A few useful website links that the publishers of Ashrams of India have found helpful:
100 Most Inspiring Yoga Teachers in India
https://www.hellomyyoga.com/content/100-most-inspiring-yoga-teachers-india
100 Most Influential Yoga Teachers in America
https://www.sonima.com/yoga/100-most-influential-yoga-teachers-in-america-2016/
Alexandra David-Neel
Alexandra David-Néel was a woman who undertook dangerous travel to Lhasa, Tibet, which at the time was closed to foreigners, created worldwide renown for her. Here is a short overview of her life and travels.
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/alexandra-david-neel.html
Arunachala Grace: Information and experiences of Arunachala and Tiruvannamalai
Arunachala Grace is dedicated to sharing information and experiences of sacred, spiritual Arunachala. There is also news and updates about the people, events and future plans of the Tiruvannamalai District.
Caves of Arunachala
Arunachala is loved by many people around the world. This website shows more of Arunachala and India than many people ever see. This may remind you of what you love, and help you discover more about India. Tamil culture and Arunachala are predominately featured.
richardarunachala.wordpress.com
David Godman: Sri Ramana Maharshi: his life, his teachings and his devotees
Written and filmed material author David Godman has produced on Sri Ramana Maharshi, his teachings and his devotees. Also included is a substantial amount of material on Arunachala and Tamil saints who were either associated with the mountain, or who were favourably spoken about by Sri Ramana.
Heather Elton Yoga
Heather Elton is a yogini, writer and photographer living in London who has taught Astanga and Vinyasa Flow yoga, as well as traditional forms of Hatha yoga, restorative yoga, pranayama and meditation in London since 2002. She considers Sri T Krishnamacharya to be the Grandfather of Modern Postural Yoga. The two main teachers in his lineage are BKS Iyengar and Sri K Pattabhi Jois. She has studied both BKS Iyengar methodology and Astanga Vinyasa Yoga. Her own practice and teaching style is inspired by these lineages.
Heather is interested in the historic roots of traditional Hatha Yoga. She endeavors to teach all 8 limbs of ‘classical’ Astanga in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras on the mat, and integrate ancient wisdom traditions with contemporary psychology in a mindful practice designed to diminish suffering in our lives.
eltonyoga.com
GurusFeet.com: Short biographies of the gurus
A website with profiles and ratings of gurus, blogs, events, forums and more that is well-liked by users from India.
HolyBooks.com
Holy Books is the largest collection of high-quality sacred texts, holy books, spiritual texts as PDF ebooks you will find on the Internet. All books are free to download. For example, you can download the Bible, download the Quaran, the Vedas and thousands of ancient texts on religion and spiritual practice.
All books are Free Public Domain Books. This means that you can download and read them for free from this site.
Jeeva Samadhi
Jeeva or Sajeeva / Jiva / Samadhi also known in Tibetten as the state of Tukdam means “becoming one” with the universal consciousness or merging with the Divine. It has different terms and is used as different words in different religions. Buddhists call it Nirvana and Christians call it ecstasy or ‘merging with the spirit’. In samadhi one remains immersed in infinite bliss and the time one can remain in samadhi ranges from few minutes to time infinite. After a divine person takes samadhi there are various ways of preserving or disposing the physical body. It may be: Earth burial, which is called Bhoo Samadhi / Water burial – Jal Samadhi / Fire cremation – Agni Samadhi or Agni Dah. In the ancient times there were 3 more methods used – The body being consumed by birds or wild beasts (followed by Parsis) / Being preserved in the caves / Mummifying (As in the Egyptian pyramids).
https://soonyata.home.xs4all.nl/jeevasamadhi.htm
JohnSanidopoulos.com: Mystagogy resource centre
Mystagogy is the personal website of John Sanidopoulos, an Orthodox Christian who can offer a unique perspective on Orthodox Christian topics, as well as many other topics of interest such as philosophy, science, literature, pop culture and news items.
