Ananda Sangha Books

Paramhansa Yogananda was the first yoga master of India whose mission was to live and teach in the West. In the 1920s, enthusiastic audiences filled the largest halls in America to hear him speak. His initial impact was truly impressive. But his lasting influence is greater still. This book, first published in 1946, helped launch, and continues to inspire, a spiritual revolution in the West. Only rarely does a sage of Paramhansa Yogananda's stature write a firsthand account of his life experiences. Followers of many religious traditions have come to recognize Autobiography of a Yogi as a masterpiece of spiritual literature. Yet, for all its depth, it is full of gentle humor, lively stories, and practical common sense. 

What sets this book apart from other astrology titles is Kriyananda’s focus on the spiritual potential of each “sun sign,” rather than focusing mainly on the karmic limitations. It is so common to hear generalizations such as: Leo is proud, and Taurus is stubborn. In his book Kriyananda shows how, with awareness, attention, and will, one can cultivate the higher potential of his sign, leading to greater fulfillment and success. Leo can shine as a channel of light and creativity, without pride, if he remembers that Spirit (not ego) is the doer. Taurus can be the essence of loyalty and perseverance, without being stubborn, if he develops an inner fixity of purpose while practicing an outward flexibility. 

What happens as we grow spiritually? Is there a step-by-step process that everyone goes through—all spiritual seekers, including those of any or no religious persuasion—as they gradually work their way upward, until they achieve the highest state of Self-realization? 

About 2200 years ago, a great spiritual master of India named Patanjali described this process, and presented humanity with a clear-cut, step-by-step outline of how all truth seekers and saints achieve divine union. He called this universal inner experience and process “yoga” or “union.” His collection of profound aphorisms—a true world scripture—has been dubbed Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. 

What happens as we grow spiritually? Is there a step-by-step process that everyone goes through—all spiritual seekers, including those of any or no religious persuasion—as they gradually work their way upward, until they achieve the highest state of Self-realization? 

About 2200 years ago, a great spiritual master of India named Patanjali described this process, and presented humanity with a clear-cut, step-by-step outline of how all truth seekers and saints achieve divine union. He called this universal inner experience and process “yoga” or “union.” His collection of profound aphorisms—a true world scripture—has been dubbed Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. 

The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda shares the profound insights of Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, as remembered by one of his close and direct disciples, Swami Kriyananda.

This revelation of India's best-loved scripture approaches it from an entirely fresh perspective, showing its deep allegorical meaning and also its down-to-earth practicality. The themes presented are universal, including: how to achieve victory in life in union with the divine; how to prepare for life's "final exam," death, and what happens afterward; and how to triumph over all pain and suffering.

The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda shares the profound insights of Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, as remembered by one of his close and direct disciples, Swami Kriyananda.

This revelation of India's best-loved scripture approaches it from an entirely fresh perspective, showing its deep allegorical meaning and also its down-to-earth practicality. The themes presented are universal, including: how to achieve victory in life in union with the divine; how to prepare for life's "final exam," death, and what happens afterward; and how to triumph over all pain and suffering.

The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda shares the profound insights of Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, as remembered by one of his close and direct disciples, Swami Kriyananda.

This revelation of India's best-loved scripture approaches it from an entirely fresh perspective, showing its deep allegorical meaning and also its down-to-earth practicality. The themes presented are universal, including: how to achieve victory in life in union with the divine; how to prepare for life's "final exam," death, and what happens afterward; and how to triumph over all pain and suffering.

Omar Khayyam's famous poem, The Rubaiyat, is loved by Westerners as a hymn of praise to sensual delights. In the East, his quatrains enjoy a very different reputation: they are known as a deep allegory of the soul’s romance with God. Even there, however, the knowing is based on who and what Omar Khayyam was: a sage and mystic. As for what the quatrains actually mean, most of them have remained a mystery in the East as much as in the West.

After eight centuries, Paramhansa Yogananda, one of the great mystics of our times, a master of yoga and the author of the now-classic Autobiography of a Yogi, explained the mystery behind Omar’s famous poem.

Many poetic works can inspire, but few, like this one, have the power to change your life. These verses rank with the greatest mystical poetry of all time: the works of St. John of the Cross, Rumi, Kabir, Mirabai, and Omar Khayyam. In this book Paramhansa Yogananda—the great master of yoga and author of the classic Autobiography of a Yogi—shares his exquisitely beautiful thoughts and words filled with longing for the divine. Yogananda was not only a spiritual master, but a master poet, whose poems revealed the hidden divine presence behind even everyday things.

