by Swami Divyananda

Fifty-five years have gone by since Swami Satchidananda arrived to America. He was one of a dozen teachers from the East who found a following in the eager and hungry hearts of young Americans. These gurus seemed to be emissaries from another world; their audience did not know the words guru, mantra, karma, and yoga. If we said “yoga” to our parents, they would ask, “Is that a new kind of yogurt?”

The great teachers planted seeds and the roots have gone deep. Now our kindergartners know how to take time out and recenter (not very well) and even our movie stars meditate (some of them). American meditators include Oprah Winfrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Paul Mc Cartney, Angelina Jolie, and Michael Jackson. Now meditation is so mainstream that people from all walks of life practice it and there are several apps available to help practitioners maintain a daily practice.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget where practices like yoga and meditation come from. Now and then it can bring us perspective to remember how it all began. How did we get to this point where office workers meditate on their lunch breaks and kids practice yoga in schools? Let’s take a look back at the teachers who brought us the gift of yoga.

At Integral Yoga, we follow the teachings of Swami Satchidananda, but he is connected to many other great souls. From age 28 to 49 Swami Satchidananda studied and practiced at the feet of Swami Chidbhavananda, Sri Aurobindo, Papa Ramdas, and Ramana Maharshi — and then of course he met the great guru of gurus, Master Sivanandaji, and became his disciple. The path of Integral Yoga we have today is shaped by all these influences. However, to make the teachings palatable to young Americans in the 1960s, Swamiji reduced them to simple, practical points. Through grace and his special genius he found the words to give a simple form to these Truths while keeping us engaged and laughing the whole time.

Now our troubled world has brought us right to the brink and we stand at the limit of what our teachers and their teachings have taught us. For most of us, the challenges we face surpass our understanding and capacity! That makes this a good time to delve into the origins of Integral Yoga and explore the teachings as they were before being packaged for Americans.
Join us Tuesday, February 16, 5:00-6:00pm PST for a workshop on the saints of India who influenced Swami Satchidananda and his teachings. For more information visit this link.

 

Swami Divyananda spent eleven years in India, the sacred home of Yoga. In this unique workshop, she will share stories and teachings from the Indian saints of this last century, with importance given to those who were an influence on Sri Swami Satchidanandaji.
Part biography, part memoir, and part travelogue, this is for armchair travelers and spiritual seekers of all traditions.