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Raja Yoga II: A Deeper Dive into the Sutras, Online July 2025
Join the San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute for this online 5 week advanced study of Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali from July 1 - August 5, 2025. We will explore key sutras from each chapter, examine how they are grouped together, and learn how to both integrate these...
How to Control Thoughts and Stop Vasanas?
In this short video, Swami Ramanacharana Tirtha answers this question. Sri Swamiji is an Acharya of Vedānta sampradāya. His discourses and writings are filled with the power of Atmajñāna and the fragrance of bhakti and one gets an intimation of one’s spiritual essence...
Ahimsa As a Gift
Ahimsa is a Sanskrit word that translates as “without injury” or “nonviolence” in English. It’s a principle in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jainist philosophy that involves causing the least amount of harm possible to all beings. It’s the first ethical principle given as a...
Practice and Non-Attachment: A Two Pronged Approach to Liberation
If you want to see well through a window, you have to clean both sides. Practice (abhyasa) and non-attachment (vairagya) work much the same way. They are the complimentary practices given in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras as a means to quiet the movement of thought in the...
Experiential Raja Yoga Retreat
Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville will host an "Experiential Raja Yoga Retreat" with Swami Karunananda, E-RYT 500 from November 1 - 3, 2024. Daily sessions for meditation, Hatha Yoga and pranayama will energize and relax you. Guided experiential exercises will help you...
VedantaWorks: The Teachings of Swami Vivekananda
VedantaWorks recently released their third podcast series: The Raja Yoga classes of Swami Vivekananda. VedantaWorks is dedicated to the teachings of Vedanta, the basic philosophy of Hinduism as expressed through Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was an...
The Glory of Santosha – Contentment
“Contentment is golden. A contented mind is a golden mind.” –Swami Satchidananda It’s funny how children enjoy the simplest of toys and teenagers relish in their relationships with their best friends, while a quiet transition commences during adulthood and suddenly...
The Real Yoga
The essential teaching and goal of Yoga is to make the mind calm. “Yoga chitta vritti nirodha,” says the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. That means that Yoga is the calming of the waves created in the chitta, the mind by keeping the mind balanced under all conditions. In...
Raja Yoga’s Essential Teaching: The Quest for Happiness
In this 3rd installment of this series on "Raja Yoga Now," Swami Karunananda encourages our readers to explore what they are truly searching for in life. And, to consider how the teachings of Raja Yoga can support one's inner exploration and spiritual journey. What do...
The Ego Trap of Spiritual Arrogance
When we think about cultivating our inner faith, we do not often consider how closely faith ties into spiritual arrogance. The topic of spiritual arrogance is vast and deep. But when we feel into how this subtle aspect of ego-driven identification has unfolded within...