July 2026 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Fifty-seven years ago, on July 4th, 1969, Swami Kriyananda—a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda—founded Ananda Sangha, a World Brotherhood Community in the foothills of the wild and beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Inspired by Yogananda's vision of world brotherhood, this community demonstrates that even in times of uncertainty and upheaval, it is possible to live with inner peace, purpose, and ever-new joy.

Many of us believe that joy lies outside ourselves—in things, places, achievements, and relationships! And, this outward search inevitably leads us through endless cycles of excitement and disappointment, leaving us longing for something more lasting.

Should we then avoid enjoying anything of this world? Not at all.

Yogananda said that our very desire for happiness has its source in the very nature of our being—Bliss! We are made of bliss. That is why every longing, every pursuit, and every aspiration is, at its heart, a journey in Self-fulfillment, a search for our own highest Self.

Joy is the goal! We wouldn't choose a thought or action that didn't promise joy.
The real question, then, is where we seek it.

The key to fulfillment lies within; it is to enjoy all things in God! God became the universe, every flower, every mountain, you, and me! As the scriptures remind us: "Ye are Gods!" There is nothing outside of God.

May we, then, celebrate life with this deeper understanding. Let every aspiration, every relationship, every success, and every challenge become an opportunity to rediscover the bliss that is already within us.

For in the end, and in all things—Joy is the Goal!

Warm Regards, Ananda Sangha Publications Team

Watch Nayaswami Devi (Co-Spiritual Director, Ananda Worldwide) share insights on finding joy within you.

As a child, Donald [Swami Kriyananda] often went into superconsciousness. "At night, while lying in bed," Swamiji wrote later, "I would see myself absorbed in a radiant inner light, and my consciousness would expand beyond the limits of the body." It was so natural Donald thought everyone went to sleep this way.

A serious illness at the age of nine, then the challenge of finding his place in the world again, undermined Donald's easy acceptance of this superconscious state.

"It didn't relate to the world I was growing up in and had decided I must relate to. I began thinking of that light and expansion as something strange, and pushed it away," Swamiji wrote in his autobiography. "But I always remembered it."

After he became a disciple and learned to meditate, Swamiji said, "In meditation, I entered that same state I had experienced as a child. It was as if all the intervening years had ceased to exist. Then and now was the same moment. That reality is eternal. In superconsciousness, time doesn't exist."

~ From the book: Swami Kriyananda as we have known him

I am even-minded and cheerful at all times. I know that joy is not outside me, but within.

Prayer: In the calmness of meditation, at the heart of my inner peace, help me to feel Thy thrilling, joyful presence.

Repeat, as often as you can, throughout the day, and practice staying cheerful regardless of your outer circumstances.