Articles by Swami Rama 
The Cream of Yoga Science
12 September, 2018 @ 9:54 am
If you want to create a situation for meditation you have to pay attention to the point where the nostrils bridge to the upper lip – the point at which your mind notices which nostril is blocked and which nostril is open. Usually you will notice that one of the nostrils is passive and the other is active. When you have learned to change the flow of the nostrils with your mind, then after some time both nostrils begin flowing evenly. This may take some months or perhaps a year, depending on your capacity and the burning desire within you.
Transforming Thought Patterns
5 August, 2018 @ 12:47 pm
The sages say that the only difference between you and them lies in the nature of your thoughts and your mind. If someone tells you that you are bad or have done something wrong you accept it, and you become bad. If you even think it, then you feel bad. You cannot forget that thought. You want to forgive yourself, but you have a habit of retaining such negative thoughts.
Do Not Lie
11 June, 2018 @ 12:17 pm
Be nice, be kind, be gentle, be loving. What is new about what you are studying, tell me? Have you read anything new anywhere? You have learned ten words for one word, is that improvement in your knowledge? Then what is that knowledge which we are trying to explore and understand today? My whole life, my mother, my father, grandfather, my teachers, everyone says, “Speak the truth,” and I do not know how to.
Practice, Practice, Practice
16 April, 2018 @ 11:29 am
The twin side of vairagya is abhyasa. Abhyasa means practice and practice means discipline and attention. The two are linked as night and day. A person cannot develop nonattachment or vairagya without abhyasa. Similarly, abhyasa without vairagya amounts ultimately to a waste of time.
The Teacher Within
16 February, 2018 @ 12:08 pm
When I left the Himalayas, I thought I knew something. But when I came to the West, let me tell you that I learned a lot.
The Waking Consciousness: Vaishnavara
16 December, 2017 @ 12:28 pm
The Upanishads say that first you will have to face the external world. You will have to learn the technique of doing your duties in the external world. If you know how to live in the external world, perhaps the external world will not create any barriers on the path of unfoldment.
Here and Hereafter
11 November, 2017 @ 3:50 pm
At some point every human being becomes confused about his dharma or duty. Arjuna, a warrior who specializes in the science and art of war, should learn to practice and perform his duty, so Sri Krishna instructs him not to think of renouncing his dharma. Instead he shows him the path to follow in order to fulfil his dharma. For Arjuna, fighting the war is the only dharma that can open the gate of heaven for him.
Bhakti Yoga: Path of Love and Devotion
16 October, 2017 @ 4:08 pm
Bhakti is a powerful path for learning to channel one’s emotional power, which arises from desires. Desires themselves spring from the four primitive urges—the drives for food, sex, sleep, and self-preservation, which exist in every living creature.
Happiness in Marriage
11 October, 2017 @ 3:41 pm
Some people think that many men and women turn to married life only for the sake of security, motivated by selfishness and the fear of being alone. Actually, the institution of marriage exists for a much higher purpose; it is not simply a biological or emotional convenience. The great sages teach that marriage is more sacred than a mere contract or arrangement in which two people decide to get together and live with each other.
Power of Determination
3 September, 2017 @ 3:51 pm
When you have developed a still posture and when you have done the breathing practices, you have made the first preparations for the technique of meditation. Next you have to deal with your conscious mind. The moment you start meditating, your mind becomes very independent. The whole mind will come forward to fight with you. You also want to eventually come into touch with the unconscious.