Kriyananda, Swami: - "One of the foremost spiritual teachers of Yoga principles in the world. In 1948, at the age of twenty-two, he became a disciple of the Indian yoga master and world teacher, Paramhansa Yogananda (author of the classic, Autobiography of a Yogi). At Yogananda's request, Swami Kriyananda devoted his life to teaching and writing, and helping others to experience the joy and living presence of God within. Over the course of more than sixty years, he lectured on four continents in seven languages. His television programs, audio and video recordings of his talks and music, and his many books in twenty-eight languages have touched the lives of millions.Swami Kriyananda took the ancient teachings of Raja Yoga and made them intensely practical and immediately useful for people in every walk of life, on a daily basis. His books and teachings cover nearly every field of human endeavor, including spiritualizing business life, leadership, education, the arts, community life, and science. He wrote extensive commentaries on the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita.Swami Kriyananda was also known as the "father of the intentional communities movement," which began in the United States in the late 1960s. Inspired by his guru's dream of establishing spiritual communities, in 1968 he founded the first of what are now ten Ananda communities worldwide. They provide a supportive environment of "simple living and high thinking," where a thousand full-time residents live, work, and worship together. "The time has come for people to live lives of even higher dedication than that which inspired monks and nuns of the past. . . . The time has come for people to direct their spiritual awareness also downward into matter . . . to everything they do: their work, to education, to family life, to friendship, to their communications with strangers, to the way they build their homes - to all the most mundane, practical aspects of daily, human life."

Novak, Nayaswami Devi: - Nayaswami Devi Novak is a disciple of the great master Paramhansa Yogananda (author of Autobiography of a Yogi) and student of Swami Kriyananda. Her mission is to help others live the teachings of Self-realization through meditation, devotion, and service.Her lifelong dedication to the spiritual path has led her to lecture, teach, counsel, and serve throughout the world, spreading the message of peace through meditation.She and her husband are recipients of the Global Ambassador Peace Award. This honor was conferred at the United Nations in a special ceremony by the Institute of International Social Development in recognition of their contribution to fostering world peace.Since 1984 she and her husband have been the Spiritual Directors of Ananda Worldwide, pioneering Ananda's work in Italy and India and guiding the spiritual welfare of thousands of Yogananda's devotees. They are the co-authors of Touch of Light, Touch of Joy, Touch of Love, and Touch of Peace. To see their schedule of appearances, lectures, classes, and events online and in person, go to jyotishanddevi.org.Nayaswami Devi first met Swami Kriyananda in 1969 and dedicated her life to the spiritual path. She and Jyotish were married in 1975 and have spent their life together serving Swami Kriyananda and their guru, Paramhansa Yogananda. Devi is the author of Faith Is My Armor: The Life of Swami Kriyananda, and the editor of two of Swami Kriyananda's books: Intuition for Starters and The Light of Superconsciousness.