Paramhansa Yogananda
In 1920, a great teacher was sent from India to the West, to share with all sincere seekers the universal message that God is within everyone, and to offer time-tested techniques to empower us to live from this place of inner knowing.
Paramhansa Yogananda (1893 – 1952) was the first yoga master from India to make his home in the West. Trained by a line of enlightened yoga masters, Yogananda came with the mission of reawakening the world to the original teachings of yoga as taught in the East, and the original Christianity of Jesus Christ, both of which emphasize direct inner experience of God.
Yogananda instructed thousands of students in the art and science of meditation, and offered to sincere seekers the advanced meditation technique of Kriya yoga, which helps the practitioner to achieve the highest states of union with the Infinite. In addition, through his trans-continental lectures, writings and talks, he offered tools and techniques to uplift and spiritualize many aspects of every-day life, including health, diet, exercise, finances, relationships and psychological well-being. In short, Yogananda’s teachings offered a complete system of developing spiritual, mental and physical well-being that is particularly suited to the demands of modern life.
Many are familiar with his book, the spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi, which continues to inspire and guide millions.
Swami Kriyananda (Yogananda’s direct disciple and Ananda’s spiritual founder) As a young man of 22 in 1948, Swami Kriyananda (born J. Donald Walters) began a search for deeper truth and meaning that led him to discover Autobiography of a Yogi. Just one day after reading the book, he embarked on a cross-country bus journey from New York to California, to meet the teacher he had come to think of as “his truest spiritual friend.”
Trained and directed by Yogananda to teach, write and lecture, Swami Kriyananda’s life continues to be an extraordinary example of discipleship, service, and divine friendship to all who sincerely seek to know the divine as a living reality. Kriyananda has inspired many thousands throughout the world, and continues to keep alive the spiritual revolution started by his guru.
To date, Swami Kriyananda has written over 85 books that offer practical guidance and spiritual insight on subjects such as relationships, education, prosperity, leadership, and community, and has composed over 400 pieces of inspiring music that speaks to the soul.
In 1968, Swami Kriyananda founded Ananda. The work has grown to include seven residential spiritual communities and numerous centers and meditation groups around the world. In 2003, along with a team of other dedicated souls, Swami Kriyananda moved to Gurgaon, India to help establish Ananda centers and communities, so that Yogananda’s teachings may be known and deeply lived in his beloved mother country. They are now actively involved in founding the first rural World Brotherhood Colony on Indian soil, just outside of Pune.
