Carol Kalyani Neuman was brilliant, kind, and fun. She was the first woman to become an executive at the New York Times. Prior to moving to Yogaville, she served on the Board of the Integral Yoga Institute of New York and was selected by Swami Satchidananda to...
This inspiring video is offered on Guru Poornima, a yearly observance that traditionally honors one's Guru, or spiritual preceptor. Many decades ago, Swami Satchidananda (the world-renowned and beloved Yoga master, founder of Integral Yoga Global, and interfaith...
In this video, the Dalai Lama's recent "Call to Unite" is read by his dear friend Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In it, His Holiness addresses the coronavirus crisis: “This crisis and its consequences serve as a warning, that only by coming together in a coordinated, global...
In his annual Christmas/New Year's letter, Benedictine monk and interfaith activist Br. David Steindl-Rast offers us a message of hope for 2020. Isn’t Hope the annual theme at this season, when we light candles in the darkness and hope for a happy new year? But this...
In youth, my earliest spiritual urges came in the form of Roman Catholic community. I was in awe of the church structures, the architecture, the liturgy, the mystery. I served as an altar boy and had imaginings of becoming a priest. I was pious and sincere. Yet,...
The Light Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS) was founded by Swami Satchidananda (Integral Yoga founder) and is dedicated to the Light of all faiths and to world peace. It is the first interfaith shrine to include altars for all faiths known and yet unknown. People...
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...
The Very Reverend James Parks Morton, the president of the Interfaith Center of New York and former Dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine—largest cathedral in the world—offered a heartfelt and personal tribute on the occasion of the 90th Jayanthi (birth...
From its opening in 1893, the Parliament of the World's Religions has been recognized as the birth of formal interreligious dialogue worldwide. During this Parliament, Swami Vivekananda addressed 5,000 assembled delegates, greeting them with the words, “Sisters and...
Daily we pray: Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya, which means “Lead us from darkness to light.” In a way, it is the darkness that makes us look for light. If the light is always there, we won’t be worried about it. So, it is the darkness that makes us cry for light. Every faith...
Question: If, as you say, “Truth is one and paths are many, must the paths be prescribed, or can one gain the truth through independent Self-realization? Swami Satchidananda: Well, if you know the way, you don’t have to ask anybody. Nobody has to prescribe to you. If...
Yogaville's Lotus Center for All Faiths (LCAF) team returned this week from Toronto where they took part in the Parliament of the World's Religions. For its 2018 theme, the Parliament drew from movements of goodwill and cross-cultural respect that are embodied in the...
On November 4th, Zen master Bernie Glassman, Roshi, a great interfaith pioneer and humanitarian, passed away. Roshi Bernie was a longtime LOTUS Honorary Advisory Council member and one of Swami Satchidananda's close interfaith collaborators—together they shared many...
Swami Satchidananda initiated the tradition of celebrating all the great spiritual teachers of every faith during each Guru Poornima celebration. In this same spirit, we include this essential teaching of his regarding the essential unity of all spiritual wisdom. Even...
By Bhaktan Eberle Starting his spiritual journey on the path of Yoga, Bhaktan Eberle grew frustrated with the state of his on-and-off again practice. He came to realize that trying harder was never going to work and took refuge in Jesus, who became Bhaktan’s door to...
An Interview with Professor Edwin F. Bryant, PhD A heated debate in the blogosphere recently occurred on the subject of the relationship between Hinduism and Yoga. One side argued that westerners have appropriated Yoga and tried to divorce it from its Hindu roots. The...