Daily we pray: Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya, which means “Lead us from darkness to light.” In a way, it is the darkness that makes us look for light. If the light is always there, we won’t be worried about it. So, it is the darkness that makes us cry for light. Every faith...
What did I do the summer of 2018? No, it wasn’t kayaking the Na Pali coast in Kauai. No, it wasn’t trekking to Machu Picchu in Peru. No, it wasn’t band camp in the Adirondacks. But, it was something just as adventurous, demanding, and engaging. First, a little...
“Yit’gadal v’yit’kadash sh’mei raba . . .” As I realized that these words of the Mourner’s Kaddish were coming out of my mouth, my head dropped, my eyes closed and I heard wails of grief come from both me and my family. I could no longer say the words. I was sixteen...
In essence we are one. We are all related to each other. All we have to do is to understand that and to experience it. We are related in spirit. If we see the spirit in ourselves, we will realize we are all one. Your true nature is that of a spiritual and divine...
Can Yoga be practiced from a Christian perspective? Amy Russell explains how a group of people—writers and teachers, pastors and soccer moms, musicians and artists, medical doctors and community activists came together as “Christians practicing Yoga.” They were...
When we talk about integrating Yoga and Buddhism, we must first be clear about what we mean. In the modern world, Yoga is often reduced to asana or its physical side. Buddhism is reduced to meditation, which many Buddhist groups emphasize. Yet Yoga has its meditation...
Behind the names and forms, there is the universal life or immanent God. Try to feel the reality underneath the forms. Scorn not the tiny creatures or the undeveloped beings. The same life that throbs or pulsates in you is throbbing in all creatures. Realize your...
Devi Tide (pictured behind Pir Vilayat, far right), one of Pir Vilayat Khan's—the great Sufi Master who founded Sufi Order International)—closest students, talks about the teachings she received from Swami Satchidananda and Pir Vilayat and how she has integrated these...
Starting his spiritual journey on the path of Yoga, Bhaktan Eberle grew frustrated with the state of his on-and-off again practice. He came to realize that trying harder was never going to work and took refuge in Jesus, who became Bhaktan’s door to an ever-deepening...
Swami Vivekananda gave at talk at the World Parliament of Religion's opening session on September 11, 1893. His participation at the Parliament was considered an historic occasion in the history of Yoga in America. In this famous speech, Swami Vivekananda spoke of his...