Who was Paramhansa Yogananda? - Yoga Practice Blog

Who was Paramhansa Yogananda?

yoga teacher trainingBy Faye Martins 

Many Gurus have helped shape the course of Yogic methodology and philosophy throughout the course of history. With Yogic philosophy being such a vast topic, there are many different fields that are concerned with different aspects of human mental, physical, and spiritual existence.

Some teachers feel the practice of modern Yoga, as we know it today, has been the result of the dedicated and highly esteemed spiritual man named Paramhansa Yogananda. He made it his life’s work to help people learn more about their spirituality through Kriya Yoga. As a young man he entered monkhood with the well-known Swami Order. He was also a disciple of the well-respected Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri and studied under him for a number of years. It was through this pairing that Paramhansa’s vision of being able to touch other people’s lives with his spirituality became a reality.

Paramhansa was passionate about education. At a very young age, he established a Yoga school in India that combined education with Yogic methodology and spiritual teachings in order to help young men. A few years after starting the school, he was chosen to travel to the United States to be India’s representative in a meeting with some of the world’s religious leaders. Very quickly after his arrival in Boston he established the Self-Realization Fellowship organization and a meditation center. He worked tirelessly, giving lectures and helping others on their spiritual journeys on the East Coast before travelling across the country to California in 1924.

Many world leaders and great business minds took the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda very seriously. He was also a guest of Calvin Coolidge at the White House. His teachings and guidance were very much in demand and he traveled quite a bit for many years, throughout the United States and beyond, with stops in Mexico as well. To this day he is considered the father of Yoga in the West. His teachings are still instrumental today and are known worldwide.

The Kriya Yoga style emphasizes the use of meditation for peace and balance. It teaches how people can change negative habits and detrimental choices in order to fully realize their potential. Learning the full technique takes time but positive changes can often be seen early in the process. Thousands of people have practiced Kriya Yogic methods to improve themselves and their lives. Through the life’s work of Paramhansa Yogananda, people from all over the world can benefit from the teachings of Kriya Yoga.

© Copyright 2011 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

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2 thoughts on “Who was Paramhansa Yogananda?”

  1. Through the life’s work of ??Paramhansa Yogananda?, people from all over the world can benefit from the teachings of ??Kriya Yoga?. Thanks for posting this informative article.

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