I felt inspired to write the following article during my recent seclusion at Ananda’s Meditation Retreat in Northern California. I also felt to share my thoughts on seclusion after reading a beautiful book during my experience entitled, : The Joyful Art of Sharing Quality Time with God, by a dear friend and long time Ananda…

Today was my birthday and was filled with such love from friends and family. As this strange world would have it, it has also been six months to the day since my dad passed away, so naturally it has also been a tender time of remembrance. My mind drifted back to this day last year.…

“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…

It is unlikely that in my life-time I will ever again ride through the streets of Mumbai barely seeing another car, and under police escort! It is the day after Swami Kriyananda’s Mumbai event. A key figure in Maharashtran politics has died and trouble is expected in the city. Security is “Code Red”. All public…

Caitlin and I walked to school this morning. Just as I was saying goodbye to her at the classroom door, the teacher’s dog Charlie leapt over the barricade and bounded off enthusiastically down the hill. We all ran after him, adults and kids alike, and finally after 5 minutes found him quite a distance away.…

If this film doesn’t express the highest vibration, I don’t know if anything possibly could. I’ve just come from the ridge where they filmed our two professional dancers, Mirabai Deranja and Christopher Selbie, dancing to Life Is a Dream, choreographed by Lori Van Atta. The sun was setting behind them, creating a beautiful blend of…

Today feels really good so far, and I’m getting more and more comfortable with the whole process. We started with shots at Lotus Lake, with the gorgeous natural morning light. It is a joy to see the directors work together, searching for “where the money is”, or the best shots for light and color. One…

Good morning! So here we are in Crystal Hermitage dining room, where we come first thing for makeup and wardrobe. Here is Sarah Kreutz on the left, wardrobe director, and Elisabeth Granli on the right, who is here from LA to assist Elisabeth Rohm during the filming. This morning we will be shooting a “point…

There is a tangible presence of God on the set here, as I step into my role for the film, Cities of Light. I had no idea what to expect from this process, and what a process it is! A few nights ago I couldn’t sleep, as I knew my life was heading into a…

“Go see Garrett today,” my inner voice urged. I had been putting it off. In fact, I’d felt uneasy around Garrett ever since he’d come down with brain cancer a year ago. It had happened so quick! One minute we were cooking corn for 4th of July, the next, he was in the hospital. Now…

Maintenance at the Expanding Light Guest Retreat, here at Ananda Village, is a study in contrasts.  The job can at times feel like smooth sailing, but barely a week later resembles treading water to stay afloat.  Many repairs are straight forward, such as fixing toilets or sinks, but others are larger projects requiring more expertise…

Well here we are, the best part of a year gone since coming to live on the land, here at Ananda Kriya Yogashram in Pune, India. It is now Monsoon, and no better time is there to reflect on the tests and trials that have passed and to wonder at those still yet to come.…

An extraordinary meeting has just taken place, and I will try to convey in words the presence of God that I am feeling so strongly. This is one of those moments that I am trying to absorb to the fullest extent possible, so that I can call upon for it inspiration in the future –…

It is summer now, and I can feel my own and others’ thoughts of “…time to take a vacation!” vibrating in the air. Years ago, I went through real challenge around taking vacations. I found that I was coming back from vacations more exhausted than when I left. One of my problems seemed to be…

Since last June, I’ve taught yoga every Thursday night at the local YMCA, and this question is nearly always the number one thing on my mind! Every week I have a fresh class of students. Some are new and some have attended class on and off for months. Some are very experienced yogis, while some…

I am late for satsang with the revered woman saint, Mataji Vanamil Devi. I was unavoidably detained by an appointment with a highly respected vedic astrologer. But Divine Mother comes to my rescue, yet not without a playing a little joke on me. I had professed to a friend, only weeks before, that if I…

Our 2012 adventure continues at home, as my wife has begun her online schooling to become a certified health coach (yes, we’re still juicing once a day and feeling great), and I move forward with manifesting new directions for music, consciousness, and inspiration, while keeping up the Ananda Music responsibilities. This is definitely uncharted territory…

I have been blessed to witness what many souls would call a miracle through the healing power of prayers. Yogananda’s healing prayer techniques utilize the natural law of electromagnetism and healing energy transmission through the hands and spiritual eye. I have witnessed these prayers work and the following story is another example very dear to…

Ever since I have been on this path after reading Autobiography of Yogi my utmost desire was to visit all the places mentioned in that book, at least those which are in India. Guruji once again heeded my prayer. I received an email from Ananda for a Kolkata pilgrimage. I must say the email was…

