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Out of a Yogi’s Cave, into an Office
By Karuna (Karen Kreps) Karuna Kreps met Sri Gurudev Swami Satchidananda in 1967, while she was in high school. She wanted to become his secretary, but her parents wanted her to go to college and have a career. Sri Gurudev told her to go to college and then decide...
Running a Successful Yoga Studio
An Interview with Bernard Slede The North American Studio Alliance (NAMASTA) was co-founded by Bernard (who serves as president) and Lisa Slede in late 2002 as a response to the lack of a trade organization for independent Yoga and mind-body professionals. It provides...
The Business Yogini
An Interview with Nona Jordan After ten years working in financial management for publicly traded companies, Nona Jordan jumped ship from the corporate world and went with her long-time dream of becoming a certified Yoga teacher. At the intersection of her passion for...
It’s All About Action
By Swami Karunananda Did you ever try to do nothing? I have, and it’s harder than you might think. Just try this experiment. Say to yourself, “I am not going to do anything,” and see how long that lasts. Within seconds, you will probably find yourself pursuing a line...
Be Love Now
A Conversation with Ram Dass and Prem Anjali On a beautiful and sunny late morning in Hawaii and a sunny (though perhaps less balmy) late afternoon in Virginia, Integral Yoga Magazine editor Rev. Prem Anjali had the opportunity to interview Ram Dass via Skype. Ram...
The Neuroscience of Meditation and Enlightenment
An Interview with David Perlmutter, MD and Alberto Villoldo, PhD Neuroscientist David Perlmutter and medical anthropologist and shaman Alberto Villoldo have come together to explore the technology of meditation and enlightenment in their new book, Power Up Your Brain:...
Inside the Yoga Sutras: The Subtle Mechanics of Meditation
An Interview with Reverend Jaganath Carrera In this interview, Reverend Jaganath, an Integral Yoga master teacher and author of Inside the Yoga Sutras, explains how the heart of meditation can be understood through an unlocking of the term “nirodha,” which Patanjali...
Mantra Meditation
An Interview with Dr. David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) According to Dr. Frawley, mantra is perhaps the main method of the Yoga of technique. He regards mantras as asanas for the mind. He’s written an entire book on the subject (Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound)...
Inside an Asana: Bhujangasana The Fertile Snake of Consciousness
By Catherine Ghosh (Krishna Kanta Dasi) In this column, Catherine Ghosh delves deeply inside an asana to explore its inner symbolism and rich depth. In this article, she examines and uncovers the deep mysticism behind Bhujangasana, the cobra pose. It is rare to...
How Yoga Got Me into Jesus And Jesus Got Me into Yoga
By Bhaktan Eberle Starting his spiritual journey on the path of Yoga, Bhaktan Eberle grew frustrated with the state of his on-and-off again practice. He came to realize that trying harder was never going to work and took refuge in Jesus, who became Bhaktan’s door to...
Is Yoga Really Universal?
An Interview with Professor Edwin F. Bryant, PhD A heated debate in the blogosphere recently occurred on the subject of the relationship between Hinduism and Yoga. One side argued that westerners have appropriated Yoga and tried to divorce it from its Hindu roots. The...
Pratipaksha Bhavana in Judaism
By Reverend Sam Rudra Swartz “Yit'gadal v'yit'kadash sh'mei raba . . .” As I realized that these words of the Mourner’s Kaddish were coming out of my mouth, my head dropped, my eyes closed and I heard wails of grief come from both me and my family. I could no longer...
Buddhism and Yoga: An American Teacher’s Journey
An Interview with Geshe Michael Roach Geshe Michael Roach has spent most of his adult life as a monk in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and has been meditating for over 30 years. He’s gone deep in the study of both the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra,...
Resting in the Authentic Self
An Interview with Rod Stryker Rod Stryker’s new book, The Four Desires, explores the four motivating forces in life and how a steady spiritual practice can bring those to fruition in a way that helps us live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives. He believes that the...
For the Love of Practice
By Reverends Lakshmi and Paraman Barsel Two of Integral Yoga’s most humorous, lively and insightful speakers, Paraman and Lakshmi Barsel have taught all aspects of Yoga for decades. In addition to teaching and designing Yoga workshops and training programs, they both...
Sadhana: The Effort Toward Self-realization
An Interview with Acharya David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) Many westerners are first introduced to Yoga through asana, the practice of the yogic postures. As one’s practice deepens, it can lead to an interest in further exploring aspects of Yoga. In this...
Savasana: The Corpse Pose, A Passage to Immortality
By Catharine Ghosh (Krishna Kanta Dasi) At the heart of life’s most seductive, unsolved mysteries we find death—that dizzying prospect that our existence is but a flicker upon the landscape of eternity. Or is it? Humans have resisted accepting their own mortality...
A Natural Yogi
An Interview with Carole King Carole King, one of the most beloved, iconic singer-songwriters of our time, is also a yogi. Her generous heart and spirit helped transform Yogaville from a dream held by Sri Gurudev into a reality. Her first holiday album, A Holiday...
Make Your Meditation Yummy
By Swami VidyanandA With over four decades of regular sadhana, Swami Vidyananda has great wisdom and practical advice for those who want to develop a steady practice. She has meditated deeply on Sri Gurudev’s teachings on sadhana, applied them and discovered the depth...
Yoga Psychology: Where East Meets West
An Interview with Swami Ajaya, Ph.D. Swami Ajaya, Ph.D., has the unique distinction of being both a licensed clinical psychologist and a Swami initiated by Swami Rama (Himalayan Institute). Swami Ajaya has spent over forty years studying and teaching Yoga and...
The Nature of the Mind
An Interview with Swami Asokananda A student of Swami Satchidananda since the age of 19, Swami Asokananda describes his understanding of Yoga as homespun, cultivated from years of practice, studying and living a yogic lifestyle. In this interview he shares his...
Yoga as an Alternative to Antidepressants: Modern Science Meets Ancient Wisdom
By Bethany Butzer, Ph.D. Bethany Butzer’s graduate research focused on anxiety and depression. She found the subject somewhat depressing and so, after spending several years studying psychopathology, she changed her focus to positive psychology, which emphasizes the...
Yoga, Vulnerability and Emotional Transformation
By Bo Forbes, Psy.D. Many yogis I know lament that Hatha Yoga’s mood-enhancing benefits don’t last as long as they’d like—as one recently put it, “I feel like my best self—but only for about as long as a caffeine high.” Others confide that meditation’s calming effects...
Teaching Yoga—Moving Toward Enlightenment
An Interview with David Life and Sharon Gannon In 1984 Sharon Gannon and David Life created the Jivamukti Yoga Method, which is a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. They are pioneers in teaching Yoga as spiritual activism/activation. The...
The Future of Teaching Yoga
An Interview with Rama Jyoti Vernon Rama Jyoti Vernon’s interest in metaphysics and mysticism began in her childhood. Her parents were pioneers in holistic health. Ultimately, she became one of America’s first Yoga teachers, and was instrumental in bringing many great...