A Place Called Ananda, Ananda Writers Group, Spiritual Community, Spiritual Growth

How Relationships Help Us to Grow – Even the Hard Ones

by Kalidas Hansen

Some might say relationships are a distraction on the path to God. There was a time when I thought this was true. Ram Gopal, the sleepless saint from Paramhansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi had a strong impact on my earlier opinions about this with his personal story: For twenty years I occupied a secret grotto, meditating eighteen hours a … Read More

Daily Meditator, Spiritual Growth

Om-Spirit-Bliss

by Nayaswami Diksha

Paramhansa Yogananda, brought to the West the path of Kriya Yoga and many spiritual exercises to help people attune to the consciousness of God. I experimented with one of his powerful exercises, and I’d like to share my experience with you. In the book, How to Awaken Your True Potential, Paramhansa Yogananda offers this exercise. Practice the following exercise in the … Read More

Ananda Writers Group, Spiritual Growth

This Is Your Brain on Meditation

by Tyagi Jayadev

The devotee’s undesirable habit-mechanisms in the brain are often cauterized (in the presence of a saint); the groove of his worldly tendencies beneficially disturbed. -Autobiography of a Yogi The Positive Influence of Meditation on the Brain Regular meditation improves our lives. This phenomenon is gratefully experienced by countless people around the globe. But Why? One asks. What is going on? One … Read More

Spiritual Growth

God Is Always More

by Nayaswami Dharmadevi

Being with my mom as she begins her process of transitioning from this world to the next, I find myself reflecting on the many lessons she has taught me. I was about 18 years old and reawakening to the idea of there being a higher power in the universe but was not yet comfortable with the term “God.” However, Jesus’ … Read More