Inner Renewal Week, a month ago, focused on life, death and rebirth, viewing our ultimate transition as a “final exam” we might prepare for now. One tip, for me, stood out:  Review your life, but focus on the happy memories and experiences. Since going through hospice with my partner Ken in 1998, I’ve been a…

Through Many Lives: A Tale of Time Travel Through the Yugas by Nayaswami Savitri Simpson. One year ago, in a blog I wrote for this website Writing a Spiritual Novel, I told the story of how I came to be writing a novel. I told of the many interesting lessons learned thus far. If you…

On the spiritual path, there is an interesting balance to be struck. For if one renounces the world in his search for God, it is easy to get into a mindset that emphasizes noninvolvement in outward activity. And if one is too involved in outward activity, how can one make inward spiritual progress? When am…

Devotion is the foundation of our spiritual path. All the teachings, writings, and talks emphasize its primary importance. Yet it took me over 16 years at Ananda before I realized it and started to actively practice it. My own nature is more “mind” than “heart” focused. I grew up in a Christian religion that never…

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…

Working on an organic farm can be a very interesting and entertaining endeavor, especially when you have little or no experience in farming! There are all those preconceived thoughts that come to one’s mind with what goes on, on a farm: waking up early, lots of manual labor, remembering when and how much to water…

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…

I got sick recently and was slowly losing my voice. As a singer in the LA Joy Singers quartet I was starting to get a little concerned as I saw an important concert approaching. We had planned an interfaith event called “Unity through Music”. We had invited members of other churches and spiritual groups for…

“…love can befriend you today.” This lovely excerpt from Swami Kriyananda’s song, Life Is a Dream, comes to mind often in these times of difficulty. My wife lost her job this past summer, and making ends meet has become more of a struggle. We are both faced with the daily challenge of keeping our energy…

Sometimes I wonder these things: a) Why would anybody want to write a blog about what is going on in their lives lately? and more importantly, b) Why would anybody want to (or have time to) actually read it? Our Ananda webmasters have convinced me that people do want to read what we have to…

We had a very uplifting concert last night featuring Swami Kriyananda’s music, and even though there are some imperfections in the recordings such as wind on the mic, I thought I’d post them for you all: Dark Eyes with solo by Ramu Atwell Keep Calling Him with solo by Maitri Jones, Krishna Dewey, and Latika…

Ananda Portland recently purchased a former Seventh-Day Adventist Academy. The academy buildings sit on 55 acres of rolling hills 30 minutes west of the city of Portland. The setting is rural, but not isolated – the school once housed, fed and educated hundreds of students and was the heart of life in the valley. A…

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,…

Over the last 3 years ‘the watcher’ in me has quietly observed my spiritual advancement. It is becoming very clear that a pattern is forming when my usual slow, steady steps have leaped two at a time. One might well ask what coincided with these definite peaks in advancement. Simple…I visited Ananda communities! All who…

In Spring of 2009 we were given a “tour of our land” by a descendant of the ancient Nisinam Tribe, the ancestors of the modern Maidu Indians. With an inherent “eye” for these things, our guide pointed out signs in abundance of these ancient dwellers who called this land home. He was deeply moved by…

Good Friday can be a very challenging day to get through, as it gives us the opportunity to identify ourselves with the thought that we are sinners, which Yogananda strongly urged us to avoid. Nayaswami Ananta addressed this issue so beautifully and thoroughly in his talk on Palm Sunday that I highly urge you to…

Namaste, We have grown up in a world that is in such a mess because it has evolved, predominenetly, on reason alone. If man would evolve from intuition, we would see a very different place. I want to briefly share 2 experiences that happened on the same day. To set the scene, I meditate at…

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…

Often we remember GOD and GURU when are in trouble and many of us must have experienced during that tough time divine help as well as protection and guidance. But when I cultivated a habit of not forgetting master in everything I do he became like a living legend for me. Now…

Yesterday I wasn’t feeling particularly aggravated or irritable, I thought I was quite centered and calm as I worked on the computer and answered multiple phone calls. There were several tasks to be done at once and I was emailing documents back and forth when the phone rang again. This time it was a telemarketer…

I was standing in the Baggage Claim section of the San Jose (CA) airport when I heard an unexpected sound. Someone was tentatively playing a few keys on a piano, like a tunesmith toying with a melody. Looking around a corner, I spied a baby grand situated in the middle of an open space. As…

Happy New Year. This feels to be a special year. In everyone I talk to, or sit near at Sunday Service, or serve with, I feel a deepening commitment in our quest to go ever deeper on the path of God-realization. 2010 was not a particularly easy year, but I left 2010 and entered 2011…

