Life on the Path of Kriya Yoga

Those of us raised Christian know the story of Palm Sunday: Jesus Christ, the Self-realized Master of the Jewish people, rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. It was an electric moment, particularly for the disciples who thought they were finally witnessing the critical turning point where Christ ‘s power and teachings would provide the ammunition to free the Jews of the harsh … Read More

In the yoga teachings we often talk about the spiritual eye at the point between the eyebrows, the kutastha chaitanya, also known as the Christ’s center or Christ Consciousness. This is where, in an expanded awareness, we can ultimately perceive our Oneness of Divine Union with all that is. It is an experience beyond words but described by Paramhansa Yogananda … Read More

Springtime is the time of year when renewal permeates all of nature. The air becomes fresh with new possibilities. Even our consciousness is seeded with hope for better days ahead. It is a joyful time of anticipation….until we are reminded of the duality when spring storms roll into Texas with a ferocity that is harrowing at times. Then we see the … Read More

Recently Ananda Texas took a pilgrimage to Ananda Village, CA, the founding home of Ananda Worldwide and this expression of Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings. It is located in the gold-veined foothills of the Sierra Nevada’s and is an intentional spiritual community augmented by a strong spiritual energy created by the 300 dedicated souls seeking God together. For visitors, it is a … Read More

This weekend we celebrate the mahasamadhis of the great avatars of our yoga lineage, Paramhansa Yogananda and his guru, Sri Yukteswar. The anniversary events, occurring on Friday and Sunday this year, mark the final exit from the body of these great souls and are filled with opportunities for blessings to all those who attune themselves through meditation to their consciousness. … Read More

It’s hard to believe with what’s going on in the world and what is reverberating in our own personal lives, that there is a clear plan for anything anymore. And in many ways none of it seems to resonate at all with the word “love.” But perhaps our inability to rely comfortably on a “predictable” reality is a call to … Read More

As February begins, we can certainly say that the new year’s surge of energy is in full swing and more chaotic than ever. Learning to ride these “waves” in this Age of Energy is the skill that the aspiring yogi is attempting to harness. It is a totally different approach than the willful “power over” of the bullying ego. Everything … Read More

There is a lot of commotion happening these days. It’s the beginning of the new year and the engines of restlessness are revved to go with big political changes, climate catastrophes, you name it. It’s easy to already feel a bit stressed and the year has just begun! And the craziness all around us only gets worse when we lend … Read More

We are fresh into the New Year and fresh into the “storms of life” too. It can be so hard to get back in the swing of things! There also tends to be this dreary heaviness that can accompany the winter months once the holidays are over. Those of us in North Texas received a reflective respite the last couple … Read More

So here we are again, in the last couple days before Christmas. How has this Christmas season been different? How has it been the same? As the world around us swirls and bumps, flickers and ignites, it all passes by us with ever increasing speed, flipping like the pages of a fast moving picture book. Sometimes those pages don’t feel … Read More

Christmas is a particularly busy season, not only our food plates get fuller but also our minds! While the energy is all good, it can make meditation more of a challenge. Here is a wonderful commentary and analogy written by one of our community members at Ananda Austin: It’s true that meditation can elude us at times. A big block … Read More

The Holy Season at Ananda begins with the heart opening gratitude of Thanksgiving and comes to a close with the birthday celebration of Paramhansa Yogananda on January 5th. During this time, we say the “veil is thin”, because whenever there is a mass consciousness flowing toward expansion: toward generosity, toward sharing, toward thinking a little bit more about the meaning … Read More

Christmas is here! Does anyone feel like there has been eclipse of time this fall? Even though it is December, here in north Texas we have only just recently experienced fall weather. Even the trees have been befuddled, primarily adorned in their dressing of summer leaves until a couple days ago! Nature isn’t keeping up and there is seemingly a … Read More

Years ago there was a popular soap opera called As the World Turns. Today it could be aptly called: As the World Churns! For everywhere you look, circumstances are creating churning, unsettling energy within us and all around us. Paramhansa Yogananda often remarked on the dream nature of this world as a cosmic motion picture show, the drama being played … Read More

There are many ways to describe the spiritual path—a long and winding road, a spiral moving ever upward, a river flowing toward the ocean of spirit, an arduous climb over mountains and valleys, but have you ever thought about it as a “roundabout’? You know, those tricky road innovations that are supposed to help the flow of traffic and reduce … Read More

