By Rudra Shivananda One of the obstacles that beset all sincere spiritual aspirants is the doubt that arises from contemplating the amazing transformation of an essentially ignorant normal human being into an enlightened Master in one life-time. How is such a miracle even possible? The great Masters have always taught that a human birth is
By Rudra Shivananda A primary yogic practice is the use of breath to control the life-force energy and direct it to awaken our potential divinity. A spiritual path such Kriya Yoga is structured such that most of the practitioner’s sadhana is based on the pranayama according to the principle that prana and mind are
By Rudra Shivananda As we approach the prime decision point on November 6th in a major political process to elect a new president, it helpful to re-examine the impact of fear on our minds. Politicians are adept in pressing the fear button and clouding the judgement of the voters. The truth and our good sense
By Rudra Shivananda Each human being has an inner Light, but most people do not make contact with their Divinity, even once in their life-time. The physical sun that we observe every-day is very far from our planet. It appears as a small disc, but we know from our science classes, that it is really
By Rudra Shivananda As we learn of the passing of a true hero, that of Neil Armstrong who took a small step on the Moon and expanded the boundaries of humanity, I’m reminded of the significance of the moon as a powerful symbol in the yogic tradition. Just as the effect of Armstrong’s feat will
By Rudra Shivananda In a previous post, I explained about the structural barriers that prevent the spiritual seeker from engaging in an effective mantra practice. There was a request to give some examples of the foundation mantras that are needed to transform a busy or lethargic mind into a calm state. Below, I’ve given
By Rudra Shivananda One of the most hidden treasures of yogic knowledge is that of Soma or Amrita – the nectar of immortality and bliss. There are lots of misinformation and confusion on this subject and unfortunately very little in the way of clarity because of the sacredness of the knowledge. It is sacred
By Rudra Shivananda Every four years, a large part of the world takes time out of their busy lives to cheer on the athletes that have made it into the Olympic Games. Four years ago, we watched the spectacle of the opening ceremony in Beijing, China and it was indeed awe-inspiring. The beauty and scale
By Rudra Shivananda The 2nd energy center or swadhisthana chakra is the center for attraction and aversions. We are attracted to certain things and people and have an aversion for others. The specifics are governed by our present and past karmic patterns – our urges and compulsions. The 2nd center is responsible for the instinct
By Rudra Shivananda The spiritual path is long an arduous and has many pitfalls and obstacles. We are often befuddled by our delusions and fall prey to illusions, thinking a true path is false or that we have achieved something when we have not. Why does this happen? It is because of our karmic tendencies