Instituto Kriya Yoga

On Monday evenings at 19:30, the Ashram Templo do Amor Divino in São Paulo holds satsanga: an hour of spiritual teaching, a talk and a guided meditation, open to the public and streamed online. It is the plainest entry point to a place whose weekly rhythm is built on that offering.

The Ashram is the São Paulo seat of Instituto Kriya Yoga, a nonprofit organization. The institute describes Kriya Yoga as a scientific meditation technique based on control of the breath and concentration on the energy centers of the spine, developing body, mind and spirit together. It cites Patanjali's Yoga Sutra as its anchor: meditation, self-study and surrender to God, integrated, constitute Kriya Yoga. The institute's teachings run through Paramahamsa Hariharananda and Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, whose books fill its catalogue.

The calendar at the Ashram follows the lineage. Events fall on the birthdays and mahasamadhi of the Masters, on Guru Purnima, and on the anniversary of the Ashram's founding, with celebrations, meditation, spiritual talks and other activities depending on the occasion. In 2022 the anniversary week was held online, opening with a Cerimônia do Fogo, a fire ceremony, followed by five evenings of talks on the Prayer of St. Francis. The 2026 anniversary seminar is scheduled for 1 to 7 October.

The institute's wider program follows three steps. A free public talk comes first. Initiation follows for those who wish to begin: a simple, symbolic ceremony led by authorized monks or yogacharyas, in which the candidate makes three offerings of flowers, fruit and a sum set by each center. Practical classes with guided meditation come the next day. After that, students meditate alone and in groups at centers across Brazil. Those already initiated can attend seminars, which are held by day, or retreats with full lodging, usually in monasteries or convents far from the city, built around a single theme. The 2026 calendar lists São Paulo initiations alongside dates in other Brazilian cities and across Latin America.