Dear Friends, Greetings from India! We hope that you are well. Our time here thus far has been immensely inspiring and enjoyable on all levels. If we could characterize our experience in a few words: it feels like coming home. It’s really helpful having our own rooms in the ashram in Gurgaon. These include a sitting room/office overlooking the beautiful … Read More
On a recent vacation, my husband and I were hiking near Calistoga, California. When we started our hike, we were in a valley: thick forest, many trees, but little sunlight. We kept putting out energy to climb, and as we neared the top of the mountain, we began to see more and more of the whole valley; it was dramatic. … Read More
by Kyle McDonald As Ananda-trained yoga and meditation teachers, many of us find ourselves teaching in environments where our language skills are put to test, particularly in replacing or avoiding the word “God.” This year, I had the opportunity to work in two very different environments, one secular and one non-secular. Semantics proved helpful in one situation and harmful in … Read More
by Michelle Dossett As the end of Ananda Yoga Teacher Training approached, and I realized that it would likely be six weeks before I would have a chance to lead a yoga class or sadhana back home, I wondered if I would get rusty. Might there perhaps be an opportunity to lead a sadhana or two while I was staying … Read More
People often ask, “When we come out of deep relaxation in Savasana, why do you always have us roll onto our right sides? Why not the left side?” I sometimes jokingly answer, “I want everyone to roll the same way so they don’t bump into each other, and since most people are right-handed, I’m fairly sure they know which way … Read More
Nayaswami Asha will be in New Zealand, traveling to different cities and giving lectures and workshops, from September 25th — November 2nd. Learn More…
This week was exciting as rain was in the forecast and the roof was yet to be waterproofed! It was completed by the end of the day on Thursday and the rains come Thursday night… although it was only a tenth of an inch, we were all happy with the precipitation and the waterproof roof. The wood framing is nearing … Read More
Dear Great Souls, “That which you offer to God, that which you give to God is blessed. It’s not charity, for you’re giving to your own Self. What you offer to God is blessed a million fold!” (Swami Kriyananda) July 29,2014 we celebrated the one-year anniversary of Ananda Meditation Retreat’s new incarnation – its return, after many wonderful years as … Read More
This past (August 2014) Spiritual Renewal Week (SRW), Nayaswami Jyotish encouraged us to memorize and repeat the poem, “God! God! God!” by Paramhansa Yogananda, put to lyrics by Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple: From the depths of slumber, As I ascend the spiral stairways of wakefulness, I will whisper: God! God! God! Thou art the food, and when I break … Read More
I was 22 when I found the spiritual path, and it was great despair and disillusionment that compelled me to embrace it. Like many of the great souls I have known in this life, I came to a point where the anguishing monotony of “normal” human existence was too much to bear. My cries for help led me to Paramhansa … Read More
