“The most important quality on the spiritual path is deep, selfless, heartfelt devotion and love for God.” “The power of habit is specially important in the spiritual path.” —Paramhansa Yogananda People usually think of habits as things that we do, rather than as thoughts and attitudes. But even our habitual actions have their origin in…
Often I tell Kriya Yogis, particularly those who are math-challenged, that there are only two ‘mathematical equations’ one needs to memorize in order to achieve success on the path of Kriya. The first I mentioned in my blog post “Kriya Yoga Plus Devotion Works Like Mathematics” The other equation is this: “Twenty-five percent of spiritual…
This article covers a technique, Khechari Mudra, that is one of the most unusual in yoga and therefore a bit too strange for some people. I’m posting it here because there is quite a lot of confusion around this technique, and what Paramhansa Yogananda taught about it. Khechari Mudra (also spelled Khecari or Kechari) is…
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico and Venezuela to lead Kriya Yoga initiations. Even though it’s a struggle to communicate due to my lack of Spanish (fortunately, I had a very good translator!), there is a lingua franca (common language) shared by sincere Kriya Yogis — the language of divine…
One of the most fantastic and beautiful stories in Paramhansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi tells of Lahiri Mahasaya’s initiation into Kriya Yoga by his Guru, Mahavatar Babaji. To this day, the Kriya ceremony at Ananda is performed just the way Yogananda did it, and is patterned after the way Lahiri Mahasaya received, and gave,…
Audience at 2008 International Kriya Yoga Retreat in India Ananda recently held its second International Kriya Yoga Retreat in Gurgaon, India. You can watch and listen to all the talks here. I would like to expand on something I mentioned in one of my classes there. There is a great deal of talk in modern…
One of the great joys of my work with Kriya Yogis is the frequent emails I receive from them, describing the positive effects of Kriya practice. These testimonials come from long-time Kriyabans, and from people who have been practicing Kriya less than a year.
Many times the practice of Kriya brings what I call ‘unintended consequences’ — all of them positive! A recent email from a new Kriyaban described how they had stopped eating meat, were eating half as much as they used to (good in their case, apparently!) – all of this even though they weren’t trying to make these particular changes in their life.
Recently Swami Kriyananda gave two extraordinary talks on Kriya Yoga in Daily Life in Pune and Mumbai, India. You can listen to both talks on the Ananda website. People who are interested in receiving initiation into Kriya are often interested in what Kriya will do to deepen their meditation, and what kind of spiritual experiences…
Over 200 Ananda members traveled to Southern California last week for 5 days of events. The highlight was the official launch of Swami Kriyananda’s new book, Revelations of Chirst. It was held at the Wadsworth Theatre in Los Angeles, and was attended by over 1,000 people. You can listen to Swami Kriyananda’s talk and view…
Students of yoga often believe that yoga techniques alone can give one spiritual liberation, or moksha. But Paramhansa Yogananda taught that right attitude, discipleship to a true Guru, and deep devotion are just as important as yoga techniques, if not more so. Yogananda told a disciple, “Kriya Yoga plus devotion works like mathematics. It cannot…
Last weekend we celebrated Swami Kriyananda’s 81st birthday at Ananda Village. He spoke for over three hours during several occasions, covering many topics. I am quoting a few of his words here, but I urge you to listen to his talks on the Ananda website. Swamiji shared a lifetime’s worth of spiritual insight from the…
I have a favorite chant that was frequently sung by Sri Yukteswar, Paramhansa Yogananda’s guru. It’s titled Desire, My Great Enemy:
Desire, my great enemy,
With his soldiers surrounded me,
Is giving me lots of trouble, oh my Lord,
Is giving me lots of trouble, oh my Lord.
That enemy, I will deceive,
Remaining in the Castle of Peace,
Night and Day [...]
Recently I’ve been struck yet again by how effective Kriya Yoga is for causing deep changes in people’s lives and consciousness. Not long ago, I was checking someone’s Kriya practice. This person received Kriya about a year ago. At the time they received the initiation, I wasn’t quite sure that they were ready to practice…
We have just finished the first Ananda International Kriyaban Retreat here in Gurgaon, India – three days dedicated to deepening the practice of Kriya Yoga. The retreat culminated with an extraordinary talk by Swami Kriyananda on The Role of Kriya Yoga in the World. The entire three days was one continuous highlight of long and…
This weekend is the annual Ananda retreat in honor of Paramhansa Yogananda’s Mahasamadhi, here in Gurgaon, India. It’s such a joy to practice meditation and Kriya Yoga with people from all over the world: India, America, South Africa, and nearly every European country. Seeing the harmony and love between the people here shows how easy…
As director of Ananda’s Kriya Sangha, I’ve had the great good fortune of hearing from countless Kriya Yogis from around the world. These wonderful souls have shared with me their stories about the extraordinary growth that comes from following the Path of Kriya. In the coming months I’ll share some of those conversations with you.…
