September 25, 2022

Choose Divine Possibility Now

Paula Whang-Ramos

“… the easiest way to avoid being unduly influenced by troublesome mental modifications is
to concentrate on what is of greater value. Yoga Sutra 1.13 commentary,
~Mr. Roy Eugene Davis, The Science of Self-Realization

As our communities continue to open up, we have the power to impact the peace and joy that we experience as we return to our work, play, and family environments. If we return to these circumstances and relationships assuming we can pick up where we left off 2 ½ years ago, then we can become frustrated. Trying to resume an unretrievable past can increase our stress and heartache in this present moment.

Alternatively, with a little soul courage, we can rise above the lower callings of the worried mind, into a higher consciousness that sees divine Wholeness in every aspect of our lives, right now. From this higher view, we can intentionally live into new paths of peace, clarity, and joy available to us even amidst ever-changing circumstances. It is true, we cannot regain what was lost from the pandemic. And, it is also true, that we can choose to live into something much better. Over and over again, we can study, learn, experience, and remember that our current life is worth much more than our past. Join us at Blue Lotus Center and choose to live into divine possibility in your life right now.

Join us at Blue Lotus Center (BLC). Experience a time of meditation and spiritual contemplation. Study, meditate and grow with others devoted to thriving in peace, love, and wisdom. Contribute to the realization of peace in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds. Beginning and experienced participants from all traditions are welcome at all gatherings.

September 18, 2022

Thank You, Yogananda

Paula Whang-Ramos

"By the practice of meditation, you will find that you are carrying within your heart a portable paradise."
~Paramahansa Yogananda, Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda, pg. 89

Tomorrow is an important day for all friends of BLC and CSE. One hundred and two years ago, on September 19, 1920, Paramahansa Yogananda arrived in the United States. This spiritually grounded, courageous 27-year-old man traveled over 7,600 miles, by himself, to a foreign country, with foreign customs, cultural practices, and language, during a time when discrimination against people of Asian descent was legal and popular in this country. Although these challenges may have concerned him, they did not deter him from fulfilling his divine calling to come here and freely share teachings of Kriya Yoga and meditation with all sincere seekers.

Yogananda's teachings have calmed minds and opened thousands of hearts around the world from Mahatma Gandhi to Steve Jobs. And, we at CSE and BLC are particularly blessed to be in the direct teaching lineage of Paramahansa Yogananda, who is the Guru of Mr. Roy Eugene Davis, who is the Guru of Yogacharya O'Brian, who is my Guru. In integrity with this lineage, the teachings offered at CSE and BLC remain in alignment with the transformative teachings that Yogananda offered over 70+ years ago.

Yogananda believed that we could all realize and live from our innate peace, love, and wisdom - in this lifetime. Join me in offering heart gratitude to Paramahansa Yogananda and all the Teachers in this tradition who continue to learn, live, and freely share these wisdom teachings. May Yogananda's belief in us strengthen our own commitment to realize and live from the permanent paradise that indwells us all.

Join us at Blue Lotus Center (BLC). Experience a time of meditation and spiritual contemplation. Study, meditate and grow with others devoted to thriving in peace, love, and wisdom. Contribute to the realization of peace in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds. Beginning and experienced participants from all traditions are welcome at all gatherings.

September 11, 2022

Love And Peace For All Beings

Paula Whang-Ramos

"If the practice of yoga does not result in love...then it is not yoga."
~ Lahiri Mahasaya

One hundred and sixteen years ago today, on September 11, 1906, Mahatma Gandhi proclaimed Satyagraha, the nonviolence resistance movement that awakened peace in the hearts of millions of people around the world. On this historical day, a shift in consciousness occurred, toward the realization of harmlessness, nonviolence, and truth of the power of peace and love for all beings.

The Teachers in this lineage of Kriya Yoga actively continue Satyagraha. During his earth life, Paramahansa Yogananda initiated Gandhi into Kriya Yoga. In 2015, Yogacharya O'Brian was the recipient of the prestigious 2015 Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism. And, the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment and the Blue Lotus Center, continue our dedication to spiritual awakening by fostering an oasis of peace in the community, in the world, and in the hearts of individuals.

As we tenderly hold in our hearts the events that took place on our soil 21 years ago today, may we also remember the deeper container of consciousness that Gandhi claimed for us many years before - Satyagraha. May we allow ourselves to be carried in peace and love from the Teachers and teachings in this lineage. May we remember the divine presence that indwells us, and the power we have to consciously choose peace and love to guide our own thoughts, words, and actions. Beneath the limitations of our humanity, we are the eternal peace and unconditional love that we seek. On this day, may we gift ourselves and those around us this divine remembrance.

Join us at Blue Lotus Center (BLC). Experience a time of meditation and spiritual contemplation. Study, meditate and grow with others devoted to thriving in peace, love, and wisdom. Contribute to the realization of peace in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds. Beginning and experienced participants from all traditions are welcome at all gatherings.

September 4, 2022

Live Into This Holy Moment

Paula Whang-Ramos

“Now, instruction in yoga, in accord with an established tradition, begins."
~The Yoga Sutras 1.1

Now. In its original Sanskrit, the word Atha is translated into English as now. However, Atha means so much more than this physical moment in linear time. Atha reminds us that amidst the blessings and challenges in our lives, this moment is a holy moment filled with divine wholeness, inner peace, and wisdom-guided clarity that waits to be realized within each of us, right now.

In accord with an established tradition. This first sutra also tells us that we are studying ancient, time-tested teachings that have been handed down through generations of Sages and Spiritual Teachers who have learned and lived these teachings. In this tradition of Kriya Yoga, we are blessed with the wisdom and inspiration of the Teachers in our lineage: Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswar, Paramahansa Yogananda, Mr. Roy Eugene Davis, and Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian.

This very first verse in The Yoga Sutras is one of my personal favorites. As I listen and live into it, I am filled with hope at the reminder that every moment in our lives is an Atha moment, a holy moment filled with divine possibility to restore and heal our lives, to live in deeper inner peace, and to reawaken our inner joy. And, I am inspired to study teachings that have been validated and passed down through a lineage of trusted wise ones who serve as living examples of the wisdom, inner peace, and joy that can be realized from spiritually conscious living in Yoga. Join us this Tuesday as we begin our yearlong study of The Yoga Sutras. Returning students and newcomers to The Yoga Sutras are all welcome.

Join us at Blue Lotus Center (BLC). Experience a time of meditation and spiritual contemplation. Study, meditate and grow with others devoted to thriving in peace, love, and wisdom. Contribute to the realization of peace in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds. Beginning and experienced participants from all traditions are welcome at all gatherings.

Inspirational Messages

Meditation & Yoga Center:

CSE south county meditation center

“If anything disturbs your peace, practice having faith that divine grace is already actively at work restoring wholeness and well-being.

Then make any necessary adjustments in harmony with that insight.”
Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian, Spiritual Director, Center for Spiritual Enlightenment

Blue Lotus