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...
How Yoga Transformed a Brooklyn Kid into a Global Spiritual Leader
In this heartfelt and reflective conversation led by host Avi Gordon (director of Integral Yoga Teachers Association), Swami Asokananda (president of the Integral Yoga Institute of New York) shares his incredible life journey—from his Brooklyn upbringing in a...
Virtual Fundraiser for Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville – May 15 & 17, 2025
Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville is hosting a Virtual Fundraiser on May 15th and then again on May 17. Please JOIN THE RENEWAL! Join for a heartwarming 30-minute virtual fundraiser to uplift and support our beloved Ashram—a sanctuary of peace, service and spiritual...
Sri R. Sharath Jois 1971 – 2024
Sri R. Sharath Jois, Paramaguru (lineage holder) for the Ashtanga Yoga tradition passed away on Monday, November 12, 2024 in Charlottesville, Virginia where he was teaching a course for Ashtanga teachers. Prashanti Carroll Friedmann, a disciple of Swami Satchidananda...
Honoring Alan Asangan Binstock: An Integral Yoga Luminary
Alan Asangan Binstock was born in 1948 and raised in Bronx, New York. His formal fine arts education began in New York’s High School of Music and Art, followed by undergraduate studies at Hunter College. He moved to Boulder, Colorado and began developing sculpture and...
Iria Leino: A Life of Art, Spirituality, and Yoga
The Finnish-born artist Iria Leino is known not only for her expansive body of abstract work but also for her deep spiritual devotion, which played a central role in her artistic development. Throughout her life, she found inspiration in a rich spiritual practice and,...
How God Came Into My Life
It would be easy to dismiss the question by saying: "Yes, after a prolonged period of intense austerities and meditation while I was living in Swarg Ashram, during which I had the darshan of a number of maharishis and their blessings, the Lord appeared before me in...
H. H. Sri Swami Sivananda: 137th Jayanthi and 100th Sannyas Anniversary
September 8th 2024 marks the 137th Jayanthi (birth anniversary), as well as the 100th Sannyas (monkhood) anniversary of H. H. Sri Swami Sivananda, the Guru of Sri Swami Satchidananda. Swami Satchidananda humbly said of his Guru, " I feel very fortunate to have sat at...
Documentary: “Divine Harmony”
On August 27, 2024 a special kirtan service in celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Swamini Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda was held at the Integral Yoga Institute of New York. Special highlights of the program included special guest, Sita Michelle...
Integral Yoga Podcast: Mataji
In this episode of the Integral Yoga Podcast, senior Integral Yoga monk Swami Gurucharanananda (Mataji) shares insights into her life journey and spiritual path, first as a Catholic nun and later meeting her Guru, Swami Satchidananda. Born in Washington DC on April...
Reflections on a Journey: Unity Under the Desert Sky
I set out on a journey to the 2024 Integral Yoga European Reunion held in Spain not knowing what to expect. It’s been more than six years now of serving as director of the Integral Yoga Teachers Association (IYTA) at Yogaville, and during that time, I’ve gotten to...
“America’s First Guru”
America’s First Guru, by director Raja Choudhury, premiered on PBS in May 2024. The film is the compelling story of how a young charismatic Indian monk named Swami Vivekananda came to America for the first World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893 and went on to share...