“Have a fruit, will you? Help yourself, there’s plenty. Get him a sweet from that shop. Don’t send anyone away without giving them something to eat. Have some water first.” It is nearly impossible to hold a conversation with 105-year-old R. Pappammal while she...
The saints and sages of many faiths are dynamic examples of how spiritual awakening is accompanied by a natural impulse to serve humanity. After experiencing the interconnection of all of life, many of these great beings were moved by a profound compassion to dedicate...
It’s been a whirlwind of losses in the past year: from the several million deaths due to the pandemic and to the many luminaries who have left the earth, including most recently sports legends Hank Aaron and Kobe Bryant; actors Chadwick Boseman, Cloris Leachman; and...
A new year often means making resolutions and setting goals. In this video from an annual New Year's Silent Yoga Retreat at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville (Virginia) several years ago, Swami Karunananda (senior monk and chair of the Integral Yoga Spiritual Life Board)...
In this conversation, Heike Farkas (director, Integral Yoga Germany) and Avi Gordon (director, IYTA) discuss how to shift our attitude toward challenges, the practice of humility, and the importance of having fun. Heike Amma Farkas has been practicing Yoga since the...
The calendar year has ended and people all over the world are ready for a fresh start. All of us in the Northern Hemisphere are now seeing the return of light to our days, which is an ideal time to recommit ourselves to awakening the inner spiritual Light. In...
This inspiring short film explores the growth of two men—father and son—through different stages of their lives, and how the thread woven between them, the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, brought them back the most important place of all. Winner of the Most...
In the morning and evening, take some time for your personal physical and mental Yoga practice. This should include a little pranayama, meditation and some asana. The entire thing need not take more than an hour, or an hour and a half. You can always find some time in...
In this recent Integral Yoga Podcast, Avi Gordon (director, Integral Yoga Teachers Association) talks with Ram Wiener about forgiveness, the experience of finding a Guru, and allowing the universe to shape us into someone we like. Ram (vice-president of business at...
Even post-election we are still undergoing turbulent times in a divided nation. When Swami Satchidananda (Sri Gurudev) arrived in New York City in 1966 our country was also going through seismic cultural shifts. I know that, for me, the teachings and practices of...
It’s very, very hard to bring up children nowadays, particularly with all the things that they see, watch, read, and hear. Children don’t know what is right and what is wrong, what should be done or what should not be done, so certain things must be taught. It takes...
No matter who wins the election in the USA, and no matter where you live in the world, we have a tough chapter ahead. Our communities are polarized, our people are angry and fearful, and as of today two hundred people are dying every hour from the virus. Plus, Mother...
In 1975, Swami Satchidananda was asked a question about how to avoid getting so caught up in spiritual bliss, that we forget about the social and ecological problems in our world. The person asking the question really wanted Sri Swamiji’s advice on how we best can...
The yogi’s emergency response practice has three pillars: Breathe. Be calm. Smile. As we envision all the possible scenarios for the US presidential election on November 3rd, one thing is for sure: there will be a lot of emotion! Already we have fear verging on panic...
Leading a spiritual life and experiencing God, at all times, is nothing supernatural. It’s just an ordinary simple thing. You don’t have to fly in the air, swallow nitric acid, or sleep on a bed of nails. I mean, you don’t have to do anything extraordinary. Physical...
Alan Asangan Binstock, longtime Integral Yogi and retired NASA architect, is also known as the "sculptor of light." His sculptures adorn museums and major buildings around the country. He and his wife Karuna live in a home in Yogaville designed by Asangan. After 9/11,...