A luminous bridge between ancient Eastern wisdom and modern Western seekers, Paramahansa Yogananda (born Mukunda Lal Ghosh in 1893) arrived in America in 1920 with a message that still resonates today. Trained by Mahavatar Babaji and Swami Sri Yukteswar in India, he introduced Kriya Yoga—a disciplined, science-like method of meditation—to a world hungry for inner peace amid roaring jazz bands and the bustle of New York City.

His founding of the Self-Realization Fellowship paved the way for meditation centers from Los Angeles to London, long before mindfulness apps and wellness influencers became household names. The bestselling Autobiography of a Yogi, published in 1946, not only opened Western hearts to the idea of direct spiritual experience but also inspired luminaries like Steve Jobs, who famously kept it among just a handful of books on his iPad.

Kriya Yoga’s elegant breath-and-energy techniques are as relevant to today’s screen-addled culture as they were a century ago. Amid current conversations around mental health—think Digital Detox retreats and #MindfulMonday challenges—Yogananda’s gentle insistence that true happiness arises from self-realization feels like a welcome breeze on a sweltering day.

Beyond methods, his teaching wove together threads from Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sufism, championing a universal thread of oneness. It’s no wonder that celebrities from Madonna to modern podcast hosts still cite his influence when talking about inner transformation. His legacy sparkles in yoga studios, university courses on comparative religion, and the steady hum of meditation timers around the globe.

Even now, decades after his passing in 1952, Paramahansa Yogananda’s life stands as a testament to the power of bridging worlds—showing that the path to higher consciousness can be both timeless and timely, much like a classic melody remixed for a new generation.