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Roger Gabriel

The first impulse to emerge from the silence of the absolute, or the field of Pure Potentiality, was the sound “OM” or more correctly “AUM,” according to the Vedas (ancient Hindu scriptures).Even the …

During your lifetime you will have the opportunity to grow through several stages of spiritual development. Initially, your world is one of materialism created by the ego. For many, this becomes their …

Many people spend their lives striving for perfection—perfection in the way they look, where they work, and their relationships. If they’re on a spiritual path, they might even aim for perfection in t …

Unless you are a highly evolved, enlightened being, Karma affects your life in every way; in fact, your life is the constant unfolding of Karma!The Karmic SoftwareKarma means action. Physics shows tha …

This is the message of Vedanta: “What is that which, by being known, everything else becomes known.”We often hear the word "Vedanta" in yoga classes, meditation groups, and spiritual gatherings. What …

Imagine that you’re the whole universe; you live in total joy and bliss. Imagine there is no past or future, only now. Imagine there is no space or time, just an unbounded eternity. Imagine endless pe …

For most people, the path to enlightenment means living a spiritually oriented life while remaining fully engaged in the world. A select few withdraw from everyday life, take vows, and give up worldly …

One of the biggest causes of suffering in the world today is expectations. Imagine how free you would feel if every day you were able to just “go with the flow,” trusting that the Universe was organiz …

Most of us are familiar with the mantra OM. We routinely chant it at the end of a group meditation or a yoga class, without thinking much about it. Maybe we use a mantra that begins with OM, but what …

For most of us, our ego began to develop when we were young children. We learned the word “mine” and how to manipulate our parents by being nice, nasty, or stubborn. As we continued growing, the ego g …

India loves to celebrate. You could probably find a festival of some sort going on somewhere in India every day of the year. Festivals are the celebration of togetherness in India, often joining peopl …

It’s sometimes easy to forget that everyone and everything in creation is connected by a spiritual web. Everyone has a spark of Light, deep within, waiting to be fanned by the flame of spiritual awake …

“A child cannot be born without a father and a mother. Clothes cannot be washed without water. There can be no horseman without a horse. So, without a Master, none can reach the court of the Lord.”- …

India pulsates with rituals and sacred ceremonies, many dating back thousands of years into Vedic times. The Vedas themselves are filled with mantras, chants, and rituals for just about any purpose yo …

“Too many thoughts”, “Can’t sit still”, “When will it be over?”, “Am I doing it correctly?”, “Nothing’s happening”. Have you ever had those thoughts during your meditation?Well, you’re not alone; th …

It’s common to hear people on a spiritual path saying that you need to destroy or erase the ego. However, while you have a physical body, it’s necessary to have an ego just as much as you have a mind …

“I have lived on the lip of insanity, wanting to know reasons, knocking on a door. It opens. I’ve been knocking from the inside.”—RumiIs it real or is it imagined? Well, it all depends upon your level …

India is a total sensory experience; it’s a plethora of sights, tastes, smells, and sounds. The mundane or the bizarre, the chaotic or the silent, the profane or the profound, can be waiting around an …

The word ashram comes from the Sanskrit word, Srama, which means "religious exertion." However, in more recent times the term "ashram" is used to describe any facility used by a spiritual community. …

Forgiveness is an essential part of your spiritual growth and a necessary tool to cleanse karma. It is the key that unlocks the heart and the door to the body of love. If you cannot forgive, you will …

Jyotish (Vedic Astrology) and meditation are vast subjects that can each take many years, if not a whole lifetime, to fully understand. Jyotish helps you understand the effects of an external Universe …

Mastery is usually defined as be highly skilled or proficient in one or more areas of life. Self-Mastery takes this to its highest level. To be the Master of your own Self is to fully understand who y …

The word meditation covers a fairly wide spectrum of practices, from walking and eating meditation to mantra-based meditation. Some meditators find that one style works best for them—and they stick to …

Times of transition give you a great opportunity to reevaluate many areas of your life. The turning of the year is a time when people make resolutions to start a new diet, recommit to the gym membersh …

Growing up in England in the ‘60s, we had all heard of meditation when The Beatles traveled to India to study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In my early 20s, I was living and working in London, enjoying …

Once, before time, there was only Love. Pure, unconditional Love. Divine Love. Pure Love moved within itself to share itself and created a celestial sound. The material world emerges from Pure Love. T …

