The basis of the mind, which you call the ego, has a tendency to want everything. I want this, I have to gain or own it; I want to do this or that. Wanting to possess is the nature of the ego. That’s why the little “i” always has a “mine” in it. You become really...
Learning Lessons
Anybody can follow saints, sages, and prophets—even the tail follows the body of the dog but it remains a tail. You have to become that peace, joy, wisdom, on your own. You should bring out those qualities in your life and let people say, “Oh, here is another Jesus,...
Patanjali’s Words: Kriya Yoga
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 leaps ahead to Chapter 2 to its very first sutra. In sutra 2.1, Patanjali...
A Journey to Humility
A journey to humility: That turns out to be a fair description of documentary filmmaking in Yogaville, according to Jeff Ananda Kamen, who just premiered his latest documentary, "Mataji: The Devoted Life of Swami Gurucharanananda." Mataji is the seniormost Integral...
The Real Meaning of Spiritual Living
Leading a spiritual life and experiencing God, at all times, is nothing supernatural. It’s just an ordinary simple thing. You don’t have to fly in the air, swallow nitric acid, or sleep on a bed of nails. I mean, you don’t have to do anything extraordinary. Physical...
The World is Your Projection
The entire world is nothing but your projection. Each person sees the world with his or her own color, and that’s their world. You cannot insist and say that things are this way or that way just because this is the way you see it. The other person will always say,...
“The Golden Present” Website Re-Launches
Swami Satchidananda's book, The Golden Present, has been one of Integral Yoga's most read publications. It contains inspiration and guidance from Swami Satchidananda in the form of a reading a day for a year. The website (thegoldenpresent.org) devoted to this book has...
Why Do We Forget Who We Really Are?
Recently, someone asked a question: “If peace and unconditional love are our natural state, why is it that we have forgotten? We have forgotten because we’ve been given the free will to forget. You are free to choose either way. Peace is our nature no doubt, but we...
The Difference Between Spiritual Love and Personal Love
Divine love is the affection shown toward the spirit of the individual. Personal love is the love that is shown toward the body, or the mind and its characteristics, or, the person’s belongings; anything that is materially-based. Even though there is spirit in each...
Patanjali’s Words: Impediments on the Path
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 30th sutra of Chapter 1 in which Patanjali begins to describe...
What Does Moderation Really Mean?
Question: I’ve heard you say that everything is all right in moderation. Can you speak more about that, and does it apply to drinking alcohol and smoking? Swami Satchidananda: There is a saying, in the Tirukkural, one of the oldest spiritual texts in Tamil, “You can...
Patanjali’s Words: OM
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 27th and 28th sutras of Chapter 1 in which Patanjali now...
Saucha: Enough Already—The Pleasure of Simplicity
After years of dedicated service in Integral Yoga ashrams and centers in California, New York, Virginia, India and other places, Swami Divyananda now travels more than ever, calling the entire world her home. Along the journey, she has learned some insightful lessons...
Faith and the Crystal Clear Mind
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...
Patanjali’s Words: Guru
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 26th sutra of Chapter 1 in which Patanjali now talks about...
Enlightenment: An Unlearning Process — A Conversation with Marianne Williamson
In 2013, Integral Yoga Magazine’s editor, Reverend Prem Anjali, Ph.D., shared an in-depth conversation on enlightenment with renowned author and spiritual activist, Marianne Williamson. Williamson’s 1996 book, A Return to Love, is considered a must-read in the field...