Paramhansa Yogananda .

Paramhansa Yogananda (1893-1952, often misspelled 'Paramahansa' Yogananda) was the first yoga master of India to take up permanent residence rnin the West. Yogananda arrived in America in 1920, and traveled rnthroughout the United States on what he called his ‘spiritual rncampaigns’. His enthusiastic audiences filled the largest halls rni America. Hundreds of thousands came to see the yogi from India. Yogananda continued to lecture and write up to his passing in 1952.

Yogananda's rninitial impact was truly impressive. But his lasting impact has rnbeen even greater. Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi (left), first rnpublished in 1946, helped launch a spiritual revolution in the West. His message was nonsectarian and universal. Yogananda’s teacher rnsent him to the West with the admonition, “The West is high rnin material attainments, but lacking in spiritual understanding. It is God’s will that you play a role in teaching mankind the rnvalue of balancing the material with an inner, spiritual life.”

The Path rnof Self-Realization

"The true basis of religion is not belief, but intuitive experience. Intuition is the soul's power of knowing God. To know what religion is really all about, one must know God." - Paramhansa Yogananda from The Essence of Self-Realization

Yogananda brought rnto the West the path of Self-Realization. He said that “Self-Realization rnis the knowing in all parts of body, mind, and soul that you are now rnin possession of the kingdom of God; that you do not have to pray rnthat it come to you; that God’s omnipresence is your omnipresence; and that all that you need to do is improve your knowing.”

The path of Kriya Yoga, which Yogananda called the ‘jet-airplane’ route to God, consists of ancient yoga techniques to hasten the rnspiritual evolution of the student. Yogananda's techniques can be rnlea ed through the Ananda Kriya Ministry.

Ananda: Fulfilling Yogananda’s Vision

Swami Kriyananda and Paramhansa Yogananda

Swami Kriyananda, rna direct disciple of Yogananda, founded Ananda Village in 1968 to rnfulfill Yogananda’s vision of ‘World Brotherhood Colonies’, or spiritual cooperative communities. Yogananda envisioned a place rnwhere all people, not just monastics, could devote themselves to rnliving a divine life, dedicated to practicing the teachings of yoga rnin every aspect of their daily life.

Ananda Village rnhas over 300 adult members and children. Ananda Worldwide now includes World Brotherhood Colonies in four American cities, and in Assisi, Italy. All residents practice Yogananda’s teachings of meditation rnand apply his principles to all facets of life in this world: business, schools, relationships, healing, and much more. Ananda’s Expanding Light retreat has been sharing these principles for over 25 years.

Paramhansa Yogananda Resources
Ananda's Online Store has several books written by Yogananda, audio rntalks by Yogananda, and video footage of the Master. We also offer rnmany other resources, including books about Yogananda by several rndirect disciples: Swami Kriyananda, Hare Krishna Ghosh (Yogananda's rnnephew), Peggy Dietz, Meera Ghosh, Devi Mukherjee, and others.

For more information visit www.ananda.org