As you walk into Hansa Mandir, one of the first things you notice is a quote from Yogananda stencilled beautifully over the entrance that reads “The time for knowing God has come!” I must confess, for the past few years, I’ve thought “yes, yes, someday…” However, there have been positive changes in my life over…

Swami Kriyananda has often told us to build a mental bonfire before we go to bed each night and cast into it all desires and attachments that we’ve collected throughout the day. I wanted to practice this but was never able to be consistent with it. I realized the problem was that I was making…

This past weekend we had a wonderful performance of Swami Kriyananda’s Oratorio Christ Lives at the Church of the Recessional in the Forset Lawn Mortuary, just up the hill from where Yogananda’s body is kept. We had over 50 singers from many different colonies who all came together just that day to sing, and it…

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…

I am inspired to write this blog by the example of one of Ananda Sangha’s dearest spiritual sisters. In her humility, I know that she would prefer not to be named. Our sister has reached the point in this life when God is calling her Home. She lies in her bed at home, close to…

On the weekend of November 5 – 7, 2010, Nayaswami Anaashini Alzate and I traveled from Ananda Village to Chicago to participate in a weekend of programs at the beautiful Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago. This unusual invitation came about through friends of mine, Elizabeth Davenport and Anne Benvenuti. Anne and Elizabeth are…

Greetings friends, There is so much happening in the expanding world of Ananda right now, one can tune into all the energy and enthusiasm or get a bit overwhelmed with trying to keep track of it all. Illustration for affirmation, “God is Everywhere, Within Me and Around Me.” Everyone connected to Ananda, at every level,…

A few years ago I read a book entitled, The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin. Jyotish Novak, spiritual director of Ananda Worldwide, recommended it and I found it very enlightening and applicable to my own life. Josh Waitzkin is probably most popularly known from the book and movie, Searching for Bobby Fisher. Searching for…

Why is it that when we know we need to be out of bed early that will be the day the alarm doesn’t go off? This happened to me this morning. I especially wanted to rise at 04 30 to allow for a long meditation and to get some chores out of the way before…

Sometimes life seems complicated, stressful or sad. And sometimes we get to enjoy simple pleasures that allow the heart to swell with gratitude. Harvest Day was one of those days. I tried to post this sooner but life has been quite busy for me. Some things have been challenging, but for the most part there…

As a nod to the Halloween season, with its focus on the unusual, I thought to share a couple of dreams that featured my spiritual guide—and instrument of my guru, Paramhansa Yogananda—his direct disciple, Swami Kriyananda. When I was a young man I used to dream that I could fly. I enjoyed these nocturnal experiences,…

I have been awe, these last 2 or 3 years, at the way my earthly family has changed since Guru found me and guided me to Ananda. It is fascinating to watch the power of divine magnetism unfold and manifest Its profound effects, and quickly! One by one, close family members are coming round to…

Dear Friends, It has been 8 months now since I first wrote the blog, Faith is My Armour:Tears a Rite of Passage, in which I describe the discovery of my sister Helen’s terminal ilness. Well, I am now able, to truly tell you with joy, that she made a very peaceful transition to the astral…

Sean, when introducing Swami Kriyananda to the audience of 1150 people called this event “The Miracle Show”. Swamiji has been dealing with considerable fatigue and a fall (which happened the week after SRW) that resulted in an injured hip and all the pain and debility that can accompany something like that. He had many very…

In my last post, I promised this one to be short and sweet. I have had many experiences since coming to Ananda that I would describe as sweet. But the sweetness I’m feeling lately is the awareness that the outward complexity of the spiritual path is an illusion. All the seeming separate pieces of life…

What an incredible week we had! Here are some recordings from our concert last Monday night: Salute The Great Paper Flag (Swami’s one political song!)salute-the-great-paper-flag.mp3 Here is a beautiful instrumental, Love Is the Aspiration Toward Perfection played by Craig Roberts, Bhagavati, myself, Todd Billingsley, and Mukti Deranja. 01-aspiration.mp3 And another, Friendship Is Acting In Freedom,…

The Peace Treaty is a three-act play that Swamiji wrote many years ago. And for about the last 10 years it has been a tradition to perform it during Spiritual Renewal Week. I know that for the actors and viewers alike, with each performance the play offers some new pearls of wisdom. The play in…

Its hard to believe how quickly time has past. It is already Spiritual Renewal Week 2010, one of the highlights of the year at Ananda. The Village is bursting at the seams with guests, the hustle and bustle of event planning and the high energy that happens when spiritual friends from the world over gather…

