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...
Join the Integral Yoga Institute of San Francisco for a weekend of guided practice to rest the body and mind and to find inner sanctuary by breaking away from the daily patterns that no longer serve us. In the spacious silence, we can strengthen our connection to...
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...
Be Here Now remains a spiritual classic for the millions who have read it and will continue to read it. Published in 1971, Be Here Now was written by Ram Dass and the 50th anniversary of the book is being celebrated in 2021. In this article, writer/editor Doug Toft...
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...
In this conversation, Avi Gordon (director of the Integral Yoga Teachers Association) talks with Francesca Cervero—a full-time Yoga teacher since 2005—about her approach to practicing and teaching Yoga. Francesca's teaching is inspired by her foundational training...
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 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...
This talk was given by Sri Swami Satchidananda to a gathering of members from the Lions Club and Rotarian Club organizations in Hong Kong. The main reason behind all the world’s problems is selfishness. Living an unselfish life means that we perform our actions for...
As long as you feel that you are doing something, then you are responsible. But when you don’t feel that you are doing anything, and you feel that you have completely surrendered into the hands of a Higher Power that does everything, where is the karma for you? When...
Rev. Shankar Fern believes that the workplace is the schoolhouse for evolving ourselves as spiritual beings. In this article, he highlights some of the key teachings of Swami Satchidananda that he has applied during the past three decades as a successful business...
All our various spiritual practices should bring some benefit right away to the body, mind and to our society. Don’t think that if you practice for a long time and there’s no benefit that suddenly, after twenty years, peace will come to you! Instead, you should feel...
In this modern age, filled with conflict, chaos and doubt, the youth want to raise above these conflicts and come together as one global family. We have been dividing ourselves and separating ourselves in so many hundreds of ways. These man-made divisions are in the...
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali begins with a call that reverberates through the ages: Atha Yoganusasanam: Now the exposition of Yoga is being made. It is an invitation to seekers of truth everywhere, irrespective of place, time or circumstance. It offers a universal...