I learned so much from contemplating this installment. When Eesha talked about viewing everything that happens in life as a gift, an opportunity, it caused a shift in my thinking. Witnessing recent world events had been challenging for me. It had been having an impact on my sense of well-being and on my thoughts.
But this concept of seeing everything in life as a gift, an opportunity, has turned this pattern around for me. I have started to understand that I was born at this time for a reason. During this time period, I met my Guru and received the greatest gift of shaktipat.
I find the recognition that I’m supposed to be here now to be very reassuring. It has given me a different approach to and perspective on life. This is enabling me to face and process world events through my eyes, heart, and mind as a Siddha Yoga student who is supported by the Guru’s grace, the fruits of my sadhana, and the collective energy and wisdom of the Siddha Yoga sangham.
California, United States
Reading “Gratitude for Life” inspired me to do a creative exercise: At moments throughout the day, I remember to stop and say to myself, “This moment is a gift from God.” It’s amazing how just saying this makes me look around with fresh eyes at wherever I am in the moment and see whatever situation I am facing with a completely enhanced perspective. It fills me with both a sense of God’s closeness as well as a recognition of how fortunate I am and how blessed my life is.
Even in difficult circumstances, when I repeat this phrase to myself, I suddenly am able to recognize the potential that exists in the moment to see this challenge as an opportunity—to experience the gift from God contained within it. I feel less fear and behold more grace in the moment.
New York, United States
I find it so moving and significant to contemplate how a great being chooses to “close” his physical existence.
In Japanese, there is a phrase “ikasareteiru,” which means that we are made to live in accord with the elements and unseen forces of life. I am learning that to live intentionally and in accord with the elements, I must also know how I wish to die—how I wish to leave my physical existence in the most grace-filled manner.
When I contemplate this, I want to bow to the four directions, to express my gratitude to all of existence, and to ask for forgiveness for mistakes I have knowingly or unknowingly committed.
I am grateful to be learning more about how to contemplate! I have always wondered about the “correct” way of engaging with this practice. Now I feel it is a natural process of allowing my heart to reveal the deeper dimensions of a thought.
New York, United States
Gratitude is one of my greatest virtues, a gift from God and Shri Guru. I practice gratitude as soon as I wake up in the morning. I mentally repeat “Shri Gurumayi,” reminding myself that all this is due to Shri Guru’s grace and blessings. I then go to my puja altar, have darshan of Shri Guru’s pictures, and offer pranam.
I feel gratitude for having such great family members in my life and for the many people who have helped me during my Siddha Yoga journey. Instead of finding faults, I focus on their virtues. I have learned greatly even from the biggest insults in my life. In this way, I feel gratitude in many moments throughout my entire day.
Yesterday, I was thinking about Gurudev Siddha Peeth, the Siddha Yoga Ashram in India, and felt deep gratitude that I am a Siddha Yoga student. I remembered Bade Baba, Baba, and Shri Gurumayi, and I mentally served them. Tears of gratitude rolled down my cheeks.
Through practicing gratitude, I see God within and the same divine Self outside.
Pune, India
I was touched by how Eesha concludes her writing by quoting Gurumayi in Courage and Contentment, asking “Do you step lightly upon the earth or heavily?”
I explored this through “Gurumayi’s Guidance: Soundness of Body,” which is available on Siddha Yoga path website.
As I followed Gurumayi’s instructions with awareness, I noticed a beautiful contrast. I felt light, almost like I was moving through the air, but the moment my feet touched the ground, I felt steady and strong.
At the same time, I felt open, like a tree whose limbs are gently swaying, while deeply rooted—anchored yet free.
This experience was truly uplifting as I realized the true strength of my body.
Jaipur, India
One key part in Eesha’s commentary for me is that the saint “was at peace with his life.”
I have noticed that when I am balanced, when I am at peace with my life, then gratitude naturally arises within me. When I am not at peace with my life, gratitude is not alive within me, and that is a signal for me to “reset.”
Dunedin, New Zealand
It’s difficult for me to list all the ways in which I express my gratitude. However, in reflecting on this, I’ve realized what happens when I experience gratitude.
My heart becomes luminous and fills with an incredible warmth, I feel a loving connection with others when I express my gratitude to them, and I can see and feel warmth emanating from those who receive my gratitude.
When I thank life, I can see and feel life smiling down upon me. When I thank the Guru or God, I feel I am in their company.
Gratitude is an experience and a state I want to remain in forever.
Rosario, Argentina
What a beautiful state to be in at the time of death—to feel gratitude and to remember how everyone and everything has supported me on my journey!
Will I have the opportunity to practice this only at the end of my life? No, I have the opportunity to practice gratitude every single day. And I think I will be able to express true gratitude at the end of my life only if I live my life in gratitude now. Then, when I finally say goodbye to this beautiful planet Earth, it will be natural for me to be living in the awareness Baba describes
Thane West, India
I express gratitude for the people, places, and circumstances in my life in many ways. I smile consciously and with the intention to connect. I make it a point to learn the names of people I interact with, however fleetingly. I express my gratitude with specificity: for the kindness of a nurse, the happy attitude of a shop assistant, the cleanliness of a taxi. I explicitly thank those close to me: my husband for his steady love and kindness, and my friends for their company, their joy, and their other great qualities.
