Yoga, Dinner and A Movie

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Episode7

The Magnificent Obsession: Bela’s Spicy Vegetable Soup: The Diamond Pose

The Magnificent Obsession

Our movie opens with a spine tingling scene as a car speeds along a high mountainous cliff. You can just feel the palpable danger as you anticipate the crash that subsequently happens to the driver, a young, beautiful woman played by Miss Jane Wyman. Fortunately, she is not without wisdom and good friends, one of which is her doctor, who isn’t lacking for his own brand of wisdom. Soon, he helps her by applying not only his medical expertise, but his spiritual expertise as well, with something his calls, “The Great Obsession”. What is the Magnificent Obsession? It is about the law of Karma. It’s also about things coming full circle. Such as in this movie when our beautiful blind victim falls in love with the man, played by Rock Hudson, who caused her accident. As for the secret of the Magnificent Obsession, we must open the pages of the ancient book of wisdom known as the Bhagavad-Gita, where a millennia ago Krishna taught that we are not to expect anything in return for our good deeds and certainly not to perform any task with the idea of gleaning the fruit of the action, since all action is performed through the auspices of a Divine Force. Talk about white knuckling it out on your Yoga mat while you watch the plot unfold in this gripping tale of love, danger, and cosmic forces, while you discover the secret of the Magnificent Obsession for yourself. You’ll need something delish’ to eat and a calming Yoga pose to settle you back down again.

Spicy Vegetable Soup

By Srimati Bela Banerjee

1 T. oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 small cubed, firm tofu

½ t. hot chili pepper, ground

Pinch of ground cinnamon

2 tomatoes, pureed

1 medium potato, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium zucchini, peeled, thinly sliced and slices halved

1 stalk celery, chopped

½ cup of cooked chick peas

¼ cup of fine noodles, broken into pieces

1 lemon, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large deep pot. Add onion, tofu, pepper and cinnamon. Fry until tofu is browned. Add 5-6 cups water and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes. Add all vegetables and chick peas. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender. Add noodles, bring to boil. When noodles are cooed, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls with a slice of lemon on top.

*Keep a copy of the Bhagavad-Gita available in case the going gets rough while viewing and don’t forget this month’s Yoga pose:

Vajarasana: The Diamond Pose

Another of the static asanas, this pose is excellent for improving good circulation through the legs and stimulating the pancreas for improved function. It doesn’t look like much, but in the realm of Yoga, it is very powerful and must be practiced cautiously and properly.

Make sure you are on a comfortable surface. Sticky mats and hard floors, particularly tile flooring are very bad, as the dampness is detrimental to your bones. Get onto a nice, thick, comfortable blanket or mat in several ‘thicknesses’ and sit very straight on your feet, which are behind you. Sit on your heels with your toes turned back, not curled. Place your hands on your thighs, palms upward. Hold for 2 minutes while breathing through your nostrils and deeply into the lower lungs by pushing your abdomen outward with each incoming breath and relaxing the diaphragm with the exhalation. You may close your eyes and visualize a point of white light at the center of your forehead if you wish for a mini-meditation. After 1-2 minutes, slowly slide off of your feet, lay down on your mat and relax for a moment or two until your circulation equalizes.

Click HERE to read the previous episode of Yoga, Dinner and A Movie.

Excerpts from Yoga, Dinner and a Movie will appear weekly. For those who prefer not to wait for the whole book, please visit Amazon.com where you can purchase it in its entirety.

Author, Speaker and Visionary, Acharya Sri Khadi Madama is the recipient of the Jewel of India Award, in New Delhi in 2009. You may visit her website at www.yourstrulyyogatv.com