Dear ones, I do not have a great deal of time for writing at this present time (the packers and shippers are upstairs packing boxes for India as I speak!), but I wanted to briefly share a delightful experience from my wonderful, and deeply inspiring visit to Ananda Village for Spiritual Renewal week. A large…

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…

Ananda Portland got an early start on the Easter season this year with a performance on April 2nd, of the Oratorio – Christ Lives! composed by Swami Kriyananda. It began as a joint effort by the choirs of Ananda Portland and Ananda Seattle, but we were joined by singers and musicians from Ananda Village, Ananda…

I was very inspired by Nayaswami Savitri’s talk for Inner Renewal week 2011, at Ananda Village, California. In it, she spoke of how important it is to live just outside of ones comfort zone; to push the boundaries of limitation just that bit further with each new experience. Since my husband and I made the…

Last week, Ananda Village and many fellow gurubais from as far away as the East Coast, and even via the internet, took time to go deep in spirit. This was our third annual Inner Renewal Week and it was hosted by The Expanding Light. Jyotish and Devi Novak came up from Los Angeles to share…

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…

A shining light has passed out of this world, and into another. It’s joyful and sad at the same time. Maria and I worked together for the last five years, I supporting her role as the webmaster for Ananda.org and other Ananda Worldwide sites. What little I can share in words to tell you what…

This elegant building is the Church of the Recessional. It is framed by clouds that are lit up by the city lights of Los Angeles. The courtyard was warmly lit and the open doors welcome guests who came to hear Swami Kriyananda’s Oratorio—Christ Lives. Fifty-four dedicated people travelled literally from the world over to sing…

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…

Our progress here in the Pune community has been steady these past weeks. We hosted two retreats in October: one for future residents, and one to celebrate All Saints Day:  “How to Become a Saint.” Ananda Pune residents All the members of Ananda Pune put out a lot of effort to make both retreats wonderful.…

Last weekend we went to Los Angeles to spend time with my friends and family and to see Swami Kriyananda. We had a great time! There is an amazing group of people doing a great work there. Swami Kriyananda gave a powerful and compassionate talk to the packed house. Swamiji, since he moved to LA,…

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…

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…

It was one of those days (a few months ago)…I was trying to deal with a disappointment about the way I felt I was being treated (whine whine whine), feeling a distinct lack of respect from someone that generally has the ability to push my buttons. Also that day I was fighting off the summer…

Dear friends, On September 18th in Boston, 45 to 50 souls celebrated the 90th Anniversary of Paramhansa Yogananda’s arrival in Boston from India. Nayaswamis Devarshi and Maria from Ananda Village shared this memorable weekend with us. My heart is overflowing with joy and gratitude to Yogananda for the great gifts of Divine awakening he brought…

Guru night is a devotional event that takes place annually at summer’s end. Ananda Portland has the tradition of having the festivities outside, and despite our reputation for rain, there has been only one Guru Night that had to be moved due to the weather. It is a night of pilgrimage; a rare opportunity to…

Choir and Swami Kriyananda singing “Peace” As many of you may know, Swami Kriyananda, now 84, has had some recent physical setbacks, including a visit to the emergency room last Tuesday after a fall that injured his hip. He was scheduled to be at a tea in Los Angeles on Saturday, and was heartbroken to…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

The following is the second half of a two part interview with Dr. Aditya Gait, a resident medical doctor and member of Ananda’s Kriya Yoga Community in the countryside outside of Pune, India. Dr. Aditya is also a Brahmachari member of the Ananda Renunciate Order. Aditya and a fellow monk with Swami Kriyananda Jaya: There…

Aditya Gait is a member of Ananda Sangha helping to build a “Kriya Yoga Community” in the countryside outside of Pune, India. He trained as a medical doctor before joining Ananda and is now beginning a medical clinic to serve the needs of local villagers and community members. Aditya is a brahmachari member of the…

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…

It has been several years since I made that first trip from Los Angeles to Ananda Village, but the experience stands out in my memory for several reasons. I still remember clearly the morning I stepped into the reception area of the Expanding Light Retreat. I don’t remember being ever greeted by strangers anywhere so…

