Sri Indarji’s Memorial one year on

Activities at the Ashram
Kirti Patel – Swami Ji’s son in law

Some of the Patanjali members and family gathered on Friday 19th December to remember and pay homage to Swamiji (Daddyji to the family) who taught us so much; both in opening our hearts and showing us how to stay true to classical yoga. We started with the sacred havan ceremony. This was beautifully conducted by our “dear Shirley” as daddyji would have said. He would no doubt be very proud of Shirley’s determination in learning the sacred Vedic ceremony. It is sad that not many are aware of the subtle part the havan yajna plays in maintaining and securing progress of a spiritual person; havan is a key component of the classical Patanjali tradition and if followed with concentration helps a spiritual aspirant to remove the subtle vasanas or impure tendencies of mind and intellect. This is a starting point for a karma yogi after which starts the physical postures and all sadhanas.
We began the day with the lighting of the candles and maintaining a reflective silence in the Ashram grounds where Daddyji’s ashes are buried. It was a moment of both happiness and sadness when our memories came flooding back. Happiness in that Daddyji had touched all our lives and sadness in that he was no longer with us in physical body to share our experiences. No doubt he was looking down upon us smiling. After the Havan Yajna, Philip played some beautiful songs on his trusty guitar and Rani sang one of Daddyji’s favourite songs. This was followed by a simple but divine lunch. As one who has not been to the Ashram since July, I was struck by the still strong presence of Daddyji’s love and compassion within the Ashram studio and grounds.