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Guru Story  - Guru Purnima experience at Hartford, Connecticut, July 25 2010

Guru Purnima 2010 celebrations were held in the presence of Guruji at Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford, Connecticut, USA on 25 July.

Here is my experience at the Guru Purnima celebrations:

As soon as I got to know about the celebrations at Hartford, I started looking for travel and accommodation options. Regarding travel, fortunately I had a $150 coupon I had got from an airline I had traveled in June for a minor inconvenience they had caused to me. Now, I was wondering about the accommodation and within a couple of days my friend, a previous colleague whom I had worked with for about 1.5 years, posted a few pictures of Hartford. I asked him if he had visited Hartford and he replied saying that he is moving to Hartford in the first week of July!! Accommodation arranged!!

Regarding the air fare, another of my friends helped me in getting a good deal, along with the $150 coupon, due to which I got a round trip within $225!!

I was planning to use taxi to my friend's house and to get to the Convention centre. When I mentioned this to my friend, I got another surprise- he said he has a car and will pick me up at the airport! He also dropped me at the convention centre and picked me up after the celebrations. He also dropped me back to the airport at 4:45 AM the next day! 

Now, lets come to the experience I had AT the convention centre on Guru Purnima day:

The entrance to the hall is on the left from the audience side, i.e from Guruji's side, it is on the right. My friend and I were sitting almost at the right (around 70% distance from the door and 60% from the front- crazy math, I know) . After the celebrations, when Guruji was about to leave, he chose to come STRAIGHT at us-bang on! A path was created where there was no path.. we just had to turn to the right and sit, thats it!! We had a close darshan of Guruji! He took a L shaped route to go to the exit. After Guruji left, we also had the fortune of taking the blessings of Swami Pragyapad ji. Finally, of course, we had great prasaad-mouth watering Indian food!!

This is just one of the experiences where Guruji bends logic and arrranges everything into place.. paths are created where there are no paths.. As Guruji beautifully puts it "Where there is connection, there is attention"


- Gautam Srikrishna

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Guru Story - Weaving Magic

Dear AOL family members,

Guruji has done a lot for me, off and on, sometimes I realise it, sometimes I guess I don't ! I would like to share one of my experiences with you today ............

It was a Sunday in the month of March, I had gone for my long kriya, where they announced that an advanced course with Rishi Nitya Pragya ji was going to happen in Delhi soon. I had long wanted to do an Advanced course(my first one) and had prayed to Guruji many times to make it happen ! The dates were announced for the course and I just silently reflected if I could manage it - it seemed to be clashing with an important official meeting. I was disheartened, went home , asked my husband if I could skip the appointment, and he replied in the negative ....... nothing doing, work comes first ........... was his stand!

Deep in my hearts, I still nurtured the desire to do the course and kept praying to Guruji silently, then one day, a few days before the registration was going to close, I got an email from my client shifting the meeting date herself which would give me the precious 3.5 days to experience the course ....... and I jumped with glee ...... i knew for sure that this was not a coincidence but a silent working of Guruji who had made it happen ......

And, this time my husband could not refuse .... I went on to register and participate in the course and fulfill my heart's desire ...... Thank you Guruji for listening to our woes so patiently and working on them like magic .......... Thank you for being in our lives ..............Jai Gurudev ! 

Geetanjali Lala

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Guru Story - Saved from Crash!!!

Guruji saved me from a car crash over the weekend!

Was in Upstate NY 140 miles away from home to lead a kriya, & in-spite of high winds & snow.. something pulled me to that place to lead kriya.
Kriya went well, it was very deep one… could feel how much they were longing for it.

Next I was headed to another near by town.. to meet a friend who was sick & it was her birthday the next day & I wanted to surprise her.
.. roads weren't that great but was driving carefully, sun had set & it was dark.
I remembered that I didn't complete the Guru pooja chanting that morning.. so started chanting again as I was 20miles away to reach my destination.

I passed a hotel where Guruji stayed 5 years back when he visited the town Ithaca. Was refreshing those glorious moments.. roads very slippery.. I was heading down the hill.. at low speed..

after couple of miles I see that a car has stopped diagonally on the road blocking my way.

My Guru pooja chanting had reached till Vastram samarpayani( wiping the feet after bath)..

My breaks wouldn't stop. I know either I will be crashing this car hitting on passenger side or only option is to hit the gas station on right corner..
Ok I wasn't panicked at all.. but I know I don't have any options..

