A few months ago my wife and I watched an inspiring documentary called “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” which prompted us to take on the challenge of an extended juice fast. I had no idea what to expect, except from what I had experienced doing Yogananda’s Nine Day Cleanse (also highly recommended!) many years ago.…

An affirmation is a statement of truth which one aspires to absorb into his life. It has been said that we are what we eat. It would be truer to say, “We are what we think.” –Swami Kriyananda September 15, 2011. Where was I?… Glued to my computer screen, of course! A new gem had…

Greetings, dear ones, Life here in India is never dull. I want to tell you a little of the hardships (tapasya) and the blessings that inevitably run hand in hand with progress. When Michael and I arrived in India there were 11 or 12 great souls striving earnestly in preparation for Swami Kriyananda’s long awaited…

11-11-11 — an obviously auspicious day for writing a blog. May all sentient and non-sentient creatures be blessed with inner and outer peace today and always.  I was/am amazed at the number of favorable responses to my last blog, wherein I told the story of my husband’s broken leg and how we are working our…

How did you come on to the spiritual path, and find Ananda? Was it by reading Autobiography of a Yogi? Was there a single event, or many long years of searching? A favorite pastime at Ananda is listening to these stories, as they are always inspiring, and often quite fascinating. Please share your own story…

Ananda Portland is expanding – you may have read about the new educational campus, Ananda Center at Laurelwood, and the new assisted living venture, Ananda House. But we have many other parts of the work here as well, and as I play my role as manager of the temple and teaching center I find it…

The summer I turned 24, life fell apart. I lost one job, and my closest friendship crashed and burned. My parents didn’t understand me, and I considered giving up on them, as well. “Wait,” I thought. “Have you tried explaining yourself? It would be dumb to give up without having done your part. Besides, if…

Swami Kriyananda asked a group of people to move to Los Angeles and help Ananda happen down here. So last fall 10 or so of us packed up and moved down to the big city. We are now quickly coming up on our one year anniversary. I think all of us have been stretched in…

Finances are tough for everyone, especially now and usually the thought is “We must save and pinch our pennies!” Now this isn’t a bad thing, in fact we should be smart with our money, but with everything on the spiritual path, the question should be, “Am I being more contractive or more expansive?” Even though…

Recently the majority of the East Coast experienced multiple days of hurricane warnings and subsequent weather with winds and rains causing flooding in some regions and power outages for days to weeks in others. Road signs flashed everywhere to prepare for the hurricane and stay home.   As I was preparing for the storm in southern…

Workers were out all over the property when we arrived on Saturday. Building a chicken coop, raising fence around garden, hauling trash, building an altar, cleaning, installing windows, and of course, cooking for the 100+ Anandans who converge from all the different communities to add their energy to the growing vitality that is rapidly becoming…

Just before I started the Karma Yoga Program at the Expanding Light, I had a few days of dealing with a paralyzing fear. At that point, I had only a month’s (beautiful, life-changing) experience of Ananda, at the Meditation Retreat in the foothills of the Sierra mountains.  I was so new (and still am!). And…

About 45 years ago, I spent two and a half years paralyzed from the chest down. The neurosurgeons tried unsuccessfully to remove a cyst that was compressing my spinal cord, and a year of physical therapy brought no improvement, but a second surgery succeeded, and I gradually recovered the use of my legs. I’ve had…

A few weeks ago, Ananta and I were walking through the fields with four apprentices who have come to work with us on the farm this season. Specifically, we were identifying local weeds and talking about their function in soils as indicators of soil quality and health. One of the common weeds we were discussing…

These are thoughts of daily life are from over a year ago — I’m just now sharing them! This is an experiment, and I’d be glad to know what you think of this format in the comments. February 3, The Joyful Arts Center Right now I’m standing in the auditorium of the Joyful Arts Center,…

Sadhana Devi and I shifted last month to Gurgaon from Pune after being away since 2008. In our absence, the Ananda center/ ashram went through significant changes, making our return like coming back to a different place. Even Delhi seems to have changed for the better but my guess is that these transformations are more…

It’s early morning and you’re shuffling to your meditation seat. You’re feeling that peaceful anticipation that comes before a meditation. Still walking, you glance up and see your laptop on your desk. It seems to beckon to you. The thought arises, “You know, it would only take a few moments, a few keystrokes to check…

I had two titles in my mind for this blog post. The second one was to be something like, Riding the Wave with Yogananda. I went on a pilgrimage this past weekend to sites in the Los Angeles area made sacred by Paramhansa Yogananda. In some ways it was a very fast paced weekend trying…

“How do I know if I have overcome a particular karma?” Swami Kriyananda was asked by a student.

“When you are no longer afraid of it,” was his reply. I have often thought of these words and pondered their meaning.

Today I had the opportunity to ponder on those words of Swamiji’s, as they relate to physical pain, through a more direct experience than usual…

It is always hard to lose a great soul. Even though one mentally understands that the soul simply leaves the body as we all change the clothes at the end of the day, it is still very sad to say good bye to a great friend. I first got in contact with Maria through e-mails…