Yogacharya J. Oliver Black was a person we can all learn from. He was a self-made millionaire, and he was also well known in yoga circles for being one of the most advanced direct disciples, of Paramahansa Yoganada - the Godfather of Yoga in the West, and the author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi.
James Oliver Black was born September 1st 1893, in the small farming town of Grover Hill Ohio. In his early twenties he was working for a company that was constructing horse drawn carriages. At this time the automobile industry was just starting, so he began to work in the early auto plants, before starting a business manufacturing car parts out of his garage. His business was called Peninsular Metal Products, and from humble beginnings in his garage, he progressed to having a very large factory, with thousands of employees, for the primary purpose of making and selling car window parts for Henry Ford.
Despite his business fortune, he was taking lots of pills to deal with his stress and anxiety. At about the age of 40, he met Paramahansa Yogananda who trained him, taught him, and helped him straighten out. It doesn’t matter where you start out, but where you end up…and among all of the thousands of students and disciples Yogananda had around the world he mentioned that Mr. Black was his second most advanced disciple, after his spiritual successor James Lynn. Eventually Yogananda would give him the title of Yogacharya, which basically means “yoga teacher”.
Yogananda said that every person needs a retreat, a dynamo of silence where they may go for the exclusive purpose of being recharged by the Infinite.”
As per Yogananda’s directive, Yogacharya founded Song of the Morning Ranch, a non-profit yoga retreat located on 800 acres of woodlands near Vanderbilt Michigan.
It’s a place of natural beauty, clean air, peaceful vibes, group meditations, yoga classes, retreats, and profound "spiritual refreshment and relaxation,”…
It’s a place to get away from the cement mixer of the city life.
Yogacharya followed an age-old Indian yogi practice of taking people into the forest, away from worldly distractions, so that he could impart them with life changing wisdom. He most liked winter at the ranch, because it covered the woods in a snowy blanket of whiteness, which reminded him of a finer and more pure reality than this one.
If you went to the ranch, and were feeling lonely or downhearted, a solitary walk on the grounds might feature some wildlife that would look you in the eyes, as if to remind you that you’re not alone.
After many years of running the ranch, teaching yoga, conducting meditation services, and other activities…Yogacharya did what he calls the “dipsy doodle” and passed away in 1989, at the age of 96. He outlived his wife Ethel, his son Robert, a pilot who died in World War II, and his daughter Phyllis.
Thankfully there are always more evolved beings that will accept us the way we are, and help us however we let them. Yogacharya, J. Oliver Black is one such being, he lived his life to teach others how to live their lives successfully, showing all the opportunities they could take next for the sake of their spiritual development.
And he can still help us today. HERE’S 5 BITS of WISDOM applied from his teachings:
1. Saltwater Flush: Saltwater is a natural inexpensive cleanser, and Yogacharya called it the single most-important thing you can do for your health. Yogacharya would combine 2 level teaspoons of salt into one quart of water, and drink the mixture in the morning before breakfast. He once said that he had been following this practice for 60 years. (NOTE: Please get medical clearance before you consider adding more salt to your diet).
2. Scrape Those Bananas: Yogacharya taught that banana was one of the most perfect foods, but he advised to scrape the bananas. The theory goes that the outside of the banana, and the inside of the peel, has a mild toxin that’s intended to repel harmful insects.
3. The Answer Is Within: You can ask any question you want and the answer is within you. Yogacharya says you can merge individual consciousness into universal consciousness. To do this, be still and peaceful, and if you can train yourself to relax sufficiently you can contact the cosmic mind,. Deeply concentrate, with your focus on the right ear, & the infinite consciousness can give you the answer you’re looking for… you’ll see it in a vision or hear a voice within.
4. Conscious Travel: Yogacharya said “Your breath holds your body and spirit together. You can escape into eternal freedom if you slow your breath.” The physical body isn’t the real you anyway. Don’t think you’re just muscles, bones, and skin.
5. Align with the Divine: Yogacharya that so long as we work to please God, all cosmic forces will assist us. Divine will can change the course of destiny, wake the dead, cast mountains into the sea and create new solar systems.
Негізгі бет J. Oliver Black, Yogananda's Disciple: Powerful Wisdom
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