Living in a spiritual community isn’t all it’s cracked out to be. It’s much, much more. Besides the fountainhead of bliss gushing forth amidst daily spiritual practice, service and fellowship, there come truly beautiful, blessed and rewarding opportunities. Such was our recent two-day trip, as myself, along with my six fellow 20-something-year-old gurubhais (fellow disciples)…

My husband and I returned to live at Ananda Village in March of 2009 after living at Ananda Sacramento, California for the last 23 years. There we served as the Colony Leaders and Spiritual Directors. Ananda Farms today… We are now working with the young adults at Ananda Village and working with some of them…

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…

Swami Kriyananda May 19 is Swami Kriyananda’s 84th birthday. We invite you to post your greetings and birthday wishes for him here. Thank you, Ananda Sangha Worldwide.

I’ve lived in quite a few Ananda communities and centers over the years. While reflecting on my experiences, the thought occurred to me that Ananda is not a place, but rather, a choice. Let me explain. My first experience of Ananda took place in 1975, when I was in my teens. I had flown to…

The city of Frederick reclines in the rolling hills of central Maryland as it has since before the days of the Civil War. It is from this charming, quiet city that I began my adventure to the woods of northern Massachusetts for my first Kriya initiation.This journey starts, as many Ananda journeys have started, with…

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…

Note from the editor: Krishna Deep, a monk at Ananda’s new community in Pune, is writing about Yogananda’s birthday celebration there in March 2009. Dear Gurubhais, Wish you all happy Master’s birthday!!! Entrance to the community, graced by Master’s presence. Today is a special day for all of us, no doubt. The sacred ceremony of…

Dearest friends, Many of the Ananda India staff and devotees from Gurgaon – Delhi – Noida (also known as India National Capitol Region – NCR) went to Pune the weekend of March 27–29 for a retreat on our new community land. It was hard to believe just how much things have progressed in just one…

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 week I became an Ananda minister. I’ve played the role of assistant minister for some time so this step was a natural one, but I still found myself a bit surprised. Ananda doesn’t have a seminary or a list of requirements that must be met before one can serve as a minister. There 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…

I teach science at a public high school in a southern California suburb. This is my third year of teaching and though not a veteran yet, you can say that I have mastered it quite a bit. But I thought I’d share with you some of my experiences as a brand new teacher. While on…

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…

The year 2009 was one of great expansion for Ananda Sangha outreach. All of it came through the grace of God, which is reflected in the title of this post.

Here are some of the year’s highlights. …

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…

My inspiration in writing this was Swami Kriyananda’s new book on renunciation, A Renunciate Order for the New Age. Also my own desire to be a monk… but also to be married. The old cloistered form of monasticism says you need to renounce and “get away from the world” to find God. One might say…

Dear ones, My name is Medardo Vargas Muñoz. I am an architect in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, Mexico. I am a Bramachari (1) at heart. “Truth simply is, it cannot be created. Everyone has to perceive it in the Self within.” These are the words by my Guruji Yogananda, which stir my mind, a mind that…

Greetings all. In my last posting, I revealed Ananda’s blessed treasure, as given to me…. Attunement! Ananda Isle of Man Meditation Group Altar Attunement to such a wonderful, sacred and healing vibration, that I must share it with all. Well this is one of the ways I have begun doing just that… For some time…

Dear Friends, This is a season of gratitude, and so we invite you to share your thanksgiving thoughts in the comments below. Thank you, and blessings to all. Ananda Sangha. Related: Every Day Should Be a Day of Thanksgiving : Letter from Paramhansa Yogananda, 1934.