The autumnal harvest moon shines brightly in the night sky right now. Paramhansa Yogananda was often quoted as saying, “The moon gives more light than all the stars.” Ananda’s Spiritual Director, Nayaswami Jyotish wrote in a blog years ago: (The full moon) is an important spiritual image, the esoteric meaning of which is that while the moon (a spiritual master) … Read More

It’s fall and football is in full swing. Some argue that no sport in America captures such mass appeal. Even the yogi may find him or herself drawn into some of that energy! In fact, many yogis have athletic backgrounds of one sort or another, or at least a good ol’ fashion competitive spirit. And indeed the attributes of perseverance, … Read More

The seasons are changing once again. The crispness of fall may not be quite here yet in Texas, but it is a little cooler, the lighting is different, and the energy is starting to become less frenetic. There is a tangible relief from all the busyness of summer that is beginning to foster an inward calmness. And at the same … Read More

This coming weekend Ananda in Texas will be offering a special program sponsored by Ananda Houston. It will be on Aum, the primordial vibration that underlies all of creation. The great saints say that Aum is the melody of love. It is this divine stream of consciousness that resounds within our very souls. It is what loved us into existence … Read More

It’s been about a year and half since Ananda in Texas found the Ananda Sangha  House in Dallas and began to rebuild its community, our “sangha”, in person. During the pandemic, we became closer with our Austin meditation group and other devotees in Houston, and then as we came out of the pandemic, that bonding deepened as the result of … Read More

It’s midsummer now, the heat is on and looming just around the corner, kids back in school. But in the meantime, many of us have been busy with vacations and summertime diversions. Travel is still in the air, the open road and open skies are part of our journey. The spiritual path has seasons too and it’s also an adventure—a … Read More

In this day and age, perhaps the most powerful tool of yoga is working with our energy to control the reactive process. In looking around us so much seems designed to stoke the fires of outrage. But Swami Kriyananda said, If you think about it, you will see that your actual reality lies not in outer things, but in your … Read More

Just a little over a week ago we all celebrated Independence Day. It is a major holiday that comes with lots of energy and revelry to help us all take a “freedom” break from the mid summer swelter, at least metaphorically! In America we idolize the concept of freedom. Could it be possible that this freedom loving attitude really is … Read More

It was Spiritual Renewal Week at Ananda Village in California recently—a tradition that has been going on for fifty five years and is an amazing gathering for those that can make the pilgrimage each year. It’s comprised of many classes, group meditations, hatha yoga, music events and satsang with Ananda devotees and pilgrims from around the world. The classes are … Read More

Approximately 35 million people in the United States practice yoga and it’s still on an upward trend. There is good reason. In a world where we are increasingly bombarded with stimulation that drains our energies, yoga is a practice that works not only on the physical body where tensions develop, but also directly on soothing our frayed nervous systems. That’s … Read More

The sun has come out again and with it a welcome respite allowing nature to recover a bit and be renewed before the dreaded Texas heat takes a firm grasp. Typically we pine for rain here this time of year especially, but a feeling of ambivalence grew when day after day came sheets of rain with strong winds, angry skies … Read More

It has been quite a week in Texas, both Dallas and Houston had some major storms blow through. Surrounding communities as well, have dealt with flooding, wind damage, power outages and even complete devastation. It highlights our attachment to our routine lifestyles, to our belongings, to the very roofs over our heads! Of course it is human to feel a … Read More

The Memorial Day weekend officially marks the beginning of summer for most of us. In Texas the heat looms just around the corner, but because we have had a deliciously wet spring, the foliage is explosively lush and verdant . The pranic life force is at its peak. It surrounds us and affects us on subtle levels (and not so subtle levels, as in the … Read More

We just recently celebrated the birthday of Sri Yukteswar, Paramhansa Yogananda’s guru and part of Ananda’s yoga lineage. He was known as a strict disciplinarian with a stern demeanor. Yogananda describes his relationship with Yukteswarji this way: “Whether Master and I were surrounded by his students or by strangers, or we were together alone, he always. spoke plainly and upbraided … Read More

In Darshan Lotichius’s book, Awakening the Natural Love of the Heart, based on the Holy Science by the great yogi master, Sri Yukteswar, he enumerates the eight “meannesses” or impediments of the heart.  They are as follows: hatred, shame, fear, grief, condemnation, race prejudice, pride of family and smugness. These impediments occur often in the subconscious mind and are deeply ingrained. Darshan proposes a type of … Read More

