Articles Archive
A Merry Chase: Bill Cunningham & What It Means to Be a Spiritual Artist. Can we combine art and a spiritual life? What does that look like?
Chant Tales 1: “Canti, Bambini!”. Learning to chant.
Plain Talk About Art, Spirit, and the Merchant Caste. Lessons of Vaishya Dharma.
Magic of Bach. Paramhansa Yogananda cited Bach as a Western composer who understood the charms of variation on a simple theme: a hallmark of Indian music.
Using Art to Carry Healing Vibrations of Higher Consciousness. To help counteract vibrations of violence and hatred, at the time of the Iraq war, Swamiji goes to Sedona, Arizona to finish writing The Peace Treaty.
Swamiji Composes a String Quartet. Using new technology, Swami Kriyananda composes a quartet based on his melodies for 18 of Shakespeare’s songs.
Ananda’s Music Ministry: A Humble Offering of the Inspiration to Love. Part 18 in our ongoing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Swamiji Urges the Ananda Assisi Choir to Spread Paramhansa Yogananda’s Message. Part 17 of our ongoing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Swami Kriyananda Completes a Major Musical Work for His Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda. Part 16 in our ongoing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Swami Kriyananda Receives the First Inspiration for the Oratorio “Christ Lives”. Part 15 in our ongoing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Swami Kriyananda: The Secret of Good Photography. Part 14 in our ongoing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
What I Learned About Chanting From Carla Boni & Frank Sinatra. Experiments in tuning the heart for deep meditation.
Swami Kriyananda on Writing: A Christmas Gift to the Ananda Community. Part 13 in our ongoing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Swami Kriyananda on Public Speaking — the Need for Creativity, Intuition, and Preparation. Part 12 in our ongoing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Swami Kriyananda on Art, Creativity, and Self-Offering. Part 11 in our ongoing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Swami Kriyananda on the Art and Discipline of Writing. Part 10 in our ongoing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Swami Kriyananda Receives an Inspiration to Start Composing Instrumental Music. Part 9 in our ongoing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
An Early Christmas at Ananda. Part 8 in our ongoing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
You Can Record Great Video & Audio Using Your Phone and Simple Accessories. Too many wonderful performance are lost for not being recorded. Thanks to modern technology, you can make excellent recordings with simple gear.
The Gandharvas — Ananda’s First Singing Group. Part 7 in our ongoing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
How Can an Anthill Describe a Mountain? — First Days of Writing That Path: My Life with Paramhansa Yogananda. Swamiji faces the monumental task of documenting his time with Paramhansa Yogananda. Part 8 in our continuing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Meaning in the Arts: Creativity as a Vehicle for Inner, Spiritual Expansion. Asha remembers Swami Kriyananda’s struggles with writing Meaning In the Arts. Part 7 in our continuing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Creativity and Prosperity — Links Between Inner Attunement, Service, and Success. Asha recalls Swami Kriyananda’s tremendous creativity. Part 6 in our continuing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
The Importance of Making Our Art as Vibrationally Perfect as Possible. Part 5 in our continuing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
How Swami Kriyananda Was Inspired to Write Spiritual Songs. Part 4 in our continuing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Haridas Recalls: Toiling in the Wake of Swamiji’s Tremendous Creative Energy. Part 3 in the continuing series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Heavenly Music. Part 2 in the series, Swami Kriyananda on Art & the Artist.
Crystal Clarity in the Arts. Part 1 of a new series of articles presenting Swami Kriyananda’s words about the value of art as a vehicle for spreading spiritual movements, and for the artist as a channel for self-offering to God in service and devotion.
10 Quick Tips for Writers. A writer for 49 years shares advice for beginners.
The Third Voice — Artist’s Infallible Guide? A 55-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda says that calming the heart and interiorizing the mind brings happiness and success.
Should Yogis Enjoy Beauty? A short article by Swami Kriyananda.
Imagine. Can we borrow vaishya tools to create art that uplifts and inspires?
