Swami Satchidananda

How Mantras Work

In 1976, Swami Satchidananda was giving this talk (below) on Yoga in Denver, Colorado. Yoga was something that wasn’t widely practiced, or understood, in its broader and deepest sense at that time—and in large part, still isn’t today. And, the use of...

The Full Potential of Your Mind

We seem to do many things each day that create our problems. But, we can undo everything in a meditation practice. You just sit. You don’t need to do anything but = be aware of yourself. In meditation you are the witness that sits  behind the body and mind. When you...

Miracles Can Happen

Sometimes miracles happen through someone, even without their knowledge. There have been many who, like Jesus, performed miracles.  And they didn’t claim that they were doing everything, but that it was the God’s will. That shows that there was no ego involved....

Spiritual Alchemy

What does it mean when a scripture or spiritual teacher tells us to “mentally keep quiet?” It means to raise above your mind. When I did that, in that moment, I didn’t see all the differences, all the separateness. I saw only the unity in all of the diversity—the...

Obstacles Draw Out Your Inner Capabilities

Obstacles along the spiritual path are necessary to test your strength. If everything is easy, we would probably lose interest in doing anything. Something that is worthwhile and beautiful should not be attained too easily. The more you work for something, the more...