Ananda in The Times of India

A friend of David P. shared with him this short article about Ananda that appeared in The Times of India, entitled “Lost? Take Ananda Sangha’s road to self discovery.” It begins:

“For Daya and Keshav Taylor, American citizens by birth, and ambassadors of community and sustainable living by choice, moving to Gurgaon to spread the message of Ananda Sangha was not merely about an exotic Indian experience, but something rooted in reality.....” Read the full article

Ananda's Future and You

Dear Ananda Members,

Last Sunday after service & Swami's video, about a hundred of us enjoyed a meeting led by Asha, David and Shanti.  We looked at all we've accomplished in the last few years to develop the Church property.  Then we discussed what we can do from now on to ensure that all this is available to truthseekers well beyond our lifetimes; and answered questions from those present.

Please click here to listen to an audio recording of the meeting, 1 hour 8 minutes.  If you'd prefer this on CD instead, just let us know and we'll get you one.

Click here to view the 3 handouts that everyone received, that speakers refer to in the talks.

We discussed 4 major areas we'll be focusing on in the near future:

1. Free and Clear:  Helping to see Ananda free of all debt
2. I Go Forth in Perfect Faith:  Tithing and Pledging;  giving back to the source of our inspiration
3. My Spirit, My Truth, My Family:  Helping to grow our membership
4. Thank You and Goodbye:  Building a legacy for Ananda Palo Alto (title is intentionally lighthearted)

We passed around clipboards and folks were encouraged to sign up for one or more of these areas--brainstorming, praying, contributing energy in any way. 

Even if you weren't there, we encourage you to join the fun and "sign up" for one or more of these areas by contacting the sangha staff.

Thank you!

Many blessings in Master,
Dambara, for the Ananda staff

P.S. Photos of the event, courtesy of Chris T., are here.

Pumpkin Carving Party

It's almost Halloween, and that means it's Jack-o-lantern time! Sunday afternoon was family pumpkin carving time in the community kitchen, and Daniela has kindly shared with us some photos of the results. Thanks to everyone who joined in and made this a creatively fun time!

Playground Seva

The kid's playground at the Ananda Community has been getting some much needed TLC recently. Last Saturday, a number of volunteers (of all ages) turned out to help with the renovations. We washed the playhouse and moved it to a new foundation, we sanded down the larger play structure to make it ready for painting, and we raked and weeded all around.

Washing the playhouse.

There's still more to do, though! More sanding and painting, and we'll be filling in a new sandbox as well. If you want to come help out, D'Arcy will be leading another Playground Satsang / Workday this Saturday, October 16, starting at 9:30 AM. Come by whenever you're able, for as long as you like. Snacks provided!

Sanding the play structure.

Sunday Service Schedule Changes

If you were at service this morning then you heard the announcement, but here are the details about what's going on. Please help us get the word out, and make sure all your friends know about it!

Here's what our Sunday mornings will be like, beginning on October 17th:

• [Note that there is no fire ceremony or purification ceremony.]
• 9:00 - 9:15, unguided meditation in the temple.
• 9:15 - 9:30, chanting.
• 9:30 - 10:45, service.
• Service is a bit shorter now, without the affirmation, and with an abridged version of the Festival of Light.
• 10:45 - 11:00, refreshments in the courtyard.
• 11:00 - 12:15 (approx.), Swami Kriyananda's LA satsangs, broadcast live on a large screen in the temple.

Obviously, the main motivation here is to make it easy for everyone to both attend service and tune in to Swamiji's talks, so this schedule is only in effect for as long as he is doing these satsangs in LA. That will probably be until sometime in March 2011. We'll go back to normal after that, and of course, if we make any further adjustments, we'll do our best to make sure everyone finds out about it in a timely manner. In the meantime, it'll be fun to get an extra weekly dose of Swamiji's vibrations!

Sadhana and Multiple Sclerosis

In 2008, Dr. Bryan Coleman-Salgado conducted a study examining the effects of Ananda Yoga, meditation, and the Energization Exercises on people with multiple sclerosis. The latest issue of Clarity Magazine has a great interview with him, describing the fantastic results he observed:

For persons with a chronic neurological illness, perhaps the most significant overall result is that participants not only did not get worse, but they all improved. In medical science, developing a therapy that slows the progress of a chronic disease is considered a huge breakthrough. If, as this study suggests, a regular practice of Ananda Yoga can not only stop a “progressive worsening” of a chronic disease, but can also bring about improvements, then Ananda Yoga offers potentially positive benefits for everyone.

Read the full article here!

Celebrate Ananda

Every year around this time we like to stop, give thanks, and just plain old celebrate the fact that we get to be a part of such a life- and world-changing movement as Ananda. This year, we held the festivities in the church courtyard, since one of the many things worth celebrating is the amazing transformation that area has undergone this year. Isn't it lovely? (More photos here. Update: and even more photos here.)

David addressing the gathering in our beautiful Italian piazza.

After some hors d'oeuvres and socializing time, David started off the program with the "Cliff's Notes" version of the Palo Alto colony's history, with hints at all the other fascinating stories that could be told about it. (Someone should get inspired to do a bunch of interviews with folks and collect all these stories, no?) We also got to hear from several Ananda members: Saranya, Karen, and Gary each spent a few minutes sharing personally meaningful and entertaining stories about some of their Ananda experiences.

Dinnertime at the buffet line.

And of course, what would a celebration be without good food and music, right? The main course was a tasty sandwich bar sort of buffet, which paved the way for a glorious array of desserts. And throughout the meal we had different groups of musicians and singers taking turns strolling around and serenading us. (Did you know Swami Kriyananda wrote a song in fake Hawaiian? He just has no end of surprises!)

 

The new color scheme is gorgeous at night, too.

Asha wrapped up the evening for us with some observations on what it's like to be a part of manifesting something like Ananda. One of our collective strengths that she conveyed particularly well was the way in which we are able to look at what other people might call "nothing" and just see an energy flow there that will eventually become a community, or a church, or a school. Time after time we've tackled apparently ridiculous situations, made it work out, and had a delightful time doing it.

So here's to the next 20-something years! Jai us!