Like a long-distance runner, meditators have techniques for warming up — including prayer, yoga postures, and chanting — and for cooling down, for example by easing their transition into daily life with simple activities. As athletes do, meditators should review their form and technique occasionally. These articles by Swami Kriyananda, Nayaswami Jyotish, and Nayaswami Bharat cover some of the most … Read More
Swami Kriyananda wrote a little booklet called Secrets of Meditation, in which he offers 31 suggestions for deepening our inner experience: one for each day of the month. All of them are precious jewels. Today we will take a look at the first one. You will find effective techniques designed to help you apply this “secret” to your meditation. Significantly, … Read More
The goal of all yoga practice is to bring the life force into the spine, the altar of Spirit, where one worships God as ever-new joy. When we are fully in control of the mind, Paramhansa Yogananda said, “it will be like the coat you hang on a peg: it will stay there” in God consciousness. Unfortunately, as every meditator … Read More
The practice of meditation can be described as a journey back home, back to our native land, as Paramhansa Yogananda called it. As we practice meditation, we find that the journey is not always easy. At the end of summer 2014, my husband and I went to Squaw Valley in California, to relax in nature. Each day we went hiking … Read More
Of all divine manifestations, Cosmic Sound (AUM) is the most constant and easiest to commune with. Attuning to AUM’s pristine vibration helps one understand that at the very center of movement lies stillness. AUM is God’s consciousness in vibratory creation. Every atom is a trumpet that proclaims His glory. In AUM one hears the Cosmic Symphony—played by every atom vibrating … Read More
I am very happy to announce that my book, AUM: The Melody of Love, is now in print. The purpose of the book is to help readers deepen their experience and love for AUM. God is ever-new bliss, and vibrating AUM is the Divine Generator pouring out God’s love to all creation. A saint said we should meditate on AUM … Read More
The Buddhist monk, Godo Nakanishi, once spent several days sitting quietly on a snow-covered mountain. The birds living there noticed him, but fear of humans kept them a safe distance away. As the monk continued to meditate, he became more and more absorbed in the inner silence. Gradually, the wild birds lost their fear and accepted Godo’s presence because of … Read More
The King’s True Wealth: A Parable In the realm of Light where the river AUM flows into the Cosmic Sea, King Darshan told his subjects, “In three days, I’m going to make an important announcement.” The kingdom buzzed with anticipation; their sovereign, who’d ruled for many years, had always been generous. On the day of the king’s decree everyone in … Read More
Prairie grasses swaying in the wind… clouds drifting in the sky… songbirds singing joyfully in a nearby tree… all make the heart sing. We aren’t merely observers of nature’s beauties. The soul is omnipresent, and everything happens within us. The ego is the soul identified with the body. Egoic consciousness makes one self-absorbed and oblivious of other realities. When one … Read More
Jobs were scarce during the worldwide depression in the 1930s. In a small Midwest town in the United States the telegraph office announced they’d be hiring a new telegraph operator. On the day of the interview, sixty hopeful men packed the waiting room. To relieve their tension, most of the job applicants joked and chattered loudly with one another. One … Read More
