Let us know that in Truth you are the Divine Image, the image of God. Somehow the veil of the ego prevents you from realizing this. Just remove that veil. It is that veil that is the basis for all these mental dramas. It creates all kinds of problems, troubles,...
The Freedom of Being Nobody
In this inspiring video, Ram Dass speaks about "The Freedom of Being Nobody." After Skool is a YouTube channel with the goal of empowering the individual and delivering profound ideas through art. In this video, After Skool animates the words and wisdom as Ram Dass...
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...
A Nondual Approach to the Niyamas
Retaining what we’ve learned about the yamas, we now train our attention on the niyamas which occur in sutra 2.32. When prefixed to a noun “ni” can be a negation. It also means “down, back, in, into, within.” Thus, niyama is traditionally rendered “observances”...
Live in the Golden Present
Live in the golden present, then you won’t have any anxiety or any fear of losing anything. Look at the sparrows, they just fly around. If they are hungry they just go and pick up a grain from anywhere. They are not constantly worried about what will happen tomorrow,...
The Recognition Sutras
The Pratyabhijñā-hṛdayam is one of the most profound sacred texts that illuminates a tradition that teaches that every human being is lacking nothing but the recognition of their Divine essence-nature. Christopher Hareesh Wallis, PhD, one of the foremost...
Can the Yoga Sutras Bestow Power?
Observing how Yoga has changed the world, I cannot help but wonder how the world has changed Yoga. As the plethora of Yoga studios and communities formed, they focused mainly on serving the physical body. The calling was great; strengthen and balance the body—that is...
The Five Koshas
One question I often like to start my meditation workshops with is: Are you your thoughts? It’s quite controversial for some people and can provoke interesting responses. Sure, most of the time we feel like we are stuck in our heads. But aside from our minds, how else...
Light on the Yamas & Niyamas: Introduction
In this new column, Dale Ann Gray offers reflections on the yamas and niyamas of the Yoga Sutras, incorporating insights from classical Nondual Yoga. In this article, she offers an overview on the distinctions between the dualistic philosophy of Patanjali’s Yoga and...
The Power of Recognition
In this discussion between Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. Christopher Wallis, they discuss the nature of Consciousness and how we know anything that we know. And, as Swami Satchidananda always taught, enlightenment is nothing you need to "get" from outside or "achieve."...
Swami Vivekananda: The Power & the Glory of Vedanta
On January 13th, the Vedanta Society celebrated the birth anniversary of the great sage Swami Vivekananda. In this video, Swami Sarvapriyananda, spiritual director of the New York branch, pays homage to Swami Vivekananda for his contributions to Indian society and the...
Be As You Are—The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi
David Godman (his family’s actual surname!) read a book in 1974 about the great sage and jnani, Sri Ramana Maharshi, and two years later traveled to his ashram in India. Since then, he has lived almost continuously in Tiruvannamalai, the town where Sri Ramana spent...
BOOK: The Stories Behind the Poses
Discover the traditional stories and wisdom behind your favorite Yoga poses in The Stories Behind the Poses: The Indian Mythology that Inspired 50 Yoga Postures, the stunningly illustrated book of Indian mythology for yogis of all levels. A beautifully written...
Questions and Answers on the Yamas
Q: In the Ramayana and Mahabharata, it’s clear that there was killing. The Gita itself takes place on a battlefield. How is this explained and justified in terms of ahimsa (non-violence)? Swami Satchidananda: In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna talks about non‑violence to...
Raja Yoga Now: The Beginning
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali begins with a call that reverberates through the ages: Atha Yoganusasanam: Now the exposition of Yoga is being made. It is an invitation to seekers of truth everywhere, irrespective of place, time or circumstance. It offers a universal...
The Integral Yoga System: A Quick Overview
The first thing I love about Yoga is that it’s something you can do when everything else out there is falling apart. I know this has brought many people to Yoga. It’s a way to assert your own power and control over your life, even when you seem powerless to change...