The Yoga Hour

With Gratitude, Join the One Heart of the World

Zoketsu Norman Fisher, senior dharma teacher, poet, and spiritual director of the Everyday Zen foundation, joins Rev. O’Brian for a look into the heart of the world through gratitude. Gratitude is our antidote for imagining we are on our own. Even a little practice of it changes our world.

Surrender: How to Let Go and Live Fully

The ability to surrender is an essential skill for joyful, fulfilled living. What is surrender, why should we practice it, and how can we really let go? Some confuse surrender with defeat; those who are awake know it is the sure way to win. Dr. Emmet Miller, medical doctor, author and pioneer in mind-body medicine joins Rev. O’Brian for an inspiring look at the power of letting go.

Svadhyaya: The Heart of Study

Study, in the spiritual tradition of yoga, is more than reading books or gathering information. Although the study of scripture is important, the key to study is the practice of self-inquiry, applying and testing out in our own experience what we are exploring. Religious Studies professor and longtime practitioner of yoga Dr. Kusumita Pedersen returns to The Yoga Hour with Rev. O’Brian for an in-depth look and some surprising insights about the role of study on our spiritual journey.

Self-Discipline: The Key to Abiding Joy

Self-discipline is the commitment we make and the actions we take to live a higher way by choosing that which pleases the soul and supports the expression of our innate divine qualities. The resident Acharya of Chinmaya Mission in San Jose, California, Br. Prabodh Chaitanya, joins Rev. O’Brian for an exploration of what self-discipline really is, how we can accomplish it, and how it will help us fulfill our divine destiny.

Right Use of Energy: It’s an Inside Job

The mystic poet Rumi reminds us to “work at least as hard on the inside as we do on the outside.” In the Yoga tradition, the spiritual practice of Brahmacharya literally means “to walk with God.” Sometimes considered to be only about our sexuality, the greater context is how we use our vital force, or life energy, in ways that are consistent with our spiritual goals. The Rev. Dr. Harry Morgan Moses, director of SpiritWorks Center for Spiritual Living and author of It’s So Easy When You Know How, joins Rev. O’Brian for insights into the inner way.

Contentment: The Key to Unconditional Happiness

Rev. Masayo Tsuruta from Seicho-No-Ie, Truth of Life Movement, joins Rev. O’Brian for an insightful look at our potential for unconditional happiness through the practices of contentment and gratitude. How is it possible to walk through the challenges and sorrows of life and still know real happiness? Spiritual practice provides the key.

Ahimsa: The Power of Nonviolence to Light the World

Michael Nagler, author of The Search for a Nonviolent Future: A Promise of Peace for Ourselves, Our Families, and Our World and founder of the Metta Center for Nonviolence Education, joins Rev. O’Brian for an empowering look at how the principles and practices of ahimsa, or nonviolence, can positively transform our lives today and bring us hope for the future. Discover why this spiritual practice is a foundation for all the others.

Patanjali’s Step-by-Step Approach to Spiritual Realization and Conscious Living

The eight limbs of yoga outlined in the Yoga Sutra, the classic text by the sage Patanjali, offer profound insights that support spiritually conscious living in every area of our lives. Dr. Christopher Key Chapple, author of Yoga and the Luminous: Patanjali’s Spiritual Path to Freedom, joins Rev. O’Brian for an engaging exploration of spiritual realization in daily life. Discover how the inward journey of yoga practice can transform how we live.

Love, Discern, Serve, Meditate: Four Ways to Awaken

While the goal of awakening is the same, the yoga tradition recognizes that spiritual seekers have different temperaments and thus require different approaches to spiritual realization. Br. Prabodh Chaitanya, resident of Acharya of Chinmaya Mission in San Jose, California, joins Rev. O’Brian for an exploration of how the traditions of Yoga and Vedanta go beyond a “one size fits all” approach and provide for the unique needs of seekers, while still maintaining a clear focus on the goal. Consider what your spiritual inclinations reveal about you and how your individual need for expression can be met on your path.

Our Relationship With the Infinite: Insights Into Higher Realities

Roy Eugene Davis, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, joins Rev. O’Brian in an exploration of higher realities. Discover what we can know about our essence of being and our relationship with the Infinite that supports us to actualize our innate capacities and experience excellence in all areas of life.