Dear Aspirants,
In October, we were invited to the inaugural celebration of BYD’s year-long series of functions to commemorate Ācārya’s 75th and 25th year. At this function, we received word of the book to be published with personal reflections from members of the Jivana Yoga Program and were graced to hear some of our members share their stories with all who were present.
In the coming months, these stories will be shared on the blog. To start us off, please enjoy the speech Gillian shared on that eventful occasion.
Namaste to BYD staff and teachers, Acharya and Vijaya, fellow Western students, and all well-wishers who have come here today.
I am humbled to have been asked to speak at this momentous occasion – acknowledging the 25th anniversary of BYD and the 75th year of our great teacher, Dr. Shankaranarayana Jois, Acharya.
My name is Gillian, and I am a Doctor of Psychology and a practicing clinical psychologist in California in the United States. My interest in yoga started back when I was a young girl of 10 years old. At that time, I had a deep curiosity about the soul — I had some understanding that perhaps I was not only my mind and body but that there was much more to who I was inside and why I was here.
As fate would have it, 18 years later I was gifted a ticket to India and I was introduced to Acharya by no other than the man who would become my future husband!
That was 24 years ago and I have been coming back to India nearly every year since.
Acharya has influenced my life deeply. His teachings on Yoga, Ayurveda, and Astrological guidance have profoundly shaped my life.
Shortly after meeting Acharya, my husband-to-be and I asked him to look at our Vedic charts to assess our compatibility. He told us that we had 90% compatibility! As a result, we have been committed to a happy marriage for the past 23 years! We often joke that we are one of the few westerners who have had an arranged Indian marriage!
Acharya’s Astrological guidance and teachings surrounding Yogic lifestyle and Ayurvedic principles have guided my husband and I in all major decisions in our life.
He guided me toward my profession — telling me I would become a psychologist. After being in India at that time for over 6 months, I returned to California and embarked upon my doctoral studies. I have now been working as a professional psychologist for over 20 years.
My husband and I consulted Acharya and his knowledge of Vedic Astrology for the most beneficial time to conceive a child. Following his guidance and many specific yogic and Ayurvedic practices, I conceived within a month of the favorable period and today we have a very noble, 16 year old son who has come to India with us many times.
Acharya has taught us that Yoga is a Lifestyle which involves paying close attention to all areas in our life and conduct. He guided us in buying our home where we have sought to develop a calm and quiet lifestyle. It is a property that we share with another one of Acharya’s students and her daughter and a place where we strive to live with contentment.
We cook simple Ayurvedic food to support a sattvic lifestyle, practice daily asana, pranayama and meditation, appreciate the beauty of living in nature, along with our regular duties as parents, householders and professionals.
Most importantly, we have learned how to simplify our lives and try to resist the overwhelming distractions of the material world in favor of calmness and quietness. The wisdom of this guidance has deeply impacted our lives.
In 2011, it was a great honor to have Acharya and Vijay come to our home in California to work on editing the final copy of his book “The Sacred Tradition of Yoga” with my husband Paul. It was a wonderful opportunity to host Acharya and Vijaya and to observe the authentic yogic life that they live, with simplicity, calmness, patience, endurance and a deep commitment to complete the book work as an offering to both Indians and westerners to better understand these teachings in an accessible way.
As a practicing Psychologist in the West, these teachings have also deeply impacted my professional work with individuals, couples and families.
Despite all the material comforts in people’s lives, there are many problems impacting the entire society.
Today, we are seeing a mental health crisis throughout the world. Many adults are struggling with depression, anxiety, addiction, and more. Families are struggling with marital discord and parenting problems.
Children and teenagers are struggling with high levels of anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder, autism, gender identity, eating disorders, drug abuse, and more.
It is said that over 20% of teenagers in the US today have seriously considered suicide.
As a doctor of psychology, I have studied many clinical approaches in depth for many years. But it is the Yogic approach that I have learned from Acharya and other BYD teachers that forms the foundation of the work I do today. They inform who I am as a person, my conduct and character. They inform the principles that I try very hard by which to live my life and work within my field.
I try to help my patients understand these teachings in simple, indirect ways that they can understand and easily incorporate into their lives. Things like simple breathing practices to calm their mind and basic instruction to begin to develop a silence practice. I work with patients to reflect on their thoughts and actions and set noble intentions for themselves to create a happier life.
I work with couples to find ways to support the challenges in marriage rather than following the trend of divorce. These yogic teachings help us learn to maintain happiness, contentment and compromise in a long term marriage. Acharya uses the metaphors of “the tree and the vine” when he speaks about a married couple as a way to honor the deep commitment of this sacred relationship
I work with parents to understand the needs of their children, to stay closely connected to them. Unfortunately there is a lot of trauma in the world, where children’s need for love, affection and understanding go unmet and this deeply impacts their overall functioning as they grow into adults. The role of parents in early childhood development has been taken over by day care facilities and technological devices. These yogic teachings help us all understand what a blessing it is to have and care for a child and understand that it is the most humble duty and sacrifice.
A student once asked Acharya, “What is depression?’ And Acharya replied very clearly “It is a case of mistaken identity” meaning that we misunderstand who we truly are. This profound teaching echoed what I as a 10 year old girl was seeking to understand – that there is more to who we ARE than this body and mind. – This ultimately led me to India, and to my yogic journey.
You are all very lucky to live in India, a land endowed with so much spiritual wisdom. And it is even a further blessing to be connected with Dr Jois and BYD. It is wonderful to see how BYD has grown over these past 24 years. And it is due to these noble teachings that my family and I have had much good fortune in our lives. I am honored to share my story with you today and be a part of this beautiful community of noble people and honored teachers.
I thank you and all and especially our dear Acharya – for whom I am forever grateful,
Namaste.