It is rare for a documentary about a monk who died in 1952 to feel like a blockbuster. Yet, that is exactly what happened when Awake: The Life of Yogananda hit theaters. You might think a film about yoga would just be 90 minutes of people stretching in spandex, but this is different. It’s gritty. It’s cinematic. Honestly, it’s kind of a trip.
Paramahansa Yogananda wasn't just some guy teaching poses. He was the man who essentially introduced the West to meditation. When he arrived in Boston in 1920, people didn't know what to make of him. He had long hair, wore orange robes, and talked about "Self-Realization" at a time when most Americans were barely getting used to the idea of the radio. The documentary, directed by Paola di Florio and Lisa Leeman, manages to capture that friction—the tension between ancient Eastern wisdom and the frantic, materialist energy of 20th-century America.
The Man Behind the Legend in Awake: The Life of Yogananda
Yogananda’s story isn't just a "greatest hits" reel of spiritual quotes. The film gets into the dirt. It shows the lawsuits, the surveillance by the FBI, and the betrayal he faced from people he trusted. This isn't a hagiography that paints him as a flawless porcelain statue. It shows a man who was deeply human, even while he was supposedly accessing higher states of consciousness.
One of the most striking things about Awake: The Life of Yogananda is how it uses archival footage. Seeing Yogananda in 1920s America—walking through snowy streets or standing next to dignitaries—makes his mission feel incredibly tangible. He wasn't just sitting under a tree; he was building an organization, the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), which still operates today.
The documentary features interviews with heavy hitters like George Harrison (posthumously), Ravi Shankar, and Steve Jobs’ biographer, Walter Isaacson. Why? Because Yogananda’s influence was massive. It wasn't just confined to "spiritual types." It’s a well-known bit of tech lore that Autobiography of a Yogi was the only book Steve Jobs had on his iPad. He reportedly read it every year. That says something about the practical, mental clarity Yogananda was peddling.
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Why Science and Spirituality Finally Sat at the Same Table
Most spiritual documentaries lean heavily on "woo-woo" vibes. This one doesn't. Or at least, it tries to bridge the gap. Yogananda was obsessed with the idea that religion and science were two sides of the same coin. He called his techniques the "science of Kriya Yoga."
In the film, physicists and neuroscientists chime in to discuss how meditation actually changes the brain. It’s not just about feeling relaxed. It’s about neuroplasticity. It’s about the nervous system. By showing the biological effects of the practices Yogananda taught, the film makes a case for yoga as a tool for human evolution rather than just a hobby for the elite.
Facing the Dark Side of the Journey
You’ve got to appreciate that the filmmakers didn’t ignore the controversy. In the mid-1920s, Yogananda was basically run out of certain towns. People were terrified of "Hindu cults" and the "oriental peril." There was a lot of racism. He was followed by government agents who thought he might be a revolutionary or a spy.
The documentary handles this with a lot of nuance. It shows the toll that the work took on him. There’s a specific scene—or rather, a sequence of letters and diaries—that highlights his moments of profound loneliness. Being a pioneer is exhausting. He was thousands of miles from home, trying to explain the concept of Prana to people who thought "energy" was just something that powered a lightbulb.
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The George Harrison Connection
If you’re a music fan, the segments on George Harrison are probably the most emotional parts of the movie. Harrison famously said that if he hadn't met Yogananda's teachings, he "probably would have been dead" or at least a lot more miserable. The Beatles guitarist wasn't just looking for a fad; he was looking for a way to survive the crushing weight of fame. Awake: The Life of Yogananda shows how these ancient Indian techniques provided a grounded reality for people who had everything but felt like they had nothing.
Misconceptions People Have About the Film
A lot of people skip this documentary because they think it's a "conversion" tool. It’s really not. You don’t have to want to become a monk to get something out of it. Honestly, it’s more of a historical biography with some heavy philosophical themes.
Some critics argue that the film is too biased since it was made with the cooperation of the Self-Realization Fellowship. That’s a fair point. It’s definitely a "pro-Yogananda" film. However, because they included the struggles and the legal battles, it feels more honest than your standard religious puff piece. It acknowledges the friction of bringing an Eastern philosophy into a Western capitalist framework.
The Visual Language of the Documentary
The cinematography is surprisingly beautiful. They use a lot of "re-creations" to fill in the gaps where archival footage doesn't exist. Usually, re-creations in documentaries look cheap or cheesy. Here, they are blurred and impressionistic. They feel like memories. It matches the "dreamlike" state that Yogananda often talked about in his writings—the idea that the physical world is a kind of cosmic motion picture.
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The Practical Legacy: What Can You Actually Do With This?
So, you watch the movie. Then what? The film emphasizes that Yogananda’s "Kriya Yoga" wasn't meant to be a secret held by the few. It was a system.
- Look into the Hong-Sau technique. This is one of the basic concentration methods Yogananda taught. It’s basically about watching the breath without controlling it. Simple, but surprisingly difficult if you’ve never tried to sit still for more than thirty seconds.
- Read the book, but take your time. Autobiography of a Yogi is long. It’s dense. It’s full of stories about miracles that might make a skeptic roll their eyes. But if you read it as a psychological map rather than just a list of events, it hits differently.
- Understand the concept of "Life Force." Yogananda taught "Energization Exercises." These are basically a way of using the will to direct energy to different parts of the body. You can find these online for free. They take about 15 minutes and actually do wake you up better than a third cup of coffee.
- Practice stillness. The film’s biggest takeaway is that the "noise" of the world is optional. You can find a "portable paradise" inside your own mind. That sounds cheesy, I know. But when you see the footage of Yogananda in the middle of chaotic New York City looking completely unbothered, you start to believe it’s possible.
Beyond the Screen
The impact of Awake: The Life of Yogananda isn't really about the film itself, but about the door it opens. It’s a gateway. For some, it’s a gateway into a serious meditation practice. For others, it’s just a fascinating look at a man who changed the cultural fabric of the United States without ever holding political office.
The documentary doesn't end with a neat little bow. It ends with the idea that the "awakening" is an ongoing process. Yogananda’s death is described in the film as mahasamadhi—a conscious exit from the body. Whether you believe that or think it’s just a poetic way to describe a heart attack, the legacy he left behind is undeniable. He made the "mystical" East accessible, practical, and, for many, essential for modern survival.
If you’re looking for a way to understand why yoga studios are on every corner today, this is the origin story. It’s the "Iron Man" of spiritual documentaries. Without Yogananda, the landscape of Western wellness would look completely different. It would probably be a lot more superficial.
To truly engage with the themes of the film, start by carving out five minutes of absolute silence tomorrow morning. Don't look at your phone. Don't plan your day. Just sit. That's the smallest, most direct way to honor what Yogananda was trying to teach. From there, you can explore the Self-Realization Fellowship lessons or dive deeper into the Kriya Yoga lineage, but the first step is always the same: just being still enough to hear yourself think. Or better yet, being still enough to stop thinking entirely.