A Touch of Light Podcast

A Touch of Light Podcast episodes:

• 05.03.2024

  The Charioteer

  What does the battle of the Bhagavad Gita represent in our own spiritual life?

  
• 04.26.2024

  Moksha Day

  What are the qualities Swamiji modelled for all of us and how might we model them in our own lives?

  
• 04.19.2024

  The Mountain or the Marketplace

  What stops us from starting the “ascent” to greater awareness?

  
• 04.12.2024

  Children of the Light

  The theme of the evolution of consciousness is woven repeatedly throughout the great teachings of India. First there is the long, more-or-less automatic, evolution through the reincarnations prior to reaching the human form. This passage through the dim corridors of...

  
• 04.05.2024

  The Nail in the Board

  When confronted with the effects of our past bad actions, how should we respond?

  
• 03.29.2024

  How Swami Kriyananda Worked with People

  How we work with others is an indication of how we work with ourselves. We can apply these principles to our own lives.

  
• 03.22.2024

  In My Guru’s Ashram

  The doors to this sacred realm are always open. The choice is ours whether we want to dwell there. Living in our guru’s ashram is a state of mind, and much more: It is constantly reaching out for union with...

  
• 03.15.2024

  The Web of Life

  How can we learn to cultivate friendships everywhere and see our unity? It’s always a joy to share inspiring events that come into our lives, especially when they come unbidden and filled with “education and entertainment”—the purpose of all our...

  
• 03.08.2024

  “I Remember!”

  Why does memory exist at all? Researchers are trying to discover what the mechanism is that holds and releases our memories.

  
• 03.01.2024

  The Yearning of the Soul

  Every soul yearns for the light, and will find a way to grow toward it. No matter what the obstacles, the soul will find its way upward just as a blade of grass will sometimes grow through a slab of...

  
• 02.23.2024

  Finding Your Dharma

  How can we save ourselves endless trouble and heartache? Before any important choice, we ask, “Will this help my spiritual evolution?”

  
• 02.16.2024

  Embrace Your Dharma

  It is helpful to recognize that we have two dharmas: the timeless dharma of the soul aiming to reunite with God, and the dharma of our current life. Happiness and success will follow only if we align the actions of...

  
• 02.09.2024

  Be the Big Picture

  There are times when life seems to bear down on us. It’s difficult then to remain positive amidst the challenges in our life, and that we see in the lives of others, and in the world at large. Yet in...

  
• 02.02.2024

  One at a Time

  We can’t get far with problems, either in daily life or in meditation, unless we learn to concentrate on one thing at a time. Here's how...

  
• 01.26.2024

  What Keeps Us Moving Towards God

  Within each of us lies a seed of hope that we truly can achieve our spiritual goals. Though the soil of our consciousness may sometimes seem barren and dry, if we nurture this seed, it can keep us going.

  
• 01.19.2024

  Stories of Attunement

  Lessons learned by direct disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda.

  
• 01.12.2024

  Secrets to Deeper Meditation

  How to make meditation more personally meaningful and enjoyable.

  
• 12.29.2023

  Choices

  We mistakenly think that the chains of karma keep us forever bound in delusion, when, in truth, we have the power at any time to make the kind of choices that will set us free.

  
• 12.22.2023

  The Shawl of Gold

  Many of you reading this blog will have heard Swami Kriyananda’s beautiful song, “The Shawl of Gold.” But few of you will have heard the rest of the story. This is how it was revealed to me in my meditation.

  
• 12.15.2023

  The Art of Giving and Receiving

  On an even deeper level, try to see beyond the individual’s love to feel God’s love coming to you through your friend in the form of their present. Swamiji has given us a beautiful affirmation: “I give thanks to the...

  
• 12.08.2023

  World Brotherhood

  The essence of world brotherhood and the essence of our spiritual path are the same: to seek unity (yoga) where others see only diversity. Yogananda urged us again and again to see God’s smiling face hiding behind all outer appearances:...

  
• 12.01.2023

  What Problem?

  How to detach from any problem and approach it with the understanding that only consciousness is real.

  
• 11.24.2023

  Simple Steps to Happiness

  Much of the benefit of this practice comes from the conscious decision to make a plan for the week, and then to carry out your daily act of “micro joy.” What better time to start this than the day after...

  
• 11.17.2023

  Where Do We Find Love?

  In the face of a world in turmoil, let’s remember that God’s love for us—in fact, simply God’s love—is the only important thing, the only reality. Whether it’s expressed through the love of another person, through a pet, or through...

  
• 11.10.2023

  What Can We Give?

  The heart of a devotee naturally overflows with the desire to help others. In fact, this yearning is one of the first signs of a refined consciousness. In a sense it is that impulse that brought this world into existence...

  
• 11.03.2023

  How to Pray

  What can we do to help bring light into the world and reestablish peace and harmony in human hearts?

  
• 10.27.2023

  Mountains in the Mist

  Do you want to help create a better world? It begins with you taking responsibility for changing yourself. Here, then, is a simple three-step process to get started.

  
• 10.20.2023

  The Power of One

  The world in which we live today is rife with tension, dishonesty, power-seeking, violence, and warfare. In the face of it all, feeling helpless and hopeless as so many do, it is far too easy to fall into a pit...

