Everybody has to die one day or another. Nobody can avoid death. That’s why we should know what death means. In death, we simply lose our body, that’s all. But the real you is never born and never dies. It is only the body that dies. Of course, we all should try to...
This meditation on Sri Ramana Maharshi's instruction to Frank H. Humphreys (a devotee of Sri Ramana) is read by Buddhist nun, Samaneri Jayasāra, whose YouTube channel is filled with the highest spiritual teachings from various traditions for the purpose of deepening...
Few spiritual teachers in the modern era spoke as directly to the human heart as Ram Dass. Decades after his teachings first transformed Western spiritual culture, his voice continues to guide seekers navigating a world that often feels fragmented and divided. A newly...
We may look a little different, speak different languages, have different nationalities, but these are all different parts we play. Essentially, we are all one. As an analogy, consider the sea. All the waters came from the sea, isn't it so? From the sea, the water...
In life we go through many tests, and it is often these very tests that teach us the most valuable lessons. As the old sayings go, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” and “Adversity is a blessing in disguise.” So, we should learn to see adversities, difficulties,...
Sally Kirkland, the Golden Globe–winning actress, Oscar nominee, and radiant spiritual seeker known to the Integral Yoga community as Satya passed away on November 11, 2025, at age 84. Though acclaimed for her magnetic presence on stage and screen, those who knew her...
At the close of our morning meditation, the residents of the San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute reaffirm the intention we hold for our spiritual growth while living together in community. Last month, we chose a phrase from this affirmation as our focal practice:...
There is a saying, “Marriages are made in heaven.” Heaven is wherever the spirit is expressed. In this sense, a true marriage is not only on the physical level. The couple temporarily rises to a lofty height. We could say that their wedding is a celestial gathering....
Why do we gossip? This question might appear trivial at first, but when examined deeply, it opens a window into human psychology, social dynamics, and the level of spiritual evolution or lack thereof. Gossip is not merely idle talk, it is more. It is both idle and...
Prejudice exists not only in the world around us but also, often unconsciously, within us. Whether we see it or not, it shapes how open—or closed—our hearts are to others. Recognizing the subtle ways prejudice arises in us can be a powerful step toward living with...
If you deny thoughts and emotions or try to get rid of them by suppressing them they will just reemerge. When negative thoughts come there are three things you can do. You can ignore them the same way that the blue sky ignores the gray clouds that appear in it. The...
If you asked Sri Swami Sivananda what a busy person in the West should actually do each day to grow spiritually, he would likely point you to a deceptively simple framework: do a little meditation, a little prayer, a little study, a little service—every day—with...
It's hard to trust that any words of wisdom are dependable until you experience their truth in your own life. So, when as a child I first came upon Jesus' words, “Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you; ask and it will be given to you,” I...
When you make a spiritual commitment—what kind of commitment is it? And why do you make it? A spiritual commitment doesn’t have to be to become a swami, a minister. Particularly in the spiritual field, what are you committed to? Not to an organization or an ashram,...
In this profound podcast episode, Krishna Das, the renowned kirtan singer, sits down with Integral Yoga Teachers Association director Avi Gordon to share insights on navigating the subjective nature of reality, the power of spiritual practice, and the art of letting...
In this inspiring conversation led by host Avi Gordon (director of Integral Yoga Teachers Association), Swami Ramananda (senior monk and president of the Integral Yoga Institute of San Francisco) shares profound insights on finding peace in chaotic times through...