Nayaswami Padma McGilloway

One of the underpinnings of Faith is concentration. Paramhansa Yogananda has a beautiful quote which describes this well: “Just as a wet match, when struck, does not produce fire, so a mind saturated with restlessness can’t produce the fire of concentration!”

Abiding in God. This topic is synonymous with Attunement. Attunement is perhaps the most important topic in our spiritual lives. Without it, we’re like a hamster spinning in a cage. With it, we feel ever closer to God and the bliss of our soul. 

The topic this week is Reason vs Intuition. Yogananda defines intuition as the soul’s power to know God. Christ taught his disciples through parables in part to help them develop intuition. Yogananda taught his disciples intuitively. Swami Kriyananda also taught us to read between the lines and understand via intuition. Reason receives brick-bats on the spiritual path, but Swami used … Read More

The title of this week’s service is The Law is Perfected in Love. Truth be told, all things are perfected in Love. When we learn to live in the spirit, rather than the letter of the law, then laws will no longer be needed. That day will come. This week we’ll explore what that day might look like.

We human beings tend to view everyone, including a saint or a Master, through the filter of our own consciousness. Indeed everything and everyone we see passes through that filter, until we are free in God. Knowing about this limitation, it is helpful to catch ourselves ‘in the act’ and try to broaden our vision. Would we recognize the Infinite … Read More

Morning, everyone. I observe this every year, but I’m always mystified by it initially that in this deep topic of practicing living in the presence of God is actually the title of it. That the affirmation is practicality. What a great juxtaposition that is. Swami Kriyananda told us that Yogananda used to say, “Be practical in your idealism.” And one … Read More

 The law of Karma, bondage or soul release Good morning, everyone. Good morning. Well, as you can tell, the subject this morning is about the law of karma. I read something fun this week. Some of you may have seen it as well. My reality check just bounced. And that’s what it feels like sometimes with the law of … Read More

Be true to your own path with Nayaswami Padma I was looking around today for the murti of Lahiri because we’ve been celebrating him. He must have gotten moved to Hansa or something. Anyway, Lahiri Mahashaya is the one on the far left. He was the Guru of Shri Yukteshwar, who was the Guru of Yogananda. Yogananda did make physical … Read More

Padma speaks on intuition, and how to free ourselves from, in Krishna’s words, “the carping spirit”, the spirit of fussy fault-finding, so that we can actually hear the soul whispers of intuition.

Join Padma on her inspiring instructive journey on how to approach all of life’s tests.

Nayaswami Padma shares stories of how when we rely on God Remembrance and our Soul Guidance everything moves on the right track!

Nayaswami Padma shares some fun stories and aspects of how to attune our hearts to the “God Channel”.

Padma speaks on Christmas as a window unto spirit; a time when we can, as Yogananda said, “improve our knowing” that the kingdom of God is alive within us.

Cello, violin, keyboard and choir, Padma’s talk, a Christmas tableau and candle offering come together in this service of devotion.

The good news, Padma says, is that we can’t fail spiritually! But we do make mistakes, and that’s how we learn. She relates stories, both humorous and sobering, of working to overcome karmic obstacles and mistakes. We think we can hide from our mistakes, but as Padma says, God is always watching and always listening; all we have to do … Read More

Padma relates that, up to a point, the ego is our friend, but as we turn to the spiritual path, we have to transcend it instead. As Yogananda wrote in his poem Samadhi, “Where I, the Cosmic Sea, watch the little ego floating in me.” To get there, we have to be present and aware of all details in this … Read More

This is the complete video from the July 24 Sunday Service. As Padma said in her talk, “the highest expression of our soul’s nature is the Guru”, and she tells two stories to illustrate the Guru’s role in awakening us from delusion to that highest expression. One is the parable of the lion cub born into the sheepfold of human … Read More

Padma recaps Murali’s story from last Sunday, of the hunter, the ego’s bad habits, scheming to entrap the power of the elephant, our soul nature. What can we do about it? Yoganananda talks of “nipping bad habits in the bud”, of cutting off bad habits at their source. It’s hard, but not impossible. Fortunately we can do it in stages!

