The invitation: Open up your heart and feel grateful for this day, the beauty of this planet, the people we meet. How? By focusing on the positive aspects rather than the negative. By showing who other people are, in all their individual specialness rather than...
Mataji at 92: Aging and Sage-ing
Integral Yoga's most senior monk, Swami Gurucharanananda Ma, lovingly known as "Mataji!" turned 92 years-young on April 1, 2021 (nope, not an April Fools Day joke). In this birthday video, Mataji shares her outlook and indomitable spirit and positivity as journalist...
Wynne Paris: Love + Light—A Remembrance
On Monday, March 22, 2021, Wynne Paris (acclaimed kirtan artist and music producer) suddenly passed away from a heart attack. He leaves behind his parents, Kimberley Maddox (his life partner Kim), a brother- and sister-in-law, William and Kim Paris, nephews Nate and...
Women’s History Month: Female Voices the World Needs to Hear
March is Women's History Month and while honoring women who came before us, this article highlights some of the changemakers making an impact today. As a male growing up in modern western culture, I’ve been encouraged all my life to look to heroes for inspiration....
Swami Satchidananda at Carnegie Hall, 1969 — A Look Back
In this short fascinating video, Bhaskar Leonard Gleich brings the original poster from the sold-out Carnegie Hall "concert" in January 1969 to posterfix.com— a company that restores it to like-new condition. As we watch this process, Bhaskar describes the origins of...
The Funny Story of How I Became a Yogi
When author/publisher Benjamin Darling contacted Integral Yoga Media to request permission to include a quote from Swami Satchidananda in his upcoming book, Everything I Need to Know I Learned From My Yoga Teacher, we were intrigued. And intrigued not only about what...
Do We See Reality As It Is?
In this Ted talk, cognitive scientist and author Donald Hoffman is trying to answer a big question: Do we experience the world as it really is ... or as we need it to be? Hoffman studies consciousness, visual perception and evolutionary psychology using mathematical...
The Edge: Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet
In this article, Buddhist teacher Joan Halifax describes five “edge states” where courage meets fear and freedom meets suffering. I have a small cabin in the mountains of New Mexico where I spend time whenever I can. It is located in a deep valley in the heart of the...
Waking Up Before Sunrise at 105
“Have a fruit, will you? Help yourself, there’s plenty. Get him a sweet from that shop. Don’t send anyone away without giving them something to eat. Have some water first.” It is nearly impossible to hold a conversation with 105-year-old R. Pappammal while she...
The Little Altar in an Elevator
It’s been a whirlwind of losses in the past year: from the several million deaths due to the pandemic and to the many luminaries who have left the earth, including most recently sports legends Hank Aaron and Kobe Bryant; actors Chadwick Boseman, Cloris Leachman; and...
Larry King and Swami Satchidananda: An Unlikely Friendship
Our world lost a broadcasting icon and legend on January 23, 2021: Larry King. He was called "the most remarkable talk-show host on TV ever" by TV Guide and "master of the mike" by Time magazine. But, why would this magazine, focused on Yoga and wellness make mention...
“8 Inspiring Quotes”
In this video produced by the Indian program "Yoga and You," eight quotes from Swami Satchidananda were selected and set to images with music. Enjoy the inspiration! Watch here.
“The Important Places”
This inspiring short film explores the growth of two men—father and son—through different stages of their lives, and how the thread woven between them, the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, brought them back the most important place of all. Winner of the Most...
“And the People Stayed Home”
Angie A created a film to accompany Kitty O'Meara's poem "And the People Stayed Home." In reflecting on the poem Angie noted: "Quarantine and self-isolation hasn't been easy for many of us. Anxiety is a common feeling I've felt throughout all of this, but there was a...
The Christmas Magic of Long Ago
I sit looking at my Christmas tree, which for the first time since I moved to Yogaville (several decades ago!) was not decorated by the swamis (monks) who live here. It was a strange and sad experience (due to the pandemic) doing it myself, but a sweet, tall angel...
Rama Jyoti Vernon (1941 – 2020): American Yoga Pioneer and Luminary
Yoga lost one if it's great Western pioneers with the passing of Rama Jyoti Vernon. If Mataji Indra Devi can be called the first lady of Yoga, Rama Jyoti Vernon was certainly the keeper of the flame of classical Yoga in America. In later years Rama was also known as...