A Handbook on Discipleship is Step Three of the Ananda Course in Self-Realization, though it can also be studied independently of the Ananda Course. It includes lessons on discipleship and the Guru–Disciple relationship, the main theme of Paramhansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi. These lessons are universal to all spiritual paths and traditions.

A Handbook on Discipleship is Step Three of the Ananda Course in Self-Realization, though it can also be studied independently of the Ananda Course. It includes lessons on discipleship and the Guru–Disciple relationship, the main theme of Paramhansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi. These lessons are universal to all spiritual paths and traditions.

This is the first volume of the Ananda Course in Self-Realization. As the course foundation it includes clear, step-by-step instruction in the breath/mind connection, concentration, meditation, the Hong-Sau technique, and Yogananda’s Energisation Exercises.

This is the first volume of the Ananda Course in Self-Realization. As the course foundation it includes clear, step-by-step instruction in the breath/mind connection, concentration, meditation, the Hong-Sau technique, and Yogananda’s Energisation Exercises.

This is the first volume of the Ananda Course in Self-Realization. As the course foundation it includes clear, step-by-step instruction in the breath/mind connection, concentration, meditation, the Hong-Sau technique, and Yogananda’s Energisation Exercises.

This is the first volume of the Ananda Course in Self-Realization. As the course foundation it includes clear, step-by-step instruction in the breath/mind connection, concentration, meditation, the Hong-Sau technique, and Yogananda’s Energisation Exercises.

Have you wanted to learn to meditate, but just never got around to it? Or tried "sitting in the silence" only to find your mind wandering, or wanting to jump up after only a few minutes? Do you wish you had a guidebook that explained clearly in plain English what to do, step-by-step? If so, Meditation for Starters is just what you've been looking for. This little book with companion CD, provides everything you need to begin a meditation practice. It is filled with easy-to-follow instructions, beautiful guided visualizations, and answers to important questions on meditation such as:

• What meditation is (and isn't)
• How to relax your body and prepare yourself for going within
• Techniques for interiorizing and focusing the mind

Have you wanted to learn to meditate, but just never got around to it? Or tried "sitting in the silence" only to find your mind wandering, or wanting to jump up after only a few minutes? Do you wish you had a guidebook that explained clearly in plain English what to do, step-by-step? If so, Meditation for Starters is just what you've been looking for. This little book with companion CD, provides everything you need to begin a meditation practice. It is filled with easy-to-follow instructions, beautiful guided visualizations, and answers to important questions on meditation such as:

• What meditation is (and isn't)
• How to relax your body and prepare yourself for going within.

The Art and Science of Raja Yoga contains fourteen lessons in which the original yoga science emerges in all its glory — a proven system for realizing one’s spiritual destiny. This is the most comprehensive course on yoga and meditation available today, giving you a profound and intimate understanding of how to apply these age-old teachings, on a practical, as well as spiritual, day-to-day level in this modern age.

The Art and Science of Raja Yoga contains fourteen lessons in which the original yoga science emerges in all its glory — a proven system for realizing one’s spiritual destiny. This is the most comprehensive course on yoga and meditation available today, giving you a profound and intimate understanding of how to apply these age-old teachings, on a practical, as well as spiritual, day-to-day level in this modern age.

Paramhansa Yogananda was one of the most significant spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. His Autobiography of a Yogi, published in 1946 and printed in more than 20 languages, has touched the hearts of millions and remains the best-selling spiritual autobiography of all time. Great teachers work through their students, and Yogananda was no exception. Kriyananda writes in the introduction to the present volume, "After I'd been with him a year and a half, he began urging me to write down the things he was saying during informal conversations." The Essence of Self-Realization, nearly 300 sayings rich with spiritual wisdom, is the fruit of that labor of love. A glance at the table of contents will convince the reader of the vast scope of this book.

Education for Life offers a constructive and brilliant alternative to what has been called the disaster of modern education. The need for a change is universally recognized. The statistics of illiteracy, drug abuse, and violence speak for themselves. In this book, Kriyananda traces the problems to an emphasis on technological competence at the expense of spiritual values, which alone can give higher meaning to life. Education for Life offers parents, educators, and concerned citizens everywhere techniques that are both compassionate and practical.

Donny and Bobby, two American boys exploring a forest near a tiny Romanian town, discover a science laboratory in ruins. Adjoining the laboratory is a room with a mysterious tunnel. When the boys come upon a dinosaur that appears to have died quite recently near the laboratory, they look for an explanation in the laboratory files. There they find a paper that says:

"Time does not go in a straight line, from past to present to future, as people think. Rather, it proceeds in a circle around a center in the eternal now . . ."