
Like so many others, I read Autobiography of a Yogi and it left a lasting impression. I found Ananda at a time when I needed to enhance my meditation practice. I believe the reason I was able to make an inward connection with the teachings is because I was able to experience them in a real and very tangible way.
When I look out at the world, I see a planet that’s being run by the self-interest of the most powerful. When I look in at myself, I see someone who aspires to joy, love, and grace. And for a long time I had a hard time reconciling the two.
My time at Ananda has helped me understand people’s behaviors, including my own. I believe I’ve been able to make positive changes in my life because of these teachings. I understand more fully that if I wanted to be a happier person, I had to treat others better. My relationship with everyone, including myself, is now more deeply rooted in loving and accepting behaviors, and I am healthier for it.
I was a skeptic for most of my life. I wasn’t raised in a family that went to church. Our cousins were Catholics, and I occasionally went to Sunday Service with them, but I knew I wasn’t Catholic. I was turned off by religions that condemned other faiths. But at my core I knew I was a beautiful soul.
Being the skeptic I am, I eased my way into Ananda. I guess I was looking to find fault with these beliefs, but I came away from my early encounters feeling good. Meditation was good for me, but I think I most enjoy the service I am able to donate to the cause.
It’s important to me to feel that I’m doing something good in this world, and my service time allows me to interact with people with similar ideals. I believe it allows us to raise and refine our energy together. When the love, joy, and grace I’m speaking of truly gets rolling, I believe we will be able to accomplish great things in this world.