A Practice to Change Your Life

Autobiography of a YogiI first read Paramhansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi fifty years ago. The many stories of saints and miracles were enthralling. But the message that sparked a change in my life was Yogananda’s clear promise:  There is a practice called Kriya Yoga that can hasten our spiritual awakening. 

In 1977, I began a daily practice of meditation. The same year, I moved to Ananda Village, a spiritual community founded by Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. Since then, I haven’t missed a single day of Kriya practice.

Why? Because Kriya transformed my life in ways I could never have imagined.

Kriya Yoga gave me practical tools for living—not just spiritual concepts, but the ability to deal with challenges:

  • How to have more energy and joy
  • How to transcend grief and sorrow
  • How to stay calm in the midst of extreme stress and challenge
  • How to help myself—and others—overcome the seeming limitations that everyone struggles with

My own experience—and my interactions with thousands of Kriya practitioners over nearly five decades—confirms Yogananda’s promise: everyone can experience inner peace, clarity, life purpose, and divine joy.

Why This Book on Kriya Yoga, and Why Now

Over forty years ago, Swami Kriyananda asked me to begin training people in the path of Kriya Yoga. The book, Kriya Yoga: Spiritual Awakening for the New Age, shares how Yogananda’s teachings offer exactly what humanity needs in this critical time of transformation.

Yogananda brought Kriya to the world in 1920 with a profound mission: to offer everyone a clear path to spiritual awakening. He also declared that Kriya has a much broader purpose:

“. . . to inspire the nations to forsake suicidal wars, race hatreds, religious sectarianism, and the boomerang-evils of materialism.”

Our world is in the midst of extraordinary change. Old forms and structures—especially in religion—are being challenged and must evolve. Spiritual teachings must serve the needs of each individual seeking God, not the institutional needs of churches.

Whether you are already a Kriya practitioner or simply curious about this ancient science, I hope this book will deepen your understanding of Kriya’s transformative power. If you follow another spiritual path, I believe the universal principles of Kriya can shed light on your journey.

I invite you to:

— Nayaswami Devarshi

About Nayaswami Devarshi

Nayaswami Devarshi
Nayaswami Devarshi

Devarshi has dedicated the last 48 years to practicing and teaching Kriya Yoga. He serves as the head of Ananda Sangha’s worldwide Kriya Sangha. That service has taken him around the world—sharing the Kriya teachings, initiating people into the Kriya technique, and serving as a teacher for Ananda Sangha.

Ananda Sangha was founded by Swami Kriyananda, who dedicated his life to showing how Yogananda’s teachings can illuminate every aspect of human life. The Ananda communities he established are living examples of how a spiritual life creates bonds of harmony and cooperation among people from all backgrounds.

Devarshi currently lives in India, guiding the development of Ananda’s monastery for brahmachari monks.

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Kriya Yoga: Spiritual Awakening for the New Age

From the Introduction:

Paramhansa Yogananda declared, “You are on the eve of a great spiritual awakening, a great change in the churches, where true souls will be drawn to seek the experience of God’s presence.”

Formal religion focuses mainly on outward rituals, dogmas, and rules, and on the false notion that the worshiper can only approach God through the intercession of a priest. Yogananda called such religion—equally common East and West—“Churchianity.”

Yogananda dedicated his life to showing how to have that direct personal experience. 

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