I leave places better than I found them; I dry around sinks in public restrooms; I leave no trash behind on a plane; I air out hotel rooms.
I mentally thank the water for coming out of the faucet, the breeze for blowing, the birds for chirping, and the car for starting.
Above all, I thank Gurumayi for shaktipat-diksha, for her teachings, and for her grace. What glory! What marvel! I am in awe and very grateful.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
One summer, some twenty years ago, I took the Siddha Yoga Week-long Course in Shree Muktananda Ashram. Toward the end of the week, the program host made some comments about the importance of thanking everyone who contributed to our experience, and so I hand-wrote thank-you notes. I sent notes to the yoga instructor, to the host, to the scholar and other teachers who led the courses, and, of course, to Gurumayi, who made the entire experience possible.
After everyone from the course was free to go, I encountered Gurumayi with some of her assistants on the grounds near the Shakti Mandap. I don’t think we exchanged words, but I felt she recognized the inner work I had done during the week.
Ever since then, whether my expression of thanks is recognized or not, the practice of contemplating my feelings of gratitude has become very meaningful and frequent for me.
Illinois, United States
Years ago, in a Siddha Yoga Shaktipat Intensive, I had a pivotal experience of what Eesha describes: “When we relinquish our demands on life, our expectation that it look and feel a certain way, I believe we then have a better chance of experiencing the abundance this world has to give.”
During meditation, Bade Baba spoke to me with one word: “Loosening.” I then saw in my mind’s eye a hot air balloon tethered with heavy ties. Upon reflection, I realized Bade Baba was telling me to “loosen,” to release my efforts to control everything so I will be able to ascend.
I have been slowly learning to apply this. In response to Gurumayi’s question, “Do you step lightly upon the earth or heavily?” I can now say that I feel almost weightless whenever I connect and flow with the divine presence within. Then it’s as natural as breathing for me to express authentic gratitude for my life, the life of each being, my own body’s temple, and my Guru. And I increasingly experience, “the abundance this world has to give.”
Washington, United States
As I reflected on Eesha’s question of how I express my gratitude for circumstances, a tool I use to do this came to mind.
Years ago, I had the opportunity to consider a circumstance in my life that was distressing, and I came up with the phrase “Must have needed that” as a way to accept—and even to celebrate—that event, recognizing that it must have been my karma and that by experiencing it, this karma was burned off. This thought “Must have needed that” brought gratitude and joy, transforming a long-held resentment into forgiveness and acceptance.
Since then, that phrase has been coming up automatically when unpleasant circumstances present themselves. Now, I’m thinking I’ll apply it to pleasant ones too!
New Mexico, United States
When I sat down to meditate this morning, my busy mind kept nudging me to pay attention to the pain in my body from having had two low-grade skin cancers removed yesterday. I came out of meditation to read this “Gratitude for Life,” and then I reflected in silence on what was being said.
My mind immediately let go of its focus on the pain. Instead, I felt a sense of gratitude for my life and its blessings—including for the surgery yesterday and for the surgeon’s detailed work.
The focus on gratitude has increased my certainty that my healing process will be quick, and the pain already feels manageable. Now, I will return to my morning meditation.
Bondi, Australia
Once, when I was at Gurudev Siddha Peeth, I felt a certainty in my heart that I would be reborn one more time to have the blessing of serving the Siddha Yoga Guru directly. Over the years, I have carried this certainty with me.
Reading this “Meditation on Swami Muktananda’s Words,” I have realized that my anticipation of what is to come has caused me to disconnect from the blessing of being alive here and now.
I am blessed to be alive; to have my family and friends, my work, and above all my spiritual path; to be able to do sadhana in this lifetime; to be worthy of receiving shaktipat-diksha, the awakening of Kundalini by a living Siddha Master; and to be able to serve Gurumayi together with other Siddha Yoga students.
I am very grateful for this new understanding.
Niteroi, Brazil
When I read this “Meditation on Swami Muktananda’s Words,” one of the things that stayed with me the most was Gurumayi’s question, “Do you step lightly upon the earth or heavily?”
Recently, I had been experiencing a sense of unhappiness about my life, stemming from changes at work. Contemplating Gurumayi’s words, I saw that I had been forgetting to feel gratitude for all the good times I have had in my life. The moment I realized this, something inside me transformed. I understood that, whether things are easy or filled with challenges, I can look at both these situations as prasad from God, which I can choose to accept with love and without attachment.
With this perspective, I am experiencing that my heart is full of gratitude and that the heaviness I had been carrying is beginning to dissipate. I feel light and am feeling increasing gratitude. I wish to focus on stepping “lightly on the earth” so that only love flows through me. I want to do this both for my benefit and for the benefit of those around me.
Pune, India
It was when I received shaktipat from Gurumayi that I began to have gratitude for life. Previously, life often felt like a hardship. Yet, through following the Siddha Yoga teachings and practices, I began to experience the beauty within myself and the world around me. I started recognizing the blessing of having been given a human life and how precious it is to be here, regardless of the many vicissitudes I may experience.
