A poem from Shambhavi on the occasion of turning sixty-five years old. She also wrote Inexplicable Grace, a short reflection on her life as a student of her teachers.

Occasionally someone gets angry with me because I don’t publicly live stream many teachings, especially teachings that include instructions for practicing.

Many people are outing and analyzing cult leaders these days. But people are still joining cults. What’s up with that?

For everyone who has been given an opportunity, however small, to help others wake up and discover their divine nature. . .

I have not told this story in full publicly. But I find myself living in a time and place in which many people are skeptical of or are rejecting the possibility of Guru. Other people long for a spiritual guide, but are afraid of being hurt.

I have received a heartfelt request to write, from a woman’s perspective, about the child abuse and rape testimony against senior Swamis in the Satyananda Yoga lineage.

We generally believe that spiritual awakening means we get to realize our deepest longing. Depending on what you currently think your deepest longing is, that may or may not be true. But if you keep practicing, you certainly will encounter many, many moments when you do not get what you want. What is the benefit when your teacher, or life, blocks you from getting what you want?

Using spiritual teachings to support ego – oh, let me count the ways! This is especially attractive to teachers. My personal golden rule: Teach only what I have actually realized through practice.

Have you heard of the phenomenon of the “Guru’s hint?”

The most obvious “hint” is when your teacher says to you: “I suggest you do this,” or “You may want to do that.” Your teacher is inviting you to a deeper level of surrender. The hint is an opportunity. But it is an opportunity that recognizes your free will.

A Jaya Kula reader asked how he could become a Guru. Lots of people these days want to be Gurus. Here’s how.