Dharma Mittra - Living the Yogi Life: Secrets of Spiritual Growth and Mental Power

Dharma Mittra is a world-renowned yoga teacher with over six decades of experience in the practice and teaching of yoga. Originally a professional bodybuilder and athlete, Dharma Mittra's journey into yoga has profoundly changed his life and the lives of countless students globally. He is known for his dedication to the traditional teachings of yoga and for creating the famous "Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures." Dharma Mittra's work emphasizes compassion, the spiritual aspects of yoga, and the importance of a disciplined vegetarian diet. He continues to inspire and educate yogis through his classes, workshops, and writings.

Visit Dharma on his website: https://www.dharmayogacenter.com/

Key Takeaways:

• Importance of a Guru: Dharma Mittra emphasizes the transformative role a guru plays in one's spiritual journey and overall well-being.
• Integration of Yoga Practices: The episode discusses how integrating physical postures and spiritual intentions can lead to holistic health and mental clarity.
• Compassion and Nonviolence: Dharma shares his thoughts on practicing ahimsa (nonviolence) and how to deal with the suffering seen in the world.
• Dealing with Injuries: Practical advice is given on preventing yoga-related injuries and how even setbacks can offer valuable lessons.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 0:04 Dharma Mittra's Transformative Journey Through Yoga and Spiritual Guidance
• 5:01 The Importance of Intentions and Caution in Yoga Practice
• 10:46 Dharma Mittra on the Eternal Universe and Spiritual Evolution
• 21:57 Dharma Mittra's Journey and Wisdom on Balancing Yoga and Business
• 29:13 Dharma Mittra on Pets, Yoga, and Eternal Happiness