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…

Dear Friends, Writing and posting on this site has been moved up the priority list in my life; I hope to be sharing more regularly with you. Paramhansa Yogananda said we should regulate our lives – approach our days with a sense of order. We also have to flow with life and be willing to…

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…

Dr. Aditya with young patients Dear ones, I am grateful for this opportunity to share with you all, my spiritual family. My name is Aditya. I am a medical doctor, and a recent addition to the ever-expanding Ananda family in Pune, India. I’m a monk. Since joining my brothers in the monastery, my life has…

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…

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…

You may have read in the recent posts about the 61st anniversary of Swami Kriyananda’s Discipleship to Paramhansa Yogananda. The essence of the celebration was captured by Barbara Bingham with her beautiful photos of Swamiji, the choir, and the crowd of celebrants. I too was able to “attend” Swamiji’s talks, thanks to the live video broadcast.

I decided during Spiritual Renewal Week in August to join Ananda’s monastery for one year at the Ananda Meditation Retreat. In celebration of Swami Kriyananda’s discipleship anniversary, the vows of monasticism were taken last Sunday. The idea of monasticism had often inspired me, but in the past I had never quite felt like I would…

Dear friends, Here are a few songs from the evening concert at Swami Kriyananda’s Spiritual Anniversary celebration on September 12 at Ananda Village. The concert included readings from The New Path, Swamiji’s autobiography, and songs written by him over the years. Performance by Swami Kriyananda and Ananda Choir. Enjoy! God, God, God “God, God, God,”…

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.…

Reentry – that’s what I call the process of returning to the everyday world after spending some time in a deep spiritual environment. It can be a difficult transition, even painful. I spent 2 weeks at Ananda Village during the 40th anniversary celebration and the 4th of July. Swami Kriyananda returned to the Village during…

It has been a busy summer here so far. And in the midst of it all we took a breath and celebrated the marriage of two dear friends. Peter & Hassi planned their wedding for July during a time when Ananda is typically very hot. And it was. However, when the wedding started and the…

Happy 4th of July. I am posting a collection of photos from yesterday’s (Saturday) celebration of our 40th anniversary and our nations anniversary. We had beautiful songs, yummy food, and great company. Swamiji visited each of the booths that showed the many aspects of Ananda Worldwide. He sang with the choir and also greeted many…

Greetings, everyone! Last week, there was a huge workday at Ananda Village to get ready for all our summer events and visitors. As you can see, there was a lot of activity and joy. We began the day with a prayer to bless our service and efforts. There were work parties at The Expanding Light,…

Since this is my first blog post, I guess I should start by introducing myself. My name is Gregor and I’m currently working as a researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence at a Computer Science Faculty. I live with my wife Tina and my 2 years old son Matija in Slovenia, a small country…

Editor’s note: Swami Kriyananda is visiting Ananda Europa at the time of writing. This is an account of his 83rd birthday celebration at Ananda’s center in Assisi, Italy on May 30-31. It is written by Asha Praver, spiritual director of Ananda Palo Alto, who traveled to Assisi to join the festivities. “I feel so much…

I’m always conscious of the fact that living the teachings of Ananda – the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, is an every day, every moment decision. But, sometimes that decision seems to stand out in bright, beautiful contrast to the way most of the rest of the world lives. This is a long blog, but I…

Ananda Velo, our bicycling club at Ananda Village, is planning a special retreat for the first time at the Expanding Light. The “Yoga for Cyclists” program, held the weekend of June 4-7, will be hosted by Dr. Craig Roberts DC, Panduranga Heater, Bob Stolzman and yours truly. We have been preparing for this retreat for…

It’s been months since I’ve written. Life is full to overflowing, and every day is a new challenge just to keep up. I’m sure that sounds familiar – I don’t know anyone who doesn’t feel busy and pressed for time. I have found blessings in busyness though. More than any other time in my life,…

As you can tell from Ananda’s homepage, we had a wonderful Winter Renewal Week, with Divine Mother’s added gift of snow. It began snowing Monday morning, and I was amazed to see how many people braved the weather to come to the classes. On Wednesday evening, it snowed about 4 or 5 inches within an…

For the past two years, I have had the blessing of living with Swami Kriyananda and many Ananda friends in India, our spiritual homeland. My husband Tim and I moved to the Ananda ashram in New Delhi in October 2006. This past November we moved to Pune with a few other “pioneering members,” taking up…

