Autobiography of a Yogi

Lesson 1. Introduction.

In Autobiography of a Yogi, published in 1946, Indian guru Paramahansa Yogananda talks about his life and his spiritual journey. From his childhood and family life to his search for his guru, and then to becoming a monk and spreading his teachings of Kriya Yoga Meditation, he talks about it all in his autobiography. Kriya Yoga revolves primarily around the idea of meditation, with the goal of achieving unity and peace between mind, body, and spirit, using the technique of breath control.

The book talks about Yogananda’s encounter with Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, the Hindu Saint Ananda Moyi Ma and many other leading spiritual figures all around the globe. The book continues describing his journey around the different parts of the world lecturing and establishing his teachings. It introduces the reader to the different methods to attain God-realization and to the spiritual wisdom of the East. Yogananda further claimed that the writing of the book was a part of a prophecy, that was once made by the nineteenth-century master Lahiri Mahasaya. He was also known as Yogiraj and Kashi baba, but most importantly, he was the Paramguru of Yogananda.

In 1999, Autobiography of a Yogi was named as one of the “100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century”, convened by HarperCollins publishers which was paneled by theologians and luminaries. This book has changed millions of lives and will undoubtedly continue to do so for all eternity, for the knowledge and wisdom that it provides is godly.

Lesson 2. Yogananda’s Childhood.

Paramahansa Yogananda, originally known as Mukunda Lal Ghosh was born in 1893 in Gorakhpur, India, to a Bengali Hindu family. According to his younger brother, Sananda, Yogananda from his earliest years knew that he wanted to follow a spiritual and sacred path and that it was beyond ordinary. He considered himself destined to be spreading Hindu principles throughout Western countries, where Eastern philosophy and principles were not well known. He claimed that he remembered his previous life, living as a Yogi in the mountains of Himalayas. When Yogananda was just eight years old, he unexpectedly had Asiatic Cholera and was near death. It was at this time that his mother made him bow down mentally to the picture of his Paramguru, Lahiri Mahasaya, and once he did, a blinding light surrounded him and soon, he healed. 

After his mother’s death three years later, he began to feel drawn to the Himalayas. He tried running away, but he couldn’t as he was still a kid. That is when his older brother gave him