Paramahamsa Satyananda Saraswati, 12/09. Photo by Swami Karma Karuna

Paramahamsa Satyananda Saraswati, the great Guru, Bhakta, Disciple and humanitarian took Mahasamadhi on Dec. 5th. He left many treasures for our benefit. One of these treasures is his beautiful, poetic sankalpa.

A sankalpa is a statement of resolve and desire. You resolve to attempt and accomplish what your true heart – the heart of nondual wisdom – urges.

A sankalpa can be a small resolve to be realized in a short amount of time. One can also set a sankalpa for one’s entire life. It is this type of sankalpa that Paramahamsaji wrote. (more…)

Paramahamsa Satyananda Saraswati has posted a sweet essay on the Bhakta practice of singing the names of God. He reveals that he wakes up each morning to forty minutes of recorded kirtan to which he sings along. He calls this his “awakening clock.” We should all have an “awakening clock.” In fact, as Parmahamsaji notes, we should go to sleep and wake up thinking of God.

In the direct realization traditions, practitioners fall asleep in a state of Guru yoga and wake up and immediately connect to Guru. These are practices of the sandhi–of times during each day when we are a little more open and able to receive transmission. Yoga means union, and Guru yoga means discovering your union with Guru.

How can you do this? (more…)

Paramahamsa Satyananda Saraswati has written in his blog, that “in the next century Yoga will be relegated to the background and the role of Bhakti will be foremost.” (more…)

Some years ago, I started a practice of writing “Hello, Precious Self” at the start of every email or letter.

I got the idea from Swami Sivananda who addressed letters with “Blessed Self.” (more…)