In this video, Swami Karunananda (senior monk and chair of Integral Yoga's Spiritual Life Board) gives a Thanksgiving talk that stresses the healing power of forgiveness, which is an oft-overlooked aspect of gratitude. Through Yoga teachings, stories and parables, she...
Peace and joy are more or less different aspects of the same thing. If you are peaceful, you are joyful. Peace doesn’t depend on anything, but is totally independent, and it is always there. When you feel that peace, you feel a supreme happiness that also does not...
Durga Leela is the founder of Yoga of Recovery, a comprehensive program that integrates Ayurveda and Yoga with recovery tools for a holistic mind, body, and spirit. In this podcast, Avi Gordon (director of the Integral Yoga Teachers Association) talks with her about...
My 10-day “Introduction to Buddhism” course was held in the main Gompa of Tushita Meditation Center. One of the texts that was written on the walls inside read the following: “If it can be remedied, why be upset about it? If it cannot be remedied, what is the use of...
If you need to correct somebody’s behavior, to get them to stop some negative action, you may have to use anger. By doing that, you are “punishing” their mistakes, but you are not punishing the person. You are not hating them. It’s like the child in a classroom, who...
I've found myself feeling weird amid the COVID-19 crisis. I use this vague and understated label “weird” because I’ve yet to find a more specific adjective to properly encompass what’s happening internally. As a yogi, I’m supposed to be all zen during a crisis, right?...
In this small book by Swami Satchidananda, he gives inspiring teachings for this time — and for all challenging situations. "By being peaceful yourself, you can inspire others to be peaceful. You don’t have to bring peace to the whole world. Bring peace to the place...
When anger arises, the mind becomes deluded. The Bhagavad Gita has two beautiful slokas about this: From brooding on sense objects, attachment to them arises. Out of that attachment, personal desire is born. And from desire, anger appears. Anger confuses the thinking...
You can be in the world but do not be of the world. Then, you are free. The mind has to be in the world and that is why we try to have a detached outlook. Of course, this is very difficult to achieve. And, many people misunderstand the idea of detachment. They might...
Yesterday I finished “Dracula,” a limited series by Netflix. I was amazed by the unanticipated plot twists, the ingenious script, and, above all, the ending. Throughout the three episodes, we see that Count Dracula fears the cross, direct sunlight, and can’t step into...
All the knowledge and wisdom is available to us in this world. The world is a university without walls. If you become a good student, any time you feel a need to know something, the answer will appear. In the early days when I would give talks, I used to wonder, Where...
Question: Because I had a difficult childhood, my therapist tells me I have to nurture myself to become whole and balanced. You teach that renunciation is the key to peace. Is there a conflict between self-nurturing and renunciation? Is there a way to reconcile these...
We all talk about realizing “the Truth.” If you want to realize the Truth, you should know what the Truth is. Otherwise, you might have it right here and not even recognize it. Whatever it is that you want to experience, you should have an idea in your mind what to...
Integral Yoga Publications is happy to announce the publication of a new pocket-sized booklet that offers advice from Swami Satchidananda on this important subject. The booklet, which first appeared here in Integral Yoga Magazine (and on our website) as an article, is...
When emotions such as loss, fear, anger, rejection, abandonment, or depression strike, what can you do to return to your center of peace and equanimity? You can look within. When you look within, answers come. Question yourself: Why am I angry? Anger is caused by your...
Summer in the Northern Hemisphere is over, which means the days will soon get darker and our energy will start to plummet. The thing is, it doesn’t necessarily have to go that way yet again this winter. We may be able to salvage some of that summer feeling through...