In just another week, Ananda Texas will be holding yet another very special weekend when international teacher Darshan Lotichius joins us to explore all things of the heart. Coming from Assisi, Italy, the homeland of the heart, Darshan has studied the teachings of Sri Yukteswar of our yoga lineage. He will share an applicable knowledge of how we can extricate … Read More

April 21st marks the 11th anniversary of Swami Kriyananda’s passing. He was the founder of the movement we call Ananda. What does it mean to be a part of a “movement”? Really what Swami Kriyananda was referring to is a movement in consciousness. It’s an ever evolving refinement of our focus on the subtler, higher realities of our existence and … Read More

We often focus on the heart’s energy in common parlance. We say we are heavy hearted, heart broken, big hearted, lose heart, heart of gold, etc. The heart’s expressions and the heart’s feelings play a huge role in our human experience. From a yogic point of view it plays a critical role in our ability to evolve spiritually and deepen … Read More

When folks visit our Ananda centers and meditation groups, they are often surprised to see Jesus among the pictures of our lineage of yogi masters. The response typically varies from a sense of comfort through familiarity to the uncomfortable and suspicious: “What’s Jesus have to do with yoga?” The latter is a good question and as we enter into the … Read More

As Easter approaches those of us brought up in a Christian tradition remember the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus talking about purity of the heart. As we strive to be “Christlike” yogis, the long and winding road of the heart’s purification can be discouraging. We often judge ourselves (and consequently judge others) when again and again we fall short. … Read More

A small contingent of Texans travelled to Ananda Village, CA recently. This beautiful spiritual community sits on 600 acres in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California thirty minutes outside Nevada City. The Expanding Light Retreat Center is where we gather for yearly special events, like Inner Renewal Retreat that just finished and Spiritual Renewal Week in the summer. It is a beautiful place where the … Read More

It’s easy to compartmentalize our spiritual lives from everything else. We have our meditation practices, we do our yoga, we occasionally go to gatherings, and the rest of the time we are “living our lives.” But the true practice of yoga is integrated into everyday life. With right attitudes such as kindness, consideration for others, cultivating contentment and seeing the … Read More

February is designated as the official “heart” month in America where we see a plethora of “heart healthy” recommended foods and activities. We also have Valentine’s Day coming up. Indeed the heart, is the heart of all matters yogic as well: devotion, receptivity, and sharing with others to name a few. At Ananda, we often talk about the generosity of … Read More

It’s February, time when some of the pressures of the new year are increasing while our initial enthusiasms may need a second wind. Last weekend we held a workshop on experimenting with how to get the energy moving, harnessed and focused in a positive way to facilitate more harmony and well-being in our lives. Inevitably though, we meet resistance. As … Read More

In the middle of the winter as we are trying to harness the energy of the new year, we can easily meet our resistance. It’s hard to be hopeful at times, to muster up the energy, given the circumstances globally and just the challenges we are all faced with in our personal lives. And besides, it’s cold and dreary outside! … Read More

One of our meditation group leaders in Austin shared this inspiration with us recently and we’d like to pass it on to you today: I’m writing to you from the bleachers. I’m inside a high school gym watching my son’s basketball team warm up for their game. We drove 1 ½ hours to San Antonio for my son to play … Read More

Hope you are all ready for the first winter blast of 2024! Maybe this little bit of winter will help us take a breath and slow down a bit in our rush to get everything organized and to tackle the new year like a sumo wrestler! Swami Kriyananda often expressed that one of the most important things we could do … Read More

When opening a lecture, Paramhansa Yogananda would typically run out on the stage with a great burst of energy exclaiming, “How feels everyone?” The anticipated response was “Awake and ready!” It set the tone for alert anticipation. It created the conditions for a positive flow of energy. As yogis approaching the new year, this is the attitude we want to … Read More

New Year’s blessings to all our yogi friends! But let’s not forget that every day is a new opportunity to live life in higher consciousness and add our positive energy to the world. As we enter 2024, let’s let go of the past and forge ahead with renewed energy and commitment together. Nayaswami Devi, co-spiritual director of Ananda Worldwide wrote … Read More

Behold Christ-Peace descending upon your body, upon your possessions, and extending to your neighbors, to all countries, and onto the united altar of all hearts and all creatures. ~ Paramhansa Yogananda A few days before Christmas, as a tradition adopted by Paramhansa Yogananda, Ananda celebrates the inner Christmas. We take deep inside all the building energy of the Christmas season … Read More

