Praying to God helps us open up to Him, and if we aren’t open to His influence, we are trying to do everything ourselves. Jaya shares stories of experiences with prayer, and the differences it has made in his life and those of others. This includes a wonderful story from the documentary about Paramhansa Yogananda, Awake.

Regardless of our upbringing, culture or life circumstances, we always have the choice to rise, to become light. Jaya shares that although our essential nature remains the same, when we choose to rise something deep inside of us changes.

What is the best way to worship God? “With all thy heart, mind, soul, and strength,” as Jesus said. Nayaswami Jaya shares stories from India, both instructive and entertaining, that shed light on how to worship God in the most effective way.

In the early days of Ananda, Swami Kriyananda started a small renunciate order at Ananda — a traditional expression of the principle of surrendering one’s life completely to God. In the years since, members of Ananda have come to understand that renunciation and surrender — words that could sometimes be interchanged, Jaya suggests — are primarily inner practices. The outward … Read More