HYDERABAD: Nayaswami Dhyana, the co-spiritual director of Ananda Sangha India, says the door to happiness isn’t that hard as it is made out to be. Start small and keep at it. Your rising energy will tell you that you are on the right path. In an exclusive interview, the down-to-earth Kriya Yoga guru tells CE that she sees herself as an advisor rather than someone who’s sitting on a pedestal
It was the late 1970s. Nayaswami Dhyana, a young graduate in Psychology from the University of Berkley in Psychology lived in Los Angeles. She had a good job, a house, friends and everything that can be termed as the material definition of happiness. However, something was missing, as they say. In 1978, while on a trip to the local supermarket, she chanced upon a man sitting on a bench, meditating. It was the first time, the young Black American heard the word 'meditation'. It wasn't long before someone gifted her the book, Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda which she loved. Her interest piqued, Dhyana made the trip to Sierra Nevada where she met Swami Kriyananda (born J Donald Walters), a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda and the founder of the Ananda movement. "The first time, Swami Kriyananda saw me, he told me, 'This is your home' and that's how it all began," says Dhyana. "I was new but I jumped off the deep end and started swimming hard. After living, learning and teaching in Sierra Nevada for 14 years, Dhyana travelled to several places across America, Europe, Africa, Australia and India teaching Kriya Yoga, and founding Ananda communities worldwide. Having come to India in 2005, she's been here ever since.
The co-spiritual director of Ananda Sangha India might be in her 60s, but looks at least a decade younger if not more so. Her throaty laughter which lights up her eyes, throws off an energy of cozy magnetism — one that doesn't overwhelm you but tells you "I'm accessible. No need to put me a pedestal". On how many people feel uncertain about taking that first step into a spiritual discipline, Nayaswami Dhyana advises: "Start slow, open the door just a little. Even five minutes of meditation is fine. "You know what happens? The five minutes turn into 10, then 20 minutes. Start with where you are."
Elaborating, the Ananda Sangha co-director says: "A colleague of mine who was once asked what his powers are, said, 'I have the power to be happy at will'. And that's what we teach here, how to be happy all the time. We teach you how to find yourself within, touch the soul within. Relationships break up, our cars and clothes grow old. We are in this constant up, down. Nowadays, people who are just 40 years old are bent over, have heavy eyes and I want to ask, 'Man what happened to you? Why do you look like a worn-out car?"
Ananda's teachings cater to a wide variety of needs, if you can't go deep into Kriya Yoga, it's fine. "We teach you how to be happy through energy techniques, pranayama, basic meditation, stress reduction, yoga postures, music, chanting, healing techniques, education for life principles, relationship courses, intuition classes. Basically all threads of our teaching amount to upliftment of consciousness. We work with energy techniques, practices of going within, pranayama, concentration, all to help you lift yourself up," says Dhyana. The vibe that Ananda foundation carries is a beautiful blend of East meets West. There is never this discussion, 'Oh you are a westerner, an Indian, a white, black or blue', says Dhyana with another infectious burst of laughter.
Talking about a Happiness Course being offered by Yale University, Dhyana emphasises that everybody needs spiritual discipline, just a little something that fits into your schedule. Get into a yoga class, even if it's for three or four weeks, feel the joy within yourself is what she advises. "Or just pick up a spiritual book, read a para or two. When you feed a baby, you give it one little spoonful at a time, isn't it," she asks.
Nayaswami Shankara, who also accompanied Dhyana to Hyderabad, for a session at Filmnagar Club, talks about a "hole on the inside" till he met Swami Kriyananda in 2003. "He had a joy on the inside that nothing could take away and that is what I wanted," says the former stuntman. Shankara who received his initiation into Kriya Yoga in 2004-05, says that through the Ananda Kriya Yoga, the sense of happiness can go ever deeper until it becomes infinite. Asked how long it would take a layperson to reach a similar state of happiness, Shankara says, "I look at Ananda Kriya as directional, rather than goal-oriented or how much one has achieved. Is my life better than what it was yesterday? Yes it is, then let me keep going."