We now have solid scientific research explaining how the biological changes triggered by stress undermine the immune system’s function. There is also recent scientific research which shows that meditation is an important safeguard against stress-related diseases and that it can produce effects equal to standard medications.

The most promising new treatment is known as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), a type of therapy that sends short bursts of highly focused magnetic energy pulses to the areas of the brain affected by depression.

There are times when it’s not always clear what is the dharmic thing to do, and trying to see the dharmic way has not always been easy. Over time I have come to know that the best thing I can do is to try to become quiet, to meditate, and try to hear what Master is whispering.

In my opinion there can be no lasting recovery from addiction without a person discovering his or her spiritual path and following it. The natural tendency of the mind is to side with habit, and the natural tendency of habit is to take us back to what we already know.

Vaastu is the science of bringing Spirit into physical manifestation in the form of a building. A building designed and constructed according to Vaastu principles becomes “alive” with prana or life force. The building functions much like a radio that can only receive and transmit beneficial energies, and cosmic energy bathes the entire building.

To understand human origins, a true scientist must not only evaluate the tangible evidence gathered by archeologists and other experts, he must also study consciousness, without which he neglects the most basic human capacity — the ability to think creatively and aspire spiritually.

Scientific knowledge is at the point where we now understand that many physical properties of the universe had to be exactly right for human life to exist. Today there are so many examples of these unique “life-friendly properties” that science can no longer dismiss all of them as mere chance or coincidence.

My Guru guided me into medicine and he has been with me ever since. In my practice I ask for guidance all the time. As long as I remember to ask for help, it comes, and miracles happen.

There’s a considerable body of research showing that music can have healing effects for certain physical and mental disorders. In fact, music therapy is a widely recognized form of treatment for anxiety, depression, chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, and weakened immunity.

Because the authors included in their book studies of a wide range of different religions, they were able to show that the positive effects of religious beliefs and practices on the brain are not tied to any specific religion or belief system.

As devotees, we always need to keep in mind that God-realization is our highest priority. And God may want us to work with our health in a way that differs from our personal inclinations.

The study showed that Ananda Yoga helps people with a significant chronic disease to be more uplifted, to be less depressed, to be less at risk of falling, to be much less fatigued, and to be more socially active because they feel less noticeably disabled.

More and more evidence points to a far longer history of civilized man than is currently assumed, and to a picture of man in 10,000 B.C. far different from the caveman of popular conception.

Ask most people and they will tell you the Great Pyramid was a tomb for a pharaoh. While tombs have been found from this same period, the Great Pyramid was probably never used that way.

People are no longer content to hear, “Heaven will come after you die.” People want to do something right now that will make them better people. And science is confirming that you can do things that will make you a better human being. In the process, science is also corroborating some of the fundamental teachings of yoga.

Rather than be resentful of what appears to be more than my fair share of injuries and illnesses, I choose to be thankful for what I have learned and for the blessing of being able to help others reach for optimal health—physically, mentally and spiritually.

As devotees, the pitfall is to decide that we have only so much energy—and no more. Just when I think I’ve done everything I can do, Divine Mother often says, “But there’s so much more you can do,” and then shows me that’s true.

Today, when many are turning a blind eye to exploitation, inequity, and injustice, it may not seem that the world is actually getting better!

Thomas Edison was one of the foremost inventors of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Not only did he play a key role in ushering in the modern age of electricity, he also laid the groundwork for many of the technological innovations that modernized the world. In the process, he also created the first modern industrial research laboratory.

Years ago, I discovered that one of my biggest challenges as a nurse was attachment to the person I was serving, and also to my role as a caring professional. My first awareness of this came when I found myself in tears because I was unable to be present at the childbirth of a favorite patient.

I recall a time when I felt like I was being crushed by a certain experience. Then it suddenly occurred to me, “Well, what did you expect? As a devotee, you’ve ‘signed on’ to go through this process, and others like it, to become more spiritual and of course it’s going to be challenging.”

Bill knows that to meet the challenges of Parkinson’s, he needs to raise his physical, mental, and spiritual energy. He believes that miracles do happen and that a recovery from Parkinson’s is a very real possibility. He says, “The key is not to lose hope.”

The heart generates the most powerful vibrations in the body – it sends out electrical signals roughly 60 times as strong as those emitted by the brain.

Only recently has science begun to investigate exactly how music affects us and what it does to our bodies, our brains and our nervous systems.

Though not considered a child prodigy, the notion that Einstein was slow, retarded or mentally challenged is unfounded.

In the 15th century, a powerful spirit of inquiry swept across Europe, bringing with it the Italian Renaissance and later, the Protestant Reformation.

I became a yoga teacher because my back hurt. At the height of my problems, I had sciatica and pinched nerves that kept me from turning my head in a normal fashion.

George Washington Carver, one of the best-known African-Americans of his era, was a brilliant scientist and educator, a major force for the upliftment of the black race, and an innovator in the field of agricultural biochemistry.

Sri Yukteswar’s theory of the yugas describes a very long cycle of human evolution—24,000 years—encompassing eight distinct ages or “yugas.” Each age offers distinct challenges and opportunities.

Over the last two decades, scientists have done considerable research on what makes people happy. These studies have yielded interesting results.