Namaskaram!
I’m happy you found your way here. It’s not by mistake either. This isn’t just some place someone like you accidentally finds.
If I were to make a pretty good guess, you’re here because of one of these reasons…
You’re a spiritual seeker who’s always open to finding teachings and methods that aren’t full of dogma, belief-based hallucinations, or watered-down new agey lingo (without the genuine, meaningful spiritual experience)
Maybe you’ve already tried something… meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, psychotropics even… but you’re not consistent, a little confused as to how to proceed, or you’d really like something that you can rely on to bring you to higher states of awareness, consciousness, and inner experiences
But, you’re struggling with a little bit (maybe more than a little bit) of anxiety, fear, anger, and possibly even a bit of depression (feeling a little lost and confused as to what is the meaning of life and how might you find some purpose to direct your mind, energies, and heart into)
Truth is…
If you’re still reading, something up there rang true (or close enough to it).
And if that’s the case, let’s start by making this clear: You’re a wonderful person.
I don’t need to meet you, talk to you, or even see a picture of you to know this. If you’re here and you answered “yes” to at least one of those stories above, you’ve got “THE SPARK.”
What’s the SPARK, you might be wondering?
Well, it’s the flicker of a light within you that reminds you of your Divine origins. For some of us, it’s so intense that it can even change the entire direction of our lives and send us on a spiritual quest so deep and rich that nothing will quench our thirst to be in constant communion with the Divine.
For others, that spark is a subtle reminder that, if kindled and cared for properly, can become an immense flame of spiritual aspiration and a source of great spiritual strength.
In Yoga, this is what is called as viveka (it is the first of 4 stages that a yogi moves through onwards towards his or her ultimate enlightenment)
Now that you’re here though, you might also be thinking… “Well, that’s fantastic! But, what can you do for me then?”
It’s a good question. One that requires a multi-part answer.
Starting with…
What Are We All About?
In a nutshell… The attainment of balance, spiritual growth, and integration of our existence on all dimensions.
Let’s unpack that a little, shall we…
First: attainment of balance. It’s no mystery that the major cause of the human beings biggest problems, diseases, and mental ailments are the result of some imbalance.
Our major goal is to show you how to bring balance and harmony to your day-to-day living with the use of practical spiritual teachings and practices.
But without losing the profoundness of these teachings.
Which leads us to the next part…
Spiritual growth. Now, this is important. So, here’s the truth… We’re not everyone’s cup-of-tea, if you know what I mean.
The only way we grow is if we encounter something (be it an experience or a drop of knowledge) that is NOT currently in our frame of reality.
So, at times it might feel intense, even confusing. A part of you might have to open up, possibly fall away, to create a new space for a new way of thinking, feeling, and acting.
It’s what we all have had to do to transform and grow.
Just like a resplendent garden, you will thrive best when you do away with the weeds and thorns and debris (of our mind, emotions, and energies)
And now for the third part: integration. Because, what’s the value of reading a 1,000 pages of a 1,000 books if you don’t integrate even a single idea?
But for entertainment or a pseudo-sense of accomplishment, there isn’t much.
In the same way, whenever we share something, our purpose is to create an opportunity for integration. What can you use? What can you pluck out from it?
I’m not so concerned about every teaching being used. But, what’s most important is that you find some element that you can take and use to further your spiritual growth.
There’s more.
Integration is one part. Then there’s “integral.” In our case, Integral Sadhana.
This is the process.
It’s nucleus of all of our teachings, practices, ideas, habits, and ways.
It’s the center.
But, it’s also the container.
Integral sadhana means that we are doing our spiritual work in a complete way. We’ve integrated the multiple aspects of ‘spiritual culture’ into daily practice.
Mind, Body, Actions, Energies, Emotions.
They’re all touched in some way each and every day.
This Is The Goal Of Integral Sadhana
And when you apply this to your life, you’ll see that balance is your natural state. Day by day, you become more stable and strong.
