The global Yoga community recently lost one of its most beloved pioneers. Lilias Folan—widely known as the “First Lady of Yoga” in America—passed away on March 9, 2026 at the age of 90. Her gentle voice, compassionate presence, and joyful spirit introduced millions of...
A Life Given to God: A Tribute to Amma Marta Debayle Kidd
Born in 1938 into a distinguished Nicaraguan diplomatic family, Amma's life crossed continents, cultures, and social worlds long before it crossed paths with her Guru, Sri Swami Satchidananda. Yet from her earliest years, the inner thread of her spiritual search was...
What Surgery Looked Like in Ancient India: The Scientific Legacy of the Sushruta Samhita
Surgery is usually seen as a modern science. We associate it with machines, sterile gloves and complex equipment. But long before today’s hospitals existed, people were already cutting, stitching and treating serious injuries in organised ways. In ancient India,...
Stephen Ishwara Futral: Don’t Die Wondering
Stephen Ishwara Futral belonged to that rare first generation of Western seekers who encountered Sri Swami Satchidananda not as an established global teacher, but as a living mystery—one whose presence quietly rearranged the inner lives of those who crossed his path....
111th Birth Anniversary of Integral Yoga Magazine Founder
On December 22nd, we honor and celebrate the 111th birth anniversary of the founder of Integral Yoga Magazine, Sri Swami Satchidananda (Sri Gurudev). Born in 1914, Sri Gurudev was a visionary whose life became a bridge between East and West, tradition and modernity,...
Moving Through Here
Moving Through Here is a book published in 1970 that traces the arc of a single extraordinary year in American cultural history. The story begins in the spring of 1967, when thousands gathered in Central Park for the exuberant Easter Sunday Be-In—a moment filled with...
Sri Sivagurunathapillai (1942–2025): Luminary of Tamil Culture
Sivagurunathapillai—known to many simply as Siva Pillai—lived a life that radiated devotion, scholarship, service, and cultural stewardship. Born in 1942 in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, he emerged from Sri Lanka’s great center of Tamil culture, carrying its beauty, precision,...
Sally Satya Kirkland: A Life on Stage, Screen, and the Spirit
Sally Kirkland, the Golden Globe–winning actress, Oscar nominee, and radiant spiritual seeker known to the Integral Yoga community as Satya passed away on November 11, 2025, at age 84. Though acclaimed for her magnetic presence on stage and screen, those who knew her...
A Heart-Opening Yoga Journey in Norway
In July 2025, Integral Yoga Norway director, Arjuna Gangdal organized and hosted an Integral Yoga meditation retreat in Norway. We're grateful that he has shared this short report from the retreat. I’m delighted to share the heart‑opening journey of our five‑day...
A Life of Grace and Service: Remembering Narayana Kiekens
“If you ask me ‘What is Yoga?’ the only reply I can think of is: Yoga is a state of grace.” These words by Narayana Kiekens distill a life wholly devoted to the spirit of Yoga and the teachings of his Gurus. For more than six decades, Narayana—alongside his wife...
The Surprising Nearness of Guidance
It's hard to trust that any words of wisdom are dependable until you experience their truth in your own life. So, when as a child I first came upon Jesus' words, “Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you; ask and it will be given to you,” I...
The Tiny Chef Full of Yogic Spirit
Sometimes, the light of Yoga shines through in the most unexpected places. Meet The Tiny Chef—a hand-crafted, herbivore chef with a big heart, a love for nature, and an infectious giggle that has captured the hearts of millions. Though just a few inches tall, Cheffy...
The Guru’s Gift: Awakening the Light of Truth Within
Each year on Guru Poornima, we turn our hearts in deep gratitude to the Guru—the one who awakens the Light of Truth within us. It is a time of honoring not only our own teacher, but the entire lineage of saints, sages, and realized beings who have guided humanity from...
See and Emulate: The Power of a Living Master
Throughout history, seekers have turned to spiritual masters for guidance. While scriptures and saints of the past offer enduring wisdom, there is something uniquely powerful about the presence of a living master—a person who embodies spiritual truth in the here and...
Parable of the Sower: A Devotional Tribute
From the stillness of dawn to the farthest corners of the heart, the legacy of Sri Swami Satchidananda continues to inspire and uplift. One beautiful expression of this devotion comes from Lakshmi Harilela, an Integral Yoga teacher in Hong Kong and a gifted creative...
One Among 650 Million – My Experience at the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela
On one fateful Wednesday night in January, I texted a friend words I never thought I would say: “I just decided to go to Maha Kumbh. I’m leaving tomorrow.” As a chronically over-working PhD student, my connection to my Indian Hindu roots was limited to saying a quick...
