind and body are interconnected; hence if the body is unwell the mind will not be healthy.

Under a master’s guidance we should learn techniques and practices that can help one live a healthy, balanced and blissful life. Practices such as yoga and pranayama not only help keep the body strong and disease-free, but can ultimately allow us to experience out true nature!

There are many festivals celebrated throughout India that mark a change in the cycle of nature and are also considered to be a spiritually significant time in a seekers life.

Makar Sankranti is one such festival that is celebrated throughout the various states of India. On this day the sun migrates from the zodiac sign of Cancer to zodiac sign of Capricorn (Makar).

The six months of northern movement of the sun is the Uttarayan Paksh, while the 6 months of the sun’s southern movement is called Dakhshinayan Paksh.

This time is considered to be an extremely auspicious time to start and continue any sort of spiritual practices. The six months of the northern movement of the sun are considered to be God’s daytime and positive forces in this universe are predominating during this time.

As Gurumaa says our mind is influenced by these positive and negative forces. During the period of positivity in this universe one can fulfill the true purpose of this human life by actively engaging in spiritual practices such as meditation, mantra jaap, austerities, and selfless offering of earnings to God. Hence the atmosphere is more conducive to performing spiritual practices and one can obtain great benefits during this time!

Who am I and where did I originate from? What is the purpose of my birth? The sages of India say that one is not a true human being if they are not contemplating on these questions!

The human life is absolutely wasted if we have not discovered our inner world. The true purpose of this birth is to discover your real identity and realize that we are not mere flesh and bones!

Eating, sleeping, fear, and reproduction are experienced by both humans and animals. However, unlike animals only humans possess the ability to discriminate right from wrong, are able to reason, and most importantly fulfill the real purpose of human life: discovering the inner Self.

This is where a self-realized master is essential in a seeker’s life. Only a true sadguru is able to remove the veil of ignorance from a seeker and allow them to experience their inner divine state!

Every individual in this world seeks happiness. It may be through friends, parties, money, fame etc. but in the end everyone wants to be happy and experience ecstasy. As a result the mind uses the senses and constantly turns outside to experience joy.

The five senses (touch, sight, taste, smell and hearing) are used by the mind to perceive this world. As objects are recognized by the senses a countless number of thoughts are generated thereby creating our illusion of this “world”.

The nature of the mind is to be extroverted and create distinctions and differences. It is constantly wandering from one thought to another. All kinds of doubts, desires, delusions and ignorance originate in the mind.

However a sadguru tells us to use these same senses and turn within! Why are we looking outside when a plethora of joy exists within us! Under the guidance of a master we learn to clear the impurities of the mind through practices such as pranayama, yoga asanas, mantra jaap and meditation, which ultimately allows one to experience their true state!

All humans have the power to free themselves from the control of their senses and mind. As Gurumaa says instead of dissipating the energy through the sense organs, we should channelize this energy for spiritual elevation!

If you too are seeking an answer to this most frequently asked question and also the one which is very complex, then watch this Video to gain a more clear understanding. In this video Anandmurti Gurumaa, an enlightened modern day saint, a Guru herself explains to a seeker who is a real GURU.

The word ‘Guru’ has a very wide spectrum. It is essential to know whom we can really call a ‘Guru’. A teacher who teaches anything be it in school or outside like music, poetry, dance or drama too is called a ‘guru’.

Even on the path of spirituality there can be a variety of meanings and gurus in one’s life. For example one may have a ‘mantra guru’, a ‘kul guru’, a ‘gyan guru’ a ‘deeksha guru’ or a ‘sanyaas guru’.

It is possible that a person may have more than one guru in his life. Few are lucky to have one Guru who takes charge of all the aspects of spirituality, giving ‘mantra’, ‘gyan’ and ‘deeksha’ to a disciple. The word ‘guru’ should not be misunderstood. In essence it means the one who takes the other from darkness to light.

A guru is the one who is enlightened and helps others on the path of knowledge and truth. To be a seeker and help others seek the truth. One who can help others inculcate the qualities of dispassion, love and generates a firm faith and belief in God. Above all helps the seeker in his/her journey towards self realisation.

A ‘guru’ is free from all bondages. The guru does not tie seekers to any kind of relationship, in fact he helps one free himself/ herself of all attachments and bondages. Guru is the one who has experienced the absolute ‘parabrahma’. The one who has mastered the path of ‘yoga’, ‘Bhakti’ and ‘Gyan’ can be called a guru.

It is difficult to find a complete Guru who has mastered all the three paths, most of the time it so happens that the guru may be practicing any one path. May it be Bhakti, Gyan or yoga.

In ancient times, many a times a guru has sent his disciple to another guru to seek more ‘gyana’. ‘Rishi Ved Vyas’ a guru himself sent his son to ‘Janak’ to get ‘Brahma gyan’. Guru then becomes like a door that the disciple passes through not that he or she gets emotionally attached and refuses to move beyond.

It may be that one may have a different mantra guru, then go on to have a different ‘gyan guru’ and then again may have a different ‘deeksha or sanyas guru’. The ultimate destination is not guru bondage but realisation of the truth. This can only be possible when there is true communion between the master and the disciple.

One should not move on from guru to guru due to some superficial emotional fancy but only when the ultimate goal is not being realised. It may so happen that the Guru is complete and the seeker too is keen but the approach does not work for the seeker. In such a situation one has to move on.

Guru is like a tool that helps one achieve the target of self realisation. At the same time if one is completely satiated then there will be no need to go seeking door to door. If that is so something is truly amiss.

The guru-shishya (master disciple) relationship is a bond of the heart. It cannot be induced or endorsed by any one. Once a seeker accepts someone as a guru then he/ she should have complete faith and be honest to the guru and the guru’s teachings. It is the student or a seeker who stands to lose from the absence of a master in his/her life not the guru.