My dad ascended the rickety ladder, thus launching our family’s annual quest to decorate our Christmas tree. Ours was no snowy trek to an idyllic woodland. Instead it was an ascension up the world’s oldest wooden ladder to a high and bafflingly small closet where our...
We all need teachers in life; not everything can be learned from a book. According to Hindu tradition, there are four main teachers: Mata, Pita, Guru, Deva: Mother, Father, Guru and God. The mother is the baby’s first guru; she is everything to the baby: unconditional...
It seems like any birthday that ushers us into a new decade brings with it a whole spectrum of feelings, and that is what happened for me recently. Turning 70 gave rise to that culturally influenced feeling, “OMG! I’m getting old.” But I’m grateful that I also...
Congratulations to Grateful.org founder, Br. David Steindl-Rast, on both his 97th birthday and for being awarded the Gold Decoration of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria. The award is given to select individuals by the Austrian government and was presented...
The celebrated book, Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda, is credited with changing the lives of tech genius Steve Jobs, musicians George Harrison and Elvis Presley, wellness guru Andrew Weill and actress Mariel Hemmingway, among many others. It also...
The Integral Yoga Institute of Coimbatore, India is commemorating International Day of Yoga 2023 with a day of Yoga: asanas, pranayama, talks and featuring 108 rounds of Surya Namaskar, the Sun Salutation. The International Day of Yoga was established by the United...
“Where the Rope Ends” is a feature length documentary film about Yoga teacher Nichole Doane’s experience on a fateful day when a rope ended and a long road to recovery that ensued. Here’s some of that story, in Nichole’s own words. I’ve always had endless appreciation...
In a world that seems to be spinning faster every day, the words of Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” continue to resonate across time and cultures, providing solace and guidance to millions of readers. As the Kahlil Gibran Collective marks the 100-year anniversary (2023)...
I don't know about you, but I grew up in the 1960s—first concert (Dave Clark Five), listening to "Cousin Brucie" (the legendary "disk jockey" on the radio), first date (nothing to write home about), first hippie yearnings... And, of course, the celebrated band: The...
In this interview by Dhāraṇī Diana Díaz, Integral Yoga teacher and sound healer Devātman Daniel Givens shares an overview of his Yoga journey and passions. Your journey is an interesting path. When and how did you discover Yoga? What brought you to Integral Yoga? I...
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...
For many, George Harrison was just one of the Beatles and a musician, but there was so much more. This short video captures some of the spiritual wisdom that inspired his inner life and his spiritual journey. He explains how being anchored in the Yoga teachings and...
From 2008 to 2009 I lived at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville, in Buckingham County, Virginia. I returned to “the world” in 2009 to take a job in the West Indies, where I spent four clumsy years stumbling all over myself in an effort to integrate the experience and...
Indian Express: In a rare gesture, a Kerala temple accorded “bhu samadhi” to a crocodile, named Babiya, that died in the shrine’s pond on Sunday night and a post-mortem cited the death due to old age. Since the crocodile has been part of the lore of Sree...
I’d like to share with you the story of how I decided to start Integral Yoga Japan in Hiroshima. There was a lady in Japan who was undergoing a lot of physical and mental challenges. She wrote to Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville to ask for help and guidance. Swami...
Uma Devi Pemmaraju passed away in early August 2022 at the age of 64. She was the daughter of the late Dr. P. N. Rao and his wife, Rani, mother of Kirana Petkun. The entire family, including Uma's siblings, Dr. Rama Pemmaraju and Dr. Shankar Pemmaraju, were longtime...