Swami Kriyananda described Seva (Service) as “bliss in motion”. Padma describes how Service rubs off the sharp corners of ego and becomes our path to freedom, where we develop the inner calm to feel God’s Bliss in the midst of intense activity.

Music & inspiration, and more music & more inspiration! Today’s service includes Swami Kriyananda’s “Christ Lives: An Oratorio”, telling the story of Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection in instrumental, vocal and choral pieces. The deeply felt music and lyrics have the power to transform our consciousness, and to bring the living presence of Christ into our lives.

Commemorating the conscious exits from the body of Paramhansa Yogananda and his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar, Padma speaks on the universality of Yogananda’s teachings, and how it applies individually to each of us.

In her talk illustrated with a quote from Albert Einstein and well-chosen humor, Padma speaks of quieting the “oscillating mind” as our main step in perceiving God.

Tales of tigers, purloined coats, beautiful choral pieces and an inspired altar add to this celebration of Paramahansa Yogananda’s birthday!

Padma tells the story of the God-reminding frying pan, and other ways to remember God!

 A special Sunday service, commemorating the Spiritual Anniversary of Swami Kriyananda (Ananda’s founder) meeting his guru, Paramhansa Yogananda. This was the day that Kriyananda was accepted by Yogananda into his monastery. The date was September 12, 1948.

Padma explains how Ego is both friend and foe.  In the beginning, like a booster rocket, it helps us begin moving towards God.  Later, though, we have to break free from Ego to go beyond our limits and self-definitions.  And it takes energy to do so!

Padma’s talk explores lightness of consciousness, and how to reach it. “If thine eye be single, thy whole body will be filled with light”.

Padma hits it out of the park! Weaving together the transient fulfillments of the outer world and Yogananda’s teachings on the inner kingdom of energy, Padma introduces the Gita as a spiritual “GPS” guiding us to the balance of inner and outer and to the ultimate fulfillment of oneness in God.

Padma expands on last week’s theme of activity and inner communion by exploring the spiritual benefits of Seva, or selfless service.

Padma relates Willingness, the positive attitude of “Say Yes to Life!”, to the experience of our own inner life.

Padma relates her recent visit with her grandkids to the lessons of Palm Sunday and Easter. And our choir sings again!

The Masters are examples of our own divine potential, and Padma tells how God works thorough our own natures to help us realize that potential. Our part is to persevere through the tumbles and switchbacks of life!

A joyful, musical celebration of Master’s birthday with a skit, plus big news on Free and Clear!

 Padma tells a great story about Swami Kriyananda, a movie of Padre Pio and living in the presence of God.

Padma relates how life’s challenges can be viewed as “bad karma”, or as a positive opportunity to raise our energy towards God.

Padma talks on today’s affirmation on Even-Mindedness, and the power of mantra and chant helping us to be mindful of God.

Note: the above Sunday Service goes up to the Festival of Light ceremony. Click here for the Festival of Light.

How can we keep the awareness of God’s presence in our hearts, when our minds are racing with a billion thoughts, preferences, opinions, etc. This is our Divine Task. When we achieve it perfectly we are free. Until then God watches the heart, and sees the sincerity of our effort to live in the Divine Presence. It is our sincere … Read More

Yogananda tells us that prayer is talking with God, and Meditation is Listening for God’s response. This leaves us with infinite possibilities for the role of prayer in our lives, and the best ways to approach prayer. Join us this Sunday as we explore this essential topic! Blessings, Nayaswami Padma

Being open and receptive, as well as self-forgetfull spiritually is far from a gentle, passive experience. Great focused energy, self-discipline and self-effort is required!    Please join us this Sunday as we explore the ways our efforts are needed to untie the karmic knots that bind us, and open the door to Divine Grace. Blessings, Padma

With some people on some days, no matter what we do, things seem to go wrong. But have you also noticed that on some days, no matter how many mistakes we make–wobbling and shaking our very being–we end up standing upright again and keep moving forward with ease. That Light chases away the darkness, and we find ourselves bathing in … Read More

March 25, 2018 – Due to a technical problem, the beginning of the video is missing. Recognizing our own Divinity, and living from the center of that recognition is the task that is before us. Palm Sunday reminds us of both the joys and fickleness of our ego-nature, and the eternal Joy and Bliss of our Soul nature.  We hope … Read More