Transcript

0:33

Welcome to Native Yoga Toddcast, so happy you are here. My goal with this channel is to bring inspirational speakers to the mic in the field of yoga, massage, body work and beyond. Follow us at @nativeyoga and check us out at nativeyogacenter.com. All right, let's begin. Hello and welcome to Native Yoga Toddcast. I am honored to bring to you, Sri Dharma Mittra to the show. For those of you that know Dharma, practice with Dharma, then that's why you're here! Because you're so excited to listen to him. For those of you that don't know who Dharma Mittra is, you're in for a real treat. Dharma is one of the bedrock individuals in our yoga community. He's been teaching for over 60 years. He's 85 years old. He's been holding down a studio in New York City called Dharma Yoga Center for round about the 60 year mark. I just can't express enough gratitude to both Dharma but also to you being here, listening and showing your support. Please go ahead and visit Dharma at his website, dharmayogacenter.com and you'll find him across all the different social media channels, on Instagram, at@dharmayogaNYC, YouTube, same handle links in the description below, please do go check him out. Send him a note to let them know how much you appreciate listening to him. And again, this is a huge honor to bring him on. And I'm so happy you are here. All right, let's go ahead and begin. So excited to have this opportunity to meet and speak with Dharma Mittra! Dharma, thank you so much for joining me today. I really appreciate it. You're welcome and from honor to share with you. Thank you, Dharma. I remember a chance I had to practice with you when you were visiting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at a Yoga Journal conference. And I had an amazing experience. I really enjoyed practice with practicing with you, and I've had the opportunity to practice and meet a lot of your students and teachers over the years. So it is a real honor to have a chance to ask you some questions about yoga and your yoga journey. Thank you so much. One question I'm curious is, can you tell me what your first experience with yoga was? If you can remember like, how you felt and what type of experience you had when you first came in contact with yoga practice. This was amazing. I met my guru. I had a younger brother who had to make the translation. And then I was amazing with the teaching. And I was instructed already in a beautiful vegan diet, because at that time I was really in bad shape, very sick. So also I received instructions about what the life is, what means to have a guru, world peace. Anyway, my first experience was already changing my life completely, the way I eat, the way I see things. That was just in the first lecture, a little bit of compassion, learning about what we really are and the steps to get healthy. And the foundation was a hamsa compassion, right? And now be obedient to the teacher. Anyway. That was my starting life. Was a new life looking like everything opens Yes. Do you feel that having met him and or having a guru is a. Of utmost importance in yoga practice, I think it wasn't my guru. I will be in terrible trouble today. Maybe I was not even alive, depressed. We don't have anything ahead of us. So my first guru was my mommy and daddy, physical world. When I met my guru, I born again in a spiritual world, divine knowledge, and was the beginning of happiness, if the house the teacher is very important. So I was born already in the spiritual world, I have a spiritual name, a spiritual mantra, and a spiritual father, yes, yes. Did, did your at that time? Did you start learning yoga asana with your teacher, or did that come a little bit later? I was before I met my guru. I was a professional bodybuilder. I was also wrestler. I play with judo. Then I was in the Air Force for 60 years. My profession was a sport. I have all the conditions, flexibility, strength, power, but when I met my guru, I was sick for a while, but I had the foundation so my body was fit for the postures. I could do almost everything. And then I concentrate on knowledge, because only the knowledge will bring remote pain and suffering, but I concentrate more on the postures, the guru said, you have to follow your tendency. If your body's fit for pasture, do postures. They will bring you good health and some mental powers. And he said to me, if you have singing devotion, go ahead, my son. But anyway, the pastures amazingly important, inverted poses, conditions, I could achieve good health and only restore everything back thanks to the pastures and yes, do your poster that you made is remarkable. I love your book, the 608 yoga poses. I often will show students your book to highlight that there's such a your physical ability with the postures was just phenomenal. And personally, I love the physical posture aspect of yoga, but recently, due to an injury, I have had to change my approach, and I'm curious if you feel that the physical postures of yoga have any bearing on ability to improve spiritual development. Well, we have to be very cautious. We have to have a good patient not to allow you to do some defensive poses, because I myself enjoy my neck. I was doing some kind of locust where you lie on your chin and bring the feet to the head. I went too far, and then I heard the noise back in my neck. I think bone cracked there. Even today, I cannot go into the plow because this injury, oh injury. My niece pushing too much. So after lots of injuries, you have to be careful, because sometimes I was doing by myself. And sometime you're good to tell you, but you don't listen to somebody. You want to be faster, and then you end up in big trouble. But the angels teaches something, be careful. Go on the right. Say, don't turn your joint in the wrong direction. You know, be very careful if you come here to my class today, I don't teach any of those festivals that has no purpose. It's like for alcobraic people, and then you are subject to injuries. So this the poses, the most important pose is that single poses that require no flexibility that you born with body flex when you're younger, can do but be careful. You may enjoy yourselves. Great point dharma. Thank you so much. Do you feel that Hatha Yoga can be a form of prayer? Of course, it depends on your intentions. Every action we do. It can be a prayer. It depends on your mental intention, Oh, my Lord, may all beings, may I be in all these, may all this share this joy through my poses and whatever I am doing. It My Lord, I may not expect anything, just to get healthy so that the mind get good concentration to find you, my lord, everything is for you for only one purpose, to get healthy so that the mind can concentrate on spiritual good things, yes, so become a prayer without sufficient, because you're not doing it expecting anything, just it's for you, my lord. So the instrument get better. Yes, yes. Thank you. Can you when I when I met you in Fort Lauderdale, you you spoke a lot about the Bhagavad Gita. I'm curious if you can share with us, or with me and our listeners, some of the more important lesson or lessons that you have gleaned from reading the Bhagavad Gita throughout your life. Bhagavad Gita, my goodness, my goodness. I