Meditation is an effortless process that will enrich all aspects of your life. Anyone who can think a thought can meditate, and everyone will benefit from it. If you or someone dear to you is still ho …

The quick answer is “Don’t Quit”!During my years of teaching meditation, I’ve heard a multitude of excuses for ending a meditation session early so let’s look at some of them and what to do when they …

The word Mahavakya means a great pronouncement or great statement, which expresses the message of the One Universal Truth.In ancient Vedic times, a teacher would sit with his or her students and expou …

You can think of a spiritual practice as something similar to building a beautiful, tall mansion set in lush gardens. This mansion is like no other. When finished, it will be filled with exquisite wor …

"The ignorant man asks for material possessions, the intelligent man asks for enlightenment, but the wise man just loves and receives everything." ~The VedasWe all have desires. In fact, ideas of what …

You are a spiritual being and have the potential to fully embrace your spirituality. However, like everything in life, embarking on your spiritual path is a choice. In life you are presented with seve …

When most people hear the word surrender, they think of something negative: giving up, losing, being humiliated, or allowing yourself to be controlled or perhaps even imprisoned. However, when used in …

As the Beatles told us, “All you need is love” and how sure this is. Your highest vibration, your essence, who you really are, is pure love. When you love, you connect with the deepest part of yoursel …

Western science says that the universe as you know it began with the Big Bang. However, the obvious question is, “What was there before the bang?” The Vedic answer to this question is Pure Consciousne …

While there are numerous mantras in the Vedic Tradition, there is none greater than the Gayatri Mantra. The Gayatri is dedicated to the aspect of the sun just before sunrise so that all the potential …

All traditions and religions describe some form of enlightenment or spiritual awakening. Unfortunately, most people are spiritually asleep, some snoring soundly. Meditation is your wake-up call, when …

The Yoga Sutras are a practical textbook to guide your spiritual journey of remembering who you really are. Here are some important takeaways that every Yogi should know.The true meaning of Yoga is th …

Mantras are sounds or vibrations that create a desired effect, such as healing, transformation, or self-awareness, to a specific area of your body and/or life. There are mantras for everything; here a …

The Yoga Sutras describe the way to regain Higher Consciousness. As you follow the Eight Limbs of Yoga, you can reach the freedom and enlightenment of Samadhi, the realization of your spiritual practi …

Diwali is one of the most beautiful and joyous times in the Indian calendar, filled with love and rejoicing. It is a time of new beginnings, a festival of light, abundance, and fulfillment as well as …

A physician friend of mine once jokingly said that most of the time, doctors just entertain their patients until they cure themselves. While he was joking, there is an element of truth in what he said …

Un médico amigo mío dijo una vez en broma que la mayoría de las veces, los médicos sólo entretienen a sus pacientes hasta que se curan. Mientras bromeaba, hay un elemento de verdad en lo que dijo. El …

Our Chief Meditation Officer Roger Gabriel’s spiritual journey is far from over, but here you will learn how it began and how he continues to learn and teach—across the globe.My father was an engineer …

There are two ways you can live a yogic lifestyle. Learn about the lives of the renunciate and householder and consider how you might begin to observe your journey and which path speaks to you.I shall …

Pavamana MantraOm Asato Ma Sad GamayaTamaso Ma Jyotir GamayaMrtyor Ma Amritam GamayaOm Shanti Shanti ShantihiLead us from untruth to truth.Lead us from darkness to light.Lead us from death to immortal …

There’s a story that when the Universe was first created, and everything was put in its place, the Creator then thought, “Where to put Pure Love? I don’t want to leave it lying around anywhere, it sho …

Congratulations, you made it through 2020! What a year it’s been! Pandemic, elections, natural disasters, racism, and so many other things which caused confusion, fear, and uncertainty. The Irish poet …

Felicitaciones, ¡lograste llegar al 2020! ¡Qué año ha sido! Pandemia, elecciones, desastres naturales, racismo, y tantas otras cosas que causaron confusión, miedo e incertidumbre. El poeta y dramaturg …

“As a lamp in a windless place does not flicker so is the disciplined mind of the yogi practicing concentration on the Self. Supreme bliss comes to the yogi whose mind is completely tranquil and whose …

Pure Consciousness is the basis of all creation, constantly transforming itself from the non-local field of pure potentiality into the localized conditioned consciousness we call the material world.As …

