By the time Swami Satchidananda arrived in New York in 1966, he was no newcomer to the work of transformation. He had already spent more than a decade in Sri Lanka, where he transformed the lives of all who came within his orbit — opening Divine Life Society branches...
In a handwritten aerogramme from Swami Satchidananda to Sohini Mehta – his first Indian disciple living in Bombay – he wrote, "I am now in New York, America. I just came for 2 days here, but many devotees have gathered round and insisted that I must stay longer. They...
During October 2026, we celebrate the founding of Integral Yoga by Swami Satchidananda in 1966 in New York. We look back at how Integral Yoga came to the West, the memories of some who were there in those early years, explore some of the spiritual roots from which it...
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...
While Sri Patanjali and other classical Yoga sources have known this for several thousand years, recent medical research highlights the profound connection between breath, body, and mind, emphasizing breathwork as a tool for emotional regulation and stress relief....
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....
Ahimsa is a Sanskrit word that translates as “without injury” or “nonviolence” in English. It’s a principle in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jainist philosophy that involves causing the least amount of harm possible to all beings. It’s the first ethical principle given as a...
When you watch the thoughts passing through your mind by being the witness rather than getting caught up in them, is this the same as what is meant by the expression, “Offering it up to God?” Yes, you can look at it in this way. One approach is what we can call the...
For many years, I’ve given a talk on New Year’s resolutions at our annual Integral Yoga New Year’s Retreat. I focus mainly on setting achievable goals for a regular spiritual practice of poses, breathing, relaxation and meditation. Here’s a few suggestions from that...
Integral Yoga Media, in collaboration with Integral Yoga Publications is thrilled to announce the release of our latest audiobook: To Know Your Self by Sri Swami Satchidananda, read by Nathan Chatelier and released on Audible. To Know Your Self is based on the...
José Rafael Madureira, an Integral Yoga Brazil sangha member, produced this inspiring YouTube playlist containing his seven most favorite quotes from Swami Satchidananda. José kindly offered these in honor of the 110th birth anniversary of Sri Swamiji (December 22,...
"When we walk with faith we're never alone. We trust there's a Higher Power always with us." In this satsang talk, presented by Integral Yoga TV, Swami Karunananda, senior monk and teacher trainer, speaks on the subject of faith. She also shares amazing stories from...
The Integral Yoga End-of-Life Project and its website offers a free resource filled with profound guidance inspired by the teachings of Integral Yoga. The Project blends timeless spiritual principles with practical approaches. Central to this initiative is a...
Enjoy watching/listening to Yoga teacher Rachel Scott's podcast in which she is in conversation with Integral Yoga Publications author Carroll Ann (Prashanti) Friedman. Prashanti discusses her new book, Practicing the Yoga Sutras: A Personal Study Guide and Journal....
If you want to see well through a window, you have to clean both sides. Practice (abhyasa) and non-attachment (vairagya) work much the same way. They are the complimentary practices given in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras as a means to quiet the movement of thought in the...
While in seclusion (in the early 1940s) undergoing intensive sadhana, Ramaswamy’s (Swami Satchidananda’s birth name) diet was austere, limited to one meal a day at noon consisting of kitcheree, a mixture of rice and dhal. His mother, Srimati Velammai, would prepare it...