have a small one for my packet, a little one without the comments, and then I have a big one at home with the comments. It's amazing because there you learn how the universe is here. How long is here? Is it not eternal? You learn also about the laws of Karna. Is amazing. The Laws of Karna, we write, and then you learn, let's say, if you die tonight, where are you going? What's going to happen? And you learn also about how the creation, the purpose of creation. You learn about the cycles, the cycles, I mean, maybe concerned about one big bang, and the beauty is some of the verse Lord Krishna said, we you never born. We never born, we never die. We always been. Here. The universe is endless. As we learn about what the meaning of life, we have to experience all forms of creation, all forms of creation. So the forms, according to the Bhagavad Gita church, is endless, infinite. So after Self Realization, the end of opening and suffering is the beginning of experience of the forms that's beyond this level now, subtle forms that keep going on eternally. Is English. So this knowledge, as you realize, gradually, comparing the knowledge with technology today, like today, some astronomers realize, with the help of James Webb Telescope, the universe is not a big bang anymore. It's endless in our direction. It makes no sense. That lasts 15 billion years, and then. Finishing empty on the back is endless, infinite. And there are, I found also. There are beings who went before us, infinitely, infinitely in the back, and the mind here to experience everything. These beings are so high. We call it the gods. Don't worry, my son, one day you're going to be Brahmas and Gods truth very deep into the future. Now I really accept this knowledge. I think that's the way I want. I think it makes sense. Yes, beautiful. I love it. Thank you. Dharma. I when I sometimes when I look at the world, and oftentimes when I look at it through media, through news, I see a lot of violence. And so I'm curious, as yoga practitioners, how can we achieve Ahimsa or non violence when we see so much violence around us? Going to differentiate this from heckling, please. There's so much violence around us. Violence? What do we do? I love to talk about this one. Remember, we are here for a long time, at least 6 billion years. There are younger souls, every second, every moment, infinite of souls are coming to for the first time, not here in this blue planet, on the others, so infinite, just here, every one of us are in different age. There are younger soul that you see out there, criminals violence, they are greedy, they act with demonic nature because they are younger. So there is nothing wrong with it. I have in class here. Can see all different levels of soul, not because someone is lucky, blessed, and then that is not good for the Lord. How come God make his children one or the spiritual the other one? Not so whatever is happening? If I can tell what is happening to me right now, but it doesn't shut me at all, because I know there is a perfect reason, due to my calmness and conditions, because everything's following natural laws of evolution, spiritual evolution, monument, mass, force. But everything we're encountering every time is something not good, karmas, painful, but I can dance. I like to face that calmness. I dance with it. And then I realize my own creation from the past. Remember, the Lord is perfect. His watch everything that is happening, but he's not interfering, because it's part of the flow. He could come in here the other day, right, and tell people, Look, move from there, because a big earthquake is coming. Do it because it's part of the flow. So whatever is passing through us, just if you cannot find a reason, it is in the astral brain, but don't go there. So try to understand is your own fault? Is your own creation from the past? If you don't see the karma there, because you may maybe you volunteer to pass through this in your to hell. Because, for example, Jesus didn't have to, didn't have to come here to pass through this crucifixion, but he volunteered because every blue planet, there is a time when people need Jesus to come down. So everything's just perfect. We have just to dance with it, do some breathing, praying, ask the guru to care what to do. It just it passes away. It's like the weather, right? The weather now you want to be sung. Yes. Great point. Arma, I love hearing that. Sometimes I have a hard time when I see, when I see someone. Offering. I want to somehow help. How do we know when to try to intervene and or just step back and watch and let it unfold? I guess that's one of the challenges I have, is knowing when to intervene and when to just step back and watch. Do you have any insight to share there? Okay, this is part of the compassion. Compassion sometimes watch out from the emotions of compassion. They make us such suffering too, and then is one more being suffering. It's better to control the emotions and know why and do something about it, because violence and suffering never ends. Is eternal. It may ends here in this blue planet, but they can change forever and throughout the creation and every place has a time when they come to an end. So the best thing is to know that and do something about it, like I have pets I keep, oh, if I could at the same time, I could visualize people's being so bad with the pets I cannot help, like my earthquake, so many pets being there, and there so many pets, Animals in the slaughterhouse and the labs being tested. What you can do just pray, my prayers like this, oh, Lord, oh Lord, let them understand why they are suffering. Remember where I passed through that you see all this animal pass if you trace ourselves back, back, back, back, back, back, before human being back, back. We passed through all this pain, suffering, all this pain. Suffering has a divine purpose, by spiritual correction, for the cleaning of the mind, for the payment of your karmas from the past, but actually, like I have dogs and cats, I almost can see them gone. I see some them passing through some difficulties now, but I'll do my best to make sure I take them to the vet. Don't let them suffer too much, and sometimes I encourage for them to sleep. Pressure, yes, great answer. Dharma, thank you. You know you're a huge inspiration to the yoga community. You've been continuing to practice and teach for over 60 years. I think you're surprised, so yeah, that's that's so inspirational to all of us that are teaching yoga like for me to look to you and see that you're practicing and teaching for such a long period of time, that gives me a lot of hope that gives me a lot of inspiration. And I my wife and I have a yoga studio, and we've had a lot of challenges keeping it running over the years. And part of it is because when I connect to the yoga practice in a way that feels really authentic for me, sometimes in the world of material and or commercialism, it's tricky for me to know how to balance teaching what I know and love and the way the business side kind of pushes me toward certain things. I was wondering if you could give me any insight and or inspiration on how to navigate that challenge that is very easy. I learned my my guru once came to