Last month saw the first anniversary of Ananda Meditation Group, Isle of Man. It was an event that I knew in my heart would come to pass; however the odds against the group’s very survival have been great. Paramahansa Yogananda taught that nothing is sent to us that we cannot handle, and it is something…

Lorna with the fellow trainees Once we are sincerely seeking God, and the longing for truth becomes stronger than the call of the material world, God sends a guru. When we feel that we can give our life to the spiritual path and the guidance of the guru, we become a disciple. When we become…

This past weekend was a very busy and joyful for the folks at Ananda Village. We hosted people from all over to celebrate the 41st Anniversary of Ananda and Independence Day. Friends from all over came to help us celebrate, of course, but especially they came to see Swami Kriyananda who has just returned for…

Ananda’s temple in Assisi Greetings dear friends My husband, Michael, came out with the most profound statement the other day in the beautiful Ananda temple near Assisi, Italy, and he not being familiar with the teachings of yoga. He said, “You know what is blocking my path?….myself!” Those who read a previous blog of mine…

First, I’ll tell you about the play. At the Portland Living Wisdom School, the primary class (first, second and third grade) performed “Frog’s Dream”, a musical play set in the rainforest. I co-teach the class and my job was to sit on the sidelines and hit the play/pause button on the CD player at the…

Hi Everyone, It has been an amazing Spring here at Ananda Village. It was very long and wet, but the result was a very vivid wildflower season, a very long tulip season and some great clouds and luscious flowers and skies. I have been pretty busy with all kinds of stuff, just like everyone else…

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…

Through Nature’s hills and wooded vales, The plenitude of Thee, unveiled, Drives Thy spear into my heart At wonderment of this, Thou art. Such peace, the like born of no other, That reaches out to world, my brother. No separateness of sky to man, For all commune as One Great Clan; Beloved, I feel Thee…

I recently completed the Yoga Teacher Training course at the Expanding Light. It was an amazing month filled with great joy and laughter, profound wisdom, and personal growth. Some of my fellow trainees/teachers/friends on a hike to Bald Mountain The program was an incredible experience. It was a blessing to receive a broader and deeper…

Note from the editor: May 22 marked the launch of a newly published original edition of the Autobiography of a Yogi in Italian. The event took place in Milan. Swami Kriyananda addressed a full room of 500 avid listeners, after having given a number of magazine and television interviews the previous days, and a private…

“…listen to my music.” We had a very deep evening of honoring Swami Kriyananda on his 84th birthday – I wish you all could have been there, for the vibration of the entire evening was very much in keeping with where Swami’s consciousness is right now – deep bliss. I hope you can take a…

Delighted, no end is actually the punch line to a joke in the Peace Treaty (Swamiji Kriyananda’s 3-act play). But it describes this weekend perfectly. People were delighted with the gardens at Crystal Hermitage. Hi everyone, last week I shared with you photos of the first weekend of Springtime at Ananda. It was cloudy and…

The past two days were the first weekend of the long-awaited-for Springtime at Ananda Open House. After many, many months of preparation the doors were thrown open and the public was invited to share in the glorious colors of the Crystal Hermitage Gardens. As you can see, the weather was not spring-like. In fact, it…

How many of you out there have experienced or are experiencing difficulty in expressing your spirituality through the unwitting oppression of a loved one? It is not unusual for what may seem the strongest of relationships to break down when only one of the party discovers the real mission in life: To seek ones own…

A few days ago I got into the car at 5:30am to begin my day of activities. There was a meditation, a meeting, then school and then work at the temple waiting for me. It was dark and cold and my family was still sleeping in the house. The car wouldn’t start. I woke my…

Yesterday devotees around the world celebrated the anniversary of the mahasamadhi of Paramhansa Yogananda. Peter Goering gave the talk at Sunday Service and read God’s Boatman from Whisper’s from Eternity, by Paramhansa Yogananda. An excerpt from that poem is on the photo of the stars at the end of this post. I am always deeply…

Have you heard the saying “Man plans and God laughs”? I want to tell you of my recent experience in India, not because I wish to talk about myself, but because I want to demonstrate how God’s plans will always over-ride our own for the higher good. I returned only last week from a most…

Many inspired and dedicated souls are, for many reasons, unable to live in Ananda communities.  So they read the website and books by Paramhansa Yogananda, Swami Kriyananda and others. They meditate. When possible many visit our communities worldwide for inspiration, renewal and spiritual satsang fellowship. Yogananda said that “Environment is stronger than will”.  In order…

