I was eleven years old, and my brother Jonah was thirteen when our family started attending Sunday Services at a meditation chapel based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. Though we didn’t know much about the spiritual path at the time, we were both very intrigued by it. Jonah had been studying the lessons of the great yoga master, Paramhansa … Read More
Posture awareness practiced regularly during pregnancy can help reduce many physical discomforts. The female body, in a very short time frame, will undergo drastic changes in every bodily system. Our bodies have the incredible capability of adapting to these changes while continuing to run efficiently. While no two pregnancies are identical, most women’s bodies will respond to these changes at … Read More
An interview with Melody Hansen about her life in a community of people dedicated to living a spiritual life and how it supports her and her family.
As a new mom this year, I’ve noticed many changes in my spiritual practices. For one thing, there seems to be less time to do them! “Free time” is when our baby goes to sleep (for however long that lasts) and that time is usually spent accomplishing other things like cleaning, eating, working, and spending time with my husband. If … Read More
Yoga, as many people have experienced, can be much more than just a physical practice. It can also be a wonderful opportunity to tune into Spirit, particularly in the aspect of Divine Mother when preparing for motherhood. Divine Mother is a universal consciousness or presence within each person and in all creation. It isn’t necessary to follow a particular spiritual … Read More
While I was pregnant, I remember nervously thinking about my approaching due date. I had many concerns about giving birth, and my mental outlook of the upcoming event was based in doubt and fear. Will I really have to give birth? How will I possibly get through this? While speaking to a 26 year old girlfriend of mine who recently … Read More
“If a problem can be solved there is no use worrying about it. If it can’t be solved, worrying will do no good.” When I heard this Tibetan saying, it got me thinking about how much time I have spent in my life worrying about many things. In school I worried about finishing homework on time and “fitting in”. After … Read More
I’ve had the privilege and honor for many years now of sharing an office with some of Ananda’s finest ministers and meditation instructors. Each of the desks around me belong to long-time devotees who have been on our path for at least 25 years. I am the only one in that office who is fairly new, and this story will … Read More
In addition to instructing teenage dancers in Ananda Yoga (Yoga for Teens Part 1), I also had the opportunity at Langley Fine Arts School to teach a group of beginners, grades 10 & 11, from a Western Civilizations Class who were already familiar with studying different cultures, religions, and spiritual paths. Because Ananda Yoga is richly filled with deep spiritual … Read More
I recently had the privilege of teaching Ananda Yoga and meditation to teenagers at my old high school in Fort Langley, BC— a private school uniquely designed where students major in one of the arts (Dance, Drama, Music, Writing, Photography, or Visual Arts)—and focus on that area of interest from grade 8 through 12. During my own years at Langley … Read More
