Free Lessons In Real Yoga
I started teaching Yoga in the 1950's. But my greatest memories were while living in London, England. I had classes every Tuesday night at 7 PM with a small group of individuals.
In 1996, 30 years ago, with the help of Yogi Karmananda, I offered free lessons in real yoga
online.
Regardless of where or how I taught, one thing always remained the same. I always taught for free.
Yoga is a gift and like all gifts, must be given freely.
Yoga is universal knowledge. Thus Yoga belongs to all of us equally. How can I charge for something you already own?
Sadly yoga has been Westernized for profit, health and/or ego.
But here you will only find Real Yoga
.
The picture above is Swami Harinanda, circa 1950's, when he was initiated into Kriya Yoga.
Become knowledge Itself
My
name is Swami Harinanda and I have had the distinct pleasure of studying Yoga
under a number of great Yogis.
I started at age 9 under the instruction and guidance of Ramana Maharshi who visited and taught me on the Astral Plane. At 19 I studied under Dr. Lewis of the Self Realization Foundation
(SRF) who initiated me into Kriya Yoga.
From California I went to Montreal to study with a Mongolian Master, Adano Ley (Swami Nitananda Saraswati). I then heard about Swami Ananda Bahavanani in Vancouver, who later became quite famous as Swami Gitanandaji of Pondicherry. India. He taught Yantra Yoga (the science of mathematics in relationship to the Universe and to one's own person). After being with Gitananda for two years, he initiated me into the Giri Mountain Order of Swamis as Swami Harinanda.
Let us embark together on a journey of Self discovery by opening the Chakras and allowing the Shakti Energy to rise up through the Sushumna Canal to ignite the Thousand Petal Lotus in the brain.
December 25, 1928 to August 19, 2014
Swami Harinanda knew many little or lesser known things about Yoga. He studied the theory of yoga and put himself into a position to meet people that would impact his life. Somewhere along the way he learned the Master's Chant amongst other things. The Swami would openly teach Kriya Yoga as well. The Swami absolutely loved the yogic life.
But early in the afternoon on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 Swami Harinanda passed away. His death came quickly and without pain (just as he had predicted). As per his wishes there was no service nor memorial, although he would have appreciated donations to any animal shelter.
The Swami's final lesson was to teach people how to live and die in silence.
The Swami had an incredible sense of humour. Knowing this, I often told him that when he died that I would put his picture over the toilet to remind me that he was full of crap. This made the Swami belly laugh. Not only was funny to the Swami, but more importantly, there was a truth in my words that the Swami loved. The Swami wanted everyone to ultimately flush everything they have learned down the toilet. Then simply become knowledge itself. Once this is achieved, you are free to live your life with choiceless awareness.
This one–of–a–kind spirit will be greatly missed.
Swami Harinanda was a good teacher, person and most of all, a good friend.
Yogi Karmananda
I am Yogi Karmannda and I had the great pleasure of knowing the Swami for the last 18 years of his life.
Circa 1995 the Swami was a customer of my online holistic pet store. At first, I thought he was joking when he said he was a Swami. But he was serious.
In April, 1996, I met the Swami in person. When I arrived at his house, he came outside to greet me and I Immediately felt a great sense of calm.
The next day, I discovered I was born with a balanced name as the Swami taught me the science of Yantra Yoga at his dining table.
At the time, I was also quite sick and near death. So before leaving his house, the Swami gave me a book on Karma Yoga. He told me the book was by Yogi Ramacharaka (William Walker Atkinson). But it was actually by Swami Vivekananda. That slip of the tongue became my first introduction to Ramacharaka but it was Vivekananda that impacted my life.
Karma Yoga became the best medicine I've ever received. Knowing I had fallen in love with Karma Yoga, the Swami bestowed the name Karmananda
to me.
What's funny is that my informal introduction to Karma Yoga happened in my early 20's while talking to a Master Herbalist
. She told me that her life was so busy that she only had time for Karma Yoga. Thirty years later, I met this same lady again and thanked for those words.
The Swami knew he would meet someone that would continue teaching
after he died. Before leaving his house, he said I was the one he had been waiting for. From that point onwards, the Swami and I worked closely together. The Swami wanted me to continue teaching Kriya Yoga, but I knew that was not for me. Yanta Yoga, however, was.