Swami Kriyananda Speaks: “Uplifting the World Through Music”
Chaitanya Mahoney on Singing — “She Is the Greatest Teacher!”
Morning Song. The experience of singing uplifting music daily for two years.
God Is Cool with Our Boo-Boos. Thoughts on the messiness of creation.
Scribble: The Lumpy Truth About Writing Spiritual Things. Rambhakta shares the real goods on writing about Ananda.
The Power of Ananda’s Music. Tyagi Ram recalls singing for the Pope.
Saiganesh Sairaman: From Indian Classical Singing to the Music of Swami Kriyananda. There’s much food for thought here for Ananda singers and musicians, and for all who love Swami Kriyananda’s songs.
What Artists Want. Reflections on expansive themes in sports, art, and life.
Art and Sacrifice — Hints From Life. There is no true love without self-restraint.
Living Water – The Musical Soul of Ananda. A conversation with Keshava Betts.
God’s Power, Healing Through the Arts in the Time of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Members of the Ananda Europa Community in Assisi, Italy, sing a powerful song of healing.
Back to Stanford. The true teachings of religion are captured in the music, more than in the words.
Swami Kriyananda — Mentor of the Heart. Early arts-related experiences with Swamiji.
Writing About Ananda. Spiritual lessons to share; learned while leaning over the keyboard.
I Have Need for Your Company. How a popular song catalyzed a life-changing spiritual experience.
Meaningful Art. Art that betrays the universal human project of finding happiness and freedom from suffering is philosophically bankrupt and spiritually treasonous.
Music and Consciousness: Mind the Company You Keep. From a talk by Swami Kriyananda at a seminar in Germany, in 1989.
Little Kathy — How Singing the Right Music Aligns Our Essential Vibration and Helps Us Find Our Freedom. Asha Nayaswami, a 50-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, shares her thoughts on how music can change our consciousness in spiritually beneficial ways.
How Paramhansa Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda Helped Save Civilization 1000 Years Ago, and Why It Matters Today. Surprising parallels with the past.
Art & Spirit — Deep Focus, Big Joy. Spiritual art has a surprising way of emerging from the details.
How Artistic Creativity Can Bring Us Spiritual Healing. Asha Nayaswami, a 39-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, explains how expressing ourselves creatively can help heal our separation from God.
What Is That Light? Touching the Spirit of Christian Art. My yearning for a connection to my Christian roots was satisfied in the everyday experience of Christ.
Nuts. Can we do spiritual art when we are feeling less than perfectly centered in our minds?
Art As a Spiritual Practice — More than Meaningless Words? Asha Nayaswami talks about how art can help us get ahead spiritually and balance our emotions.
Drums. The Guru will use any means to help us in our efforts to effect a spiritual transformation.
Lift Your Hearts! Conversations with Ananda Music Directors Around the World. This very special music, composed by Swami Kriyananda, creates lasting inspiration in those who perform it.
How the Arts Help Children Succeed. A conversation with professional cellist David Eby. David plays with the Oregon Symphony and teaches at Living Wisdom School in Portland.
Karen Beswick: Dancing Beyond Self
Photography
Starving Artist. Is it realistic to try to tie our lives as artists to the spiritual life? It might be more practical than you think.
Fuel for the Spiritual Life: Photographing Flowers. A conversation with Nayaswami Chidambar
Photographing Swami Kriyananda
Writing
Leaving Kauai — Blissful on the Bus. Finding beauty and bliss by prayer and deep Kriya Yoga breathing in unlikely surroundings.
The Spiritual Life
Running a Successful Business By Giving Our Labors to God. Devamuni relates his early experiences building an electrical contracting business.
Art As Spiritual Practice — More Than Meaningless Words? A 38-year disciple of Yogananda shares insights on the central role of the arts and creativity in the spiritual life.
Thy Light Within Us Shining. Conversations with Ananda members on how they have thrived spiritually by serving Paramhansa Yogananda’s work.
The Energization Exercises: 40 Years of Stories. A fifty-year disciple tells how the “rechargers” have helped him over the years.