Paramahansa Yogananda

Paramanhansa Yogananda was born Mukunda Lal Ghosh on January 5, 1893, in Gorakhpur, India, to highly spiritual parents who were devotees of the great householder yogi, Lahiri Mahasaya. During his youth and adolescence, Yogananda trained with his Guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri. As a young adult, Yogananda came to America, lectured about yoga and meditation all across the United States. In the late 1920's, he settled in Los Angeles, California on Mount Washington and created the headquarters for his church and spiritual organization called Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF).

Paramahansa is a rarely  given title more than a name, it means "the highest swan", and is bestowed upon Swamis who have achieved the highest-ranking possible in the order. Yogananda means bliss, ananda, through divine union, yoga.

Photo copyright SRF

Yogananda taught a specific form of meditation called Kriya Yoga, which he often referred to as "the airplane route to God." Kriya Yoga is often called scientific meditation, because Yogananda taught that anyone, regardless of religious affiliation, can practice these techniques and achieve similar results. In the years since SRF began, thousands of devotees from all over the world have become practioners of Kriya Yoga or Kriyabans.

In his lifetime, Yogananda wrote many spiritual and inspirational books, including his perennial best seller, Autobiography of a Yogi. For anyone interested in yoga or meditation, this book is a must. Yogananda writes with wit, humor, and extreme intelligence as he tells tales of his life growing up in India, meeting many Saints and Sages, and explains in easy-to-understand English many of the intricacies of Raja (Royal) Yoga. Most of his books have been translated in many languages.

You can learn more about Paramahansa Yogananda and Yoga by visiting SRF's official website:
www.yogananda-srf.org