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New Interactive Website: Ask Swami

Ever have questions about Yoga? The meaning of life? What is maya? Other burning questions? Now there’s a new website, Ask Swami (askswami.org), where you can ask those questions in real time and get your questions answered!  The answers are sourced from the Integral...

200-hour Integral Yoga Hatha Teacher Training in Yogaville – October 2024

Join Integral Yoga Hatha Lead Teacher Trainer Marc Morozumi, E-RYT 500, CMT for a one-month 200-hour Integral Yoga Hatha Teacher Training being held at Satchidananda Ashram - Yogaville (Buckingham, Virginia) from October 27 - November 24, 2024. Gain a strong...

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Embarking on a Spiritual Odyssey, Part 6: The Cosmic Dancer

Embarking on a Spiritual Odyssey, Part 6: The Cosmic Dancer

When asked to reflect upon his life, Swami Satchidananda once said, "It’s hard to summarize a long life in a few words. But I can just say I am fortunate, in a way, to be born in a family of pious parents. They were my first Gurus. They instilled faith in God in my...

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The Way of Recognition

The Way of Recognition

Understanding Enlightenment and Awakening For many, the terms enlightenment and awakening evoke the promise of extraordinary experiences. Referring to a concept that has intrigued and captivated truth seekers throughout history, these terms are often associated with...

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The Ego is Like a Powerful Elephant

The Ego is Like a Powerful Elephant

A dialogue between Sri Ramana Maharshi and a disciple, as recounted in Maharshi's Gospel: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, 1939. Devotee: How is the Guru found? Maharshi: God, who is immanent manifests, through Grace, according to the devotee’s development. The...

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“America’s First Guru”

“America’s First Guru”

America’s First Guru, by director Raja Choudhury, premiered on PBS in May 2024. The film is the compelling story of how a young charismatic Indian monk named Swami Vivekananda came to America for the first World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893 and went on to share...

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“Lotus Girl”

“Lotus Girl”

From one of the central figures in Buddhism’s introduction to the West and the founder of Tricycle magazine comes Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America by Helen Tworkov, a brilliant memoir of forging one’s own path that Pico Iyer calls...

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The Path to Spiritual Awakening

The Path to Spiritual Awakening

The Cosmic Guru is the only Guru. All the rest is just comic. The real Guru is everywhere. Within, without. The Guru is above all the qualities, at the same time you see every kind of quality there. Sometimes the Guru is all sattvic, sometimes very rajasic, sometimes...

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“The Last Ecstatic Days”

“The Last Ecstatic Days”

Ethan Sisser, a young man with terminal brain cancer started livestreaming his death journey. Thousands joined to celebrate his courage. Honoring Ethan's wish, his doctor Aditi Sethi transported him to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. What...

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Bhakti Yoga Flowing!

Bhakti Yoga Flowing!

The 2024 Memorial Day weekend at Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville was an immersion in Bhakti Yoga, inspiration, and transformation. Kirtan legend Krishna Das shared four days of music, connection, and storytelling. Participants felt the Divine Presence through song and...

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Learning to Work Through Challenges: Tapas (Self-Discipline)

Learning to Work Through Challenges: Tapas (Self-Discipline)

"God knows your breaking point. You simply don't know your own strength." –Swami Satchidananda How many times have you been a safe container for those you care about?  What did it look like? What did it feel like? Challenging oneself to be disciplined or to attain a...

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The Secret of Spiritual Practice

The Secret of Spiritual Practice

The secret of spiritual practice is not what you do but how you do—that is more important. Sometimes a newcomer who gets into spiritual practice will make a big list of resolutions, “I will practice half an hour every day in the morning, pranayama, three malas every...

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Pranayama: A Healing Science – Online Seminar June 1st

Pranayama: A Healing Science – Online Seminar June 1st

From slowing down aging to boosting self-awareness and reducing stress, Pranayama, or Yoga breathwork, has the power to enhance our everyday lives in more ways than we thought imaginable. Recent research provides ample evidence that Pranayama benefits our physical...

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Wandering Turtle: A Heartfelt Tribute

Wandering Turtle: A Heartfelt Tribute

Wandering Turtle, a a cherished member of the Choctaw community and beloved member and resident of Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville for the past 25 years, passed on into the Divine Light on May 15, 2024. Turtle, as he was lovingly known, was a dedicated Karma Yogi,...

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Remembering Reverend Saraswati Beth Neumann

Remembering Reverend Saraswati Beth Neumann

Born in 1947, Rev. Saraswati was a graduate of American University in Washington D.C. After graduation she worked in an interior design firm and architectural companies in New York city and in New Jersey and even worked as a professional clown for some time. She...

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The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez

The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez

Gerry Lopez is not only a leading Yoga teacher, but one of the most influential surfers and surfboard shapers of all time. Known as "Mr. Pipeline"—for his mastery of the huge waves that form large, hollow, thick curls of water that surfers can tube ride—Lopez is an...

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