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A Yoga “Fish” Story: Swimming and Meditation
Introduction I was inspired to write this article after reading Tracy Cooley’s excellent Integral Yoga Magazine article. She describes running a 108 kilometer distance. Certainly, an incredible accomplishment, particularly as a Yoga meditation. I love to swim....
What Spiritual Science Reveals about Spiritual Practice
The ancient spiritual scientists used the instrument of their minds to perceive what the modern scientists try to prove through outer, more gross instruments. The modern scientists only go to a certain limit because they don’t—or at least haven’t—yet started to...
How to Develop Your Willpower
The best thing to do to succeed in your spiritual practices is to develop your willpower. That is because everything begins in the mind. The practices that we do in the name of Yoga are to help us become masters of our own minds. Your mind should be your instrument;...
Meditation: The Observer vs. the Critic
Meditation can be like watching a movie—if you simply observe or witness the thoughts, without any judgment, you will enjoy the show. Watching the thoughts is different from analyzing and judging them. A judge in the court is analyzing the case and judging who is...
How to Be Happy Always
Yoga theory sometimes leaves us nowhere; it’s mostly intellectual. What the mind can understand is very little. So in the name of Yoga practice, we do something that can expand the mind and then, little by little, we understand things in a better way. We don’t want to...
The Benefits of Silence
Those who are interested in making gold should be silent. There is even a saying, “Silence is golden.” In Sanskrit there is a proverb. Silence in Sanskrit is “mouna.” And the proverb goes, “Mouna kalakanasti.” Kalakam means: problems or quarrels. Nasti means: don’t...
The Undisciplined Mind
A disciplined mind is your beautiful friend and a fantastic instrument. You’ll not only win God, you win everything, because when you automatically win God, you win the whole universe. An undisciplined mind can cause you to run here and there, chasing desire after...
Meditation: The Final Step
Meditation is more or less the final practice in the yogic ladder. Patanjali talks about the eight steps of Ashtanga Yoga. The eighth step is an experience; we are not doing anything. But the first seven start with Yama and Niyama; thinking and handling your day to...
Who Needs Meditation?
Who needs meditation? Not those who meditate the moment they sit and close their eyes. If you are already restful and peaceful, why meditate? Meditation is a sort of medication that is needed only when you feel sick. It helps those whose minds are restless. So don’t...
Q & A with Swami Satchidananda on Spiritual Energy
Question: I sometimes experience the rising of the sacred Kundalini, accompanied by a soft humming sound and a certain degree of bliss or peace. Why does this energy remain only briefly? Swami Satchidananda: It’s a beautiful question. I’m glad to know that you have...