Many sincere seekers encounter both Yoga and nonduality and wonder: Are these the same? Are they different? Does one contradict the other? At first glance, they can seem to point in opposite directions. Yoga speaks of discipline, purification, practice, and gradual...
How to really let go of wanting the fruits of your efforts? The best way to let go is to realize what will happen if you do not let go. Ask yourself: “If I let go, what will happen? If I do not let go, what will happen?” Make a list of pros and cons. The main reason...
In the great spiritual biographies of India, there are periods that seem, on the surface, uneventful—stretches of wandering, waiting, or uncertainty. Yet these are often the hidden chapters in which the deepest transformation takes place. For Ramaswamy, the young...
The history of a sage’s journey is not measured only in years spent with a teacher, but in the depth of the impression left upon the soul. For Ramaswamy (later known to the world as Swami Satchidananda) one such moment came during his years as a sadhu (wandering...
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...
Gurudev Sivanandaji used to say that we should watch our thoughts because they create habits. Once you develop a habit, it becomes your character. And then your character becomes your destiny. So, it all originates with your thinking. That is why it is so important to...
Viveka is the spiritual practice of discrimination—distinguishing between the real and unreal, the eternal and temporary, the Spiritual Presence and ego-identity. Here are some ways to put viveka into practice. See which of these resonates with you and supports you to...
When tracing the spiritual roots of Sri Swami Satchidananda’s extraordinary life and mission, one finds a constellation of saints, Siddhars, and sages who shaped his vision. Among these was a yogi of remarkable attainment and discipline: Sri Swami Sivananda...
“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...
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...
Swami Satchidananda said, “Bhakti Yoga is the easiest practice because we begin with love. Chanting doesn’t require a quiet place or a particular kind of dress or a particular type of life.” This testimony is evidenced by the steadily increasing popularity of kirtan...
Everything takes its own time to mature, including one’s spiritual maturity. Just because you pray a raw fruit will ripen, it won’t ripen overnight. Imagine that you plant a seed and you just sit there and pray, “Please seed, I have planted you and I hope you will be...
Karma Yoga transforms karma into Yoga. Karma Yoga never binds you to good or bad results, whereas karma ensures that you must experience the consequences of your actions, whether pleasant or painful. If your actions are good, then you face that in the form of...
If you get divinely and miraculously healed, is this part of your karma? Yes. Miraculously you are healed. Maybe you deserved it. God helped you to heal. You have done some good karma to receive that kind of healing energy. But if you haven't healed and if you want to...
We all probably struggle sometimes to make wise choices when deciding between taking care of others and taking care of ourselves. Many of us were raised with a strong work ethic that is reinforced by the “gotta get ahead” mentality of American culture, the value...
In our last installment, Ramaswamy (Swami Satchidananda’s birth name) realized that the next step in deepening his spiritual practices would be to travel sixty miles from his birthplace of Chettipalayam to the ashram of the family Guru, Sri Sadhu Swamigal, in Palani....