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,…

I had the blessing to attend Ananda Portland’s 20th anniversary a few weeks ago. I had decided to go because I love being part of these celebrations with our greater Ananda family. I find it’s fun to be serving in that flow of energy. It was a wonderful weekend and I was grateful to have…

In the spring of 2007 a dear friend suggested that we build a new entry sign at Ananda Village to welcome people to the community. To help it happen, she volunteered money for the project. This started discussions in our monthly planning meetings about building an informational sign that was also “nice-to-look-at.” So began the…

Editor’s note: These are excerpts from a 77-page article by Bhasbuto, a young man who visited Ananda Village in the summer of 2008. For the sake of privacy, his online name is used here. Bhasbuto was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. At the age of 15 he received a gift from his father: Autobiography of a…

Last month I took my 3 year old daughter Caitlin on a 5 day backpacking trip in Yosemite with our friend’s 3rd and 4th grade class. While we were there, I had enough challenges to qualify, in my mind, as a karmic bomb. For those of you saying already “What were you thinking?!”, part of…

Years ago I was giving a tour of Ananda Village when a woman on the tour asked me if Ananda had formed a “Women’s Liberation Group” here. “Oh yes!” I replied. “We meet once a week!” She was pleased and went on to ask: “And what are the topics of discussion at your meetings?” The…

Wow. What a week! Spiritual Renewal Week 2008 was probably the biggest event we have ever had. We had hundreds of guests at the village and The Expanding Light and we must have had hundreds of people helping put on the events. It was quite amazing how everything came together, it is true: Many Hands…

This year’s production of the Peace Treaty was magical. The newly renovated amphitheater was very welcoming, the costumes were better than ever, and the lighting highlighted the beauty of the backdrop and the commitment of the actors. Each of the actors has made the part they played their own. It has been very fun to…

We have been on the run here for Spiritual Renewal week. I was hoping to write about the talks a bit, but I know Dave will post the talks soon. They will be in separate clips so they will be easy to listen too. They are each amazing. We have such great and inspiring teachers.…

Greetings everyone! Last nights performance was so beautiful. I hope you enjoy the sampling of photos from the evening. Blessings to you. Barbara Swamiji arriving at the evening concert in The Expanding Light amphitheater Swamiji rehearsing with musicians just prior to the concert The World Brotherhood choir singing the Ananda theme song, “Many Hands Make…

Swami arriving with Sri Kaarthikeyan Spiritual Renewal Week 2008 is here! Ananda Choir singing to an audience of 400+ 400+ beautiful people came to The Expanding Light amphitheater on this warm August Day to hear Swami Kriyananda give a talk entitled “World Brotherhood Colonies: Social Pattern for Dwapara Yuga” It was a great talk, it…

Blessings and greetings from Southern California. We are currently on the road (Hwy 99) on our way back to Ananda Village. We are basking in the glow of the wonderful weekend spent in the LA area with our divine friends and Swami Kriyananda. There is so much to share. The talks Swamiji gave will be…

All the shining souls in our Ananda family from the Palo Alto area deserve a standing ovation for their tireless and joyful hosting of 3 days of wonderful events.

It was truly inspiring to see our dear friends in action and share in these amazing events. Instead of looking and tired and relieved to have survived all these events everyone looked energized…

Last night, July 18, a beautiful event took place in Palo Alto, California. As part of Ananda’s 40th Anniversary celebrations the Oratorio “Christ Lives” was performed. This was a special performance in that Swami Kriyananda sang many of his divinely inspired songs. The collection of songs depicts the mystic life and teachings of Christ. Swamiji…

Over the past month or so Ananda Village has played host to disciples from all over the world. They came on several pilgrimages from 15 different countries. Words are escaping me as I try to describe the joy! The depth of the friendship that devotees can have is amazing. As the European pilgrimage left I…

I recently returned from a trip to the Morni Hills where the Ananda Solar team is installing their first wind turbines and solar panels in India.