I have grown to appreciate the beauty of nature and its many inhabitants that wander through my property, such as wild turkeys with their broods, deer with their young, and all manner of bird life. The Siddha Yoga practices and teachings have taught me to have gratitude for my human life, to see that it is a great boon indeed. It has been many, many years since I received shaktipat, and since then the Guru’s grace has shown me the priceless value of God’s gift.
California, United States
Since receiving shaktipat initiation, I have learned, and continue to learn every day, to be grateful for everything and everyone I encounter—even for those things or people who may not initially seem worthy of my gratitude. I am inspired by the Guru’s generosity, which is so vast that it seems immeasurable. As I strive to make my own small offerings, I have experienced that this has opened an infinite path, one where, moment by moment, I continue to learn to be more and more grateful. In turn, this draws me ever closer to being able to fulfill my dharma.
Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, Argentina
I have been contemplating and reflecting on the question that Gurumayi asked in her book Courage and Contentment, “Do you step lightly upon the earth or heavily?”
Specifically, I have been asking myself, “How do I step lightly?” I believe that in order to do that, I have to remember to breathe, relax, and not take myself so seriously. To do this, I must keep renewing my commitment to do the Siddha Yoga practices with greater focus and to keep trying to see the divinity in all. I have to do all that I can to foster the knowledge that I am the Self and to relax into that experience. As I am increasingly able to do this, the journey inward is becoming filled with greater happiness and joy.
California, United States
I believe that I am alive due to Baba’s infinite love and grace. I met him many years ago, at a time when I was feeling without purpose in my life.
I have been walking the Siddha Yoga path ever since then, hand in hand with my beloved Guru. I’m very grateful and moved to have received the grace to live a life full of meaning and love.
Milan, Italy
As a teenager, I participated with at least 150 other young people in a satsang at Gurudev Siddha Peeth. In the satsang, what stayed with me was that we were asked to journal every day about ten things for which we were grateful. A beautiful journal was given to us as a gift from Gurumayi ji. After some time of doing this physically, I learned to practice gratitude mentally on a daily basis, and I continue to do it today in my middle age.
This has been such prasad for me, both within and without. Each day I practice gratitude for all that I have—for my Guru’s presence and constant guidance in my life, for the gift of guruseva, for having grace as a companion always, for the Siddha Yoga path and the global Siddha Yoga satsang, and for my own supportive family.
As I reflect now, I see that gratitude has brought me a constant spring season of happiness and contentment, patience and endurance, positivity and forgiveness.
a Gurukula student in Gurudev Siddha Peeth
Each morning my husband and I take a walk, and we each take a turn sharing what we are grateful for. It’s like a walking meditation because we are often expressing gratitude for what we see, hear, and experience around us on the walk—children, dogs, nature, the elements—as well as for the myriad events, material well-being, and synchronicities in our lives.
There seems to be an endless number of things to name once we get started! I find it enjoyable to listen to my husband’s gratitude and take it in, and to express my gratitude. As we walk along and speak from the heart, the gratitude flows!
California, United States
In life I have experienced the ecstatic highs and the deep lows. I have also learned that both these experiences are brimming with God’s gifts, teachings, and learnings. The highs are thrilling, ecstatic, humbling, and gratitude naturally arises when they appear before me.
However, it’s in the lowest points in my life—when the challenges have been difficult—that I have experienced God most intimately. It is in these moments that God shines brightest, and I feel God’s light and love wipe out all the suffering.
I am grateful to my Guru’s shining light that guides me through the labyrinth of life.
Templestowe, Australia
For me, gratitude is a gigantic as well as very deep concept. My human birth in itself is a cause for great gratitude. Every breath that I inhale and exhale is a gift of God and of the grace of Shri Gurumayi. When I start to count all I am grateful for, I do not find anyone or anything for which I’m not able to express my gratitude.
I am grateful to my parents for instilling in me the values and ethics to be a humane person, showing me how to love and care for everyone and everything around me. I have immense gratitude to Gurumayi for bestowing shaktipat diksha, my second birth, on me and for her grace through thick and thin, high and low moments in my life. Gurumayi has always been in my heart, loving me and showing me the path to right understanding.
What a joyful, blissful, and ecstatic human life I am leading, where I am living for everyone who needs my love and my care! Closing my eyes with gratitude, my heart is full and joyful tears are flowing.
Lucknow, India
I wish to begin by thanking Eesha for her insightful writings, and for her thought-provoking questions that invite me to reflect on my own understanding of the Guru’s words.
Gurumayi’s question—”Do you step lightly upon the earth or heavily?”—brings to my mind nature’s work, how it presents itself with such grace, with such perfection, expressing God’s glorious beauty, demanding nothing in return. It is simply God’s expression of himself. I find it so inspiring, seeing nature as a lesson on how to conduct myself in life.
I am grateful for this lesson because I feel a lightness of being and sense of calm in the midst of noise, which keeps me grounded in what truly matters in life. I am deeply grateful for the Guru’s grace, which has opened my eyes to the teachings that help me, with each passing day, to see things more clearly.
Wollongong, Australia
