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...
The Silent Teachings of Sri Swami Sivananda
Let us try to understand that large-hearted person who as it were, at one stroke showered unutterable good fortune on all the seekers. Gurudev [Sri Swami Sivanandaji] was a person on whom honor, homage, tribute, high praise, veneration, respect, etc., were no burden....
H. H. Sri Swami Sivananda: Restoration of a Spiritual Masterpiece
September 8, 2020 was the 133rd Jayanthi (Birth Anniversary) of H. H. Sri Swami Sivananda Maharaj (the Guru of Sri Swami Satchidananda). This auspicious occasion included a special puja in the reception area of Sivananda Hall at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville, offered...
Yoga: A Practical System
Yoga is a perfect practical system of self-culture. Yoga is an exact science. It aims at the harmonious development of the body, the mind and the soul. Yoga is the turning away of the senses from the objective universe and the concentration of the mind within. Yoga is...
Practical Lessons in Yoga
How many of you, sisters and brothers, find in yourselves the unmistakable signs of disease, declining health, vim, vigour and vitality? How many of you, may I ask again, feel actually the grip of premature old age? Why do you unjustly throw the whole blame on...
Sure Success in Life
. . . Reduce your wants. Be honest in your dealings. Earn at the sweat of your brow. Control the indriyas and the mind. Develop noble qualities. Take recourse to the company of wise men. Remember God. Sing His Name. Feel His presence. Think aright. Speak truth and act...
Karma Yoga in Daily Life
In the light of Karma Yoga all actions are sacred. That aspirant who always takes immense delight in doing works which are considered by the worldly man as menial services, and who always does willingly such acts only will become a dynamic Yogi. He will be absolutely...
The Path of Modern Yoga
By Elliott Goldberg | In his book, The Path of Modern Yoga, Elliott Goldberg shows how Yoga was transformed from a sacred practice into a health and fitness regime for middle-class Indians in the early 20th century and then gradually transformed over the...
When Work Is Worship
Work is worship. Work is meditation. Serve all with intense love without any idea of agency and without expectation of fruits or reward. You will realise God. Service of humanity is service of God. Work elevates when done in the right spirit without attachment or...
Patanjali’s Raja Yoga
Patanjali’s Yoga system is written in sutras. A sutra is a terse verse. It is an aphoristic saying. It is pregnant with deep, hidden significance. Rishis of yore have expressed philosophical ideas and their realization in the form of sutras only. It is very difficult...
Raja Yoga: The King of Yogas
Raja Yoga is the king of Yogas. It is concerned directly with the mind. The Yogi sits at ease, watches the mind and silences the bubbling thoughts. The Yogi stills the mind, restrains the thought-waves and enters into the thoughtless state or asamprajnata samadhi....
Japa Yoga Sadhana
INTRODUCTION Sadhana is purifying and steadying the mind and fixing it on the Lord. Without Sadhana you cannot attain the Sadhya or the object of meditation i.e., the Supreme Being, the abode of Immortality and Bliss. Japa is an important Sadhana. Make a resolve "I...
What is Japa Yoga?
WHAT IS JAPA ? Repetition of any Mantra or Name of the Lord is known as Japa. Japa is an important Anga of Yoga. It is a spiritual food for the hungry soul. Japa is the rod in the hand of the blind Sadhakas (aspirants) to plod on the road to Realization. Japa is the...
Hatha Yoga and Asanas
Hatha Yoga relates to the restraint of breath (pranayama), asanas, bandhas and mudras. “Ha” and “tha” mean the union of the sun and the moon, union of prana and apana vayus. “Hatha” means any tenacious practice till the object or end is achieved. Hatha Yoga is...
Sri Swami Muktananda: The Quest of a Western Yogi
Sample from the Fall 2003 issue of Integral Yoga Magazine Swami Muktanandaji was born in 1960 in Canada. He was only nine when he met his Guru, Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj, the President of the Divine Life Society (DLS). In the early 1980s, Muktanandaji came to...
Jnana Yoga: Science of Self
The identity of the Supreme Self and the jiva or reflected self is established through the statement of the Upanishad “Tat Tvam Asi”—“That Thou Art.” Self-realization or direct intuitive perception of the Supreme Self is necessary for attaining freedom and perfection....