The yogic life isn't for everyone — it's a loneley life as it's a journey of one — but it's what I love and it's what the Swami loved too.
— Yogi Karmananda
Never Quit 5 Minutes Before The Miracle
The Website
The Swami wanted to share Yoga with everyone. But he didn't know where to start. So I asked the Swami questions and his answers became the start of the Real Yoga
website.
The last major project the Swami and I worked on together was the Yantra Yoga Cycles. I wrote the cycles and the Swami reviewed them.
Even though the Swami hoped I would continue his website for him, he always told me I could delete everything if I wanted to. But how can I do that?
As one of my last projects, my mission is to make this website so it can be handed onto future generations for them to continue if they wish.
Swami Harinanda was a pure teacher. He had the ability to teach both the theoretical and practical while I, Yogi Karmananda, am 100% practical.
The Swami's approach was perfectly suited to me and as they say, When the time is right, the teacher will come
.
Near the end of his life, the Swami really embraced my simple practical approach so much he began asking me how I described things. Needless to say, teaching the Swami was a great honour and privilege.
And just as when the moment is right, the teacher will come is true, so is the opposite. When the moment is right, the teacher will leave
.
Would you like to see what an early version of this website looked like? If yes, take a look.
This is the earliest archived version from May 19, 2000, although the website was online before this.
And then there's this version from April 2, 2001.
You can also take a look at a version from July 18, 2008
This is how the website basically stayed until this current version that you see now.
Why Free
Swami Harinanda was told personally by Ramana Marharshi to never accept payment and as Swami Harinanda would always say, Ramana is never wrong.
Swami Harinanda did not meet Ramana Maharshi in India. Instead, they met on the astral plane. Ramana told Swami Harinanda that Yoga must always be taught for free. Additionally, Ramana said one does not need to be in a cave, go to a yoga school, an ashram, India or anything like that to be a good student of yoga. Swami Harinanda fully embraced everything Ramana said and lived a normal life while being totally dedicated to Self–Realization and teaching freely.
The Swami always said that a good teacher has a day job and then teaches on his or her own time for free. The teacher should pay for any room rental, etc — this is the sign of a pure teacher which Swami Harinanda was.
This website is purely informative. There's no selling. No pop–ups. No special offers nor discounts. No advertisements. One could say, this website is extremely boring in that sense. But you will find a wealth of information — guaranteed or your money back!
The Journey Begins
You may be interested to know that this rising up of the Shakti is a direct reference to the parting of The Red Sea in The Bible.
On either side of the Sushumna Canal there are two Nadis or nerves called the Ida and the Pingala. These spiritual nerves must be regulated so that their circulatory energies become centered in the Coccyx Chakra where Shakti resides as The Serpent Force.
As Shakti is awakened she begins to rise up the Central Canal thus parting the energies of the Ida and the Pingala and uniting them in the Sushumna. Thus, the journey begins.
Bookcase
When I met the Swami, he had shelves full of books and magazines all about Yoga.
There were books by Vivekananda, Ramacharaka, Yogananda, Atmananda and many more. He had intense theoretical books as well. The Swami had a ton of information about yoga from a period when the information was pure… as well as more modern books such as Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga
by Swami Vishnudevananda. But he had only had good books. No westermized yoga books allowed.
For me, there was no better book than Karma Yoga by Swami Vivekananda. I can remember the Swami pulling that book from the shelf. It was wrapped in a very old, plain brown paper cover. The book was small, old, worn and well used… but as they say, with old pots, you make good soup
… and so I instantly felt this book was like good soup just by its cover… and sure enough, the book didn't disappoint.
So here we are now… this website is, in many ways, symbolic of the Swami's bookcase and contains several books in his bookcase along with the Swami's book — The Portal
. I wanted to give you that same feeling I had. So go ahead — find that book, find that information, that makes good soup.
What Yoga Is Right For You?
In days past, a Guru would ask their students what yoga was right for them. And if they were wrong, the Guru would wait for the student to finally come to the correct realization. And in the end, the Guru would guide the Student to study the Yoga that was best suitable for them.
But, with the Science of Yantra Yoga, we don't need a Guru to tell us or guide us to learn what is the best Yoga for us. Instead, based on our birth date we can know what Yogic Lessons are best.
Visit the Yanta Yoga section to learn more.
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Become knowledge Itself