God can come to us in many ways — as an answer to a sincere prayer, as the warmth of deep friendship, as a sense of benediction in a sacred moment, and sometimes as the Divine Playmate, playing hide-n-seek, reminding us of Her presence. So, was there a divine message, I wondered, when one day earlier this year, 15 feet up a … Read More
Energization: The Wishing Tree
Some time ago, I attended a class on the Energization Exercises which was being taught to new students. A very brief introduction from the part of the teachers was finalized with the statement: “Remember, these are spiritual, not physical, exercises. We do them in order to meditate better, but they can’t in any way take the place of physical workout.” … Read More
Celebrating 100 Years of the Energization Exercises: A Story of a Heavenly Astral Party!
Did you know? This year Yogananda is celebrating 100 years of his divine energization exercises. He is extremely happy, and so he recently organized a heavenly party in the astral worlds, to dance and rejoice with all the angels. As they were making merry, suddenly an idea popped up into Yogananda’s mind: he decided to send some angels down to … Read More
10 Reasons Community Is for Kids!
The final chapter of Paramhansa Yogananda’s spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi, finds him walking with his dear friend and first American disciple, Dr. Lewis through his Encinitas Hermitage grounds. Dr. Lewis asks about a construction project underway on the far side of the grounds and Yogananda begins to describe his vision for world brotherhood colonies: In these beautiful surroundings I … Read More
The Carping Spirit
I was chatting recently with a gentleman about my regard for someone who seemed to be a good man and well intentioned. My acquaintance remarked, “Yes, I agree, but …..” before proceeding to air his grievances about this person, pointing out one perceived fault after another. I reflected on why my critic friend felt such a need to counter my … Read More
Good Posture
I met Swami Kriyananda in late 1968 and began serving at the Ananda Meditation Retreat in California’s Sierra Nevada foothills the following April. At that time, Swamiji was still living in San Francisco but he would sometimes come to the retreat on weekends to lead public programs or to enjoy a few days of meditation before returning to his busy … Read More
Doctor Shanti
I already had a successful career as a nurse working with one of the best-known cardiologists in the country; helping him with his clinic, surgery, and research; even writing papers on my own. But it wasn’t enough. As a young woman I had wanted to be a doctor, but my mother, who never had much faith in my potential, laughed … Read More
First Meeting
The recent anniversary of Swami Kriyananda meeting Paramhansa Yogananda caused me to pause and reflect on my own, vastly insignificant by comparison, spiritual anniversary. In August, 1981, I found myself walking swiftly down a steep dirt path, rudely bypassing others in order to be the first in line to arrive at Swamiji’s residence. During that period, he hosted weekend teas … Read More
Some Helpful Tips for Energization
When I was first embarking on Yogananda’s path about 10 years ago, I was thrilled to be given such effective techniques to relax the body and calm the mind. The energization exercises were of particular interest to me and I dove into them with great earnestness. Having received the lessons through the mail with no personal training, I did my … Read More
Mt. Tabor, Nazareth, Meggido, Tzfat, Jerusalem
Dear Everyone: Pilgrimage is unpredictable. You leave home with an idea in your mind of what your heart is longing to see, where you expect to have your most meaningful moments. God laughs and gives what He knows you need. I spoke of this trip as going to Jerusalem. Among other reasons, that was why I was so intent on … Read More
