Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian is a meditation teacher, an award-winning poet, writer, and the spiritual director of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment—a Kriya Yoga Meditation Center with headquarters in San Jose, California. She has taught Kriya Yoga nationally and internationally for more than three decades and has received many service awards, including the Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Promotion of Religious Pluralism. Ordained to teach in 1982 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, her message is “engaged enlightenment” – an invitation to live an awakened, creatively inspired, and fulfilled life, now.

Along with her service as a meditation teacher and esteemed Yogacharya, Ellen Grace O’Brian is the Founder of Carry the Vision, a community nonviolence education project bringing meditation instruction to staff and children in schools, the prison population, and other segments of society. She is the founder and President of Meru Institute, providing healthy lifestyle education and leadership training in yoga studies, Ayurveda, and community service. She is host of The Yoga Hour, a weekly podcast with listeners in over 130 countries. Her latest book, The Jewel of Abundance: Finding Prosperity through the Ancient Wisdom of Yoga, was recently published by New World Library.

Other books:

• The Moon Reminded Me
• A Single Blade of Grass: Finding the Sacred in Everyday Life
• One Heart Opening
• Sanctuary of Belonging
• Living for the Sake of the Soul

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded January 21, 2019.

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction and Overview of the Guest
• 00:03:50 – The Connection Between Material Existence and Spiritual Life
• 00:07:32 – Finding a Happy Medium and Being Awake in the World
• 00:11:24 – Living in an Ashram vs. Awakening in the World
• 00:15:11 – Discovering Your Unique Path
• 00:19:12 – Discovering a Subtle Dharma
• 00:23:13 – The Importance of Homo Consciousness
• 00:26:53 – Exploring the Goal of Artha
• 00:31:07 – Ethics in Spiritual Communities
• 00:34:42 – Ahimsa and the Journey of Non-Stealing
• 00:38:52 – Changing Our Mind for Abundance
• 00:42:44 – The Power of Speech and Thought
• 00:46:44 – Divine Grace and the Mechanics of Life
• 00:50:48 – Receptivity to Opportunities
• 00:55:44 – The Beauty of Life and the Nature of Reality
• 00:59:58 – The Importance of Enjoyment in Living a Spiritually Conscious Life
• 01:04:06 – Finding Happiness and Bliss
• 01:08:00 – Unhooking from External Sources of Happiness
• 01:11:27 – Living Beyond Our Means and Stealing
• 01:15:21 – Awakening to Higher Consciousness
• 01:19:34 – Stages of Life and Dharma
• 01:23:10 – Serving without Attachment
• 01:27:29 – Finding Joy in the Present Moment
• 01:31:42 – Being an Ocean and the Middle Way
• 01:36:00 – The Evolutionary Crucible of Close Relationships
• 01:40:17 – Awakening and Self-Reflection
• 01:44:43 – The Mechanics of Yoga
• 01:48:23 – The Body and Karma
• 01:52:21 – Reincarnation and the Mind
• 01:56:18 – The Power of Faith and Belief in the Universe
• 02:00:29 – Keeping Your Attention on Interview Preparation

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Sadhviji was raised in an American family in Hollywood, California and graduated from Stanford University. She was completing her Ph.D. when she left America in 1996 to come and live permanently at Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, India. She has been living there for the last twenty-one years, engaged in spiritual practice and dedicated service.She was officially initiated into the order of Sanyas (monastic renunciation) in the year 2000, by her Guru, His Holiness Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji.

Sadhviji is a renowned speaker who gives keynote addresses at large forums, on a wide variety of topics ranging from conscious business to science and spirituality to sustainable development to the keys of happiness and peace in life to all aspects of yoga. She has also been a featured speaker at the United Nations, Parliament of World Religions and many international conferences and summits. Her talks blend the knowledge and logic of the West with the insights, spirituality and wisdom of the East, and she is renowned as a spiritual bridge between the two cultures.

At Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh, where Sadhviji lives most of the year, she gives daily spiritual discourses and satsang, teaches meditation, provides counseling and oversees myriad charitable and humanitarian projects and activities.
Sadhviji is:

• Secretary-General of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, an international interfaithorganization dedicated to bringing clean water, sanitation & hygiene to the children of theworld.
• President of Divine Shakti Foundation, a foundation dedicated to bringing education and empowerment to women and children which runs free schools, vocational training programs and empowerment programs.
• Director of the annual world-famous International Yoga Festival at Parmarth which has been covered in Time Magazine, CNN, New York Times, Le Monde and other prestigious publications.

Sadhviji has a Ph.D in Psychology and was the Managing Editor for the monumental project of the 11-volume Encyclopedia of Hinduism.

Websites:

• Sadhviji.org (personal site)
• Sadhviji’s TED talk
• @SadhviBhagawatiSaraswati (Sadhviji’s Facebook page with announcements of events, videos, etc.)
• @ParmarthNiketan (Parmarth’s Facebook page where they stream Sadhviji’s satsangs live daily when she is in town.)
• Youtube channel with all of the videos of Sadhviji’s lectures (and also a lot of other good stuff…

Book: Vegetarianism: For Our Bodies, Our Minds, Our Souls & Our Planet

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded February 6, 2018.

Second BatGap interview with Sadhvi.

