Events
Kindle Soul Awakening
Learn about Yogacharya's Upcoming Events — Including Public Talks, Classes, Satsangs, Retreats, Ceremonies and more.
ONLINE
Meditation and Devotional Service
SELECT THURSDAYS 6:30-7:30 AM (PT) / SEE DATES BELOW
Center for Spiritual Enlightenment - Online via Zoom
DESCRIPTION
This online service reflects daily devotions and silent meditation.
Meditators from all traditions, or none, are welcome.
Upcoming Dates: 8/20, 9/24, 10/29, 11/12, 11/19, 12/3, 12/17.
ONLINE - FREE
Bhagavad Gita Class
SELECT THURSDAYS 7:30-8:30 AM (PT) / SEE DATES BELOW
Center for Spiritual Enlightenment - Online via Zoom
DESCRIPTION
The Bhagavad Gita guides seekers to Self- and God-realization, highlighting our true essence and harmonious living. Join Yogacharya O’Brian to explore its themes, from inner peace and discernment to true happiness and the fulfillment of one's purpose in life.
Upcoming Dates: 8/20, 9/17, 9/24, 10/29, 11/12, 11/19.
IN-PERSON & ONLINE
Satsang Series - Fall/Winter
SEP 13, OCT 4, NOV 1, DEC 6 / 10:00-11:30 AM (PT)
Center for Spiritual Enlightenment - San Jose, CA & Streaming Live
DESCRIPTION
Practicing the Presence: Waking Up to Divine Love Every Day
There is within us a center of peace, love, and power that we can enter through the doorway of contemplation and prayer. What if we could experience that love, peace, and power permeating our lives, not just during prayer or meditation but throughout our day? The teachings found in a tiny mystical book, The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence reveal how.
In this four-part Satsang series with Yogacharya O'Brian:
• Discover a simple way of connecting to divine presence
• Tame your wandering, distracted mind with your power of recollection
• Free yourself from worry and open to inner guidance
• Deepen your spiritual awareness of divine support in all circumstances
Music starts at 9:45 am (PT). Everyone is welcome.
IN-PERSON & ONLINE
Kriya Yoga Retreat for Disciples
October 15-17, 2026
Center for Spiritual Enlightenment - San Jose, CA & Streaming Live
DESCRIPTION
The guru-disciple relationship is a vital, spiritually infused vehicle that transforms the heart and mind, allowing the divine Self to guide our life. Freed from the dross of an ego-driven life, one can soar in the soul’s wisdom and joy—living skillfully in the present, unburdened by the past, and confident in the future.
This soul-guided life is a fire of divine love that requires tending. The five-fold means to support and intensify spiritual practice are listed in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 1.20: śraddhā (faith), vīrya (energy), smṛti (memory), samādhi (superconscious absorption), and prajñā (awakened wisdom). As Paramahansa Yogananda advised, “Let your devotion to God be like a wood fire that burns steady and long; not like a straw fire that flares brightly and then quickly goes out.”
Retreat Topics Include:
• The dharma of a disciple
• The essence of Kriya Yoga sadhana and how to intensify your practice
• Insights from wisdom texts in the Kriya Yoga tradition, including Lahiri Mahasaya’s commentary on the mystical poems of Kabir about the guru and disciple
• Kriya Yoga meditation in AUM as a doorway to higher states of consciousness
IN-PERSON
Meditation Day Retreat
November 19, 2026 / 10AM-4PM
Center for Spiritual Enlightenment - San Jose, CA
DESCRIPTION
Practicing the Presence: Seven Steps of Mystical Contemplation
This retreat is an opportunity to quiet the mind, deepen spiritual awareness, and learn the seven steps of mystical contemplation as a practical way to cultivate inner peace, joy, and divine grace. As Brother Lawrence counseled a friend about living open to divine presence, “Let us make up for lost time!” That is time lost in worry, distraction, and forgetfulness of the soul’s true expression. This retreat offers the opportunity to do just that—make up for lost time by redirecting our energy and attention to the expansive nature of the soul life.
Open to both beginning and experienced meditators, the day will include teaching, meditation, reflection, and contemplative practice.
IN-PERSON & ONLINE
Meditation for the Holy Days
December 23, 2026 / 6:00-8:00 PM (PT)
Center for Spiritual Enlightenment - San Jose, CA & Streaming Live
DESCRIPTION
In the heart of winter’s dark days, we naturally seek the light of peace that only presence can bring. Paramahansa Yogananda offered this prayer: Teach me to find Thy presence on the altar of my constant Peace, and the joy that springs from deep meditation. He offered the example of setting aside time in the holy season to pray, meditate, and enter the deep peace of this season.
CSE’s Meditation for the Holy Days is held annually on December 23rd. You are warmly invited to stop for a moment, to sit in silence, breathe, and remember the divine light within you.
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© 2026 Ellen Grace O’Brian