Swami Kriyananda often spoke of the importance of listening to the right kind of music. He would say that it is not just about personal taste, but that different melodies will affect us differently, according to the level of consciousness in which we are, as well as the consciousness in which the composer was when he wrote it. Very little … Read More
A Special Breakfast with a Lesson on Non-Judgement
The trouble with worshipping God only as Father is that He tends to present an image of a judge — somewhat stern and aloof. But Divine Mother is filled with compassion, and will forgive you even if you’ve done wrong. Yogananda said, “Pray to the Mother, ‘Naughty or good, still I’m your child, and you must help me.’” – Swami Kriyananda Nayaswamis … Read More
How a Doctor Became a Monk
Dr Aditya Gait MBBS DNB(I) is a Medical Doctor and Spiritual Director of Ananda Sangha Pune. He is a Yoga Alliance certified International Yoga and Ananda Healing Teacher. Dr. Aditya offers professional advice to the Yogananda Charitable Trust and has conducted workshops on Health, Happiness and Success at various forums in India, Europe and America. He has conducted programs for … Read More
The ways of the Gurus: How the Shopkeeper Became Part of the Puzzle
I had, in an earlier blog, shared the story of how I came to join Ananda, and become a disciple of our beloved Guru. Now, I would like to share a story of my husband’s journey, which is yet to be concluded… When I joined Ananda, my husband, Sachin, was a bit confused. He knew that I was religious, but … Read More
Translating As a Channel for the Guru
Every creativity has its own story… so it is with this one. At the time, I was staying in the Ashram at Watunde (Pune). One day I got a phone call from a long time Devotee (Amol Parkhi Ji) asking me if I could help in checking (he used the word “editing” which is too heavy for my stature) the … Read More
O Master
O Master… O Master…May Thy joy fill our Days O Master… May Thy wisdom guide our days… How beautiful has my life become, since the first day I walked into Master’s home….! I saw his picture on the cover of “Autobiography of a Yogi” in the “second hand books for sale” shelf of our library… and he drew me to … Read More
Larks Fly High
Why is it that Christ’s birthday is still celebrated thousands of years later? In India why do we still celebrate Krishna’s birthday? Is it only because they had remarkable lives? No. There is more to it than their outward achievements. There are plenty of souls who have lived outstanding lives, but within 100 years, almost everyone forgets who they are. … Read More
Befriending Swami Kriyananda
This happened in April, 2014. I walked to the saloon two buildings away from where I used to live. As usual, I had to wait for my turn there. I picked up the English newspaper from the table, and then went through the headlines. It’s possible I looked at the sports section first, which is at the end. Then I … Read More
Energization: The Wishing Tree
Some time ago, I attended a class on the Energization Exercises which was being taught to new students. A very brief introduction from the part of the teachers was finalized with the statement: “Remember, these are spiritual, not physical, exercises. We do them in order to meditate better, but they can’t in any way take the place of physical workout.” … Read More
Change can happen if we allow it – My experience with AYTT
I first came to be introduced to Ananda Yoga in 2014 when I was undergoing my Kriya classes with Nayaswamis Tushti and Surendra. Around this time, I had stopped practising yoga, which I used to practise earlier, due to two reasons. First, even though I had been practising close to 2 and a half years, the yoga that I experienced … Read More