All of a sudden my steering turned & I was guided to pass through a very narrow space between the standing car & a big hill of snow at the corner of gas station. It didn't appear to me earlier that a car could pass through that space..

Okay I passed from there, but don't know where I will land myself next with my driving skills & those sudden movezs.. how the car could stabilize.
Astonishingly so smoothly… my two wheel Accord found its balance & as though nothing has happened I passed through that zone..back on road & I continuing my Guru pooja chanting 

Have driven in Upstate for 5 years but never found a car stabilize out of such moves.

Absolutely no fear/panic mode I found myself in.
No doubt or second thought of Him not being there with me guiding all along  

My car bumper is slightly broker but I am 100% alright.
Reached my destination safe, & next day I was lucky enough to lead another kriya at the place where I started with AOL seva:-)

Something kept pulling me to both cities to lead kriya/be present there… don't know what it was. Only acting for that moment was my part I guess.

This is the second time in a row that I am saved from such incidents while I was headed for Seva.

Its so true, if we take just one step for seva, he completely takes in charge of our life.

He reminds me again again that this LIFE is His gift!
I can't be wasting my time.. I am here not for anything else but being in Seva, in love & in company of people like you all.

Dn't want to give Him extra work, I am shopping for a sturdy 4 wheel car now.. 

Love & Jai Gurudev!

Arati Hunsemara

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Guru Story - Lungs Are Clear!!!!

Hello, Art of Living Family,

In light of our upcoming Art of Living Course in Castro Valley on May 12, 2011 taught by our dear Satinder, I'd like to share about my Aunt Julita (who I endearingly call Tita J or TJ). She had her first taste of the Art of Living on March 19.

Unbeknownst to me and my family, TJ has been hiding a mass in her lungs that showed up on 2 different X-rays. This April 14th (almost a month after her Art of Meditation Course with Denise Marcus and meditating every day), she went for a CAT-scan to confirm the mass. A few minutes before her scan, she started feeling dizzy in the waiting room. She described the feeling, "As if something was sucking me up from the top of my head." She said the force was so strong that she kicked so hard and even hit her head on the back wall of her chair. She fainted and was taken to the emergency room. Because she was already in the testing area, the doctor thought to do the CAT-scan anyway. After 45 minutes, her doctor came back and said, "Mrs. Gomes, your lungs are clear. I can't explain it." The mass was no longer there. I believe she had a huge release and Guruji took some karma away.

My aunt has been smoking for 30+ years. This is the main reason she took the Art of Meditation. Since her CAT-scan and because the meditation practice has calmed her nerves enough, she hasn't smoked for 12 days. She showed me what she does when she gets a craving and it seems like she discovered ujayii breath on her own. She takes in breaths (thru her teeth) to stop the craving.

For work, my aunt collects money from insurance companies. A funny comment by one of her co-workers, "Julita, this is not good. You don't yell at people on the phone anymore. Your collection is gonna go down." Before her meditation class, her department averages $1.5 million in collection for a certain period. After her meditation class, her department has collected $3.1 million.

TJ will be taking the Art of Living Course on May 12. I highly recommend that you do too and bring along your loved ones with you. I never thought I'd see the day that my aunt comes home to herself. It's quite moving to watch her fully enjoy the herbs she planted in her garden without a cigarette in hand. She said last night, "I'm so happy my cilantro now has little sprouts." She's like a little child—so happy, so innocent, so in the present moment.

Don't deprive anyone of the opportunity of a life of ease and grace. Share about our upcoming course and/or register now: http://secure.artofliving.org/course_details.aspx?course_id=9766. Reviewers wanted too =^).

Love,

Kat Ben

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Guru Story - We Just Have to Surrender!!

This whole life is a Guru story. When I look back and think of how my journey started on this path, there are no words to express my feelings but to just have tears of gratitude in my eyes. Life is full of Guru stories now. Every moment and every breath I take is my Guru's grace. This is the story I felt like sharing.