It has been an amazing few weeks at Ananda Village. Naturally, having Swamiji here is a real blessing. You have already heard alot about Swamiji’s birthday celebrations and probably heard the talks on the internet. His Sunday Service talk was wonderful. I have two groups of photos to share with you to show some other…

This is the home my parents built and my siblings and I grew up in. My parents came to Ananda 30 years ago with very little. They moved here, sight unseen, with just enough money to buy supplies to build a house. My Dad managed to find cheap lumber and built the house himself. As…

Greetings everyone. Yesterday was a beautiful and inspiring Sunday Service. The new amphitheater at The Expanding Light was packed! I don’t know how to estimate the size of the group gathered but a guess would be 300 people. Swami Kriyananda sat on the stage as the World Brotherhood Choir sang lovely songs. Then Swamiji spoke…

What a fantastic weekend. I hardly have words to describe the joyful gatherings at The Expanding Light and at the Crystal Hermitage. On Saturday morning there was a panel of speakers: Jyotish from the village, Dhyana from India, Hriman from Seattle, Asha from Palo Alto and Devi from the village. The insights about and experiences…

Watching Swami in Italy watch us Last Monday, on May 19, 250 devotees in 7 different colonies celebrated Swami Kriyananda’s Birthday with a LIVE video conference. Early Dwapara Yuga sees many technological and social advancements. For instance, we have long offered the time shifting capabilities of viewing recorded videos of Sunday Services or recent talks…

Twenty years ago my husband and I welcomed our firstborn into the world, and the Ananda Portland meditation group became a true Ananda “colony”. There may have been other significant events in 1988, but I don’t remember them. As we plan the 20 year anniversary celebration of Ananda Portland, my memories of those growing up…

April 17-21 of this year, 2008, I was blessed to return to my “ole stompin’ grounds, deep in the heart ‘o Texas.’” Actually what that means, ya’ll, when translated out of Texan into Amurrrri-can, is that I flew to out Dallas to give classes and get-togethers at the Ananda Dallas Center. My flight was over…

Earlier this year, I took a 17-day (Feb. 10 -27, 2008) trip to Kerala, South India, specifically to an Ayurvedic Health Resort called Somatheeram (translation “Moon-Seashore”). This trip was sponsored by Ananda’s Expanding Light Yoga and Meditation Retreat near Nevada City, California and led by Gyandev and Diksha McCord—it was their third year to take…

In these pages I aim to show how a spiritual mission, regardless of its name and tenets, can be made to relate to the whole world. Paramhansa Yogananda prophesied that some day the purpose of all religions would be accepted as being one and the same: Self-realization. Included in that understanding would be a sense…

Or, “What Happened At Our House During the Big Storm.” The short version A huge oak tree fell on our dome-home at noon on Friday in the middle of a large windstorm. We were at home, but not hurt. We have quite a bit of damage to the dome, but we have received tons of…

Ananda’s outreach efforts in Spanish started in the ’80s with Marga Dominguez-Goering. She began by translating Swami Kriyananda’s “Festival of Light” ceremony performed at Sunday Services, and Ananda’s beginner lessons in meditation. In 1997, with my arrival at Ananda Village, we founded Ananda’s Spanish Ministry, which is now online at www.anandaespanol.org. Marga (from Spain) and…

I wish you all a very happy New Year. After reading Swami Kriyananda’s recent letters to us relating his bliss in the midst of his surgeries and chemotherapy I realize that the “happy” in our new year greetings is a powerful affirmation to feel inner joy despite any outward circumstances. I am sharing a collection…

Christmas is a holy time, a joyful time of remembering Christ’s life and mission and taking those blessings deep within. It is also a fun-filled, busy time for families, which can become frantic and harried, with all feelings of blessing and holiness lost in the hustle. Over the years we have used many different traditions…

Like most parents, I often ponder how I am doing at my job. I realize that even the most sincere efforts by my husband and myself are not enough to do it all – the list of responsibilities is unimaginably long. So if I had to choose one thing to impart to my children, out…