New Zealand’s only Pinoy Monk

From Bacolod City to Auckland with a mission. Dada Ashiishananda is here to teach Kiwis how to destress, improve overall health and along the way expand their minds beyond its limit.

Andy Lee: How long have you been resident here?

Dada: I’ve been here since August 21, 2003. That’s three and a half years.

When did you join the Meditation Group and how long have you been teaching there?

I first met Ananda Marga (that’s the name of the organization) when I was 16 years old back in 1974 in my hometown Bacolod City.

I became a monk in 1987 and since then I’ve been teaching meditation and yoga in different parts of the world .... four years in South America, 8 years in Europe, 2.5 years in Australia and 3.6 years here in New Zealand.

How did you get interested in this field of work?

I think its my calling.

What is the composition of your class and are many Pinoys joining up?

Well so far I don’t have any Pinoy students and I’m still looking forward to have them.

What is your goal for your Centre for the future?

My goal here is to share the benefits of the practice of meditation and yoga which is basically a lifestyle to a maximum number of people in the community.

Is your Centre linked to any other groups locally or overseas?

At this stage no but I’m really looking forward to link up with other groups so that my expertise and experience can be utilized more for the benefit of all.

Do you think migrants need to learn some form of stress management to cope with the pressures of adjusting to a new country and job search?

Definitely.

What advise do you have for Filipino migrants in New Zealand to help them settle successfully, based on your experience in different parts of the world?

Well, first they have to learn and understand the system here. Get to know people and take their advise.

What is your role and what do you do at the Centre?

I’m basically in-charge of Ananda Marga in Auckland Region and the Northland. I’m also managing the centre.

I teach meditation and yoga at the centre. I’m running meditation classes, meditation and yoga classes as well as one day seminars to name a few.

Is there sudden growth of interest in Yoga classes if so why?

Yes. I think considering the pace of our lifestyle ... hectic, stressful etc. people need to destress, lose weight, become more flexible etc.

What are the benefits of Meditation and Yoga?

There are heaps of benefits. First lets take meditation.

• Relaxation - Better sleep, less anxiety
• Stress reduction - rapid recovery from stress, lower blood pressure
• Mental clarity - rapid assimilation of information, more creative problem solving
• Empathy - feeling more in tune with others, better able to relate to others
• Stamina - Higher alertness level, increas-ed resistance to fatigue
• Confidence - Stronger will-power, greater self-confidence

All of the above are just the fringe benefits but the real reason why we meditate is for the points below:

- Spiritual growth
- Inner Peace
In every living being, there is a thirst for limitlessness.

If you really go to the bottom line why we do things .... why we want to have a lot of money, fame and name, power is we basically want to have happiness. And the happiness that we want is something unlimited and we are trying to quench that thirst with things that are limited i.e. wealth, fame, power.

So the goal of meditation is to expand the mind beyond its limit so that we can realize our true self - the divinity within us and when we achieve that then all our thirst for limitlessness is quenched.

Now the benefits of yoga.

Aside from the physiological benefits of asanas (yoga postures) which is I will enumerate later, the main benefit of doing this practice is it affects the cakras (psychic centers), and the glandular secrections of the different glands. Thereby controlling the different mental propensities (or commonly called emotions) that we have and our different bodily functions.

• benfits of yoga
• increased blood circulation
• flexibility
• relaxed muscular tone
• stretches the spine
• massages the internal organs
• lubricates and exercise the joint

For more information contact:

Dada Ashiishan-anda at Ananda Marga Meditation & Yoga Cen-tre,
51 Sussex Street, Grey Lynn Tel: 3762290/ 3768011