Swami Kriyananda on yoga
The true purpose of yoga is to facilitate the development of Self-awareness—as a doorway to an expanded awareness of the surrounding universe, of truth, of life itself.
Usually, hatha yoga (the science of yoga asanas, or postures) is taught only from a standpoint of its benefits to the body. And from this standpoint it might well be said that the yoga postures, as a system for achieving longevity and radiant health, stand supreme. But the aim of these postures is much more than the promotion of physical health.
By yoga postures you can improve your mental outlook. You can achieve a richer, more harmonious emotional life. The postures help you develop a more vital awareness.
The yoga postures help to create a joyous sense of vitality and well-being. They make the body an ally of the soul in its search for expanding awareness.
Our Roots
Ananda Yoga comes from the renowned Raja Yoga / Kriya Yoga tradition of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi.
Yogananda was the first great master of yoga to make his home in the West. Ananda Yoga arose from his teachings and was developed into a definite system of practice by his close, direct disciple, Swami Kriyananda, the founder of Ananda.
Yoga
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