Yoga of the Heart takes you on a heart-awakening and colorful journey into Rikhia, a remote, tribal region in northeast India. Each year, thousands of people from all over the world travel here to attend a the Sat Chandi festival hosted by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, one of India's rare living gurus and major pioneer of yoga in the west.
Yoga of the Heart captures the spirit and meaning of the festival, which is not only a wonderful display of ritual and dance, but which also offers immense upliftment to the people of the region. All proceeds of the festival contribute to Sivananda Math, a worldwide social institution initiated by Swami Satyananda Saraswati to improve the living conditions of the poor and homeless.
The events of the festival are vibrant, beautiful and exotiic and visually spectacular! They include spirited talks (satsangs) from Swami Satyananda, mantra chanting, cultural theatre and authentic tantric fire ceremony. All of this elaborate beauty is a created to seduce the divine energies, to draw down the benevolent power and kind blessings of the great mother goddess, Chandi.
In watching Yoga of the Heart you will learn of the esoteric significance of these events, including the meaning and purpose of authentic tantric ritual. You will see rare footage of a powerful, often secret, tantric ritual where Swami Satyananda engages in a life and death ritual, the ‘Five Fire Sadhana’.
He performed this meditation for 10 months while surrounded by five fires, in temperatures up to 70 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Fahrenheit). It was this ritual that led Swami Satyananda to the divine realization to help his neighbours.
In purchasing Yoga of the Heart DVD you are contributing to the ongoing production of similar Big Shakti’s projects. A percentage of the sale price is donated to Swami Satyananda’s social institution, Sivananda Math. In return you will be transported to a world where esoteric ritual and social service are one. You will gain access and understanding of this major, authentic yoga-tantra event, and I am certain that your heart will open every time you see it.
Jayne Stevenson
Available in both PAL and NTSC formats, this wonderful DVD includes:
- Footage covering the entire festival.
- Rare, close-up footage of an authentic tantric fire ceremony.
- Footage from the ‘Play of Lord Krishna’.
- Footage from the ‘Wedding of Sita and Rama’.
DVD extras include:
- Spiritual talks from Swami Satyananda Saraswati.
- Footage of Swami Satyananda's ‘Five Fire Sadhana’, a profound, dangerous, rarely performed ritual never previously seen in the west. A ritual that can only be survived by a truly accomplished yogic master.
Testimonials and Feedback
The film made by you on the Sat Chandi Mahayajna is very very impressive. It is an important document of a historical event as a tantric ceremony (a yajna) of this magnitude in the presence of a fully accomplished and self-realized yogi (a siddha) is rare. What I liked was the natural style and ease with which such a complex subject of tantric ritual was covered. The musical score lent it an ethereal touch and one can easily get transported to another realm while watching it. One wonders if it happened here on this planet or in paradise. I loved it. Sri Swamiji (Swami Satyananda) liked it too and has asked us to show it to everyone, which we have been doing, and everyone is moved when they see it.
Swami Satyasangananda, Rikhia ashram* India
Just to let you know how thrilled I am with Yoga of The Heart. What an incredible film you have made. It must have been such a wonderful and spiritual experience for you, making and seeing it all come together. The part where Swami Satyananda includes representatives from the various religious traditions in the ceremony brought a tear to my eye. This is what the world needs to see, and it is a true representation of unity and acceptance. GREAT WORK!!!!! Thanking you again!
Iain Bennett, Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia
We were all entranced by the whole film. There is so much beauty and inspiration in it for all of us. Thank you so much for giving us such a priceless gift. It will be there for a lifetime for the yoga community from now on. I watched it again last night and noticed more things that I had missed the first time. It's a real shakti hit! So a big thank you to you both.
Marie Ray (and friends), Yoga Teacher, Canberra ACT Australia
Yoga of the Heart is an excellent presentation of the tantric fire ceremony that Paramahamsa Satyananda conducts every year in India. Having recently attended this event myself, I find the film to be excellent in its ability to communicate the meaning and the magic of this very auspicious annual event. For those who have attended the Sat Chandi Maha Yajna, it does bring back powerfully charged memories. For those who have not attended, this film is truly uplifting and inspiring. I congratulate Jayne Stevenson and Swami Shankardev on creating such a great film about the humanitarian and spiritual work of a great mystic.
Dr. Maarten Immink Ph.D, Manly, NSW Australia
Thank you for your fantastic Yoga of the Heart DVD. You have done such a great thing for humanity recording this and bringing it together so beautifully and sensitively. It is a precious record of Swami Satyananda, and I get a big energy charge each time I watch it. Seeing how excited I was from watching it, my friends are buying a copy too.
Vedanta Nicholson O'Connor, ACT Australia
Jayne your film, is not just good, it is great. You have captured the sacred essence of Swami Satyananda's teachings. His feelings for devotion, divine service and generosity, all caught in the lens are not just information. In watching the film I was transported from ordinary consciousness into the glory of divine life. This is an elevating film and a much-needed reminder of the richness of the ultimate goal, and of the poverty of worldly pursuit.
Swami Nityabodha, Ettalong, Central Coast Australia
* Swami Satyasangananda, affectionately known as Swami Satsangi, is the Pithadhiswari of Rikhia Peeth (the head of Swami Satyananda's ashram in Rikhia, India). She has been responsible for the Rikhia ashram since its inception and was actually sent by Swami Satyananda to find the place where the ashram is now located after it had been revealed to him in his meditation.