Swami Chetanananda is the founder and spiritual director of the Nityananda Institute, based in Portland, Oregon. He is widely recognized as an authority on Trika Yoga meditation and the philosophy and ancient tantric practices of Kashmir Shaivism. He has also been initiated into the lineage of the important mahasiddha Padampa Sangye, whose practices are part of the Vajrayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

Swami Chetanananda studied with Swami Rudrananda (Rudi), a spiritual pioneer who lived in New York City and was one of the first Americans to be initiated as a swami. Rudi's guru was Bhagavan Nityananda of Ganeshpuri, India, one of the greatest yogis of the 20th century.

An explorer of the religious practices of many cultures, Swami Chetanananda supervises a translation programme for both Sanskrit and Tibetan texts. He is author of several books on spiritual practice including Dynamic Stillness, Choose to Be Happy, There Is No Other, Open Heart Open Mind, Will I Be the Hero of My Own Life, The Breath of God, and others.

Swamiji's more recent work includes intensive study of tantric spiritual healing practices. He spends several months each year in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley working with respected tantric healers in an effort to preserve these important practices. He has performed spiritual healing pujas around the world.

As an inspiration, a resource and mentor to thousands of people from all walks of life, Swami Chetanananda is dedicated to awakening the power of spirit.

The Power of Spirit

Every one of us has something special that is our core. It is what is alive in us. It is not our minds, and it is not our bodies, although our bodies and minds are expressions of it. It is our spirit, the source of all power. The power of spirit has from within itself pulled forth the whole universe, and the power that has created the whole universe is within us. Spirit is one, it is whole, and it is infinite. Its potential is unimaginable.

Spirit manifests itself when we are in contact with it as a quality of completeness, of joy and satisfaction and clarity. This power is a power that supports us in every circumstance; it is a power which makes the ultimate wisdom and joy that is intrinsic to the ultimate reality available to us at all times. By establishing our attention there, we are beyond our bodies; we are beyond our mind and emotions; we are beyond every kind of limitation whatsoever.

The Practice of Yoga

The vehicle through which we cultivate our contact with spirit is called yoga. The practice of yoga in all its forms is about a deeply individual experience, a deeply personal vision of the ultimate reality-what we in the West sometimes call God. Through yoga, we strive to experience and sustain this vision. Yoga is about the ability to feel our spirit and to feel that spirit all the time, under every circumstance, and to allow it to be nourished and grow stronger.

There are various forms of yoga; for instance, hatha yoga puts us in touch with our bodies and gives us greater control and flexibility. This flexibility is an expression of our essential, natural vitality. Meditation quiets the mind, quiets the emotions, and brings us a much greater level of mental health. Kundalini yoga is still deeper, an exploration of the mystery of life itself, the creative energy which is a manifestation of our inner spirit. To examine that energy carefully frees us from the limited perspective of our individuality and establishes from within us a communion with the universal power of Life itself.

Trika Yoga

At Nityananda Institute, our main spiritual practice is Trika Yoga, a form of kundalini yoga. The essence of Trika Yoga is to release tensions in all dimensions and allow our creative energy to flow without obstruction. Trika Yoga is a practice intended to develop awareness of this energy to the point where we experience it not merely as our finite self, but as the infinite Self, the power of spirit that underlies all reality.

The practice of Trika Yoga puts us in touch with our energetic mechanism, a system of energy channels and chakras, and helps us develop a deep understanding of the way in which it functions. We learn to change our state and our ways of relating to our environment. As we learned to stay attuned to the flow of creative energy, we experience an accelerated process of change and growth that leads to the maturing of love and fulfillment in our lives. Eventually we become established in a state of joy and total well-being which benefits everyone with whom we come in contact.

An Authentic Teacher

An authentic spiritual teacher is a person who has become established in the infinite nature of their individual awareness. The authentic teacher demonstrates continuously, and in every connection, the great creative power of spirit. An effective teacher is also a great student-one who is committed to extending their contact with, and capacity for access to, this creative energy of Life.

The role of the authentic teacher is basically two-fold: first, to arouse the deepest creative power of Life present within us; then, to support us as this power unfolds. The teacher is a well from which we draw a clear, pure vitality which facilitates our process of transformation. As this process unfolds, the creative power of Life makes us aware of the intimate relationship of all spirit and matter, and the oneness of all spirit.

An orientation to meditation practice at Nityananda Institute is offered on Thursday evenings at 6:00. Call the Nityananda Institute office to reserve a space and for information about meditation instruction at the Santa Monica, New York, Boston, or Oslo, Norway centers.