Paramahansa Yogananda

Paramhansa Yogananda (1893-1952) was the first great Indian master of yoga whose mission it was to live and teach in the West. He stressed the unity of all religions, with a special emphasis on the teachings of India and what he called the "original teachings" of Christ. To help people commune directly with God, he reintroduced the ancient meditation technique of Kriya Yoga. His classic book, Autobiography of a Yogi, published in 1946, helped start and continues to sustain the current spiritual renaissance in the West. Yogananda's teachings and continuing spiritual presence are the foundation of Ananda.

"India has always recognized that a country is measured more by the greatness of its people than by its outward accomplishments. In 1920, achievement- oriented Americans met an Indian who was to change the lives of millions. Paramhansa Yogananda (1893-1952) was sent to this country by his teacher with the admonition, "The West is high in material attainments, but lacking in spiritual understanding. It is God's will that you play a role in teaching mankind the value of balancing the material with an inner, spiritual life.

In 1923 he began a series of lectures in major American cities. His success everywhere was extraordinary. Crowds flocked to him in unprecedented numbers, sometimes queuing up for blocks to get in. He never tried to impose his own country's cultural modes on Americans, but sought rather to show Americans how to spiritualize their own culture. Dynamically, and with contagious joy, he set out to persuade minds steeped in the virtues of 'down-to-earth practicality' that the most practical course of all is to seek God."

–The Path, Swami Kriyananda

Yogananda brought the ancient teachings of Yoga to the West, and published one of the spiritual classics of this century, Autobiography of a Yogi. Millions of copies have been read world-wide, and provide an extraordinary glimpse into the lives and teachings of India's great saints. Yogananda stressed the unity of all religions, with a special emphasis on the teachings of India and what he called the "original teachings" of Christ. To help people commune directly with God, he re-introduced the ancient meditation technique of Kriya Yoga.

In addition to meditation, Yogananda wrote and taught extensively on the whole spectrum of human life: health, diet, exercise, human relationships, psychological well-being. His aim was to help his students spiritualize every aspect of their lives, and to achieve an ever-deepening realization of God.

Yogananda's teachings and continuing spiritual presence are the foundation of Ananda. Swami Kriyananda, the founder of Ananda, has been a direct disciple of Yogananda since 1948.