The Story Of Lakshmi - Inner and Outer Prosperity

In yoga philosophy, Shakti or the divine feminine is the creative power of the universe.

In this course you will dig deeper into the symbolism of Goddess Lakshmi, the aspect of Shakti which nurtures, sustains, charms and delights. You will explore your relationship with beauty, harmony, self-worth, abundance and happiness through stories, reflections and journaling prompts. You will also learn the mantra to invoke Lakshmi.

This course and my own meditations on the Goddess are inspired from the works of
Sally Kempton ('Awakening Shakti'),
DevDutt Patnaik ('Seven secrets of the Goddess'),
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait ('Sri Sukta - The Tantra of Inner Prosperity').

Background music is from wonderful musicians and friends - Sonic Yogi (Guitar) and Douglas Macnicol (Violin).

Lección 1: Getting To Know Lakshmi

Lakshmi is an ancient goddess traditionally worshipped for prosperity and abundance. In this session, we dig deeper to learn more about who Lakshmi is and what it means to live in her light and/or in her shadow.

Lección 2: Asking for Grace

'You and I have spoken all these words, yet for the way we have to go- there is no getting ready. Other than grace.' - Rumi.

This is a deeply relaxing visualisation practice to help us connect with the image of Lakshmi . We ask the radiant one, to bestow grace so we can overcome the difficulties of our human experience.

Lección 3: Lakshmi Disappears From The World

As Raja Lakshmi, Lakshmi grants kings the gift of ruling lands that are peaceful and prosperous. The crops grow timely and the harvests are rich. The people are happy and live in harmony. But Indra, the king of gods, has forgotten in his arrogance that it is because of Lakshmi - that his kingdom Amravati is a paradise. He disrespects her and in this session, we learn the story of Lakshmi's disappearance from the kingdom of the gods, as well as the three worlds.

Lección 4: Lakshmi As Beauty

Without beauty, our days and life become unbearable. We might not notice it, but each day, we are all visited by beauty - beauty as kindness, as tenderness, as magnificence, as simple joys that make life worth living.
When the going gets difficult, beauty eases the heart. It gives hope and strength.

In this session, we look at our relationship with beauty, Lakshmi's gifts of beauty in our life and finish with a practice of gratitude.

Lección 5: Lakshmi As Worth

Lakshmi's radiance comes from a sense of self sufficiency, a sense of being enough.
In this session, we remember the gift of this body - which makes it possible for us to receive all other gifts of the world. We remember our inherent worth and beauty.

Lección 6: Lakshmi As Value

"Harmony and beauty of the mind and soul,
harmony and beauty of the thoughts and feelings,
harmony and beauty in every outward act and movement,
harmony and beauty of the life and surroundings,
this is the demand of Mahalakshmi." - Sri Aurobindo.

Lakshmi doesn't stay where there is no harmony. And to invite harmony in our lives, we must align ourselves in our thought, speech and action. In short, we must live our values. In this session, we practice finding our values.

Lección 7: Lakshmi As Abundance

Material wealth is Lakshmi's most obvious gift. But being wealthy is not the same as feeling abundant. Where is the line between wealth and abundance? How much do we have before we can feel that it is enough?

What does abundance feel like?

Lección 8: Bringing Lakshmi Back - The Churning Of The Ocean

When Lakshmi left the three worlds and disappeared, where did she go? Who can find her? And how can we bring her back, if at all?
In this session, we explore the myth of the churning of the ocean and its symbolism.

Lección 9: Lakshmi As Blessing

Our limited sense of identity causes us a lot of suffering.
The churning of the ocean story provides an insight on overcoming this small self. In this session, we explore this insight and the practice of Seva in greater detail.

Lección 10: The Mantra of Lakshmi

The mantra of Goddess Lakshmi is the sound form of the Goddess. In this session, we learn her mantra and meditate on it (Headphones recommended). Anytime we feel a need to balance Lakshmi's energy in our lives, we can invoke her through her mantra and find center.

Lección 11: Lakshmi Gayatri Mantra Closing Meditation

Closing meditation for the course - a reminder that lasting change comes through integration of teachings in our lives as habits and rituals.
We finish by learning the Lakshmi Gayatri mantra and reciting it 11 times.

Reviews

A calm, soothing voice guiding us to Lakshmi energy, so beautiful and graceful. This was a wonderful way to awake each day. Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou ✨✨✨

This course is so beautiful..I am going to repeat it again in case I missed anything and to deepen my connection to Lakshmi and my appreciation of life. Thank you ♥️

Divinely guided and easy to receive. I enjoyed learning and meditating with you, thank you🙏🏻

One of my favourite course on insighttimer so far. I learnt a lot and I applied a lot as well.
Lakshmi is now part of my life on a daily basis and I feel her presence in many ways.
Thank you Anuja for creating such a beautiful course. Every single minut of it radiates love, peace and prosperity.
I don’t have enough words to express how deeply you have changed my life with this course. Thank you 108 times 🌹🌹🌹

This course was exceptional! I cannot put into words the transformation and insights that were received throughout this course.

So much love and gratitude for this course offering, Anuja. This was just wonderful.

🙏💖🧚🏻💫🙌🏻💜🥰

A very empowering and beautiful course. The lessons bring the goddess to life and show a clear and mindful way to appreciate the natural world around us and practical ways to show gratitude and on oneness with all other being. I hope the teacher will bring more Hindu Goddesses to those of us on the app who would love to learn more.