Happy Birthday! Sept 8 2026 Global Gong Satsang 1 with Don Conreaux and Yaelle E. Shaphir, L.Ac

September 8 2026 Global Satsang 1 morning PT A virtual birthday celebration for Grand Gong Master Don Conreaux, organized by Yaelle E. Shaphir, L.Ac in honor of Don's 92nd birthday (DOB September 8, 1934) and one of Don's spiritual teachers, Swami Sivananda's 139th Jayanti (DOB September 8, 1887), featuring over 57 participants from around the world. The event was structured as a 45-minute satsang. Don did not want today to be simply a celebration of himself and always asks that his birthday commemorate one of his spiritual teachers. Participants shared musical offerings including Celtic mantras, English songs about unity, and various shrutis (sacred sounds). The celebration included discussions about Don's friend and fellow sound artist, Job Matusow, who created spinning Buddha bells from recycled war implements, and participants shared how they were practicing service in their communities. The event concluded with participants wishing Don happy birthday in multiple languages, and Yaelle mentioned that new copies of Edition 2 of the Shruti book were available. What is Satsang? Satsang comes from the Sanskrit Sat—truth, reality or the divine—and Sanga—company, fellowship or community. 45-minute gathering inspired by the Sivananda tradition and include silence and meditation, mantra and chanting, spiritual teachings and reflection and ending with prasadum. --- Who was Swami Sivananda? Well born in India with spiritual tendencies as a child, moved as a young man to work in the service of humanity. He became a medical doctor and served the poor in Malaysia for a few years.. Realized that medicine alone could not alleviate the deep suffering of humanity, and that a more profound approach to healing would be needed. He gave up his medical career. In 1924 where he practiced intense austerities, and met his guru, Swami Vishwananda. He was initiated into sannyas (monkhood), and was given the name Swami Sivananda Saraswati. The next 7 years practiced meditation intensively, and also continued to serve the sick in a small medical clinic which he created. Wherever he went, he conducted sankirtan (chanting), delivered lectures on Yoga philosophy and taught people how to keep strong and healthy by practicing yoga asanas (yoga poses), pranayama (breathing exercises), and kriyas (cleansing exercises). Most of all he encouraged people to make constant efforts for spiritual development. Disciples were drawn to him to study and learn. In 1932 he opened the Sivananda Ashram, in 1936 he established the Divine Life Society. His teaching organization “The Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy” was started in 1948. His aim was to spread spiritual knowledge and train people in the practice of Yoga and Vedanta. Swami Sivananda’s life was an outstanding example of service to humanity, both during his years as a doctor and later as a world- renowned Yoga master and sage. He lived by his ideals, to serve all, to love all, to mix with all and to see God in all beings. Sivananda taught a Yoga of Synthesis - selfless service, universal fellowship, devotion, mantra, meditation, enquire, and sharing of spiritual teachings - The Divine Life Society: Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize. https://www.dlshq.org Don Mentioned his friend, collaborator and sound maker, musician and artist - Job Matusow (born Harvey Matusow; 1926–2002) who was an American figure of the McCarthy era who became infamous as a cold-war anti-communist informer before recanting his testimony, serving time for perjury, and later reinventing himself as a clown, community activist, and public-access television producer and the creator of spinning buddha bells made out of recycled implements of war. (check out the bell tree set up Don mentioned in this video    • Don Conreaux  Job Matusow | The Gong Works...  ) --- What is Guth? Parallels traditional Eastern "mantras" - Irish tradition and ancient Gaelic practices include repetitive sacred chants (fuinn), powerful proverbs (seanfhocail), and protective spoken prayers (loricas meaning breastplates). Repeating these phrases rhythmically serves as a form of "anam leighis" (soul medicine) to harmonize the body and mind! --- Doogie Hudson shared an Irish Gaelic Mantra - "Guth." meaning "Voice" Tim Byford shared an adaptation of a Don Shruti from the "Life of Shruti" book. Nessa and Mary shared an Irish song for peace and unity. Eduardo Balazs (Sat Shabd) from Chile chanted a KY Mantra. Yaelle Shaphir did a Hokam from the “Life as a Shruti” Book. --- from chatbot: Haiku for Don - Helen Nattrass: Glinting-eyed wizard Your vibrations with gongs are Apocalyptic ❤️ For more info please visit: www.onlinegongmastertraining.com Please Like, Share And Subscribe to @donconreaux YouTube channel to share the gift of the gong for humanity and the earth. www.donconreaux.com Brought to you by ⁨@donconreaux,⁩ curator Yaelle E. Shaphir, L.Ac (nee Nanaki Joy Conreaux)