By Rudra Shivananda Kriya Yoga has been experienced by a variety of yogis to be a potent and rapid path towards Self-Realization. A key practice of this yoga gifted through the ages by Mahavatar Babaji is that of spinal breathing. Yoga can be considered to be a path of spiritual evolution – as an
By Rudra Shivananda How often are we faced with a situation where we are called upon to decide between the lesser of two choices that both have negative consequences? We often wish that we can just stop and not to choose and do nothing at all. Sometimes the consequences are minor while other times, even
By Rudra Shivananda What are your hands doing when you are trying to meditate? When a seeker enters the stream and take a path of spiritual insight, he or she will pay a lot of attention to the sitting position and body posture. However, not much attention is paid initially to the position of the
By Rudra Shivananda A few days ago, we commemorated the life of a great leader for the freedom movement. Martin Luther King took up the mantle of Mahatma Gandhi and became a beacon of light not only for black Americans but for people all over the world. We need not discuss his heroic application of
By Rudra Shivananda I was meeting with a student and her family last night and she was very concerned that her peers at the local university were undermining her belief in rebirth and therefore she was doubting the whole necessity for spiritual practice. In her mind, the two seemed to be linked. First off, these
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 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 When we talk about sadhana or spiritual practice, most often we highlight the techniques and the progress in proficiency of practice. We might give tips on how to practice better or guidelines to overcome certain obstacles that will occur along the path. However, it may be instructive to examine the psychological stages
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 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