Yogananda Podcast

In this episode Paramahansa Yogananda talks about the science behind the energization exercises, Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg talks about the science of enlightenment and Bro. Chidananda creates context by describing the effects of Kriya Yoga. We go into detail of neuroscientific findings on meditation and ask the question, what is energy?

0:00 Botany;

1:39 Summary of minute;

2:40 Electrify, Recharge and Energise;

5:44 Andrew Newberg;

8:24 A brief history of Energization Exercises;

25:06 Andrew Newberg and his research on the Enlightened State;

59:50 Swami Smaranananda;

1:03:25 Can you meditate on pipes?;

1:07:27 Bro. Chidananda and the airplane route.

Ted Talk: Finding our enlightened State, Dr A Newberg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SJCDLHyeqk

Deepening Our Practice of Meditation –  Swami Smaranananda,

https://bookstore.yogananda-srf.org/product/deepening-our-practice-of-meditation-mp3-download-swami-smaranananda/

Reva joins us from London to discuss Yoga and Meditation in the context of this minute where Brahmachari Martin (of Self-Realization Fellowship), Varun Soni and Mas Vidal weigh in on their definitions. Why are people moving away from religion? What is meditation? Why is Hatha Yoga not taught in SRF (in as much depth as Kriya Yoga)? We offer some guidance, as given by Paramahansa Yogananda (and some Monastics), on these intriguing questions.

0:00 Meet Reva;

4:50 Summary of minute;

8:57 Brahmachari Martin, what is behind religion?;

16:45 What if you don't have any techniques for meditation?;

29:30 Meditation paraphernalia;

33:59 Yoga Stage 3 - Asanas;

47:07 Yoga Stage 4 and higher - Kriya Yoga;

58:51 Why we HAVE to do Hatha Yoga and impact of fasting.

What is meant by true or the original Christianity? We discuss Paramahansa Yogananda's extensive coverage of Jesus Christ's life, high inclusion in the Self-Realization Fellowship’s lineage of gurus and the controversies and interpretations of the Bible’s New Testament and Gospels.

In 2021 we interviewed subject matter expert Professor Clooney of Harvard University about this subject (still available on the podcast) and now take the opportunity to review the content of that discussion in more detail including Christ’s missing years (excursion into India) and the Council of Nicaea.

0:00 Preamble;

1:30 Summary of minute;

3:09 What is true Christianity?;

7:52 Can we better our faith through inter-faith study?;

13:17 Does following Jesus have to be an exclusive path?;  

20:31 Christianity in India;

30:44 Jesus Christ in the lineage of Yogananda;

47:52 Jesus in India;

51:52 Compilation of the Bible, Council of Nicaea and Jesus as God;

1:02:02 Reincarnation;

1:13:50 The Second Coming of Christ;

1:20:35 Why did Jesus perform miracles;

1:31:09 Jesus appearing to Yogananda.

Professor Clooney Interview:

https://youtu.be/ZDPO9QhZ39I

“We’ll have a big place on a mountain”, is what Swami Yogananda told one of his students in Boston, three months before moving to Los Angeles and miraculously establishing the Self Realization Fellowship headquarters on Mt. Washington. We conduct a deep dive on the background stories, the spiritual and the financial aspects of life in the early stages of the famous ashram. Our guest Christine (Mike’s sister) has been a devotee all her life shares her unique experiences at "Mother Center".

0:00 Meet Christine;

8:19 Summary of minute;

9:40 Mt. Washington, a brief history;

12:40 Making the trip to see Mother Center;

10:31 Divine guidance;

27:57 Fund raising and legal troubles;

39:29 The Arjuna of our times;

42:39 Easter Sunrise Service and the vibrations surrounding the premises;

55:50 Getting to Mt, Washington in 1925;

59:45 Letter from Sri Yukteswar.

The Easter sunrise service conducted at the time the property was purchased was likely similar to those he delivered on subsequent occasions, such as this Easter Message published in Inner Culture magazine in April, 1940:

As Christ resurrected His consciousness from beneath the sepulcher of bodily limitations, so must thou learn to resurrect thy mind from beneath the tomb of material desires. Resurrect thy thoughts by meditation from body confinement to the consciousness of omnipresence.

Resurrect thy divine love from beneath the sod of mundane human attachment. Resurrect thy calmness from beneath the soil of restlessness. Resurrect thy wisdom from beneath the earthliness of ignorance. Resurrect thy love for all from the limited love for family, society and country.

Resurrect thy soul from the imprisonment of body consciousness and unite it with omniscient Spirit through the developed consciousness of Christ.

Yuri Branco joins us from São Paolo, Brazil. In the past we have interviewed guests that have done tremendous work through guruji, outside of Self-Realization Fellowship. Yuri and Yogananda Brazil provides a tremendous example of how SRF publications can inspire people in the various branches of society: children, schools, libraries and even prisoner rehabilitation charities. In this interview Yuri tells us of his approach and the lessons he has learned along the way, all the while never relinquishing the humbleness of a regular devotee of guruji. Whether you are seeking inspiration, a feel-good story or simply a passing interest in the great traction Paramahansa Yogananda is gaining in Latin America (161k followers on Instagram @yoganandabrasil!), this episode has the material to satiate all of our souls through the divine Horn of Plenty.

0:00 Meet Yuri Branco;

10:58 @yoganandabrasil;

16:13 How is SRF supporting Brazilian groups ?;

18:00 How do you organise yourselves so well?;

19:44 What are you doing for Christmas;

21:05 Young Adults in Brazil;

24:10 How to Live schools I'm Brazil;

28:47 Egoless service;

33:17 Yogananda For All;

43:56 The art of translating Guruji's work;

49:25 Other projects and how the community can support. 

