Interview in The Literary Digest - March 2024

Author Interview JYOTI SUBRAMANIAN

Can you walk us through your personal and professional journey while highlighting how yoga impacted the same? As most people of my generation born in the 50's and 60"s I was introduced to yoga first at home by my parents and then formally at school. Yog then became a way of life even if I was not consciously aware of it at that time. Taking refuge in the practice of Asans and Pranayam during stressful periods in life became natural. As a mother of 2, an entrepreneur running my own housekeeping business and helping with the larger family farm, there were many such moments and the childhood inculcation into the practice of yoga came very handy to manoeuvre my way through difficulties. Introduction to Kriya Yoga occurred in my mid thirties as a result, I feel, of the conscientious adherence to yoga since childhood. It prepared the soil so to speak for the seeds of higher sadhana when dropping all other activities I got wholly into the sharing of Kriya Yoga with others as instructed by my Guru and have been doing so for the past 25 years.

What inspired you to write "Yog Uninterrupted" and how do you hope itwill impact its readers? Yog Uninterrupted started as a collection of my writings, blogs and articles scattered in various newspapers into one book, as a request from my students. But as I started writing an overwhelming tsunami of information and realisations of over 55 years on this path made their way into the book making it a work of my lifetime understanding of this very personal and individual journey. The intention of the book is not to preach but to provoke thought so the reader and practitioner of yog can apply their own realisations to this study. We are so fortunate to have so many stalwarts of not just yoga but many other paths leaving behind their philosophical musings, I strongly feel it is very important to pen down ones own journey for others who may want to study, debate, disagree or agree with our philosophy. This inculcates a heathy spiritual content over changing times, keeps ideas from atrophying and at the same time shows the relevance of ancient wisdom in modern times. Writing about personal spiritual experiences can be challenging. Were there any particular challenges you faced while writing this book? In this I have been very blessed as I am led by some inner grace to express my spiritual experiences in simple words. Seemingly difficult experiences flowed easily through my pen onto the paper. I still use the pen and paper before using the computer as many realisations and inner awakening come at odd times and the pen and the paper are by my side. One challenge was to decide what to share and what was too personal but even in that decision there was a divine intervention that guided me. This is particularly true of the two Gayatri with their tantr that I received in my state of dhyan. I eventually shared them in the book after being instructed to do so by an inner divine guidance. Your book dives deep into the Yog Sutras of Patanjali. Could you share one or two key insights that you believe are particularly relevant in today's world? The more you are drawn into the substance of yog the more you understand the relevance of the Yama and Niyama. the Yama are Ahinsa (absence of violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Aparigraha (non-hoarding), Brahmacharya (living in tune with nature). The Niyama are Shaucha (cleanliness of outer and inner), Santosha (a sense of content joy), Tapa (consolidation of energy), svadhyaya (study of the self), IshvaraPranidhan (alert surrender to the divine will). To live in tune with these tenets are self evident in todays world and especially in the new business of yoga where many of these tenets are subverted to build a brand, root out competition and get on the get rich bandwagon.

How has your deep engagement with the YogSutras and your sadhana under Yogiraj Siddhanath transformed you personally? The practice and close proximity to a guru has brought immense peace and the ability to live a life sans complication. The clarity to observe situations and act without getting entangled in the drama. As a grandmother today I can take care of my grandchildren without the stickiness of attachments and resulting joy or sorrow in how their life unfolds or that of my girls. This encompasses all aspects of life. The mind is no more turbulent. Earlier external situations dictated my response, today my inner calm transforms the outer.

Can you tell us more about the online repertoire of yoga practices you are creating? What can participants expect from this platform? In my years of teaching I come across people whose first response to meditation is to say I can't even sit for a minute or that my thoughts drive me crazy and I just cannot meditate. In my YouTube channel I have tried to introduce people to the first steps to start the process, the practice given here is 5-10 min. Begin with training the breath and the mind will follow is the adage. The online repertoire will deal with getting deeper into the practice, through more in-depth techniques. Covid taught me that the response to online sessions are very beneficial to those who cannot get to studios due to nature of work and or finances. Online sessions gives one a freedom to explore without feeling the pressure of time and/or money also anonymity to start with. Unlike many online courses mine will have the option of having an open group session and private sessions. The idea is not to make it exorbitant but allow access to everyone.

Are there any new projects or books that you are currently working on? If yes, tell us more about it. Interestingly I am looking at doing some audio books for children next. Retelling stories to my grandchildren from my imagination has opened a whole new world of possibilities. Many of my stories are made up to inculcate the yama and niyama of yog sadhana without overt emphasis on them or treading on a high moral ground. The stories emphasise the need to be in tune with nature, have integrity in ones dealings, be minimalistic as a means to be joyous oneself and share the joy with others. I am also more confident to do an audio recording after recently completing a recording of my first book One Master one disciple- peeling of an onion, which is 10 hours plus long.

Finally, what advice would you give to those who are just beginning their journey into yoga and spiritual exploration? The one quality one must have is to be alert and study what is being offered. A blind follower is the last thing one must be on the path of yog. The other is to be realistic when assessing the benefits and being just to the teacher and to oneself while doing it, this is important. Personally for me, not losing my sense of humour has always been a boon on the path, also not being dogmatic and avoiding trying to convert others as soon as one has 'found' the path!

Any final thoughts that you would like to add? Yog is a path that does not discriminate. Anyone can practice it. There is no external worship. In the final stages of yog one realises one is divine. Then there is no practice, the crutch drops. I'd like to quote from my book here, "There is no doing or non-doing, there is only becoming; There is no becoming because I already Am; There is no I."

Yog Uninterrupted Kindle and HardcoverOne Master one disciple- peeling of an onion Kindle and PaperbackAudiobook One Master one disciple -peeling of an onion

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