In today’s relentlessly fast-moving world, stress, conflict, and uncertainty have become part of daily life.
Mental fatigue and emotional strain are no longer isolated concerns; they are global realities.
It is in this context that meditation has emerged not as a luxury or a spiritual indulgence,
but as a vital human necessity.
Recognising meditation’s universal role in fostering inner peace, emotional balance,
empathy, and harmony, the United Nations has declared December 21 as World Meditation Day.
The observance affirms meditation as a timeless, inclusive practice — one that transcends cultures,
religions, and national boundaries, and offers a shared pathway to inner wellbeing
and collective harmony.
Few spiritual teachers articulated the depth and science of meditation as clearly and universally
as Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, the pioneering yogi who brought the ancient technique
of Kriya Yoga to the modern world.
Long before meditation entered mainstream discourse, Yoganandaji taught that lasting peace and happiness
cannot be found in possessions, status, or outward achievement.
They arise only when one learns to still the restless mind and turn inward through meditation.
Arriving in America in 1920, Yoganandaji spent over three decades sharing this message across continents.
His spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi has inspired millions — including scientists,
artists, entrepreneurs, and world leaders — and remains one of the most widely read spiritual books
of all time.
His teachings offered a rare synthesis of spiritual wisdom and scientific clarity,
making meditation accessible to sincere seekers everywhere.
To preserve and disseminate these teachings, Yoganandaji established two sister organisations:
Self-Realisation Fellowship (SRF) in the West and Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS) in India.
Meditation, as Yoganandaji explained, is not imagination or belief — it is direct inner experience.
Through deep concentration, one begins to perceive peace, calmness, love, and bliss arising from within.
“Learn to carry all the conditions of happiness within yourself by meditating and attuning your
consciousness to the ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new Joy, which is God.”
— Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda