Transformation American Meditation Institute
July - September 2020
Bringing Yoga Science to Life
americanmeditation.org
Self-Reliance and Response-Ability
Painting by Jenness Cortez Perlmutter
A Challenging Decision
We at AMI are staying healthy through this coronavirus pandemic and wish continued wellness for all of you. The pandemic, however, has consequences beyond the disease itself. In our case, it has forced the cancellations of both our July summer retreat and the October physicians’ CME conference, events that ordinarily contribute substantially to meeting our annual operating expenses. The most immediate effect of this dramatic shortfall is the suspension of the printed edition of our Transformation journal. The costs of its production and distribution cannot be met at this time, but it will continue to come to you in its digital form.
Please take a few minutes to share this current July-September issue with friends, family, colleagues and enemies you believe may find Transformation helpful, or send us their names and email addresses and we’ll be happy to place them on our email list. In loving Service,
Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness 2
23rd Annual Appeal The American Meditation Institute Since 1996
AMI has taught thousands of students.
This annual appeal concludes on September 20, 2020.
Science to Life! Help Us BringCall Yoga (518) 674-8714 Donate Online at: americanmeditation.org/annual-appeal
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Self-Reliance and Response-Ability By Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev)
According to a recent poll conducted by The Wall Street Journal and NBC News, approximately 80% of Americans surveyed said they believed the country was “out of control.” Just about 15% of those polled said they believed that things in the country were under control. About 3% said things were “both” under control and out of control, and 2% said they weren’t sure either way. Over the past three years, every citizen has faced the relentless politicalization of major circumstances that, to this day, continue to threaten the viability of our government, our occupations, and our very lives. These events include the impeachment of a President, the loss of 40 million jobs, 129,000 + Americans killed by COVID-19, and, following the police killing of 46-yearold George Floyd in Minneapolis, ongoing national protests that now demand from each of us a thorough personal and governmental re-imagination of what it means, individually and collectively, to be a human being living in the twenty-first century. CBS News reports that in 2019, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, more than 20 percent of Americans had symptoms of depression or anxiety. By early June of 2020, researchers estimated that percentage had tripled. 4
But depression and anxiety aren’t the only challenges now facing us. There are many other conditions almost everyone, regardless of race, is experiencing today. I’ll name just a few. Let these symptoms wash over your consciousness, and feel how familiar they are to you: anger, agitation, anguish, apprehension, consternation, desperation, discomfort, fear, foreboding, franticness, misgiving, nervousness, panic, rage, tension, terror, torment, uncertainty, unease, and worry. All sobering, to say the least. Intensely aware of these reactions in the country, I’ve been contemplating what it would take to turn things around. At this point in human history, what changes, if any, could this present generation make that would profoundly benefit the collective good? Somewhere in this contemplation process, an amusing 1955 Frank Sinatra novelty song that provides a surprisingly important hidden meaning popped into my mind. Written by four-time Academy Award winning lyricist Sammy Cahn, the words to “Love and Marriage” go like this: Love and marriage, love and marriage, Go together like a horse and carriage. This I tell ya, brother, you can’t have one without the other.
Love and marriage, love and marriage, It’s an institute you can’t disparage. Ask the local gentry and they will say it’s elementary.
Try, try, try to separate them, it's an illusion. Try, try, try and you only come to this conclusion:
Love and marriage, love and marriage, Go together like a horse and carriage. Dad was told by mother you can’t have one, You can’t have none. You can’t have one without the other.
