What Is Ananda Yoga®?

Ananda Yoga: A Practice for Body, Mind, Energy, and Spirit

Exercise and stress relief are only the beginning; the higher purpose of Ananda Yoga practice is to harmonize and uplift every level of your being.

 

The ultimate goal of yoga (including Hatha Yoga) is the expansion of consciousness, leading to Self-realization. To reach this goal, Ananda Yoga works with all three levels of human existence: body, mind, and soul.

 

In Ananda Yoga, you’ll work not only with the physical asanas, but also with pranayama (breathing and energy-control techniques), yogic meditation techniques, and applied yoga philosophy.

Experience Ananda Yoga
Tree Pose | Vrikasana
Tree Pose | Vrikasana
Warrior 1 | Virabhadrasana I
Warrior 1 | Virabhadrasana I
Half moon pose with affirmation.
Half Moon Pose | Ardha Chandrasana
Camel Pose | Ustrasana
Camel Pose | Ustrasana
Seated Mountain Pose | Parvatasana
Seated Mountain Pose | Parvatasana

What Is Unique about Ananda Yoga?

Body

Ananda Yoga postures are practiced with safety, alignment, and awareness. It’s not about physical perfection, but about cultivating a vibrant living, inner experience. All postures can be adapted to suit your individual needs.

Energy

Ananda Yoga works directly with the body's subtle energy through postures, Energization Exercises, and energy-control techniques, to help increase awareness of energy and direct it inward and upward to awaken higher consciousness.

Mind

We bring the mind into the experience by using affirmations. Each pose is paired with a unique affirmation meant to cultivate positive qualities and reprogram the mind, turning each posture into a tool for inner transformation.

Spirit

Meditation is at the heart of Ananda Yoga. It is the central technique of the science of Yoga aimed to help you transcend the little self and unite with the higher Self, leading you towards inner peace and a sense of unity with a greater reality.

The History of Ananda Yoga

Ananda Yoga was developed by Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda.

 

While living as a monk at Mount Washington, Yogananda often called upon Swami Kriyananda to demonstrate yoga postures for visiting guests. Through attunement with his guru, Swami Kriyananda developed Ananda Yoga—a hatha yoga practice whose primary aim is to aid spiritual seekers in the science of Self-realization, bringing hatha yoga in the West back to its ancient roots.

Get Inspired with Ananda Yoga