Hari Om tat Sat

In the hundred years since the birth of Paramahansa Yogananda, this beloved world teacher has come to be recognized as one of the greatest emissaries to the West of India’s ancient wisdom. His life and teachings continue to be a source of light and inspiration to people of all races, cultures and creeds. Yogananda brought clarity to hundreds of thousands of people regarding the ancient teachings of India - previously shrouded in the cultural assumptions and terminology of an era long past. These teachings include the path of Kriya Yoga, which Yogananda called the 'jet-airplane' route to God, consisting of ancient yoga techniques to hasten the spiritual evolution of the student. "The true basis of religion is not belief, but intuitive experience. Intuition is the soul's power of knowing God. To know what religion is really all about, one must know God," said Paramhansa Yogananda in the book "The Essence of Self-Realization". He further wrote that "Self- Realization is the knowing in all parts of body, mind, and soul that you are now in possession of the kingdom of God; that you do not have to pray that it come to you; that God's omnipresence is your omnipresence; and that all that you need to do is improve your knowing." The science of Kriya Yoga is the foundation of Yogananda's teachings. Kriya Yoga is "union (yoga) with the Infinite through a certain action or rite (kriya). The Sanskrit root of kriya is kri, to do, to act and react." Kriya Yoga was passed down through Yogananda's guru lineage - Mahavatar Babaji taught Kriya Yoga to Lahiri Mahasaya, who taught it to his disciple, Yukteswar Giri, Yogananda's Guru.

“You may control a mad elephant; You may shut the mouth of the bear and the tiger; Ride the lion and play with the cobra; By alchemy you may learn your livelihood; You may wander through the universe incognito; Make vassals of the gods; be ever youthful; You may walk in water and live in fire; But control of the mind is better and more difficult.” ― Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi Yogananda gave a general description of Kriya Yoga in his Autobiography: The Kriya Yogi mentally directs his life energy to revolve, upward and downward, around the six spinal centers (medullary, cervical, dorsal, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal plexuses) which correspond to the twelve astral signs of the zodiac, the symbolic Cosmic Man. One-half minute of revolution of energy around the sensitive spinal cord of man effects subtle progress in his evolution; that half-minute of Kriya equals one year of natural spiritual unfoldment. Yogananda wrote in Autobiography of a Yogi that the "The actual technique should be learned from an authorized Kriyaban (Kriya Yogi) of Self-Realization Fellowship (Yogoda Satsanga Society of India.)"

A Beautiful Poem


As I sailed away from You on the river of desire
Suddenly I found myself launched on Your oceanic presence.
As I ran away from You through the fog of incarnations
I arrived at the threshold of Your all-pervading temple.
As on the plane of thought I flew
To the north, south, east, and west,
The net of Your omnipresence surrounded me.
At last I rode on the wings of swiftest electrons
And dived into the bowels of eternity below,
To find You there.
Then I zoomed above into eternity’s heart --
No matter how far I went
You stood always ahead of me.
In despair, unable to fly away from You
I plunged to the east and the west in eternity’s chasms
And there I fell on Your lap.
At last with the dynamite of my will
I exploded myself, my thoughts, my love,
Into countless dusts of fading life,
And as I floated everywhere into all things,
I found at last that I slept in Your bosom.
I may think I hide from you [capitalize?]
Because I keep my eyes closed,
But before Your watchful eyes, ever-present am I.
Open my eyes that I may also behold
You looking at me
From all sides everywhere.
I may try and think to hide from You,
But wherever I am
There are You.
~~P.Yogananda