A Living Example of Yogic Grace

Saluting Param Pujya Ammaji on Her 83rd Birthday

On 13 September 2026, as Param Pujya Ammaji, Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani, celebrates her 83rd birthday, the Yoga Life family joins thousands of students, disciples, friends and admirers around the world in offering our heartfelt pranams, love and gratitude to one of the most extraordinary living exemplars of the yogic way of life.

Much has been written over the decades about Ammaji's remarkable journey—from her birth in Madison, South Dakota, to her life-changing meeting with her beloved Guru, Swami Gitananda Giri, and her complete dedication to preserving and propagating the Rishiculture Ashtanga Yoga tradition.

Through her books, lectures, editorials, music, dance, and decades of stewardship of Yoga Life, she has inspired generations of seekers across the globe. Her oft-repeated reminders that true progress comes through "Rhythm, Repetition and Regularity," and that we must strive to "Create a beauty that didn't exist before," have become guiding principles for countless students of Yoga.

Yet, if one were to ask me what her greatest teaching has been, I would have to say that it is the one she continues to impart today—not through words, but through the way she lives.

Over the past six years, following her stroke, Ammaji has been physically incapacitated. Many who have not visited the Ashram often ask me, "How is Ammaji now?" My answer is always the same: she is wonderful.

Her body may have its limitations, but her spirit remains completely free. Indeed, this phase of her life has become perhaps her greatest teaching of all.

In all these years, I have never once heard her complain about her condition. Not once has she expressed self-pity or allowed sadness to dominate her life. There is no bitterness, no frustration, no "Why me?" Instead, there is acceptance, contentment, gratitude and an extraordinary inner joy that radiates from her every day.

Whenever I ask her, "How has your day been, Amma?" her answer invariably comes with a smile: "Great!" It is not a casual response or a polite habit; it reflects a consciousness that has risen far beyond identification with the body.

One of Ammaji's favourite teachings has always been to encourage us to discover our Sukhasthanam—that place of ease, peace and contentment deep within ourselves. Today, she herself lives in that state. Watching her, one understands that Sukhasthanam is not dependent upon physical health or external circumstances.

It is an inner state of being that Yoga alone can cultivate.

Far from withdrawing from life, Ammaji continues to embrace it with remarkable enthusiasm. Every day she eagerly participates in the singing of bhajans, one of her greatest joys. Her face lights up as the familiar melodies begin, and her devotion fills the room with a palpable sense of peace and love. She enjoys her thrice weekly trips to the beach with her physical therapist and nursing assistant.

Whenever students are in residence at the Ashram, she looks forward to joining our Satsangas. She listens attentively, following every discussion with keen interest, and at just the right moment offers a perceptive observation, a thought-provoking question or one of her delightfully witty comments that leaves everyone smiling.

Her sharp intellect, gentle humour and compassionate wisdom remain completely intact, reminding us that while the body may slow down, the spirit can continue to shine with undiminished brilliance.

As both her son and disciple, these moments have become among my life's greatest blessings. Every day I witness something that most of us have only read about in the biographies of great saints. The serene acceptance displayed by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi during his illness, or the God-intoxicated bliss of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa despite physical suffering, seem no longer distant ideals confined to history.

In Ammaji, we have the privilege of witnessing that same Samadhi Sthiti in our own lifetime—not as a dramatic miracle, but as the quiet, unwavering expression of one who remains established in inner peace regardless of external circumstances.

This, to me, is the true test of Yoga. It is easy to speak of equanimity when life is comfortable. It is another thing altogether to live every day with cheerfulness, kindness and gratitude when the body no longer obeys as it once did. 

Ammaji has shown us that Yoga is not measured by the flexibility of the limbs, but by the steadiness of the mind; not by the perfection of posture, but by the perfection of attitude. 

Her life today is a living commentary on the Bhagavad Gita's description of the Sthita Prajna—one who remains firmly established in wisdom, untouched by the inevitable dualities of life.

To the thousands who lovingly call her "Ammaji," she continues to be exactly that—a universal mother whose love knows no boundaries. Her compassion has not diminished with age; if anything, it has become even more luminous. 

Every visitor who comes to her bedside leaves feeling blessed.

On this auspicious occasion of her 83rd birthday, we celebrate not merely the years of an extraordinary life but the living example that she continues to provide each and every day. Her greatest gift to us is not only the immense body of work she has created, nor the institutions she has helped build, nor the thousands of students she has trained.

It is the demonstration that Yoga is real, that its highest ideals are attainable, and that true happiness is an inner state independent of the changing fortunes of life.

May we honour our beloved Ammaji not merely with flowers and greetings, but by striving to live as she has taught us—to practise with Rhythm, Repetition and Regularity; to Create a beauty that didn't exist before; to find our own Sukhasthanam within; and above all, to meet every circumstance with the same grace, courage, humour and unwavering love that she continues to embody every single day.

Happy 83rd Birthday, dearest Param Pujya Ammaji.

You remain our teacher, our inspiration, our Divine Mother, and one of the finest living examples of the transformative power of Yoga. We bow to you with love, gratitude and reverence.