NEW AND VIEWS FOR 2009

NEW AND VIEWS FOR 2009

January 12, 2009

Dear friend:

As you may know, we are getting ready to travel on pilgrimage to India. After I return from India in spring 2009, I will begin my public events season in the Bahamas, at the Sivananda Yoga center on Paradise Island in Nassau, continue on to Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lennox, MA, for my annual Easter retreat “Putting the East back in Easter”, and end at Reverend Ben Fowler’s church in Nottingham NH. All of the information is up on the “Attend Public Events” page on my website.

In the summer, I will be accepting a new round of students for our Yogic Mystery School. However, because we limit the student body to manageable numbers, you might want to get on our priority list before the spring if you are interested in joining.

I am excited to announce that I have just completed a new book titled Jesus in the Lotus: The Mystical Doorway between Christianity and Yogic Spirituality. The book will ship in March 2009 and arrive in stores that month. Click on “Jesus in the Lotus” on the website to learn more.

The goal of the book is to heal the divide between the Yoga and Christian communities in America using my own spiritual life and the range of my personal mystical experiences as a platform for interspiritual dialog and a mutual understanding between the two traditions.

When people do not understand each other, they tend not to trust the other. It is crucial for us as a civilized species to understand other cultures and spiritual traditions as part of our extended ecosystem and therefore essential to our balance and well-being. Saying that we are all the same or that our traditions are all the same does not help. Although we are all about the same goal and although there are similarities, processes do vary and differences do matter.

However, understanding and appreciating our differences is not an easy task, especially when dealing with centuries of prejudice. Yet, evidently, this is the requirement of our times. Even the simple application of seeking to understand the other, even if painful or inconvenient, goes a long way and will eventually lead to a more peaceful planet. To understand the other, we must relinquish own lens of conditioning, albeit temporarily, seeking primarily to know the other “on their terms” rather than ours. Only after we do this, do we have the right and the perspective, to interpret another through our own lens, whatever that might be.

America is going through a great house cleaning. The problems that we presently face may appear overwhelming, but great possibilities are equally evident. It is imperative that we keep our faith, and, above all, our spiritual practice vibrantly alive.

To do my part, I am going to offer a special Internet based program to support your spiritual journey absolutely free of charge. Lessons, insights and exercises, together with relevant audio and video will be posted on a special page on my website, and I will answer a few questions each month as well. You are welcome to attend and to invite friends and family to attend as well. The format will be similar to what I am offering through our Yogic Mystery School.

Secondly, we will offer everyone on our list a discount on tuition for our Yogic Mystery School program to you and anyone with whom you may want to share the offer.

Wishing you the very best,

In One Spirit,

Russill.

Upcoming public events:
MARCH 20 AND 21: SIVANANDA YOGA CENTER, NASSAU, BAHAMAS
On The Wings of Ecstasy: The Fourth Interfaith Devortional Singing and Sacred Dance Festival
I am honored to be a part of the Interfaith Devotional Singing and Sacred Dance Festivals inspired by Swami Vishnudevananda’s mission to bring together people from all faiths. The heart-opening practice of devotional song and dance is a powerful uniting force, and there is always a sharing of much joy and celebration during the Interfaith Music and Dance Festivals at this special Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas.
Information and Registration: http://www.sivanandabahamas.org/index.php?page_id=1054

April 10–12, 2009 Friday–Sunday: Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Lennox, MA
Putting the East Back in Easter: A Yogic Easter Retreat
What better way to spend your Easter weekend than to open the door to profound mystical consciousness? Yoga shares many common values, objectives, and experiences with the deeper aspects of the Christian mystical tradition. During this weekend, we will explore what it means to be a mystic in the fullest sense of the word, drawing inspiration from the teachings of Jesus and the great Christian mystics as well as eminent rishis and yogis of the Indian tradition. This dialogue between depth yoga and depth Christianity is a conversation that can greatly enhance the experience and practice of yoga.
Pankaj and Ajay Sharma, a devotional music duo, will accompany Russill throughout the weekend on vocals and Indian percussion instruments.
Information and Registration: http://www.kripalu.org/program/view/UYC91/putting_the_east_back_in_easter_a_yogic_easter_retrea

Saturday, April 11, 2009, 8:00 pm: One World, One Heart -- Kirtan with Russill Paul

Come prepared to liberate your voice and dance your prayers to rich musical accompaniment with Russill Paul and Kripalu musicians. The intention of this evening’s kirtan is moksha, the liberation of the soul that is the true significance of Easter.
Information and Registration: http://www.kripalu.org/guest_information/578

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