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…)

Hello, Precious Selves

I will be on retreat until mid-April. I leave you with this wonderful passage in the words of my Guru, Anandamayi Ma. (more…)

A reader from Maine asks:

I wonder about the balance between having good self esteem and pride. (more…)

Meditation confuses nearly everyone. What is it? How do you attain it? What’s it for? This is the topic of the first Jaya Kula satsang. (more…)