Links discussed in the podcast:

https://inee.org/eie-glossary/peace-education

https://yoganandabrasil.com.br/#yogananda-para-todos

https://www.omnisciencia.com.br/ 

https://artedeser.com.br/

This minute focusses on the inspirational life of James Lynn, who became Rajarsi Janakananda, the much-loved first president of Self-Realization Fellowship. We delve into the book published about him: A Western Yogi, which contains excerpts of his life and letters to our guru, Paramahansa Yogananda. In his youth he was an excellent student, as an adult a business extraordinaire and above all, spiritual exemplar. If you are looking for a life role model that is at once relatable, as well as remarkable, look no further. He must have been a great soul to have had the privilege of being such a close confidant of Guruji, and this film (and podcast) rightly dedicates a whole minute (for us, an hour) to him.

0:00 Fasting efforts;

1:40 Summary if minute;

5:20 A Western Yogi;

6:38 An exemplar student;

13:42 Succeeding in business while finding time for meditation;

19:17 Picture discrepancies;

22:07 Relationship with Swami Yogananda;

31:23 Rajarsi's melodious voice;

37:22 Guruji's prayer: Reveal Thyself;

48:24 As Joy, Wisdom and Spiritual Perception;

55:00 Rajarsi recounts his flight with the Gurus;

1:03:00 Rajarsi's last moment of magic before vacating his mortal frame.

We are joined by our friend Josh, from the Young Adult Sangha, to cover in detail Swami Yogananda’s momentous move to LA. His journey from the East to the West coast was intriguing; as will be seen from the fantastic stories from we discovered about the events along the way. In this minute we also have appearances from Varun Soni, Felicia Tomasco, Stefanie Syman and Mas Vidal all setting the scene and exploring the immediate impact Paramahansa Yogananda had in Los Angeles, the city of angels.

0:00 Meet Josh;

9:42 Summary of Minute;

12:00 Why LA?;

18:50 What is a seeker and what is he/she seeking?;

25:49 Prophesies and visions of LA;

32:51 Transcontinental road trip and plucking out devotees;

49:48 The most important picture in history;

52:10 Biltmore Hotel;

53:21 Power of initiative.

SRF Denver website has a great history section for Guruji's travels:

http://www.srf-denver.org/History.html

How did Swami Yogananda spend his first years in America and Boston. He had to live in humble circumstances but quickly adapted to the American lifestyle. To attract devotees, it was necessary to use a curious and innovative vocabulary that was decades ahead of its time, talking about concepts such as concentration power, everlasting youth, life energy and life force control. He had some help from Swami Dhirananda and conclude by discussing the movement’s state of affairs when the critical decision to move to Los Angeles was made.

0:00 Summary of minute and time jump analysis;

3:42 Landing and adapting in Boston;

13:02 Frugality accounts management 101;

18:05 Lecture tour on East Coast;

27:54 Images used in the minute and bear cubs;

29:28 Mohammad Rashid's role in Guruji's mission;

33:48 Hollywood herbal remedies;

39:24 Californian oil rigs and environmental problems;

42:33 Celebrity disciples.

SRF centennial celebration of Paramahansa Yogananda and Kriya Yoga’s Arrival in the West:

https://youtu.be/w5ZqCKUIvyA

Special interview with Neil Patel, founder of Chi Kri and fellow disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda. We discuss how Neil has used yoga for his own self-transformation as well as to raise the general consciousness in the troubled society we live in, with Yogananda's divine guidance. Neil has harnessed his creative spiritual flair to tackle knife-crime with rap and hip-hop music and reached prominent audiences such as the houses of parliament in London. We hope you will enjoy this unique and thought-provoking interview; it should not be missed.

0:00 Meet Neil Patel;

8:55 Why did Guruji not place Hatha Yoga in the lessons?;

12:55 Why did you blend Yoga and hip hop audiences?;

23:06 Does Yoga diminish your connection with your family?;

27:43 Can grace help you through Cancer?;

35:55 Spiritual Rapping, The Key;

40:30 What is Chi Kri;

44:25 Tackling knife crime with Yoga;

47:14 The future of music;

54:35 The 5000 year Indian aviation history, UFOs and Vimanas;

59:54 The three prophesies;

1:01:21 Why are there more women in Yoga classes than men?.

What is Chi Kri:

Home (chikri.com)

Spiritual hip-hop (the future):

https://youtu.be/PMUDQTcAFxM

This minute focusses on the monastic life led by our guru as he becomes Swami Yogananda. What does “Yoga is freedom” mean to you? Rodrigo joins us from Brazil to help us tackle this intriguing question that the minute asks us to ponder on. We talk in detail about Paramahansa Yogananda’s experience in cosmic consciousness (samadhi). The multiple images used in this minute are dear to our hearts, fully deserving of our attention and devotion.

0:00 Meet Rodrigo;

5:32 Minute summary;

8:26 Opening the Eye of Wisdom;  

12:18 Meditating is difficult, but lose not hope;

16:28 Prelude to the Samadhi experience;

21:50 The glorious Samadhi Poem;

31:53 Beauty on canvas - Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet;

42:11 Crashing back into the body cage;

48:04 Favourite lines from the poem;

50:16 Related chapters from AoY;

56:40 No birth, no death - Shivoham Mantra;

1:00:19 What is Yoga;

1:04:49 Images of Guruji.

We also discuss the cosmic chant “No Birth, No Death” and compare it to the Sanskrit original Nirvana Shatakam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6f20Fob44A

Samadhi Poem Recital:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CWk-prPl4TK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link