The Essence of Living

Everyone is subject to these three main feelings:

Fear;
Desire to know;
Desire for happiness, freedom, and fulfilment.

Attainment of Self-knowledge fulfils all of these desires.

The highest purpose of life is to know and realise your true essential nature: the Consciousness-Awareness, known as the inner, changeless, ever-present, blissful Self. The Self is the witness to your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and perceptions. The changeless Self is your true identity. You are not the body-mind or ego-personality. You are the subject and the body-mind is the objects of your awareness.

Your original state of being is Oneness, in which there is no separation, and no duality. It is the ego, the separate-self, that constructs the subject-object duality, a separate-I, and false identification with the mind-body.

It is because of self-ignorance that we have forgotten our true spiritual nature and feel different and separate from others and God. The illusion of separation and misidentification is the cause of our suffering and bondage. The ignorance of this illusion disappears with knowledge of the Self (Self-Knowledge).

This book is a constant, daily reminder of our true essential nature. It is a contemplative book for all those who have forgotten or are unaware of their true spiritual identity. It is for all those who are seeking to know the Truth, God, Ultimate Reality, lasting happiness, security, inner peace, love, contentment, and spiritual fulfilment.

You are destined to be spiritually enlightened! This book in the form of spiritual comic strips will open your mind and heart to remember, recognise, and know your true nature — the Self — to set you free in peace, love, and joy!

Stephen Sturgess has been practising yoga and meditation since 1969, when he was first introduced to it by Swami Pragyamurti, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Satyananda Saraswati of the Bihar School of Yoga in India.

During those 48 years, Stephen has studied, practised and experienced the different paths of yoga and meditation – hatha, raja, kriya, kundalini, tantra, jnana, karma and bhakti – which increased his spiritual insights, experience and spiritual knowledge. While following these different paths, he studied under well-known yoga masters. These include three of Swami Sivananda Saraswati’s (of Rishikesh) foremost disciples: Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Swami Venkatesananda and Swami Vishnudevananda. These inspiring Yoga gurus were making regular visits to London in the 1970s.

Stephen was initiated by Swami Satyananda Saraswati in 1979 and given the spiritual name of Shankara. It was also in this year that he received the ‘British Wheel of Yoga Teaching Diploma’ and began teaching Yoga.

Stephen also met and studied Yoga and prÄá¹‡ÄyÄma during the 1970s under the expertise of Yoga Maharishi Dr Swami Gitananda of Pondicherry, India.

In 1982, Stephen met Swami Kriyananda (a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi) in London. The night after meeting Swami Kriyananda, Paramhansa Yogananda appeared to Stephen in a superconscious dream and told him that he was his guru, and that the Kriya Yoga path is the path he should follow. Then, in 1983, Swami Kriyananda personally initiated him into the ancient science of Kriya that Mahavatar Babaji taught to Lahiri Mahasaya, and that was passed down in succession to Swami Sri Yukteswar, and then, Paramhansa Yogananda.

For 26 years, Stephen led the Ananda Kriya Meditation Group in London. Then, in 2011, Stephen was ordained as a Kriya Yoga Meditation Teacher (KriyÄcharya) to teach and initiate others into Kriya meditation by Roy Eugene Davis (1931–2019), a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, who was the director of the Centre for Spiritual Awareness (Georgia, USA).

In addition to his primary devotion to Yoga and meditation, and related subjects, Stephen has a BA (Hons) Ayurveda Degree from Thames Valley University (2004). He is also a graphic designer, artist and a writer. He lives in London and continues to guide and inspire others on the spiritual path of Kriya Yoga Meditation.

Stephen is also the author of The Yoga Book, The Book of Chakras and the Subtle Bodies, Yoga Meditation (published by Watkins Publishing, London), The Supreme Art and Science of Raja and Kriya Yoga (Singing Dragon Publishers) and Mastering the Mind, Realising the Self (O-Books).

Stephen teaches Kriya Yoga Meditation in London and initiates those who have spiritually prepared and are ready for commitment to practising Kriya meditation.