It’s hard to believe, Christmas is almost here. Every year it comes so quickly! We enjoy the holiday rituals; we scurry to get the extra decorations up, the additional shopping done, the special outings, the expansion of our hearts in the spirit of giving and being more aware of those less fortunate, we enjoy the amazing food gatherings and all … Read More

As we take ourselves through the rituals of this holiday season, let’s remember that the expansion of our hearts through the familiar gift giving and sharing with others, is magnified tenfold when we anchor it in inner communion with the divine. The beautiful Christ child lives always in our hearts, waiting to be nurtured by our deepest desire to live … Read More

Across the country this time of year small children are now lining up to sit on Santa’s lap. They are making their Christmas wishes. Most likely (and thankfully) they are oblivious to the crazy happenings and sufferings occurring far from them on the other side of the world. Yet, on some level we are all affected. Still, what can we … Read More

The Candle of Peace Take the bowl of my mind and fill it with Thy understanding. Take my bottle of emotion and fill it with Thy mercy. Take the empty basket of my Soul and fill it with Thy Fragrant Wisdom. Use my life’s vessel to dip cupfuls of Thy Love and pour them into the desire-parched throats of others. … Read More

With Thanksgiving just around the corner we are officially entering into the holiday season! It seems fitting that it commences with the heart opening holiday that emphasizes gratitude. The heart is the gateway to higher consciousness, to our highest aspirations, to the”better angels” of our true nature. Science, too, has now confirmed that when we utilize gratitude as a tool … Read More

Today marks Diwali, a celebration that springs from the Hindu tradition symbolizing the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. It is a celebration of the inner light existing within each and everyone of us offering protection from the spiritual darkness that surrounds us. Swami Kriyananda says in his book The Art and Science … Read More

Last Saturday in Texas we had the rare experience of a “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse. In ancient times, many people had dramatic interpretations of this event that often took the form of a bad omen. Nayaswami Jyotish, Ananda’s spiritual director explains it in spiritual terms in this blog post on the subject. The moon is often considered to represent … Read More

The breath comes in and the breath goes out. It seemingly sustains life without us even thinking about it. The sages of ancient times realized though that the breath was more than just a physical phenomenon. They realized that it was subtly but intricately linked to the essence of our spiritual being. It is the pathway to Self-realization. This view … Read More

Imagine one cool, fall day you feel compelled to go on an afternoon hike to a nearby mountain famed for its inspired beauty and rumored preternatural qualities. As you amble along the path enjoying the lilting fragrance of the aromatic forest, you finally reach a small clearing where you look up to see the mountainside dotted with intriguing caves. Solitude … Read More

In the inspiring movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart is the selfless town hero with a big vision of what he thinks will bring him personal fulfillment, a vision that is at odds with the simple life that destiny propels him toward. He faces crisis after crisis, always choosing on the side of sharing and giving to others, at … Read More

Ananda Texas has been a beacon of light in Texas for thirty years now. We are a small but vibrant community of yogis whose mission is to share the yoga teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. In the early 1920’s, Yogananda was the first Yoga Master to come to the West sharing meditation. He remained here until his passing in 1952. Since … Read More

And even though it is still warm here in Texas, we feel the fall change beginning to happen. The days are now more often below triple digits (thank you, Divine Mother!) The morning sun rises later, the evening loses light quicker. There is almost an audible sigh of relief that the inward life is returning again as this hot, busy … Read More

It is difficult to find inspiration in the withering heat of the Texas summer. All of nature is withdrawing and contracting back into itself for pure survival. We are not unaffected by that. But fortunately as yogis, we have the unique ability to both withdraw and expand, as opposed to simply contract. It is a choice we can make to … Read More

In these hot, testy days of summer, we see how all of nature, including our relationships with one another are under a little more stress, and that sense of overwhelm is creeping up like the temperature! The practical steps in which we choose to handle our stress will be individual, but the bottom line is to observe whether our actions … Read More

Among other things, the recent popular movie, “Barbie” is a hilarious commentary on the male/female roles that society has instilled in us. In general, gender issues are very much in the political spotlight these days as well. The yoga teachings have an interesting perspective on this that goes beyond our surface identities. Yoga addresses the feminine and masculine in terms … Read More