Self-Realization Fellowship Blog

Paramahansa Yogananda’s renowned Autobiography of a Yogi and Kriya Yoga teachings were the focus of a March 2022 episode of One Soul Radio, broadcast live from the SRF Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, California. Co-hosts Cali Alpert and Steve Hasenberg interviewed Self-Realization Fellowship monk Brother Ritananda, inquiring about Autobiography of a Yogi’s lasting ability to touch the lives of readers across generations and cultures, offering them a window into India’s perennial wisdom and science of meditation.

Topics discussed in the interview included the book’s impact on the life of Brother Ritananda; the intention behind Yogananda’s establishment of the Lake Shrine; the reintroduction in this age of the ancient science of Kriya Yoga with its pranayama techniques of meditation; understanding Yogananda’s description of the world as a “Cosmic Motion Picture” in terms of nonattachment; and the importance of cultivating a personal relationship with the Divine.

In keeping with the format of their podcast, the hosts had asked Brother Ritananda to provide several “action steps” which listeners could take with them at the end of the interview. He shared four practical items foundational to the SRF teachings that will allow one to navigate the world with a greater sense of calmness and joy through awakening his or her awareness of the higher Self:

1. Carve out some time every day to get to know your soul through even short periods of meditation in the morning and evening.
2. Establish a habit of spiritual study—taking even just a single quote and holding onto that inspiration throughout your day.
3. Speak to God as you would to your dearest friend, and fill the gaps of your day with the remembrance of the Divine; pray in the language of your heart.
4. Find time every day for introspection—so that you can bring more beneficial changes into your life.