this country. Then he went to a hotel here near Central Park, and then one of his disciples, this man, he said, Guru, my guru, you have money left to pay the hotel. He said, Don't worry about he had a walk on the Central Park. When he returned, he found a fat envelope in his mailbox from that knowledge in 1975 I stay in the ashram with him from 64 to 75 so I left. I had a bad difficulty with the SWAMI, not my guru, but the other Swami, to get. To $200 to go out in the world. I didn't speak English, but I knew how to teach Hatfield. I knew the knowledge, but I could not explain anyway, I found some money, I went out, and then someone was calling me, Darma, why are you going with the shopping bag? I said, I don't know. Hotel that time,$100 you can buy a month, $50 to buy to get the agency for employment. But he said to me, come to my place, Lofton City Hall. So when I arrived there, nobody knew about yoga. So my class $1 shift, also had a free poster, not at that time, whether you have other things, yes, sprouts free, this free net. I could not speak English, but I could run only a class. But everybody, for some reason, you show your kindness, whatever, everybody's treated like enough family. If you cannot pay $1.50 that's fine stay. But anyway, in one week, I have a whole class, and then I moved to another place. I i was able to save $1,300 and then I moved to 14th Street and Sixth Avenue. I rent a place there. I spent all my money to put a hell of a carpet on the floor, neon signs, and now in this dollar 50 plus, everybody, nobody knew but first day, only one person came just to investigate. Close my eyes to the horn. When I opened the eye, the person left. For some reason. Next day, lots of people start coming in. They have a full class in less than a month. Yes, I got money living under the under the radiator, nine, $9,000 a year. Because every time I move, no matter what it has to go, even if I have a chance to charge 50 cents. But I have never just been nice to your students. Don't be too strict, because I cannot extend your expiration day. Oh yeah, students, if they get hurt, they're going to sue you. Too nice to them if they don't want to pay that's fine, and then amazing, don't have to worry about money. Yeah, yes, naturally been nice, a big family. Yes, I love hearing that dharma. That's an that's so simple, so simple. That's a beautiful story. The is came after me once the IRS, I know, see you reporting anything, I say, Well, I don't go in vacation. But he said, you still have to report something yes into my class. Check it out. I was lucky. Nobody came, and then he was laughing to me. He said, anyway, you have to pay$240 next time. Yeah. Oh my gosh, amazing. Dharma, I hear you have someone I don't have to do anything. I am like an actor. You see, when people make a movie, 1000s of people working, and the actor don't do anything, but at the end, all the money and credit go to to the actor, yeah, well, you've earned it. Dharma. I mean, you've been at it for so long, so I think you deserve it. I want to say, when you know yoga, sharing this knowledge is the highest type of charity. Need to see your brothers and sisters getting healthy. Being happy. Two days ago, I met I was with the school in the street, the students running to me, can I I changed my life forever. That's so nice. The teacher to hear yes. Your son, oh, yes, I agree. Dharma. You had, you had made mention that you have pets and you love animals, and how much seeing animals suffering is hard to watch. But I'm I'm also curious how your love for your pets helps you keep your yoga practice going. I'm going to tell you the only happiness I have, my pets have the pets before I came here this morning, I wake up six in the morning making mashed potato. Mashed potato olive oil. That's pinch of salt for the dogs. Also, before I went to bed yesterday, sure I have a special food for the raccoon in Long Island. Yeah. Now have promised they are multiplied, as you like, in a big family. Yeah, bring you happiness because they are like us. One day, I was inside my path and talked to God, and so God, am I going to be pet all the time as I see my path deep into the churches, you'll be like me when you're going to the next level, but bring happiness. You know, don't think that you're spiritual. You're stuck with Samad, there's nothing like that. I enjoy my Vega foods. I enjoy science fiction movies. I enjoy my pets. I enjoy my segway. I enjoy driving. I enjoy all these things. In order to teach you have to have all this. I know they are from the census, but in order to teach you, need some enthusiasm from the census. Why I am so happy talking to you here. I have a nice vegan pizza today waiting. Good boy Darla, gotta love the vegan pizza, and I'm glad you got something to look forward to, for sure. Yes, yes, that's important. I have two pets, human pets, human pets. I here on the pitch. I love it. Yeah, that's Oh man. Well, thank you so much Dharma for your service to yoga, because it's a huge inspiration. And you know, I really appreciate you just taking time out of your day and being so willing to share and talk with me. I really do appreciate this so much. Is there, is there any message or anything that you would like to add to the conversation to help us close our conversation together? Moving all the time. Actually move all the time. Remember, post is a NAT Yoga is a preparation, yes, yes, just to give you good health if your body doesn't fit for posit on life, go to the gym, the tai chi, go to the MAS, run, swim, but the main pose triples, sit in a chair for your meditation and shavasana to the here to do your Breathing. So keep moving and remember whatever came from, the eternal is eternal. We are a portion of God. We are here to stay forever and now so after enlightenment is not the end. Is the end of pain and suffering, but there is the beginning. Have what immense, eternal, divine perception going to the next levels. Yes, rest your mind on the infinite. Like the universe is the infinite, and whatever is out today is amazing, like next life. When I return having space station, maybe you're here now again you have to worry about, yes, yes, people be ethically civilized, yes, the good things not need for asanas and enough, because people are in good shape the work. Yes, yes. So keep moving and rest your mind on the infinite, because the Infinite is the Lord Himself. If you can concentrate, right? Keep trying, because even the guns don't want you to go there. You don't pay attention to them anymore. I am all beings. I am the service of our God. That's why we concentrate on Shiva. She represents the self of all the gods, the US. Thank you for your questions. Thank you dharma. Thank you so much. I really appreciate this opportunity, and I look forward to having a conversation with you in the future, whether it's here and or on the next level. So thank you. Dharma. Every year, have new things because new things are being found technology, then we compare them with the scriptures. Yeah, exactly, yeah. Thank you dharma. Thank you so much. Thank you. You native yoga Todd cast is produced by myself. The theme music is dreamed up by Bryce Allen. If you like this show, you for you know you.