What we call “God,” is the Cosmic Consciousness. It is our natural state of peace and joy. That Cosmic Consciousness is infinite. It has no limitation, it never changes, it is omnipresent and eternal. That’s what is meant by immortal. It is in you, as the real you. So...
Happiness is not something that can come from the outside. One of the things we seem to depend upon for our happiness is physical beauty. We don’t want to accept the fact that we will get old and our bodies will change. When we see others getting old we may think to...
In this short video, Dr. Deepak Chopra (doctor, spiritual teacher and author) summarizes the teachings of the nondual traditions with this explanation of one's true essence-nature. He says, "The knowing secret is in the gap between every thought, every sensation,...
You don’t need to do anything or go anywhere to become peaceful. There’s no need to go live in a cave or somewhere in the forest. And then how many people would lose their peace when they become very excited about living in the cave itself? Just be as you are. You...
Equanimity is Yoga. To know yourself, to see yourself and others clearly, you should have neutrality—complete neutral vision. The scriptures ask us to know ourselves. Check yourself or weigh yourself. The first thing many do in the morning is to step on the scale,...
There is a saying, “Variety is the spice of life.” Just imagine if some force could come and makes us all look alike. Everybody would end up six feet tall, the same color skin and hair, the same weight, and maybe even the same gender. Would you want a world like that?...
We say that a person is a good person if they have good thoughts and ideas—the kind that will bring benefit to humanity. We say a person is not good if the thoughts in their mind are selfish and are of a bad quality. A person may look very beautiful or handsome and...
In Episode 3 of the "Two Old Fogey Yogis" podcast, our two yogis (Swami Asokananda and Rev. Prem) began a discussion of the “Big E,” or enlightenment. Now, in Episode 11, they dig deeper—unveiling an even more profound understanding of what it’s like to be fully awake...
The ego should either become nothing or everything. When it comes to the ego, I don’t believe in the proverb that says that something is better than nothing. You should either become nothing or become everything, but not something. Nothing is better than something. We...
What drew you to your spiritual path? Does modern Yoga throw out the “baby with the bathwater” when it goes post-lineage? In Ep 10 of the “Two Old Fogey Yogis” podcast, our hosts explore the relevance of a traditional spiritual path in today’s world and what drew each...
Students often ask me questions like, “Why am I here on this earth?“ “What am I to do here?“ and “What is the purpose of life?“ The answer is that we are here to fulfill our part of the work in the great universal mission. There is one universal plan, a cosmic plan,...
One can appreciate Yoga, and be a yogi, without disturbing one’s own faith. There are Yoga centers all over the world. Often, students begin with Hatha Yoga, the physical side. Gradually, when they understand the true essence of Yoga, they want to go more deeply into...
Nothing is going to make you always happy. That’s what the Mother Nature teaches. She says, “You are running after me for happiness; stop running.” Sometimes we hear people saying, “I’ve run and run and run and now I’m tired of running. I’m going to stop.” If that...
Did you ever wonder what "Integral Yoga" means? In this video, Mataji (a long-time disciple of Swami Satchidananda) describes how the path of Integral Yoga progressively brings the body, heart, mind, and spirit into harmony and peace. Swami Gurucharanananda, lovingly...
In this podcast, Avi Gordon (director of the Integral Yoga Teachers Association) and Rev. Paraman Barsel discuss a range of inspiring spiritual topics. Rev. Paraman has been a student of Swami Satchidananda since 1970 and is a senior Integral Yoga teacher, renowned...
Yoga students should be very, very careful when it comes the kundalini. It is a dynamic force, part of the cosmic force, that is in everybody. It is something like a seed that is alive and has the quality to germinate into a big tree. But, if you break open the seed...