Last year my 11 year old daughter Khushbu was chosen to go to Taiwan as an exchange student from school (The Lakes College) for 3 weeks. I was not too keen to send her. All sorts of thoughts started coming in my mind – It's so far away, what sort of people will she encounter, who will host her, we don't know them, what about food, it will be difficult as she is vegetarian, what if something happens and the thoughts kept coming. I was so anxious and not wanting her to go. She really wanted to go. I prayed to Guruji and asked him what shall I do. A few days later she woke up and came straight to my husband Nilesh and myself with a piece of paper with something written on it. I read it and really taken back with what she had written. So I asked her where did you get this from. She told us that just before her eyes opened that morning she had a dream. So as soon as she woke up she wrote it down. In her dream Guruji was performing Guru Pooja. After the Pooja, He came and gave her a hug and said "Life is like a coin. You can only spend it once so spend it wisely". At that moment all my worries and anxiousness just left me. As if some big burden has been lifted. I just felt so hollow and empty. It was just amazing. The was no more worries and anxiousness. At that moment I said to her that you can go to Taiwan because Guruji will take care of you. I signed the papers and left it at that.

There were still a few months to go before she went with a group of students and an accompanying teacher. Before they went, the Taiwan students and their accompanying teacher for last year, Rubeka came to Brisbane. We were hosting one Taiwanese student (Christine). The school newsletter came out and the school was looking for a family to host the teacher. No one had come forward to host the teacher so it came out in the newsletter. Normally the school chinese teacher hosts the accompanying Taiwanese teacher. Last year for some reason she decided not to be the host. We have ample of space in our house so we put our name forward to host the teacher also. We just mentioned to Khushbu's chinese teacher that we are vegetarians so the student and whichever teacher comes will only get vegetarian food. She said that's fine. The day came to pick them up from the airport. Nilesh and Khushbu went to pick them up while I was at home doing the preparations. When they arrived home Nilesh said guess what, Rubeka is vegetarian and she doesn't eat onion and garlic. I said wow, that's great. Over the 4 weeks they were with us, Khushbu got very close to Rubeka. The guests were enjoying the Indian food also. Rubeka told us that she wants to host Khushbu when she comes to Taiwan. Christine stayed in the hostel. So Rubeca said that in the weekdays Khushbu can stay with her and she can take Khushbu to school everyday. And in the weekend Khushbu can go to Christine's place. I thought that sounds good. When I met Khushbu's chinese teacher, she also mentioned that Rubeka was really keen to host Khushbu. I said that will work out really well. We know who she will be with and there will be no problems with food. I was so happy. The guests left after a month. The had become part of the family. After a few months it was the The Lakes College turn to go to Taiwan. We gave Khushbu a mobile phone so we can be in touch any time. The accompanying teacher was Sharon, Khushbu's class teacher who Khushbu was close to also. I knew she will be taken care of. Before they went to Taiwan there was an earthquake warning. I wasn't worried at all. I just felt it will be OK. While they were in Taiwan there was a typhoon. One day a got a frantic phone call from Khushbu. She was stuck in a car with Christine and her family. And she said the flood water was rising. It had come nearly half way of the car. I told her not to panic and just pray to Guruji and chant Om Namah Shivaya. Nilesh was so surprised. Normally I would be the one panicking the most. That night when I talked to her she said that she did as I told her and the car started to move. They got out of the flood waters safely. There was also an earthquake while she was there. Other than that she had a wonderful time in Taiwan. She was looked after well by Rubeka and Christine's family who were spoiling her by buying her gifts and taking her to Indian restaurants. She came back safe and sound and with a fond memory of Taiwan.

While she was in Taiwan, I was looking at some photos of their school camp. In one of the photos I noticed something. She was walking on the high ropes over a deep valley with a harness attached to her. I noticed that there were orbs surrounding her. I looked at all her camp photos and there were a number of them with orbs around her. When she came back from Taiwan I showed them to her. She said you know mummy, in all the ones there are Angels, I was afraid at the time. She was either in a jungle in those photos or doing some dangerous activity. I saw these photos a few days before I had received the frantic call from Taiwan. So when I received the frantic call, I knew she is surrounded by Angels.

Khushbu wasn't regular in doing her Kriya. I had to keep forcing her everyday. Then I gave up. Didn't want to force her anymore. Just prayed to Guruji to take care of it. One day she came to me and said, mummy I feel good when I do Kriya. So from that day onwards she does Kriya everyday. .

No matter how bad or hopeless the situation is, His Grace carries us through. I now know that The Master of the universe is always watching over us or sends His Angels to take care of us. He takes care of every situation, worry and desire. We just have to surrender and forget about it

Jai Gurudev.
With Love,
Usha.
From Brisbane, Australia.

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