Why people recommend it
Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda Paramahansa is a spiritual classic that chronicles the author's life and introduces readers to the profound traditions of Eastern mysticism, yoga, and meditation. Raghunath Cappo on The Joe Rogan Experience recommended the book as a premier modern autobiography for anyone seeking spiritual depth. Rizwan Virk discussed the text on the same podcast while exploring philosophical and computational metaphors for the nature of reality. Robert Evans on Behind the Bastards examined the book's immense cultural footprint, noting that it was notably read annually by Steve Jobs after his travels to India and that Jobs even distributed copies at his funeral. Evans also detailed how the book, first published in 1946, served as the primary catalyst for introducing yoga and meditation practices to Western audiences throughout the 1960s and 1970s, tracing its historical lineage through figures like Vishnu Ghosh. Helen Lewis on Modern Wisdom further corroborated its legendary status among influential thinkers and modern gurus, referencing Jobs's final distribution of the text. Across these diverse podcasts, speakers recognized the book as a transformative literary work that permanently altered Western spirituality, bridging ancient Eastern traditions with modern psychological and existential inquiry.
Who recommended it
- Robert Evans Discussed
- Rizwan Virk Discussed
- Helen Lewis Discussed
- Raghunath Cappo Recommended
Robert Evans — 3 mentions
“he reads this book called autobiography of a yogi which he's going to reread every year of his life it's like the only book on his iPad”
“paramahansa Yogananda who wrote a book called autobiography of a yogi that was published in 1946. this is generally seen as the book that helped to widely introduce yoga and meditation to westerners in the 60s and 70s”
“And, uh, Vishnu Ghosh is the younger brother of a famous guru and author named, uh, Paramahansa Yogananda, who wrote a book called Autobiography of a Yogi that was published in 1946.”
Rizwan Virk — 1 mention
“and he wrote a book called autobiography of a yogi I don't know if you ever read it”
Helen Lewis — 1 mention
“so at his funeral he gave everybody a copy of autobiography of a yogi by Yogananda”
Raghunath Cappo — 1 mention
“he wrote a great book if you ever want to breed a good sort of a some modern-day autobiography biography of a yogi”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“this is the autobiography of a yogi guy ”