“If you ask me ‘What is Yoga?’ the only reply I can think of is: Yoga is a state of grace.” These words by Narayana Kiekens distill a life wholly devoted to the spirit of Yoga and the teachings of his Gurus. For more than six decades, Narayana—alongside his wife...
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,...
“Possession are okay, as long as you possess them, and you don’t allow them to possess you.” ~Sri Swami Satchidananda It’s ironic how as youngsters all we want to do is play with our toys. As children, we must learn to share at home with our siblings and at school...
After spending several years immersed in sadhana under the guidance of Sadhu Swamigal at his ashram in Palani, Ramaswamy—who would one day be known to the world as Swami Satchidananda—felt a stirring once again in his soul. His heart was restless, not from...
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...
Each year on Guru Poornima, we turn our hearts in deep gratitude to the Guru—the one who awakens the Light of Truth within us. It is a time of honoring not only our own teacher, but the entire lineage of saints, sages, and realized beings who have guided humanity from...
When we strive to see ourselves as instruments of a Higher Will—the hands of God at work in the world—we access and allow ourselves to be guided by a concern for the well-being of everyone. We more easily let go of our personal desires without force or denial and find...
All there is, is Infinite Consciousness. There is neither the perceiver nor the perceived. This is the great silence. This is the birthless and deathless state. All that we call unconscious, subconscious, conscious, and superconscious are the different states of...
From the stillness of dawn to the farthest corners of the heart, the legacy of Sri Swami Satchidananda continues to inspire and uplift. One beautiful expression of this devotion comes from Lakshmi Harilela, an Integral Yoga teacher in Hong Kong and a gifted creative...
The world lost a gentle yet powerful voice for compassion and conscious living with the passing of John Robbins in June 2025. Best known for his groundbreaking books like Diet for a New America and The Food Revolution, Robbins was more than a bestselling author—he was...
In this heartfelt and reflective conversation led by host Avi Gordon (director of Integral Yoga Teachers Association), Swami Asokananda (president of the Integral Yoga Institute of New York) shares his incredible life journey—from his Brooklyn upbringing in a...
In the last two installments of this series, we explored the profound presence of the Divine Mother Bhuvaneshvari—She who is the sovereign of the worlds—and how her sacred mantra and yantra became a mystical foundation within the Integral Yoga tradition. Though rarely...
The following reflections are excerpted from the new book Sacred Resistance: Eco-Activism and the Rise of New Spiritual Communities, edited by Mark Clatterbuck. Five different spiritual communities are observed, exploring how, spirituality—individual and communal,...
In the sacred stillness of the Palani Hills, at the samadhi shrine of the great Siddhar Bhogar, a seed of profound transformation was sown in the heart of a young seeker named Ramasamy. Years later, known to the world as Sri Swami Satchidananda, he would carry that...
The great South Indian sage Thiruvalluvar said, “What is tapasya (penance)?” Tapasya doesn’t mean go and close your eyes and meditate. That’s easy, comfortable. Tapas means to burn. A spiritual seeker is supposed to practice tapasya. Thiruvalluvar says, “The more you...