I had no idea why that song from my childhood appeared. Was it just some nonsensical trump card my ego was playing? It certainly didn’t seem to advance my understanding of how we might end racism. And I couldn’t imagine how it could possibly hasten the appearance of a coronavirus vaccine, put people back to work, or help resolve the uncivil and often poisonous political environment. But regardless, the song continued. And as more time went by, the verse’s hypnotic musical hook just kept repeating and repeating in my mind. Love and marriage, love and marriage, Go together like a horse and carriage. Love and marriage, love and marriage, Go together like a horse and carriage. Then, suddenly, it hit me––in the form of a question. “What two concepts,” I asked myself, “am I personally familiar with today that might, if linked together, lead to a reduction, and possibly an elimination of all the many challenges we now face?” And as soon as I was able to posit that question, the answer came––as if the question and answer were two sides of the same coin. The two-fold answer I could now “see” was a pair of misunderstood, but vital, lifeenhancing concepts: “Self-Reliance” and “Response-Ability.” As you’ll notice, both are compound words. The concept “Self-Reliance” couples our divine, higher Self with reliance, and “Response-Ability” joins the words response with ability. The more we can learn to rely on the wisdom of the divine, higher Self at the core of our being, we will definitely have the ability to respond skillfully and rewardingly
with each of our thoughts, words and deeds. And here’s how I know it’s possible.
“Self-Reliance” In 1989 my wife Jenness and I traveled to California to visit one of our dearest teachers and colleagues, Eknath Easwaran. While with him, I explained that Yoga Science had become the guiding force in our lives, but we still worried about money. It seemed to us, I told him, that this philosophy and science would work best for people certain of receiving a paycheck every week, health insurance and a pension. We, on the other hand, were self-employed. The fact that Jenness was a painter and I was an art dealer meant that we never knew from one day to the next if we would have enough money to pay our bills. So we asked for some advice. Without hesitation, and with a loving twinkle in his eye that I still recall to this day, Easwaran responded, “Your problem is this: you consider yourself self-employed. I am employed by the Self.” Hearing that one turn of phrase, we both recognized that the antidote for all our worries could be found by earnestly practicing Yoga Science. Easwaran’s reply taught us that the physical, mental and emotional pain we suffered by worrying was a direct consequence of being enslaved to the limited, often faulty, perspectives of the personality. To end our dis-ease, we knew we had to begin viewing relationships from a “higher” perspective. We had to expand our sense of “I-ness.” As newly hired employees of the “Higher” Self, we set out to consciously identify and set aside longstanding, powerful and unhealthy habits by relying exclusively on the Divine wisdom of the mind’s Conscience for every decision. Once we made the decision to willingly convert our mind-body-sense complexes into our personal laboratories for conducting Yoga Science experiments, the universe immediately and lovingly responded by beginning to reveal the profound wisdom of Yoga Psychology. This system is both practical and helpful. It introduced us to the four major functions of the mind. It taught us how the mind operates, and how to train the mind to become more efficient, reliable and wise, 5
enhancing its ability to make conscious, discriminating choices in every relationship. Through our own personal experience we discovered that the science of Yoga is not just a scholarly pursuit. It is a moment-bymoment and thought-by-thought guide for living. Our path became clear. In order to end our distress, we simply had to become loyal employees—of the higher Self. This in no way meant repression or giving in to unhelpful and injurious unconscious concepts. Rather, it implied welcoming, witnessing and honoring faulty concepts––without being controlled by them. This detached perspective, known as vairagya, effectively creates an enlarged space between the stimulus of a thought and our eventual response to that thought. The space between stimulus and response automatically provided us real freedom in every situation. That liberty made it easier to calm our minds, to hear the wise and good counsel of the Conscience, and to employ the necessary will power, so that our ultimate response would be in alignment with the Inner Wisdom of the higher Self.
