Self Realization Fellowship Information

Self-Realization Fellowship is the non-profit and non-sectarian religious society founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1920 to disseminate his Kriya Yoga teachings and help people worldwide to realize their highest potential and deepest joy. Paramahansa Yogananda (1893 – 1952) is widely regarded as one of the preeminent spiritual figures of our time. Born in northern India, he came to the United States in 1920, where for more than thirty years he taught India’s ancient science of meditation, the art of balanced living, and the underlying unity of all great religions. Yogananda’s universal teachings are available through his acclaimed life story, "Autobiography of a Yogi," and his numerous other books, which have introduced millions to the perennial wisdom of the East. According to his express wishes, Self-Realization Fellowship publishes the complete works of Paramahansa Yogananda. And for those sincere seekers who want to learn the time-honored methods of meditation he taught for attaining direct realization of one’s true Self — the soul — Yogananda created his "Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons," an in-depth home-study series. The Lessons contain personal and comprehensive guidance and instruction from Yogananda on the techniques of yoga meditation he brought to the West — including the science of Kriya Yoga — and the principles of balanced spiritual living for well-being in body, mind, and soul. “Yoga is that science by which the soul gains mastery over the instruments of body and mind and uses them to attain Self-realization — the reawakened consciousness of its transcendent, immortal nature, one with Spirit.” — Paramahansa Yogananda Today, Self-Realization Fellowship has grown to include more than 600 temples and centers around the world and has members in over 175 countries. In India and surrounding countries, Paramahansa Yogananda's work is known as Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS), which has more than 200 centers, retreats, and ashrams.