How do we integrate Sri Patanjali’s teachings about sex/celibacy/continence in today’s world? What does brahmacharya really mean? Swami Asokananda and Rev. Prem (the two yogis of the "Two Old Fogey Yogis" podcast) consider various aspects of this yama (ethical...
Ahimsa is one of the most fundamental principles from the original scriptures of Yoga and serves as a foundation for the practice of Yoga, on and off the mat. This practice is especially important now since our world desperately needs a grassroots movement to end...
In Episode 14 of the "Two Old Fogey Yogis" podcast, our two yogis discuss the study of foundational texts in the Yoga tradition and how to work with these in a way that engages them as “literary incarnations” filled with living wisdom. They also explore what the...
Did you ever wonder what "Integral Yoga" means? In this video, Mataji (a long-time disciple of Swami Satchidananda) describes how the path of Integral Yoga progressively brings the body, heart, mind, and spirit into harmony and peace. Swami Gurucharanananda, lovingly...
Nothing is going to make you always happy. That’s what the Mother Nature teaches. She says, “You are running after me for happiness; stop running.” Sometimes we hear people saying, “I’ve run and run and run and now I’m tired of running. I’m going to stop.” If that...
Whatever is due to you will come and nobody can stop that or cheat you. If ever anybody does seem to cheat you, know that it is an aftereffect of what you have done to someone at some time in the past. You must have cheated somebody earlier, so now another person is...
In October 2020, Swami Karunananda gave the following talk—during the San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute’s 50th anniversary celebration—on the future of the Integral Yoga teachings and organization. A reporter once asked me to describe Swami Satchidananda’s legacy,...
All the knowledge and wisdom is available to us in this world. The world is a university without walls. If you become a good student, any time you feel a need to know something, the answer will appear. In the early days when I would give talks, I used to wonder, Where...
Again and again, people ask me, “Why is there suffering? How can I avoid suffering?” My answer is, “You cannot.” If anything has to happen, it will happen. Think, All right, let it happen. I am bold. What’s the use of being afraid of it? I’m not going to be able to...
This 8th century CE text describes a conversation between the Lord Siva and his wife, the Goddess Parvati, in which she asks him to teach her about the Guru and liberation. Siva answers her by describing the Guru principle, the proper ways of paying homage to the...
When I was a young boy, I used to dream a lot about wild animals in the jungle. And very often, in these dreams, they used to chase me. I would run and run and get so tired and when I felt that I couldn’t run anymore and the tiger was very close to me, right in the...
People often ask me to explain Integral Yoga. I tell them that if you keep certain things in mind, whatever you do becomes a yogic action. Even your eating and sleeping can be a Yoga practice if you do them in a way that creates health and harmony. Chew your food...
In your darkest moments, when your heart feels tender and broken wide open, I hope you’ll turn to the wisdom of the poets. A good poem can act as a balm for your soul as well as prepare you for the truths you’ll rediscover at this time. One of the poems, “The Guest...
Andrew Holecek (author, Buddhist scholar and teacher), recently shared the following message with students in his online course, "Bardos in Everyday Life." Hi friends, I received this teaching and prayer from Dzogchen Rinpoche to contemplate. A Tibetan dharma friend...
Shanti. I see God as Shanti. Shanti is the nature of God. My God is Shanti and has no form no other name. God is all peaceful, all serenity—the peace that cannot be expressed by words. Even to say the word “peace,” in a way limits, the expression of that very peace....
In Yoga, we often use the term “vairagya.” It is often translated as “dispassion” or “non-attachment.” But, sometimes it is confused with “indifference.” So, what does non-attachment mean? Does it mean you are indifferent, you don’t care about anyone or anything? No....