“Response-Ability” For several reasons, human birth presents an ongoing, unimaginably difficult assignment––that can severely test our capacity to be responsible. First, nobody explained to us that there exists a critically important relationship between the mind and the body. It literally took me decades to find out that the mind determines how and when the body moves in the world––and that includes everything we think, say and do. Second, with all the years of schooling we had to go through, we were never provided a qualified teacher to properly instruct us on how the mind/body relationship operates, and what, if anything, we’re required to do every minute of every day to assure that the entire system works efficiently and rewardingly. Third, as it turns out, every bodily action––including every thought, word and deed––is followed by a specific consequence that leads us eventually to either fulfillment or some form of physical, mental or emotional pain. And, as if all that weren’t enough, it turns out that the mind is not one monolithic decision-making machine. In actuality, the 6
mind, in its present, unattended-to condition, often exhibits a dangerous state of anarchy and inner conflict among its four separate power centers. There’s the Ego that defines everything and everyone as either good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, because it’s primary job is to keep the body alive. Next come the Senses. They collect information from the outside world through sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch, while the Unconscious operates as a storehouse of everything the ego deems essential to self preservation. Finally, there’s the Conscience. In actuality, the Conscience has no equal. It is the only function of the mind that can discriminate, determine, judge and decide. That means that every decision you make in life is always made by the Conscience––while the other three functions can only share their limited perspectives in advisory roles. But that’s not all. In addition to its role as decision-maker for the mind, the Conscience also possesses the capacity to reflect Perfect Wisdom from an intuitive library of wisdom known as the Superconscious portion of the mind. Religions refer to this repository of wisdom existing at the core of our being as an attribute of the soul––a part of God, or Supreme Intelligence. This functioning capacity of the Conscience makes human beings uniquely qualified to evolve from the animal toward the Divine. Understanding and actively remembering how the four functions of the mind operate is an excellent beginning, but in order for the Conscience to access and reflect our own intuitive Superconscious Wisdom, and for us to benefit from it in every relationship, we need to parent the Ego, Senses and Unconscious aspects of the mind by convincing them to support the unerring wisdom of the Conscience. That’s critically important because without the agreement and allegiance of the other three mental functions, the Conscience will still make the decision of what to do and what not to do, but its final decision, based on incomplete or false information, might be faulty. This deliberation process is fairly easy when the Conscience agrees with the Ego, Senses and Unconscious Mind, but when the Conscience disagrees with limited or flawed perspectives of the
other three mental functions, we need to lovingly encourage those functions to set aside their old, habitual reactions––just for the sake of a scientific experiment––and to trust the Inner Wisdom reflected by the Conscience.
Establishing a Philosophy of Life with Yoga Science and Yoga Psychology On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that Americans were “free and independent,” and “endowed by their Creator with [the] unalienable rights [of ] life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” But merely declaring the belief that we were free in 1776 did not assure that we would live free of pain, misery and bondage today in the 21st century. In fact, freedom is not something that can be given to us by anyone but ourself. Unfortunately, in today’s world of complex challenges freedom usually refers to my ability to come and go as I please, and to choose what I like and discard what I don’t like. Unfortunately, when we habitually overindulge our personal likes and dislikes, all our relationships suffer because happiness becomes dependent on getting everything my way. Real freedom, however, is a very
personal matter, and can only be experienced when each of us sincerely invests our time and energy in developing and employing a reliable and meaningful philosophy of life––based on a scientific template of personal experimentation and verification. Without that effort our experience of freedom will remain superficial and sometimes counterproductive, and humankind will continue to exist in perpetual cycles of pleasure and pain. But when we thoroughly examine the concept of freedom in the light of our own experiences, we’ll begin to understand that in every situation real freedom means having the liberty to act in ways that will benefit the whole while providing each of us lasting health, happiness and security. Yoga Science and Yoga Psychology provide two of the most practical, proven and reliable methods to resolve the challenges of today. They are Self-Reliance and ResponseAbility. These practices require the regular employment of our Conscience to access our own inner wisdom and to choose wisely from among all the powerful influences of family, race, religion, gender, age, work, politics and culture. If we can faithfully do this work, we and everyone else will benefit.
“A true work of art that explains the transformational power of classical Yoga Science in clear and practical terms. This book is a priceless manual for creatively meeting the challenges of everyday life.” LILIAS FOLAN Author and host of the groundbreaking PBS yoga series, Lilias!
