A student once told me how he was having beautiful experiences in meditation but was distressed because his experience of his daily life wasn’t beautiful or good. I asked this student to explain what his meditation experience was like. His reply was, “Well, I...
If our aim is great, then our obstacles will also be very big. Always remember that without suffering we can never achieve anything great. That’s why I always say that the bigger the pain, the bigger the gain. No pain, no gain. Pain builds up a lot of strength in you....
Again and again, people ask me, “Why is there suffering? How can I avoid suffering?” My answer is, “You cannot.” If anything has to happen, it will happen. Think, All right, let it happen. I am bold. What’s the use of being afraid of it? I’m not going to be able to...
Right now, all of us are whirling through space on this tiny ball we call Earth. It is our common home. With each spin, we mark a day. With each revolution around the sun, we all add a year to our lives. On this fragile ball—a mere speck in the inconceivable vastness...
Question: I was raised as an atheist. Life would be so much easier if I had faith. In all my years of Yoga, I know I have heart, compassion and spirit, but I can’t connect with faith. Please offer me your guidance. Swami Satchidananda: Whether you know it or not, you...
In children, the mind is pure. It is the world that goes in and contaminates our mind, otherwise, the mind is always plain and pure, like a crystal. No mind is bad, no mind is dirty; it’s always crystal clear. But it is the proximity of the mind to other things that...
Rev. Jaganath, Integral Yoga Minister and Raja Yoga master teacher, has spent a lifetime delving into the deepest layers of meaning in Patanjali’s words within the Yoga Sutras. Our series continues with the 20th sutra of Chapter 1 in which Patanjali further elaborates...
Sample from the Fall 2003 issue of Integral Yoga Magazine By Hersha Harilela August 22-24, 2003, devotees from around the globe gathered in Yogaville to observe the one-year anniversary of Sri Gurudev's Mahasamadhi. Hersha Harilela-who grew up in Hong Kong and whose...
Sample from the Spring 2008 issue of Integral Yoga Magazine By Swami Karunananda When I think of what it means to really live Yoga, I recall a very special visit in late December, about thirty years ago. I was serving as director of the San Francisco IYI, and Sri...