Dhyan Ashram to conduct daily Shakti mantra yagyas for Navratri from October 11

Daily Shakti mantra yagyas will be conducted at the Dhyan Ashram Yagyashala during Navratri, beginning October 11.

According to Dhyan Ashram, the observance of Navratri offers an opportunity for spiritual and physical purification through fasting, mantra chanting and other spiritual practices.

One of the five niyams in Ashtang Yog is tapa, described as a process of generating heat in the body through disciplined practices that involve enduring discomfort. The practice is regarded as a means of purification, helping practitioners address negative karmas and support spiritual evolution. Fasting is identified as one way of practising tapa.

During Navratri, fasting is observed for both physical and etheric purification. The nine nights and ten days are associated with ten forms of Shakti: Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandrakanta, Kushmanda, Skandmata, Katyayani, Kaalratri, Mahagauri, Siddhidatri and Aparajitha. Each phase of the observance is believed to serve a specific purpose.

The period also coincides with seasonal changes, during which different energies in creation are believed to move from a state of imbalance towards a new equilibrium. As part of creation, human beings are also said to undergo a similar process, with the body's prana shakti realigning during the nine days.

According to the Ashram, keeping the body light through fasting, alongside the chanting of specific mantras, is intended to support this process of realignment and complete body detoxification.

The tenth day is regarded as an opportunity to receive and embrace new energies after the nine-day period of realignment.

However, the Ashram emphasises that spiritual practices should be tailored to individual needs and capacities. The Guru, it says, determines the appropriate fasting requirements and mantra sadhana for each shishya (disciple).

It cautions that unsupervised fasting or starving the body for weight loss can have the opposite effect and lead to imbalance. It further states that spiritual practices and fasting are most effective when undertaken with a sense of detachment, which it says can be developed through the proper practice of Ashtang Yog and Sanatan Kriya.

Ashwini Guru ji, the guiding light of Dhyan Ashram, is described as an authority on Vedic Sciences. His book, Sanatan Kriya: The Ageless Dimension, is an acclaimed thesis on anti-ageing.

For more information, visit www.dhyanfoundation.com or contact [email protected].

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