NOW AVAILABLE AMI Bookstore Barnes & Noble Amazon.com All Fine Booksellers
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AMI Classes for July - September 2020
AMI MEDITATION THE FOUNDATION COURSE OF YOGA SCIENCE A TRANSFORMATIVE & EMPOWERING SELF-CARE PROGRAM ON ZOOM
U NITING M IND , B ODY & S PIRIT
American MEDITATION Institute Bringing Yoga Science to Life
36 TOOLS FOR DEALING WITH THE STRESS OF CORONAVIRUS
Curriculum Overview: A MI MEDITATION The curriculum for AMI MEDITATION is based on the award-winning book, The Heart and Science of Yoga® by Leonard Perlmutter
Seated AMI Meditation • Mantra Science Diaphragmatic Breathing • Yoga Psychology Mind Function Optimization • Easy-Gentle Yoga Lymph System Detox • Nutrition • Ayurvedic Medicine
YOGA SCIENCE––WEEK 1 How to use the mind for the best choices How to create new, healthier habits Understanding pain as an agent for healing Increasing energy, will power & creativity Antidotes for worry, stress and depression AMI MEDITATION––WEEK 2 Systematic procedure for AMI Meditation Diminishing distractions with mantra science Learning the one-minute meditation Building focus, fearlessness, and strength BREATHING TECHNIQUES––WEEK 3 Breath as Medicine How breathing irregularities foster dis-ease Complete (three-part) yogic breath 8
YOGA PSYCHOLOGY & AYURVEDA––WEEK 4 How the mind supports optimal health The power of the present moment Building and healing relationships Introduction to Ayurveda EASY-GENTLE YOGA EXERCISES––WEEK 5 Yoga stretches to benefit: muscles, joints, glands and internal organs Physiological benefits of yoga postures MIND /BODY CARE PLAN––WEEK 6 The healing power of prayer The practical benefits of contemplation Creating a therapeutic care plan for yourself Learning to budget your time Integrating spiritual beliefs into daily life
americanmeditation.org • Tel. (518) 674-8714
Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) Taught by
The AMI MEDITATION Foundation Course was developed and is taught live on Zoom by Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev). Leonard is a noted educator, philosopher, Yoga scientist and founder of The American Meditation Institute. He is the author of The Heart and Science of Yoga® and the mind/body medicine journal, Transformation. He is a direct disciple of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Leonard’s lectures are enlivened by his inspiring enthusiasm, vast experience, humor and clear teaching style. He has taught at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, The New York Times Yoga Forum, Kaiser-Permanente and the U. S. Military Academy at West Point.
A MI MEDITATION: Case Study Results
In 2008, AMI conducted a retrospective case study of participants who completed Leonard Perlmutter’s AMI MEDITATION Heart and Science of Yoga ® Self-Care Program. The findings included these positive, life-enhancing, health-promoting changes: • Significant reductions in stress and fear • Improved energy levels • Reduced cholesterol levels • Decreased anxiety and depression • Increased creative capacity • Diminished or extinguished • Lowered blood pressure • Diminishment of migraine headaches acute and chronic pain • Lowered heart rate • Decreases irritable bowel symptoms • Weight loss • Improved restorative sleep • Enhanced happiness and optimism • Increased breathing capacity
A MI MEDITATION Class Schedule and Accreditation
Medical Accreditation PHYSICIAN ACCREDITATION (15 CMEs)
americanmeditation.org/physician-cme This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of Albany Medical College and The American Meditation Institute. Albany Medical College is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Albany Medical College designates this Live activity for a maximum of 15 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
NURSING CONTINUING EDUCATION (15 contact hours) americanmeditation.org/nursing-continuing-education This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the American Nurses Association Massachusetts (ANA MASS), an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
Live Streaming on ZOOM with Leonard Perlmutter
UPCOMING CLASSES Aug 4-Sep 8
Tuesday Evening
6:30 -8:30pm ET, $595.
(6 WKS)
1:30 -3:30pm ET, $595.
(6 WKS)
6:30 -8:30pm ET, $595.
