Through meditation one can experience a stable, silent inner peace that can be a permanently soothing background for all harmonious or trialsome activities demanded by life’s responsibilities. Lasting happiness lies in maintaining this evenly peaceful state of mind.
— Paramahansa Yogananda
First World Meditation Day
Ten years ago, the United Nations (UN) proclaimed June 21 as the International Day of Yoga to raise worldwide awareness of the ancient tradition of yoga and its many benefits to health and well-being. Now, to raise awareness about meditation as a universal practice that fosters inner peace, physical and mental health, and greater harmony among people, the UN General Assembly has proclaimed December 21 as World Meditation Day.
Meditation, deeply rooted in India’s spiritual heritage, is a sacred practice for inner transformation and spiritual awakening. It is a gift from India to the world, offering a timeless path to harmony, well-being, and realization of one’s true self — the atman or soul. As we come together to observe the World Meditation Day, it is fitting also to remember Paramahansa Yogananda, who played a pioneering role in introducing scientific techniques of meditation — particularly the ancient science of Kriya Yoga — to the entire world.
Special Online Event
A special live-streamed event was organized on the occasion of the first World Meditation Day. Drawing on Paramahansa Yogananda’s teachings, senior YSS sannyasi Swami Smaranananda Giri shared insights on the transformative practice of yoga meditation. Highlighting the promise of the ancient scriptures and the science of Kriya Yoga, Swamiji explained how meditation helps one overcome fears, mental disharmony, and physical ailments, and above all helps us to realize our innate blissful nature.
This talk was live-streamed from Hyderabad where several hundred spiritual seekers gathered to participate in a three-day programme that included group meditations, kirtan sessions, and inspirational satsangas conducted by YSS sannyasis.
About Paramahansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda has profoundly impacted the lives of millions worldwide with his spiritual teachings. Widely regarded as the “father of Yoga in the West,” Yoganandaji was the first to make the ancient science of meditation — particularly Kriya Yoga — globally accessible.
The science of Kriya Yoga taught by Paramahansaji consists of meditation techniques that enable individuals to realize their divine nature by stilling the restlessness of the body and mind.
This science is at the core of the Yogoda Satsanga Lessons, which contain Paramahansaji’s comprehensive teachings on meditation and balanced spiritual living. He emphasized that meditation is not only a tool for developing one’s mental abilities and attaining inner peace, but is primarily for attaining the highest goal of religion and life itself: union with Spirit, the blissful Source from which we have come.
In our fast-paced age of relentless stress and distraction, Paramahansaji’s message has inspired countless individuals to embrace meditation as a way to connect with the Divine within, thus making it possible for them also to be more effective agents of positive change in the world around us.
His teachings and the meditation techniques he taught are available today through:
- Yogoda Satsanga Lessons, a comprehensive home-study series originated by Yoganandaji himself. Also available in a digital App
- Books, recordings, and other publications from YSS, the organization he founded to disseminate his teachings worldwide
- Tours conducted by sannyasis of the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India across the country where they explain the scientific yoga techniques of energization, concentration, and meditation
- Conducted Retreats by YSS sannyasis
- Sadhana Sangams
- Programmes on meditation and spiritual living for children
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About Yogoda Satsanga Society of India
For the last 100 years, Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS) has been dedicated to carrying on the spiritual and humanitarian work of its founder, Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, widely revered as the father of Yoga in the West.
Paramahansa Yogananda founded Yogoda Satsanga Society in 1917 to make available the universal teachings of Kriya Yoga, a sacred spiritual science originating millenniums ago in India. These nonsectarian teachings embody a complete philosophy and way of life for achieving all-round success and well-being, as well as methods of meditation for achieving life’s ultimate goal — union of the soul with Spirit (God).
In his highly acclaimed translation and commentary of the Bhagavad Gita (God Talks With Arjuna) Paramahansa Yogananda, explains: “The word yoga signifies the perfect poise or mental evenness that is the result of communion of the mind with Spirit. Yoga indicates also the spiritual technique of meditation through which one attains union with Spirit. Yoga signifies, further, any act that leads to this divine union.”
Learn to Meditate
We welcome you to explore Paramahansa Yogananda’s guidance on different aspects of meditation. You can also experience guided meditations on different topics.
