My initial attempts at seclusion My first seclusion was in company of fellow devotees at Mt. Abbot in Uttrakhand, Himalayas. A wonderful experience, but I came to sad realization that I can’t meditate for more than an hour at a time. With the crash of my dreams of achieving Yogic greatness, I was embarrassed and ashamed to be the cause … Read More
Antar Yatra – The Pilgrimage Within
There was a time in my life, when things weren’t going very well. I desperately needed a break from the environment. It was December. In Delhi, it is the beginning of winter. So, I was wondering where I could go to escape people. Eureka! I decided to hike up to mount Triund hill: a 4 hours hike from Dharamsala. It … Read More
Devotees Serving Together at the Delhi Spiritual Fair
Last April Ananda Sangha Delhi ashram hosted their bi-annual Spiritual Fair, “Tools and Techniques to for Self-Transformation.” We host two Spiritual Fairs per year, but this one was our very best ever. We offered 43 classes in eight hours! What a joy it was to observe members of the Sangha presenting the teachings of our guru, Paramhansa Yogananda for the … Read More
A Divine Shortcut to Freedom
Freedom is a goal desired by truth seekers throughout the ages—but freedom from what? Paramhansa Yogananda simplified human behavior to the basic desires of “finding happiness and avoiding pain.” Our every action is based on its potential for happiness or reduction in suffering. It follows that we seek freedom from suffering or pain. Suffering is threefold in nature: physical, mental … Read More
The Purpose of Walking the Spiritual Path
Why should we follow the spiritual path? Why not live life eating, drinking, shopping, making money, partying and pampering our senses? After all, this world too has been made by God, and He has placed us in positions in our family, society and in the world. So why not get to God through enjoying the material world and its pleasures? … Read More
Growing in Selflessness and Strength by Taking Care of Children
Swami Kriyananda has often mentioned that one of the best antidotes against a mood is going out to help someone else. Whether we like to admit it or not, a mood is a state of being over absorbed in our own little self, the ego. We feel sorry for ourselves and our thoughts go in a downward spiral, bringing us … Read More
Nurture a Stillness of Heart
Baba Hari Dass was a sadhu and spiritual teacher from North India who observed the spiritual discipline of “maun” (complete silence). His was not a life of seclusion but rather one of vigorous activity as an author, builder, and joyful teacher. When circumstances demanded, he communicated with a small chalkboard upon which he scribbled cryptic notes, and though his voice … Read More
The Practice of “Silence is the Altar of Spirit”
Paramhansa Yogananda, and indeed all great saints, lay great emphasis on “practicing” Silence. Swami Kriyanandaji relates the following charming experience with Yoganandaji in his autobiography, The New Path: My first visit to Twenty-Nine Palms was for a weekend. We visited Yogananda at his place. My first recollection of him on that occasion isn’t so much of the things he said, … Read More
A Language Beyond Words
Paramhansa Yogananda stated that we live in an Age of Energy, Dwapara Yuga. Matter itself has been shown to be energy. This truth can be applied even to communication. We communicate not only with words, but also with the feeling and energy behind them. The Dwapara awareness of energy can help us communicate better, as words have grammatical constraints, while … Read More
Awake and Ready at 5 A.M.
After completing my Yoga Teacher Training at Ananda Sangha, I started taking yoga sessions at the Gurgaon centre. A few months later, after gaining some experience, I decided to spread the joy of Ananda Yoga in my locality. I planned to devote time to yoga classes once my kids left for school in the morning. All enthusiastic, I got the … Read More
To React Or To Respond
A couple of months ago I had to travel to Ahmedabad to attend a very important meeting. My flight was at 6:30 am, and as I reached the kiosk to take the boarding pass, to my shock, I realized that my ticket was not confirmed. It was the first time ever in my traveling experience that I encountered such a … Read More
“But you can take the metro”
Things in life have come to me quite easily. Seldom have I had to fight against all odds for them to work out. When I came onto the spiritual path there were advantages and disadvantages to this because, as we know, the spiritual path is a long-distance marathon with lots of ups and downs; it is not a short sunny … Read More