(6 WKS)
Aug 15-Sep 20 Sep 15-Oct 2
Saturday Afternoon
Tuesday Evening
Required Texts: The Heart and Science of Yoga ® The Art of Joyful Living
Available through the AMI Bookstore
Registration Includes: Lifelong support, a 20-minute CD & digital Guided Meditation, a copy of The Physiology of EasyGentle Yoga, and a complementary subscription to AMI’s quarterly publication, Transformation, the journal of meditation as mind/body medicine.
HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE
Call us to discuss how your Health Insurance plan might cover this program.
Endorsed by Dean Ornish MD, Bernie Siegel MD, Larry Dossey MD, Dr. Oz 9
CALENDAR
AMI Classes for July - September 2020
LIVE on ZOOM every Sunday 9:30-11:00 AM with Leonard (Ram Lev) & Jenness • Register on the website
FREE: SUNDAY GUIDED MEDITATION & SATSANG
JULY 2020
JUL 5: GURU PURNIMA Cancelled due to covid-19
Full moon celebration honoring Guru, the universal force of Light that dispels a person’s ignorance of the Truth.
JUL 27- AUG 31: GITA/YOGA PSYCHOLOGY see p.10
Mon. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET (6 wks) Live on Zoom
AUGUST 2020
AUG 4- SEP 8: AMI MEDITATION see p. 8-9
Tues. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET (6 wks) Live on Zoom
AUG 15- SEP 19: AMI MEDITATION see p. 8-9
Sat. Afternoons, 1:30 -3:30 PM ET (6 wk) Live on Zoom
SEPTEMBER 2020
SEP 14- OCT 19: GITA/YOGA PSYCHOLOGY see p.10
Mon. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET (6 wks) Live on Zoom
SEP 15- OCT 20: AMI MEDITATION see p. 8-9
Tues. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET (6 wks) Live on Zoom
see p. 10 Thurs. Nights, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET (2 wks) Live on Zoom
SEP 17 & 24: YOGA SCIENCE LAB
Save this Date! ® 13th Annual Heart and Science of Yoga
2021 PHYSICIANS’
CME CONFERENCE americanmeditation.org/cme
OCTOBER 19-23, 2021
Delicious Gourmet Vegetarian Cuisine
American Meditation Institute
Bringing Yoga Science to Life July - September, 2020 • Vol. XXIII No. 4 ©2020 60 Garner Road, Averill Park, NY 12018
americanmeditation.org \ Tel. (518) 674-8714 ami@americanmeditation.org AMI is a tax exempt, non-profit 501(c)3 educational organization. Donations are fully tax deductible.
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YOGA PSYCHOLOGY BHAGAVAD GITA STUDY
Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness Perlmutter
Available by CDL (Computer Distance Learning) Attend this in-depth course from your own home or anywhere in the world. Call 518.674.8714 for details.
LEVEL II: In continuous six week installments this course presents the profound teachings of the Bhagavad Gita as a handbook on the science of life and the art of living. If you are seeking a manual or guide for the supreme task of living in the world today, this ongoing study will provide you practical wisdom, meaning and purpose for your life. Each week Leonard and Jenness will teach you how to reduce stress and confidently enhance your health and creative abilities, while providing you a fresh, positive perspective on all your family and business relationships.
MONDAY NIGHTS, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, $150. (6 WKS) JUL 27 - AUG 31; SEP 14 - OCT 19 LIVE ON ZOOM
Ne w ! YOGA SCIENCE LAB
How to Practice Meditation-in-Action Valerie Chakedis, Mary Holloway MT Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev)
Prerequisite: Completion of AMI Meditation
LEVEL II: In this new, interactive workshop you’ll take all the tools and knowledge you learned in the AMI Meditation course and put them into practice by conducting your own “Meditation-In-Action” experiments. Using a game board to facilitate learning, you’ll discover how easy, rewarding and fun this process can be. This is a supportive environment where you’ll receive continual, positive feedback from group leaders and participants. As you experiment with the Truth of the conscience (buddhi), you’ll develop decisionmaking skills that will enhance your confidence in all relationships. The course provides a Yoga Science notebook, handouts and practical insights for daily living.