Capable of handling elation, joy, and bliss without feeling the need to “dull it down” with alcohol, empty talk, or some other escape. (yes, even the pleasant emotions most of us unconsciously attempt to escape)
And, of course, more able to handle adversity, pain, and suffering with more grace, strength, and inner peacefulness.
You can think of it like a storm on the ocean.
On the surface, the waves are violent, terrifying, and overpowering.
But, just a few meters below the gigantic waves the waters are calmer. And even further down, they barely even know there is a storm raging above.
Most of us never take the time to plunge deeper into ourselves to discover the wealth of spiritual strength, beauty, and bliss that already lives right here, within.
But, in the same way, when the storms of our lives are raging, we’ll also have the ability to look within and gain immense strength and peace.
This is the science of Integral Sadhana.
Beyond these few benefits, there is more too. Much more. The treasures of wisdom, direct knowledge, and Divine experiences can come too.
But, this isn’t something to be discussed here. This requires devotion, commitment, and continuous practice of Integral Sadhana. We’ll get to that soon…
Who’s Been Typing?
Me! My name’s Nick. My friends over at the ashram (sweet little oasis tucked away in the midst of the concrete jungle of Miami) call me Shambhu.
It’s the sanskrit name given to me by my beloved guru when he initiated me and gave me a Mantra. (a sacred sound-thread to the divine that is used in Japa (repetition) to bring about immense spiritual power and strength on subtle dimensions of our being)
More on mantras later.
Here’s a snapshot of who I am and what I’ve been doing…
Since was little I always questioned the “unquestionable.” I was just really curious and apparently didn’t buy into the ideas adults had about things (particularly: religion).
I frustrated several “adulting” people this way.
Children always seem to ask the obvious questions that people who’ve bought into “blind belief” don’t know how to answer.
Ever need to see if you’re B.S.ing yourself… go tell your philosophy to a child and see if you can answer all their questions without saying “…because that’s just the way it is.”
Anyhow… This habit is one of the fortunate ones that has hung on for the past few decades.
One of these days I might tell the complete story of how all of this spiritual seeking began (which starts surprisingly early on in my life with vivid visions, out-of-body experiences, memories of the past, dreams including people I’ve only just met (decades later) and the kinda stuff that would FREAK the heck out of any child who didn’t have anyone to explain all this.
Most of it I just kept to myself.
Again… Maybe a tale for another time.
Hopefully you’re still with me here, though.
I assure you…
There’s more from where that came from if you ever get curious.
But, it’s not necessary to talk about all that in order to share what I’ve really designed this website for.
See, while all that’s fascinating, it still took a lot of hard work, meticulous study and integration of teachings from the master, countless hours of meditation and yoga practices, and a LOT of inner work to discover the knowledge and practices I want to share with you.
I currently live in Orlando, FL.
And, each and every morning, I wake up and do my sadhana… and each and every night… I do the same.
For over 2 years now this has been the way for me.
And it’s this that’s the source of inspiration for Integral Sadhana and the teachings here on Padasevana.
If you met me on the street, you might not recognize me as a yogi or spiritual truth seeker.
I don’t dangle a dozen crystal jewelries from my body. I don’t cover myself in sacred ash (from head to toe) or even where mala beads around my neck.
For the most part, you’ll only really find a single ring worn on a particular finger to create stability in the system.
It’s not that there’s anything wrong with wearing these things and enjoying them, but to do so in order to show off and be seen as “spiritual” is simply taking on another layer of false identity.
Spiritual work isn’t about what you wear or how you look. It’s about your inner realizations. These are the real gems of wisdom and perception that you can only gather within your heart.
You’ll know a truly spiritual human being by the way they act, behave, and the way they perceive the world and themselves.
And that’s the sort of folks that I built this little slice of digital paradise for… the ones who wish to do that most important inner work.
To commit their lives to their spiritual evolution and in doing so, the spiritual upliftment of the entire world (and beyond).
So, if that’s you, again… welcome.
Nick Haubner
