Hey hey and namaste! Here we are, in 2024. Wild, isn’t it? There’s a saying in America that is often used around this time of the year: “New year, new me.” While I understand the premise of that, I’d like to take this reflection to dive deeper into it, and what it could mean for a spiritual aspirant. New Year, new me is a beautiful premise. I would ask, though, why wait until the new year? Perhaps we get 80 New Years- some get more, others get less. We should think- “New breath, new me.” We breathe millions of times a year. Each breath is the start of a newer “you”. Each breath is a chance to re-devote yourself to your practice, your Sadhana, your devotion to the Divine. And allow it to come in whatever forms it may. This is, also, the principle of meditation: with each breath, comes a new beginning. Capture that. Allow the grace to flow through you. Surrender to your breath. This breath is ALL we will ever have. The next breath, this next typed word, isn’t promised. When we can live in the breath, we can capture what Ram Dass based his life around: Be here now. A lesson that Maharajji reinforced over, and over, through him. If we choose and surrender to the present moment, there are no resentments. Resentments occur from past events that we perceive to violate our belief systems. If we live in the here and now, “new breath, new me”, we can truly be released from these bondages of self. Do I do this all the time? Absolutely not. I am very much human, and very much controlled by desires and wants and resentments. With each breath, we have a choice to devote ourselves to this practice, though. And, that is amazingly beautiful. We, as a Satsang, can collectively alter these thought patterns. That is the goal of Satsang, to raise awareness for others to see. To shine a light for others to follow. To see the light of others, and be guided by them. We are a collective, a community, of living-in-the-breath souls. We, as spiritual seekers, can unite on this premise. As you read this, take a big, deep, full belly breath, and feel the truth: You Are Home.

I hope this new year finds you well. I pray to my lineages of teachers, and our Gurudev that your needs will be met, and growth will be facilitated. This new year, this change of the calendar signifies the moment-to-moment changes that occur within you. Allow yourself the space, and love, to be present for them.

Jai Jai Jai Gurudev

Om Namo Narayan

Jai Sita Ram

Stop. Smile. Remember the Divine.

Ganga Das Baba

https://biglovesangha.godaddysites.com

“All action is prayer. All trees are desire-fulfilling . All water is the Ganga. All land is Varanasi. Love everything. Everything is Love.””

— Sri Neem Karoli Baba Maharajji