The change of season, whether you’re moving from winter to spring or summer into autumn, is always a good time to reassess your life and clear out what no longer serves, making way for new exciting op …

Everything grows in one way or another. Growth is the development or change we see in the physical universe around us. While growth is happening constantly, spring is when we usually notice it more in …

Every month, Roger Gabriel, Chopra’s Chief Meditation Officer, will be answering questions from our followers. If you have a general question for him around meditation and spiritual practices, please …

Follow along with Roger Gabriel, Chopra's Chief Meditation Officer, in this new article series on the Vedic Yugas. I’ve written articles and recorded talks on the Vedic concept of evolution. Even thou …

Follow along with Roger Gabriel, Chopra's Chief Meditation Officer, in this new article series on the Vedic Yugas.The BeginningAs we discussed in Chapter 1, The Beginningless Beginning, the Absolute i …

“Always go with your passions. Never ask yourself if it’s realistic or not. Find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible” - Deepak ChopraPassion is defined as an intense driving convicti …

Follow along with Roger Gabriel, Chopra's Chief Meditation Officer, in this new article series on the Vedic Yugas.Read previous articles in the series:Chapter 1Chapter 2BeginningAs Sat Yuga drew to a …

Follow along with Roger Gabriel, Chopra's Chief Meditation Officer, in this new article series on the Vedic Yugas.Read previous articles in the series:Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3BeginningThe bull, rep …

Follow along with Roger Gabriel, Chopra's Chief Meditation Officer, in this new article series on the Vedic Yugas. Read previous articles in the series:Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4BeginningUnf …

Everyone has a certain level of resilience. From time to time, we all experience stress, emotional upsets, and challenges in our lives. Resilience is the ability to withstand these situations, quickly …

The physical heart is the organ we are all aware of in the body. It ceaselessly circulates the blood, bringing oxygen and energy to all the cells. The body cannot survive for long without the working …

Being on a spiritual journey can be fraught with many challenges and obstacles. Questions, concerns, and doubts may arise at any time. We sometimes feel stuck or just spinning our wheels, in need of s …

For the Ask Roger column, Roger Gabriel, Chopra’s Chief Meditation Officer, answers questions from our community. If you have a general question for Roger around meditation and spiritual practices, pl …

As we move into the new year, whatever you experienced this past year, now is the time to let go of and explore the adventures that lie ahead. Times of transition give us the opportunity to re-evaluat …

For the Ask Roger column, Roger Gabriel, Chopra’s Chief Meditation Officer, answers questions from our community. If you have a general question for Roger around meditation and spiritual practices, pl …

Our minds are constantly flooded with desires, most of which disappear as fast as they arise. Those that stick and take a firmer footing move on to become intentions, which we could say are desires wi …

We all get stuck following the same old routines and patterns and there’s often a certain sense of security and comfort in doing things the same way as we’ve always done them. The question therefore a …

The word meditation covers a wide list of activities and conjures up images ranging from yogis sitting in lonely mountain caves, to churchgoers in quiet contemplation or a kirtan group chanting sacred …

We are all different, at least from a physical and mental perspective. We each have our own likes and dislikes, our ways of reacting to situations, the health challenges we might face, and a myriad of …

Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with …

On the surface, the world may appear to have many challenges and it’s easy to get distracted or even overwhelmed by them. However, whenever we allow ourselves to play, we slip beyond everyday limitati …

Purnamadah Purnamidam. Purnat Purnamudachyate. Purnasya Purnamadaya. Purnameva VashishyateThat is full, this is full. From that fullness, this fullness comes forth. When fullness is taken from fullnes …

“If you have no relationship with nature, you have no relationship with man” - J. KrishnamurtiAlthough much of the time we view ourselves as being this mind and body, separate from nature and our surr …

Life is all about relationships. We are in relationships with our friends and family, the people we work with, even those we met casually in the grocery store or sit next to on a flight. We are in a r …

I think we’ve all experienced those times of doubts about our spiritual practices. Am I doing it correctly? Did that teacher know what they were talking about? Is this technique really working?It’s no …

There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled. There is a void in your soul,ready to be filled. You feel it, don’t you? You feel the separation from the Beloved.Invite It to fill you up, embrac …

“If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you. If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.” ~ ChristThe Purusharthas are th …