Life of Saint Issa
Discovered in Tibet and translated by Nicolas Notovitch
The Life of Saint Issa, the Best of the Sons of Men scroll is an important document concerning the idea of Jesus travelling to India during his ‘missing years.’
http://lifeofsaintissa.blogspot.com/
Maldorma.com
Maldorma’s main purpose is the spreading of spirituality to the world. Maldorma publishes books, hold lectures, workshops, meditation and breathing courses. Maldorma TV is a podcast where they share their on the road spiritual journeys and interviews with interesting guests.
Modern Yoga Research
Accurate information about modern yoga studies and about yoga’s roots, history, culture and philosophy can be difficult to find. The research that exists on these topics could be described as being ‘locked up’ in university libraries and discussed only by academics. This website aims to help you find out more about established and current research into modern yoga and, more generally, about some of the most informative research on earlier forms of yoga.
The Mountain Path
The Mountain Path is a quarterly Journal founded in 1964 by Arthur Osborne and published by Sri Ramanansramam. The aim of this journal is to set forth the wisdom of all religions and all ages, especially as testified to by their saints and mystics, and to clarify the paths available to seekers in the conditions of our modern world. The Mountain Path is dedicated to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Access Past Issues of The Mountain Path from 1964 to 2020;
https://realization.org/p/ramana/index.mountain-path.html
Mukti4u2 (Mukti for you too)
Places of spiritual & historical significance.
Newlives.freeola.net: 54 Interviews with Westerners on their search for spiritual fulfilment in India
During the eleven years Malcolm Tillis lived in India, he was often lent or sent books about other Westerners who had also spent extended time in India. But they were often about Westerners who had been drawn onto the guru-trail in search of an evolved being but who stumbled onto one that leads innocent victims into the hungry jaws of a white-bearded, impressively-robed monster who leaves them more spiritually – and often more materially – bankrupt than before. These accounts would often be amusing, sometimes they had reason to be bitter, but were made all the more readable by being slanted, prejudiced or misinformed. They made him wonder why hardly any serious in-depth studies had appeared dealing with the many Westerners who have taken the plunge, left the bright lights of home and are now living fulfilled lives in this vast, fascinating country. There is no shortage of books on India’s host of saints, seers and gurus, but what about their Western disciples? Why has so little appeared by them, or about their achievements? They may have taken to the simple life, but surely they are not all under vows of silence?
Pahar.in
This Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset (MCADD) consists of a collection of books, journals and maps related broadly to the Himalayas and its outlying attached ranges including the Hindu Kush, the Karakorams, the Pamirs, the Tian Shan and the Kuen Lun as well as the Tibetan highlands and the Tarim basin. These materials are housed in this site, and are freely available for personal non-commercial use and downloading.
Papaji
https://www.inner-quest.org/index.htm
SacredSites.com: World Pilgrimage Guide – Places of peace and power
Sacred sites have had a mysterious allure for many people around the world. Legends and contemporary reports tell of extraordinary experiences people have had while visiting these places. Different sacred sites have the power to heal the body, enlighten the mind and inspire the heart. National Geographic photographer and anthropologist Martin Gray has spent thirty-five years studying and photographing hundreds of sacred sites in more than one hundred and fifty countries. On this web site, Martin discusses the mythology, archaeology and history of sacred sites, and also presents a fascinating explanation of the miraculous phenomena that occur at them.
Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia
http://tibetanbuddhistencyclopedia.com/en/index.php?title=Chinese_Buddhist_Encyclopedia
Tsem Rinpoche
Yoga Centres Directory
The International Yoga Centres Directory, a Global Guide to Yoga Studios, Instructors, Ashrams & Retreat Centres.
YoganandasIndia.com
Reveals the spiritual journey of the great masters of kriya yoga who influenced and guided Paramahansa Yogananda’s early years in India and shares insights into the culture, conditions and individuals who supported young Mukunda in becoming the great saint and spiritual dynamo who changed the world.
YogiPhotos.com
Free yoga book, Yoga Guru Sri Tat Wale Baba – Rishi of the Himalayas.
The Wanderling
http://the-wanderling.com/
