Jai Place!
I recently met a powerhouse of a woman–Jess Tomaz, and her charming husband Al, who are doing great things in Grand Rapids. Jess teaches Yoga locally, and she and Al have teamed up with a bunch of like minded, green thinking merchants to create an online store where you can search for anything from local yoga classes, massage,and cranialsacral therapy– to sustainable products like beauty products, Chinese medicine, jewelry, and baby products. Check them out at the JaiPlace website.
Jess and I had come together to help birth a plan for a green-living community here in southwest Michigan, which was the brainchild of Swami Atmalokananda, (also known as Baba) and Swami Shakti Ma, who are members of a small ashram community known as Mother’s Trust. They have a place nearby in Ganges Michigan–yes, GANGES! In fact, there is another facility across the street from Mother’s Trust, known as the Vivekananda Retreat Center. So we are doubly blessed here in Glenn to have committed seekers so close by as neighbors.
I share this to celebrate the obvious–that consciousness is changing! More and more people are realizing the importance of a dedicated life–whether we dedicate ourselves to our spiritual practice, or our green living, or simply staying in the NOW, we are raising the vibration of the energies around us.
meditate and radiate
All the theories of gloom and doom, about the end of the Mayan calendar and the ensuing disaster–I don’t feel it, do you? I feel more and more certain of the good will of everyday people. And there are seekers here in the country, where we don’t even have Whole Foods or a Trader Joe’s, but we have Satya Yoga Studio 15 minutes away in Saugatuck, we have Ganges buzzing with the energy of the Swamis and folks asking me to teach Yoga here and there. This tells me that the legacy of my Guru, Swami Satchidananda, and so many other holy ones who came to teach us the ancient ways of Yoga, has burgeoned and blossomed, making this a heaven on earth. So continue to do your part, by chanting and praying and meditating and doing asana and pranayama! Gurudev told us “You can change the world!” and it’s really happening. Jai Gurudev!
bigyoga.wordpress.com 
We have been recently looking for a home to buy in the general area of Mother’s Trust. We have never been there, but sort of stumbled across it during an outing. We are 4 folks trying to co habitate to create a space for like minded people to gather and are interested in living as green as we can. We are all Reiki practitioners and also practice other alternative modalities. Though we have not yet found the place that we feel we need to be, we all had felt certain it was in that area. After reading your blog, I feel even more certain that this is where we need to be. I would love to know more, and/ or perhaps meet these other like minded folks. This blog gave me goose bumps as a way of nowing that this was a blessing to us. Thank you. Namaste.
It is good to know there are so many seekers out there treading the path of Yoga. For each and every one on this path, a “live guru” is essential. I found such a Guru about 8+ years ago who transformed my life completely. I hope others will seek his grace too. Please join me in the FREE web streaming event: “My conversations with the Mystic” featuring Championship racer Chris Rado and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev scheduled for January 30, 2011 at 8:00 PM (Eastern). Please go to http://myconversationswiththemystic.com/ and register. It will be worthwhile, I promise.
– Ram