By Rudra Shivananda Oftentimes, spiritual students are confused by their emotional nature and unable to come to terms with their intellectual understanding of the deeper aspects of life. It is then necessary to contemplate continuously on a truth in order to remove the emotional blockage. A mere reading or nodding acceptance is insufficient. A few
By Rudra Shivananda It may be useful for the spiritual seeker if we explore a model of consciousness that I use because it is closely correlated with yogic experience. This model differentiates between brain, mind and consciousness in a practical way for spiritual evolution. Scientists are still in the process of understanding the functions of
By Rudra Shivananda A poet, a writer, society spokesperson and fearless crusader are some of the images evoked by Maya Angelou, who recently passed away. I would also like to highlight her role as an evolved spiritual seeker who can give guidance to others seeking to rise above the waves of a turbulent life. Her
By Rudra Shivananda When a spiritual practitioner’s subtle body becomes purified and there is a withdrawal of the senses from the external environment towards the internal center, she will experience various inner sounds. These should not be confused with the physical sounds of the body resulting from the rushing of blood or contraction of various
By Rudra Shivananda There is frequently a confusion among spiritual students about the role of the ego. Although there is an understanding that it is detrimental for spiritual growth, many believe that a strong ego is necessary to live successfully in this material world. They are therefore torn between the weakening of the ego from
By Rudra Shivananda In key spiritual texts, re-birth and liberation are explained in terms of the moon and the Sun, keeping in mind that we are not talking about the physical sun and moon but the existential planes they represent. If a person has done a lot of good deeds, such that the good exceeds
By Rudra Shivananda There continues to be a proliferation of workshops, seminars, audios and books on the power of positive thought and the techniques of positive affirmations. These can be very misleading especially for those who have these “secrets” as their initial exposure to spirituality. I utilize affirmations in some of my workshops and so
By Rudra Shivananda Every now and then, a spiritual practitioner will contact me and reveal that he is struggling with an addiction to on-line pornography and ask about remedies. After a little research, it appears that this kind of condition is not uncommon with the proliferation of on-line sites in recent years. In a short
By Rudra Shivananda When a spiritual seeker chooses a particular path for personal development, he or she may not be aware that there are significant life-changing differences between the powerful yogic systems that can affect one’s ability to maintain a family and function in society. The yogic systems that were developed and flourished during the
By Rudra Shivananda Once an aspirant has set his or her foot on the spiritual path, a bewildering array of possibilities present themselves – the variety of spiritual groups, marketplace of systems, choice of teachers, myriad techniques and conflicting instructions. Choices to be made, doubts that constantly arise, and obstacles that present themselves are just