Although yoga and meditation are practiced by many today for their beneficial, mental and physical, affects their origins are spiritual in nature. Meditation, quieting the mind, relaxing the body and entering deep states of stillness, offer profound states of spiritual awareness: the goal of these spiritual practices is Samadhi or a state of union with God. These techniques historically were not made public, but held private, shared selectively within the context of a spiritual, often monastic, community.
The exact origins of yoga are not known but the earliest archeological evidence indicates that the practice of yoga began in India as long as 5,000 years ago. The earliest known yoga texts are the Upanishads (400 BCE), the Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (200 BCE).
The complete yoga philosophy and practice is known as Raja Yoga as distinct from Hatha Yoga the practice of body postures only. Raja yoga teaches self-control in breath, energy, and thought. The practice of Raja Yoga brings body, mind, and soul into harmony then expanding the sense of self to include all life and all creation.
Yoga did not come to the west until the 20th century when swamis from India began lecturing abroad in America and Europe. Among the first to arrive in the US was Swami Vivekananda in 1893, a direct disciple of Ramakrishna. Later Paramhansa Yogananda arrived in 1920, where he lived and worked until his death in 1952 in Los Angeles. Yogananda was the first swami to make his home in the west.
Paramhansa Yogananda is probably best known for his classic spiritual text: Autobiography of a Yogi. Written in 1946, it has been translated into 19 languages. The stories of his early childhood immersed in a world filled with saints and miracles that create a picture of a world quite different from our own. He gives us a glimpse of our true natures, where souls are not separate but a part of the fabric of the universe and one with the Creator.
In 1968 Swami Kriyananda (J. Donald Walter), a direct disciple of Yogananda, began the spiritual community of Ananda located in Nevada City, California. Ananda is a Sanskrit word that means bliss. Today Ananda is both a world movement and a spiritual community based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yoganada. Swami Kriyananda was widely recognized as one of the leading spiritual teachers in the world prior to his death in 2013.
