Om Sweet Om

Is Asana Religious?

sheetal — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 18:48:02 +0000

Last week, I received an inquiry from a Christian theologian interested in showing that “the postures of Yoga” (asana) are directly tied to Hinduism and thus, cannot be easily incorporated into daily life by Christians. While the origin of yoga is undoubtedly tied to the Hindu sacred texts, the Vedas and Upanishads, I struggled with his idea of researching asana divorced from yoga in its entirety. As we at the Hindu American...

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India’s Holy Men by Joey L.

sheetal — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 16:54:40 +0000

I just ran across these stunning images of Holy Men by photographer Joey L. The initial set of images are of Indian sadhus living in the holy city of Varanasi...and they are absolutely breathtaking. http://www.joeyl.com/personal-galleries/holy-men-2/...

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The Idea of a Constructed Hindu Identity

sheetal — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 22:21:42 +0000

The following piece was written by my friend Raman Khanna, who is also a member of the Hindu American Foundation's Executive Council.

“Hinduism was invented recently.”

“The word Hindu is problematic.”

“It’s not accurate to speak of Hinduism, only Hinduisms.”

More than a decade has passed since I majored in religion as an undergraduate, but these phrases, conventional wisdom then, remain conventional wisdom today. When I was on a...

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Coalition Against Reality: Deconstructing an Attack on the Hindu American Foundation

sheetal — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 22:38:10 +0000

Principled opposition is expected when litigating issues in the public square, and the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) , for which I serve as the Senior Director, has at times faced stiff opposition from the right and left of the ideological spectrum in response to various positions, reports, and statements released by HAF. Recently, in our campaign to oppose what we believe to be a Hinduphobic, Anti-India Resolution, (

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Advice on kindness

sheetal — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 14:24:26 +0000
My yoga teacher sent me the below link to George Saunders' convocation speech at Syracuse University for the class of 2013. It's worth a read: http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/george-saunderss-advice-to-graduates/?src=me&ref=general&_r=0...
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Indian State makes Yoga mandatory in grade school

sheetal — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 14:46:32 +0000
Last week, the Times of India reported that the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is making yoga mandatory for school children in grades 1 - 5. What a great idea! The article can be found online at http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-07-31/news/40914078_1_yoga-teachers-chouhan-master-trainers....
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Thoughts from Kumbha Mela

sheetal — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:53:12 +0000

My good friend and colleague at the Hindu American Foundation, Swaminathan Venkataraman, recently had the amazing opportunity to attend the Hindu festival of Kumbha Mela. Below are a few lovely thoughts he shared with the team:

Today, Feb 10, 2013, a larger number of people than the populations of most countries on earth will gather in a twenty sq. km area to honor a most sacred religious ritual that is thousands of years old. The Hindu festival of Kumbha Mela takes place once every 12...
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Happy Diwali: Being like the wick

sheetal — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:16:58 +0000

Today, Hindus around the world celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, which symbolizes the light of knowledge over the darkness of ignorance. It's a day for children to light small firecrackers, family and friends to exchange mithai, and celebrants to light diyas in their homes. As Diwali greetings fill my inbox, one in particular stood out. "For an oil lamp to burn, the wick has to be in the oil, yet out of the oil. If the wick is drowned in oil, it cannot bring light....
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An exciting night for Hindu Americans

sheetal — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:44:53 +0000

History was made on Nov. 6, for a number of reasons. But the reason I'm talking about is the election of the first Hindu American. Tulsi Gabbard, the Democratic contender from Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District, will be the first Hindu American to be a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Many in the Hindu American community have been keen supporters of Tulsi's campaign and are immensely proud to see one of their own elected to Congress.

For more details on Tulsi and her...
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The Vedic Woman: Who Was She and Why We Need Her Back

sheetal — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 21:20:58 +0000

This past Saturday, my friend and colleague at HAF, Suhag Shukla, delivered an amazing talk at the Marg Foundation on women, their role in Hinduism, and their roles in society today. The text of her awesome speech, "The Vedic woman: Who was she and why we need her back," is below.

The Vedic woman: Who was she and why we need her back

By Suhag Shukla, Esq.

To stay abreast of the ins and outs of the Hindu world, I subscribe to a news service called Hindu Press...
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