Dr. Joseph Michael Levry

Dr. Joseph Michael Levry is a remarkable man whose teachings and very way of life have made him a constant inspiration and blessing in my own life. It has been over a decade since that fateful evening that I just happened to stroll by Universal Force Healing Center, the yoga and healing center founded by Dr. Levry. I could have sworn there were other forces at work that night for I was determined to go out to the local bar / club and see where the night takes me, as I have done on most nights. I found it to be my perfect way to de-stress from a long day at the office. But as luck would have it, my friend asked me to pick a cake for his niece at a bakery in Chelsea that evening.

So there I was, chocolate-strawberry birthday graduation cake in hand as I see a line forming outside of this yoga studio. As I was passing by my curiosity got the best of me and I asked one of the people in line what was going on inside. I was informed that Dr. Joseph Michael Levry or as he is known by his spiritual name, Gurunam, was teaching. “Oh, right,” I said, “and who is he?” Fifteen minutes later I had asked the staff to hold on to my cake, which they politely agreed, and I was sitting front and center in my wool pants and undershirt. What followed was an intense and demanding next-generation yoga class. It was absolutely fantastic. When we were done I felt like I could take on the world! I was so high I almost left without the cake!

Needless to say I’ve became a regular student of Dr. Levry and you know what, in lieu of regular bouts of drinking and heavy partying I’ve actually chosen the natural high of meditation and have been rewarded with a much more fulfilling (and cognizant) experience of life. Dr. Joseph Michael Levry has taught me that I could do whatever I wanted but that I had to be conscious or present. Once I began to live life with more and more awareness, thanks in no small part to a regular mantra meditation practice, the habits and coping mechanisms I’ve been holding onto just fell away and I was able to live life with much more freedom – the freedom that comes from letting go and just being myself.

It’s a beautiful thing, life. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the Universe goes and pulls the rug from right under your feet. What is the meaning of life? Well, I think it’s to live and feel like you’re living. Don’t leave any stone unturned or any road un-traveled. Cease the moment and truly experience the vastness of life. But you can only do that when you let go of your fears and allow yourself to be yourself - which means to live life from your heart, and not your head.