God as the Guru
A follow-up to “Gurus: Yes or No?” Q: Can I follow the right path without a spiritual leader to initiate me and guide me? It is certainly necessary to have a guru, but everyone already has one: God Himself. Patanjali very clearly says about God … Continue reading
More Tools for Meditation
We have recently made an important addition to the Original Yoga section of our website: a new book entitled Soham Yoga: the Yoga of the Self, by Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke). To introduce you to this work, here is a selection from the … Continue reading
Is Yoga a Religion?
It is commonly said that Yoga is not a religion. But since religion is derived from the Latin word religere, which means “to bind back,” and yoga means “joining,” practically speaking yoga is the only religion. The many systems of dogmas and doctrines are by … Continue reading
What is “Spirit”?
We are gods within God, finite spirits within the Infinite Spirit. But what is spirit? Yoga tells us that spirit is consciousness. We are eternal consciousnesses, each of us individual and distinct. Yet we are more. Each of us takes our being from God as … Continue reading
Who Are the 24 Elders in the Book of Revelation?
Q: Please explain the twenty-four elders standing around the throne of God. It is most important to realize that the book of Revelation is purely spiritual symbolism and not prophecy at all. Rather, it is a book of mystical teaching, relating especially to the esoteric … Continue reading
What is Yoga?
“Yoga” is a Sanskrit word that means “to join.” Yoga is both union and the way to that union. What do we join through yoga? First, we join our awareness to our own essential being: the spirit whose nature is pure consciousness. In yoga philosophy … Continue reading