Laura Svolos (Swami Adityananda)

Laura is a Swami of Kriya Yoga, a spiritual teacher and meditation instructor, and a certified life coach. She was ordained by the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago, Illinois where she studied under the tutelage of Sri Goswami Kriyananda. Kriyanandaji carries the Flame of the Lineage of Sri Babaji, brought to this country by Paramhansa Yogananda in the 1920s.

At The Temple of Kriya Yoga where she was ordained, Laura went through a rigorous seminary program in which she studied the techniques and theological philosophy of Kriya Yoga. She also studied Kriya Yoga’s underlying unity with other schools of Eastern wisdom such as Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. She is dedicating her teaching around the central theme of freedom. In keeping with this theme, her spiritual name of “Adityananda” which was given to her by the Temple, is derived from two Sanskrit words meaning “freedom” (Aditi) and “bliss” (Ananda). Laura believes that wisdom is the path to freedom. To that end, she teaches principles of spiritual wisdom along with meditation techniques, mantras, mudras, and internal rituals to help people gain more peace, balance, and freedom in their lives. Her teachings draw upon a wide variety of disciplines, including Kriya Yoga, Tibetan Buddhism and metaphysical schools of thought.

Laura also teaches the laws of the universe and how to consciously work with those laws to break free from the karmic patterns of the past so one can create anew. Freedom from karma is key because when one is truly free, one is able to create a new pattern that is in a more positive and expansive direction. One is able to dream a new dream.

For those who are new to meditation, Laura teaches a free, guided meditation class that is available as an audio player or mp3 download. The guided meditation class is divided into two parts:

In Part One, “Meditation for Beginners: Getting Started” Laura talks about the three things that you should consider prior to starting a meditation practice. They are: right time, right place, and right attitude.

In Part Two, “Meditation for Beginners: Let's Begin” she guides you through a five-minute meditation practice with specific meditation techniques. The techniques discussed in Part Two are outlined in a document that accompanies the audio. Also outlined are some of the benefits of meditation.

While this meditation class is designed mainly for the beginner, seasoned practitioners also may benefit from some of the principles and meditation techniques discussed because the techniques can be practiced for longer periods of time.