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
• 00:04:22 – A Trip to India for Vegetarian Food
• 00:08:12 – A Shift in Beliefs 
• 00:12:17 – A Swinging Footbridge and a Vision of Truth
• 00:16:37 – A Profound Spiritual Awakening on the Banks of the Ganga River
• 00:20:51 – A Call to Stay in the Ashram
• 00:24:49 – The Inner Voice and Following Your Vow
• 00:28:26 – Seeking Permission to Stay at the Ashram
• 00:32:11 – The Phantom Higher Authority
• 00:36:18 – The Presence of Divinity
• 00:40:39 – A Mysterious Phenomenon
• 00:44:42 – A Confusing Journey in the Ashram
• 00:48:57 – The Importance of the Guru-Disciple Relationship
• 00:53:07 – Ego Development and Self-Identification
• 00:57:39 – The Ego’s Desire for Spiritual Superiority
• 01:01:49 – The Role of a Guru and Discernment in Choosing a Genuine Guru
• 01:05:44 – The Nature of Guru’s Offerings
• 01:09:47 – How to Identify a Genuine Guru
• 01:13:44 – Feeling the Presence of the Guru
• 01:17:42 – The Power of a Guru’s Presence 
• 01:21:24 – Providing Medical Care and Sanitation in India
• 01:25:23 – Service as Spiritual Practice
• 01:29:29 – Seva: Serving Your Way to Enlightenment
• 01:33:15 – The Importance of Sadhana in Spiritual Practice
• 01:36:43 – Falling in Love with Spirituality
• 01:40:17 – Witnessing Hatha Yoga as a Path to Divinity
• 01:43:43 – The Feminine Energy of Creation
• 01:48:19 – Objectification and Self-Worth
• 01:52:13 – The Unity of all Beings and the Divine Nature
• 01:56:28 – Parmarth Niketan’s Facebook Livestream
• 01:59:21 – End of Conversation

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Sri M – spiritual guide, social reformer and educationist – was born into a Muslim family on November 6, 1949 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. His transformational journey, from a young boy to a living yogi, is a fascinating story symbolized by single-minded discipline and dedication.

Entranced by mystical stories of Sufi saints and a brief encounter with a numinous Swami at a relatively young age, he was not only drawn to the ‘truth’ but also the compelling landscape of the snow-clad Himalayas. At the age of nine, his spiritual transformation was initiated by his future Master, Babaji (also known as Maheshwarnath Babaji), who miraculously appeared under a jackfruit tree in the compound of his house in Thiruvananthapuram. Though only fleeting, this meeting definitively set the stage for their future reunion in the Himalayas at Sri M’s age of nineteen.

The next three and half years, he lived and travelled extensively through the Himalayas with his Master. Maheshwarnath Babaji guided him right through his initiation, his Kundalini awakening, the grueling journey to Tholingmutt and, the eventual meeting with the Grand Master, Sri Guru Babaji also known as Sri Mahavatar Babaji. A few years after his Master passed away, he received the spiritual go-ahead to commence his mission. In 1998, he started his teachings, eventually leading to formation of the Satsang Foundation.

In response to a query on the spiritual progress of a person and the path to that evolution, he responds, “Though, my parampara is kriya yoga, I don’t think it suits all aspirants. I propound satsang even between two people. It cuts across barriers of caste and creed. Spiritual evolution is not diverse from regular living. Intervals of solitude are necessary but you cannot shut yourself totally. The world around you is your touchstone to spiritual practice.” Conversant with teachings of most major religions, Sri M says: “Go to the core. Theories are of no use.” His message seeks to transcend the outer-shell of all religions, by exploring their mystical core to nurture the innate goodness in every human being.

Website: satsang-foundation.org

Books:

• Journey Continues: A Sequel To Apprenticed To A Himalayan Master
• Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master: A Yogi’s Autobiography
• Wisdom of the Rishis: The Three Upanishads: Ishavasya, Kena & Mandukya
• Jewel in the Lotus: Deeper Aspects of Hinduism
• The Little Guide To Greater Glory And A Happier Life

First Batgap interview with Sri M.

Discussion of this in interview in the BatGap Community Facebook group.

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded 7/30/2017

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction and Welcome
• 00:04:47 – The Beginning of the Journey with Babaji
• 00:09:25 – Continual Growth and Evolution
• 00:13:22 – Possibility of Evolved Beings on Other Planets
• 00:17:44 – The Importance of Having a Guru
• 00:21:31 – The Significance of Initiation
• 00:26:21 – Recalling Past Lives
• 00:30:48 – From Krishna to the Life of a Prostitute
• 00:35:05 – A Touching Experience with Nisargadatta Maharaj
• 00:39:39 – Spiritual Integrity in a World of Lies and Deceit
• 00:43:43 – Meditating in College
• 00:48:16 – The Importance of Siddhis in Spiritual Growth
• 00:53:10 – Mind over Physical Phenomenon
• 00:56:59 – The Slap from Nityananda of Ganeshpuri
• 01:01:45 – Extraordinary Capacities and Divine Association
• 01:06:00 – Free will and the capacity for change
• 01:10:00 – Exploring Deeper Consciousness
• 01:14:37 – The Shadow of the Bodhisattva
• 01:18:57 – The Power of Spiritual Armor
• 01:23:12 – Grounding and balancing spiritual experiences
• 01:27:15 – The Possibility of Astral Projection
• 01:31:25 – Spiritual Experiences and Extraterrestrial Encounters
• 01:35:28 – The Hidden Secrets of the Natural Rock Formation
• 01:39:37 – The Importance of Physical Health in Spiritual Practice
• 01:44:11 – The Power of Chanting Aum
• 01:48:25 – Effortless Absorption in Music
• 01:53:02 – Avadhootas and the Spiritual State of Mind
• 01:57:34 – The Textbooks of Gorakhnath and the Nath Sampradaya
• 02:01:53 – The Importance of Ego and Understanding in Leading a Householder’s Life
• 02:06:15 – Humility and Compromise in Spiritual Development
• 02:10:00 – Farewell and GratitudeSaveSaveSave

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