Sri Yukteswar Giri (The Holy Science) taught that there are five stages of the heart. These stages not only describe the way you feel but also the state of your consciousness. Knowing them can help you understand your life, as well as the lives of fellow seekers.

Jnana yoga teaches how to go beyond the many into the One. Jnanis seek to realize that Spirit is the one reality, that all, including the soul, is Spirit. Discover how chanting Om can lead to absorption in Spirit.

Love is self-giving. We love most completely when we give of ourselves. Look at your life. Is love flowing in you? Love flows naturally in those who shed physical tension and mental turbulence. Explore two meditations which help you become mentally and emotionally free to experience the higher levels of love.

The goal of bhakti yoga is to cultivate a flow of love toward the Lord. You begin by directing your present thoughts and feelings Godward. Discover how you can become spiritually enlightened through bhakti yoga.

If you can direct your feelings Godward, bhakti yoga may be the best path for you. As you practice bhakti techniques, you can move through various spiritual stages. As you develop a one-pointed focus, it will grow into spiritual love and lift you to bhavas (moods of love) and other higher states. Discover the dimensions of God’s love as you rise through the stages of bhakti yoga.

Raja yogis strive to realize the one vast soul and discover their oneness with all beings. They realize that their essence is Spirit — the source of all life and consciousness. Explore raja yoga techniques which allow the ego, the false sense of self, to yield to the power and beauty of the soul.

As I began teaching yoga in Costa Mesa, California in the 1970s, I met a nun named Sister Margarita. She was middle-aged, full of love and joy — a very happy person. Her main message was that the Christian life was not meant to be one of sin and regret but full of joy, seeing and acknowledging the wonder of life.

Baba Hari Dass was a globally famous master yogi. When I first met him in 1971, he hadn’t actually spoken for 17 years. On the day we met, he communicated by writing on a small chalkboard. We meditated for hours together. He became my friend and we corresponded for many years.

Metaphysicians hold the view that we exist for the delight of God. One of life’s great joys is tuning in with and recognizing Spirit. We can then allow It to create and manifest through us. Explore some of the main ways to experience God’s delight in you.

From a jnana yoga perspective Spirit is the only reality and we are all forms of that one substance. Jnanis seek to go within, find the original substance and become conscious of that all-encompassing Spirit.