This year I’ve been teaching a class at Ananda’s Living Wisdom Highshool entitled, “Sharing Nature Leadership Training.” The Sharing Nature with Children book series was written by Ananda Village member Joseph (Bharat) Cornell and is used in virtually every part of the world. Joseph wrote the Sharing Nature activities to give inspiring nature experiences and…

Tulips sprouting at Crystal Hermitage. If you read my last post you knew I would be writing to you next from India. However, shortly before we were to leave we got one of those phone calls nobody likes to get. A beloved family member passed away. I went over to one of my favorite places:…

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…

This past week at Ananda Village and The Expanding Light has been filled with inspiration and spiritual friends. It seems impossible that 12 different talks in six days about the spiritual path could hold one’s attention from beginning to end. But it did. The theme for Inner Renewal week was: Going Deeper into God. The…

Happy New Year! I can’t believe it is almost the end of January 2010. We have had here in California some of the biggest storms in a long time. After several dry years we really need the water. It has snowed twice, but each time it melted pretty fast. Ananda Village looks very different in…

Many of you know that I am blessed with a wonderful family. My wife and I have been married seventeen years, and our very dynamic, energetic daughter is 4 years old. They are a great source of joy and inspiration to me. My wife and I have chosen a life of dedication and service to…

My concept of Ananda, before I had visited, was a place of inspiration, support, and Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings. My initiation into Kriya Yoga earlier this year proved to be the most moving and sacred experience of my life.  Ananda holds a treasure, just waiting to be discovered…. and if I can find it, then so…

What is the sound of 16 yogis stuck in an elevator? (still listening?) (hear anything?) Last month I had the great joy of being in Los Angeles for the launch of Swami Kriyananda’s new book, The New Path, which Barbara has portrayed so beautifully in words and photos in her posts. On Sunday, after we…

After hearing of my decision to embark on this time as monk, a friend here at Ananda Village sent me an excerpt of a talk by Swami Kriyananda where he talks about monasticism. He starts by explaining how it fits into the community of Ananda as a whole. “I feel that spiritual communities need a…

While we live at Ananda Village, when we vacation (as opposed to seclusion), we like to travel and see other parts of the country and world. Currently we are traveling in the Southwest U.S. backroads, towing a travel trailer with our pickup which gives us a little sanctuary with our vibration. I have never visited…

Recently, before a group sadhana one morning, a friend read beautiful poem from Whispers from Eternity by Paramhansa Yogananda, edited by Swami Kriyananda. It touched me very deeply. It is amazing how answers can come to us when we are listening and ready to accept and learn. I had been going along having great meditations,…

I used a thesaurus tonight to try to come up with some new words I could use to describe the Ananda LA event held at Church of the Recessional at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California. I would normally use the words wonderful, or beautiful or amazing—all of which would be fitting. The thesaurus suggested words…

Greetings everyone. I have spent the day going through over 400 photographs taken this past weekend in Los Angeles. Fortunately for you, I will not be posting all of them. It was a challenge to pick out just a few photos that would hopefully portray what a visually and spiritually beautiful event occurred the past…

This weekend we celebrated Swami Kriyananda’s 61st year of discipleship to Paramhansa Yogananda. It was a very colorful weekend filled with beautiful blue skies, sunsets, flowers, and altars. Fall is in the air here, still a little warm during the day, but cools off a bit at night. The angle of the sun highlighted the…

The Expanding Light piazza sparkled with the decorations, the friendships, the laughter, the yummy food, the singing, the setting sun, radiant smiles and the light in everyone’s eyes. Spending a week immersed in the joy and teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, the devotion and example of discipleship of Swami Kriyananda and in the company of hundreds…

Oh my. This has been an amazing week. I might be repeating myself, but I also heard it from about everyone I talked to today. I am again posting photos out of order by first putting up just a few from today’s Sunday Service. Swamiji seemed to bound up the driveway and on to the…

Here is the recording of O, Master from this morning’s service. Enjoy!o-master.mp3

This has been an action packed Spiritual Renewal Week. It will take me a few more days to catch up and post photos from the various classes and happenings. What I am posting today is a bit out of order. Yesterday, Friday, Swamiji spoke to a packed house at the amphitheater at The Expanding Light.…

Hi Everyone. Spiritual Renewal Week 2009 is here! This is a quick update on some of the things that have happened so far at our annual SRW at Ananda Village. My guess is that at least 300 people were at The Expanding Light amphitheater to listen to Swami Kriyananda give the opening talk on Monday.…

Dear all – here is the recording of Life Mantra from last night – enjoy!life-mantra-srw-09.mp3