THURSDAY NIGHTS, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, $125. (2 WKS) SEP 17 AND 24 LIVE ON ZOOM
“His Face� by Jenness Cortez Perlmutter St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O divine master, grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled as to console, To be understood as to understand, To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, It is in dying [to the small separate sense of self] That we are born to eternal life.
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Thoughts About the Coronavirus
By Simran Singh and Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev)
“Equanimity” by Jenness Cortez Perlmutter
There is innate intelligence moving through all things…even through a virus. Trust that. Life is smart enough to use everything and anything for our highest good. Conspiracy theories or not, deep state or darkness, virus from bats or scientifically engineered... even these things are utilized in life’s grand and divine plan. Life will use everything at its disposal to achieve its end of balancing nature’s energy. So be present and compassionately witness your fear, worry, panic, depression, rage, desire and sadness. But also be aware of your love, compassion, kindness, heartbreak and creativity that authentically unfold. What better way for Life to gently and compassionately heal us than by physically isolating everyone so we must be with ourselves––to hear, see and acknowledge our lives, our thoughts, emotions, words and actions? 12
The coronavirus has given each of us a gift of time...of presence…space… rest...and the opportunity to reconnect with Consciousness so we might choose to do our spiritual work, our sadhana. Now is a time to lovingly feel our feelings. Clear through our viruses of our own faulty concepts. Notice the sensations of the body, and what they are revealing to you. Let go of any resentments and anger that may have been long held. Discover lost dreams, longings, and needs that would create greater fulfillment. Listen to and connect with your Higher Self through the Conscience (buddhi). Much of what occupied your mind, time and energy prior to the coronavirus has been orchestrated by the ego. These habit patterns are minute compared to the grand design of Life. The gift that is now present to all of us
supports our return to a more natural and humane state of being––a state of being which is quite opposite the current cultural condition. In some ways, the degree to which we have been conditioned may come as a surprise. Connecting vulnerably and intimately with our heart and soul offers each of us a golden opportunity. Life is parenting us right now; placing us in a time-out. We’re not being punished, rather we’re simply being given a moment to think about what’s to be done and what’s not to be done. Your Contemplation, Repentance
and Prayer practices now become very important in asking the following questions: How might this time of physical distancing serve you? Have you ever silently wished the world would pause for just a moment? And if so, why? What did you want to do during that pause? If all things serve a ‘greater good,’ how is the coronavirus now serving your greater good. For you? For your family? For your country? For the world? How are you embracing, or resisting,yourspiritualwork,yoursadhana?
JENNESS CORTEZ “Demystifying the Masters” HOMER • SARGENT • ROCKWELL • WARHOL • VERMEER • DEGAS • VAN GOGH • VAN EYCK • RENOIR
Watch Jenness Cortez’s New Video Series on YouTube Jenness Cortez begins her creative process by selecting another artist’s iconic painting to serve as the centerpiece of her own original composition. Depending on her response to that chosen painting, the artist who created it, and the time and culture that gave birth to it, Cortez then becomes author, art director, architect, visual journalist, art historian, curator and pundit as she searches for supportive elements—such as books, photographs and clocks—to assist in telling her story. Completion of the painting involves thousands of choices, each one determined by her highly perfected intuitive sense of what is needed. Then, when all the elements are in harmony—in service to her vision—the viewer is drawn into the picture. And it is this instantaneous seduction that leads us into exploring the hidden pleasures awaiting our discovery.
JennessCortez.com (518) 674-8711 bit.ly/JennessCortezArt 13
American Meditation Institute Bringing Yoga Science to Life
Tel. 518.674.8714 • 60 Garner Road, Averill Park, NY 12018
“There’s never nothing going on. Take out the trash, Dan. The trash is anything that is keeping you from the only thing that matters . . . this moment . . . here . . . now. And when you truly are in the here and now you’ll be amazed at what you can do, and how well you can do it.”
Socrates’ advice to Dan in Dan Millman’s Way of the Peaceful Warrior
americanmeditation.org
American Meditation Institute
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American Meditation Institute