Have you ever seen your own face? No. What you see in a mirror is not your face. It’s a reflection. If, to your great surprise, your face looks horrible and distorted in the mirror, do you jump up and run to the hospital? No, you get another mirror. You know that the...
What do you want to create? If your goal is to be useful to humanity, then it’s a creative goal. In fact, simply by thinking, we’re always creating something. But, our creation, our goal, should be useful to people. With that type of goal, you can do anything you...
Most of you will probably recognize the following prayer by St. Francis of Assisi. As you read it, let the words enter your heart. Take a moment to reflect on how you could apply it both outwardly to others and inwardly toward yourself. Prayer of Saint Francis of...
Oprah Winfrey hosted Dr. Dean Ornish, and his wife, Anne Ornish, on the TV show "Super Soul Sunday" to discuss UnDo It!, their bestselling book. Dr. Ornish, is a longtime student of Swami Satchidananda, and collaborated with Sri Swamiji in designing the groundbreaking...
Woodstock co-creator, the legendary Michael Lang passed away on Saturday, Jan. 8th. At 24 years-old, Lang and good friend Artie Lang, a music industry promoter, met with businessmen John Roberts and Joel Rosenman to come up with a plan for a music and art festival in...
Newly discovered video of the late great Jazz virtuoso, musician and composer, Alice Coltrane (Swami Turiyasangitananda) recorded live at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville in 1993. Swamini performed live for her beloved Guru, Sri Swami Satchidananda and the Yogaville...
There is a beautiful saying in one of the Hindu scriptures that says: “The body comes first. Before you begin to do anything, whatever your action is going to be, you need the body to do it.” The body is really and truly your buddy. People who want to be well and do...
In Part 5 of this series, we went over the first verse of the first chapter. I’d like to skip ahead now to the twentieth verse of the first chapter where Arjuna says to Sri Krishna: “Place my chariot in the middle of the two armies, O Krishna, so that I may behold...
There is nothing more powerful than the human mind. The mind has a tremendous capacity, so it can be trained to do anything. We can see this in the mental accomplishments or siddhis. If your thought force is strong enough, just by simply looking at an ordinary piece...
Imagine waking up in the morning with a palpable sense gratitude for being alive and having another opportunity to engage in life. Imagine what it would be like to approach your whole life with gratefulness as the foundation from which you encountered each moment....
The most selfless person is the most selfish one because they don’t want to disturb their peace. In the beginning of your Yoga practice, you try to stay away from all the situations that would interfere with your goal. There is some selfishness in that. But by being...
In this inspirational as well as practical advice video from 2020, Integral Yoga master teacher and center director, Nalanie Chellaram talks about how Yoga and meditation can help us to overcome the fears and anxieties we deal with in our daily lives and also the ones...
Cravings for pleasure are never ending. Every time you try to fulfill a craving, it’s like adding more gasoline to a fire that is already burning. We can’t eliminate desires completely and we don’t need to. Desires naturally arise in the mind. They only become...
How to love everyone equally? It’s a beautiful question. There are so many differences among us in terms of age, physical characteristics, professions, and so on. The only way to love everybody equally is to see the common element running through all these...
In this 3rd installment of this series on "Raja Yoga Now," Swami Karunananda encourages our readers to explore what they are truly searching for in life. And, to consider how the teachings of Raja Yoga can support one's inner exploration and spiritual journey. What do...
In this new column, Dale Ann Gray offers reflections on the yamas and niyamas of the Yoga Sutras, incorporating insights from classical Nondual Yoga. In this article, she offers an overview on the distinctions between the dualistic philosophy of Patanjali’s Yoga and...