“Be as simple as you can be; you will be astonished to see how uncomplicated and happy your life can become.” Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952)


Break the wine glass, and fall towards the glassblower’s breath. Rumi (1207-1273), Sufi mystic



Ninety-nine percent of human beings are atheists. Yogaswami (1872-1964)



If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. The Dalai Lama



It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love, is well done. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)



(Nachiketas asks:) “Tell me that which you see beyond right and wrong, beyond what is done or not done, beyond past and future.” (Yama says:) “That word which all the Vedas declare, which all the austerities proclaim, desiring which people live the life of a religious student, that word, to you, I shall tell in brief. That is Aum.” Katha Upanishad 1.2



Those who dance are considered insane by those who can’t hear the music. Friedrich Nietzshe (1844-1900), German philosopher



Life is life, whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man’s own advantage.
Sri Aurobindo (1869-1948), Indian yoga philosopher



If a person overlooks the faults of others and sees only their merits, and thus keeps his mind serene, his whole life will be happy. To be unconcerned in all things, with the mind cool, free of desires and without hate, is beautiful in a seeker. Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950), South Indian mystic



The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed. Chinese proverb
If, while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” Thus we are sucked away into the future—and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life. Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022), Buddhist monk



He is good and wise who always speaks the truth, acts on the dictates of virtue, and tries to make others good and happy. Dayananda Saraswati, (1824–1883) founder of Arya Samaj



To measure the quality of your life, simply do nothing and see how it feels. Naval Ravikant, Indian entrepreneur



If I rest, I rust. Swami Chinmayananda (1916-1993), founder of Chinmaya Mission



Hinduism: The world’s largest non-prophet organization. Anonymous



Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the now the primary focus of your life. Eckhart Tolle, German spiritual teacher



Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storms, but to add color to my sunset sky. Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), Bengali poet and philosopher



We’re not trying to explain the unexplainable, just trying to help those who are sincere figure out where to go to experience it. Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, publisher of Hinduism Today



A big gun that shoots the bullet of the depth of knowledge of karma, the second bullet, of the deep understanding of the perfect universal energies, and the third bullet of the dharmic way of a balanced life, kills the anava and brings that purusha onto the charya marga, onto the path of the Gods, the hospital of the soul at that point. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism Today


BASICS

The Yoga Pada

Yoga, “union,” is the process of uniting with God within oneself, a stage arrived at through perfecting charya and kriya. As God is now like a friend to us, yoga is known as the sakha marga. This system of inner discovery begins with asana—sitting quietly in yogic posture—and pranayama, breath control. Pratyahara, sense withdrawal, brings awareness into dharana, concentration, then into dhyana, meditation. Over the years, under ideal conditions, the kundalini fire of consciousness ascends to the higher chakras, burning the dross of ignorance and past karmas. Dhyana finally leads to enstasy—first to savikalpa samadhi, the contemplative experience of Satchidananda, and ultimately to nirvikalpa samadhi, Parasiva. Truly a living satguru is needed as a steady guide to traverse this path. When yoga is practiced by one perfected in kriya, the Gods receive the yogi into their midst through his awakened, fiery kundalini. The Vedas enjoin the yogi, “With earnest effort hold the senses in check. Controlling the breath, regulate the vital activities. As a charioteer holds back his restive horses, so does a persevering aspirant restrain his mind.” Aum Namah Sivaya

From the teachings of Satguru
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami