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www.CSEcenter.org

As a teenager,

 

I wondered why there wasn’t a high school 

course to teach me about life, and how to live it effectively. It 

wasn’t until decades later that I found CSE and the teachings 

of Kriya Yoga. This was the handbook for living that I was 

searching for. I always had an innate desire to live a principled 

life and Kriya Yoga provided a simple and logical structure for 

living in integrity, while remaining compatible with my most 

deeply held beliefs. 

One of the main principles I practice is nonattachment. I came to realize that 

many of my beliefs (that I had become attached to) were based on erroneous 

assumptions. Through study and contemplation, I have been able to steadily 

unravel many misconceptions about life and people that kept me from having 

deeper, more meaningful experiences and relationships with friends and family.

I’ve noticed that my old fears about not having enough resources or happi-

ness have subsided. My spiritual practice has expanded my understanding of 

how the universe works. I no longer feel the need to be in control of situations 

or relationships to obtain the results that I decided were best for me. Instead, I’m 

able to trust that collaboration with others will create results that are best for all. 

My fears have been replaced by contentment and a self-assurance that has grown 

from my ever-increasing faith.

I have a full-time job; I’m a husband, a father to my eight-year-old son, and 

a seminary student. People ask me how I juggle all those commitments. My 

answer: I’ve learned to simply get out of my own way. I surrender my false sense 

of separate self again and again. My meditation practice has helped develop the 

skill of “returning,” remembering what is truly important. Throughout my day, 

as distractions occur, I return my focus to what is important in the moment. 

This may be at work, stopping what I am doing to listen intently to a coworker’s 

idea, or at home, interrupting my chores to pay attention to my son. You may 

recognize this as the Golden Rule: treating others as you would have them treat 

you. And when I resume my activities, I often seem to complete them with a 

graceful efficiency. I couldn’t succeed without the harmonious relationships that 

have developed, and I know that this is due to the Kriya Yoga teachings and my 

ongoing practice. 

Jim Levins serves as a mechanical engineer at Cisco Systems in Silicon Valley. He serves on the CSE 

Board of Directors, and teaches meditation at CSE and in San Jose, CA where he lives with his wife, 

Lisa and son, Blake.

Spiritual Practice in Daily Life  
Kriya Yoga is a spiritual philosophy and practice that supports spiritually conscious, 
engaged, responsible living in the world. It’s a practical method that is appropriate for 
people from different backgrounds who are engaged in many different walks of life.

YOGA AT WORK