Nothing is going to make you always happy. That’s what the Mother Nature teaches. She says, “You are running after me for happiness; stop running.” Sometimes we hear people saying, “I’ve run and run and run and now I’m tired of running. I’m going to stop.” If that...
Yoga lost one if it's great Western pioneers with the passing of Rama Jyoti Vernon. If Mataji Indra Devi can be called the first lady of Yoga, Rama Jyoti Vernon was certainly the keeper of the flame of classical Yoga in America. In later years Rama was also known as...
As the daylight hours shorten in the northern hemisphere this time of year, it’s natural to spend more time indoors. Plant and animal life alike pause from growing and withdraw from activity. We too benefit from periods of rest and reflection as a preparation for the...
Whatever is due to you will come and nobody can stop that or cheat you. If ever anybody does seem to cheat you, know that it is an aftereffect of what you have done to someone at some time in the past. You must have cheated somebody earlier, so now another person is...
I’ve been thinking a lot about 2020 and what a tumultuous year it has been. I’m not of the mindset that once we reach 2021 things will magically change, but I am hopeful for a brighter future for all of us. 2020 offered the opportunity to explore accessibility in so...
Stephen Cope changed my life. He might change yours, too. Need inspiration today? You got it. Put away your yellow highlighter when you read a Stephen Cope book. You’ll find yourself marking almost every sentence. The whole book will be yellow. Fifteen years ago, I...
South China Morning Post, one of Hong Kong's leading news agencies featured Integral Yoga teacher and therapist, Hersha Chellaram on their "Listen to Her" series. A longtime Hong Kong resident, Hersha's YAMA foundation has been working to make Yoga accessible to some...
In this recent Integral Yoga Podcast, Avi Gordon (director, Integral Yoga Teachers Association) talks with Ram Wiener about forgiveness, the experience of finding a Guru, and allowing the universe to shape us into someone we like. Ram (vice-president of business at...
The entire Bhagavad Gita is a series of questions and answers between Sri Krishna and his disciple, Arjuna. In chapter 13, Arjuna asks for knowledge about prakriti and Purusha. Arjuna asks: “What is knowledge and what is it that is to be known?” In those days, none of...
Even post-election we are still undergoing turbulent times in a divided nation. When Swami Satchidananda (Sri Gurudev) arrived in New York City in 1966 our country was also going through seismic cultural shifts. I know that, for me, the teachings and practices of...
Did you ever wonder what "Integral Yoga" means? In this video, Mataji (a long-time disciple of Swami Satchidananda) describes how the path of Integral Yoga progressively brings the body, heart, mind, and spirit into harmony and peace. Swami Gurucharanananda, lovingly...
Peace and joy are more or less different aspects of the same thing. If you are peaceful, you are joyful. Peace doesn’t depend on anything, but is totally independent, and it is always there. When you feel that peace, you feel a supreme happiness that also does not...
A selfless person does not depend on anyone or anything to be happy. Selflessness, unconditional happiness, and peace of mind go hand in hand. Whatever happens, such a person retains their peace. By remaining in that peace, they are in a much better position to react...
In addition to being a veteran meditator, Swami Asokananda is also a Hatha Yoga master. In episode 8 of the "Two Old Fogey Yogis" podcast, Rev. Prem coaxes out all his secrets on sustaining a lifelong practice, honing his skills as a hatha yogi and a teacher, and his...
It’s very, very hard to bring up children nowadays, particularly with all the things that they see, watch, read, and hear. Children don’t know what is right and what is wrong, what should be done or what should not be done, so certain things must be taught. It takes...
Pranayama, often described as yogic breathing, is one of the most powerful, yet subtle practices in Yoga. Certainly, we use yogic breathing techniques to practice pranayama—but if we mistake these techniques for the intent, we cut ourselves off from the full scope of...