As I store away my winter coat and boots, I am reminded of this time last year and all that has happened since. In the last three seasons I have been faced with rejection, health challenges and grief. Like many, I have witnessed the devastating world news of natural disasters, war and suffering. As I prepare to fully step into the bright seasons of spring and summer, I ask myself: What carries me through dark times? What keeps me moving forward?
Some things immediately come to mind: walks around my neighbourhood, Swami Radha’s relaxation tape, sunshine in late December, my mantra practice. Yet, above all is the power of community and connection to those around me. What has truly sustained me through this year of ups and downs is the support, encouragement and acceptance that comes from community.
In my case, this community is not fixed in a specific place and time – there are people from all over the country, even the world. People who reached out, listening, showing care and offering words of comfort. There is a sense of deep gratitude and privilege, knowing that as long as I remain engaged and respond to their call, whether it’s a literal phone call or a walk in the park, I have a community that helps carry me through challenging times. These connections open up pathways through which I am heard and understood, nurturing my sense of belonging to the world.
Satsang: Spiritual Community and Sacred Space
During my recent visit to the Ashram, I was reminded of the powerful sense of community that exists there. People living, practicing and growing together. How connections form and every interaction carries the potential to lead me to a new way of thinking, of being and understanding myself and the world around me.
Night after night at satsang, we gather in the Temple of Light and chant for the prayer list – a list compiled of hundreds of names and concerns from people asking for help. We connect through the mantra and send vibrations out to the world and to all those in need. Our voices chant sacred syllables that hold the power to heal.
At satsang, I feel deeply connected to the Ashram community. I think of all those who’ve been here and all those who will come. There is a sense of expansion in my heart, knowing that whatever has happened throughout the day, people gather every night to be in the company of the wise.
Swami Radha writes that “mantras can have a healing effect by releasing the emotions and bringing about a state of calmness and deep relaxation, both in the chanter and in anyone listening” (Mantra: Words of Power, 87). Chanting in the Temple of Light, I feel these calming effects and my mind fills with awe of the beauty of this sacred space.
Finding Stillness in City Life
Back in the city, I try to invoke that sense of openness and connection. Inspired by the sacred space of the Temple, I have created an area for practice in my bedroom – an altar with special items and images that touch my heart. This helps focus my mind and prepare me for practice.
Swami Radha writes that “Images satisfy the very active and ever-changing mind. The mind is like an elephant that sways from side to side as it walks. But even though it sways, you can keep it going in the right direction. The mind sways too, but you can focus it and get it going in the right direction” (Time to be Holy, 73).
After a busy day, I sit down by my altar to chant mantra and focus my mind. And there, in the stillness of my body and the quiet of my bedroom, a clear image emerges: my Ishta Devata, an image that stands for the most High – my personal deity. This presence deepens my sense of connection as I lean in, receptive and willing to learn more.
Remembering the importance of community, I offer my practice to all those who have supported me in this last year, especially those in need of help. I pray that I may give back to my community – that we may all walk through the darkness into the Light.
Practice for Connecting with Community
When you chant or recite a mantra for someone, visualize that person well and healthy. Invoke the image of the Divine and, in full expectation, see the person standing in the radiance of Light. Let the healing force flow through you, never from you, and think of the energy of the mantra as that healing Light. Wrap the individual in a spiral of this Light so that they become barely visible and let the image of this spiral move to the source of all Light. Now focus all your attention on the chanting.
By Katie Taher – Yasodhara Yoga Teacher