  
• 10.13.2023

  Show Me Your Friends

  An Indian friend of ours recently mentioned a phrase that really caught my attention. While guiding her son through a challenging period she told him, “Show me your friends, and I will show you your future.” This phrase can also serve...

  
• 10.06.2023

  The Minutes Are More Important Than the Years

  Kriyanandaji often spoke of the importance of bringing “keen, alert attention” to everything that we do. The next step is deeply to focus our attention not only on what we’re doing outwardly, but inwardly on God. This is essential for...

  
• 09.29.2023

  What Is Essential

  Yoganandaji taught that it is what we do that makes us holy, not what we don’t do. His guru, Sri Yukteswar, said, “The vanished lives of all men are dark with many shames. . . . Everything in future will...

  
• 09.22.2023

  Afraid of Flying

  What is it that makes us inwardly withdraw from deeper experiences in meditation? One common cause is a feeling that we’re not yet ready or worthy to experience expanded states of awareness. This is just the ego trying to defend its...

  
• 09.15.2023

  The Trunk and the Branches

  It would be helpful to introspect and try to feel the core purpose of your own life, the trunk of your particular tree. What motivates and energizes you? Look for themes that have been there since early childhood. As you...

  
• 09.08.2023

  Walking The New Path

  “I want to be your disciple.” Seventy-five years ago, on September 12, 1948, a young man knelt before Paramhansa Yogananda, and with intense yearning spoke these words. It was the beginning of a journey that changed his life, and by...

  
• 09.01.2023

  Navigating Life’s Dramas

  Life is a journey filled with highs and lows. Sometimes it feels like a roller coaster, bursting with exhilarating peaks and gloomy valleys. At other times, it feels like the repetitive routine of a Ferris wheel that simply turns in...

  
• 08.25.2023

  School’s in Session

  Tests often come to devotees to raise to conscious awareness the hidden karmic patterns that cause us suffering. The tests reveal both small and big karmic blind spots, and depending on the degree of misery they bring us, we’re motivated...

  
• 08.18.2023

  Spiritual Power

  How does one develop powers? We don’t so much acquire them as embody them. In a sense, Jesus gave us clear instructions for how to walk on water, or heal others, or feed the masses: “Love God with all your...

  
• 08.11.2023

  The Dual Nature of Divine Love

  Divine love is impersonal, because it is universally rather than individually rooted. And it is also personal, because it touches each of us uniquely according to our own nature. This is what Swamiji was trying to convey to me when...

  
• 08.04.2023

  The Inner Light

  When Swami Kriyananda gave me the spiritual name, Jyotish, he said that it means “Inner Light.” Seeing light in the forehead during meditation has always been a cornerstone of my practice, which is probably why he chose this name for...

  
• 07.28.2023

  Follow the Breadcrumbs

  Here are some basic techniques and principles for drawing inner guidance. First, start by calming your mind in meditation.

  
• 07.21.2023

  Lessons Learned in Eighty Years

  I will celebrate my eightieth birthday in less than a month. I thought it appropriate to share a few significant lessons I’ve learned over the years...

  
• 07.14.2023

  Why We Meditate

  As a lifelong meditator, I love to hear people’s experiences of how meditation has helped them. Here are a few such stories which, taken together, show a broad spectrum of benefits that meditation can bring.

  
• 07.07.2023

  Ups and Downs

  There are many ways that we can uplift our spirits when we feel down. The most important is attuning to God and Guru. Try to feel that He is your closest friend, waiting to help you.

  
• 06.30.2023

  Awaiting the Unexpected

  The spiritual path can sometimes seem like an endless struggle up a steep cliff, with little to show for our efforts along the way. But the ability to find the strength to keep going is what separates the dilettante devotee...

  
• 06.23.2023

  What Makes Us Happy

  What makes us happy? There is a deep spiritual truth: It says that happiness increases as our consciousness rises and expands, and dwindles as it falls and contracts. That is why we say “up in heaven” and “down in hell.”...

  
• 06.16.2023

  All the World Is My Friend

  Why is it that people can feel so close and trusting with a stranger? There are several factors at play. First, as I mentioned about our Australian friend, his expansive heart quality touches people on some level. Through the practice...

  
• 06.09.2023

  Do the Right Thing

  Stories like these that restore our faith in the goodness of people. Examples of noble actions can go viral, spreading goodness and joy from person to person. If we are inspired by the examples mentioned above, then it is time...

  
• 06.02.2023

  Whose Dream Is This?

  Our life’s experiences, with all their joys and sorrows, mesmerize us with a sense of their undeniable reality. Yet, in truth, everything is only a thought in the mind of God. Paramhansa Yogananda (who related the story above) explains it...

  
• 05.26.2023

  Bridging Time and Tranquility

  A common problem is carving out time for meditation. This challenge isn't exclusive to novices—even seasoned meditators can find it tough to dedicate as much time as they would like. And even on days when we’re not immediately pressed for time,...

  
• 05.19.2023

  Happy Birthday, Swamiji!

  Dear Swamiji, It’s hard to believe that ten years have passed since you left your body, because your presence in our lives has only increased over time. My appreciation of who you are and the spiritual gifts you gave us has...