Great movies and documentaries have always taught us a lot. It expands our minds, we learn a lot about our inner world and outer world, it makes us think and question ourselves, inspires us to transform our lives and it expands our spirituality and consciousness. Documentaries are a great way to absorb wisdom for a spiritual seeker in a fun way. Here we have selected the top 9 documentaries that convey some great messages that you can integrate into your yogic and meditative life.
Awake: The Life of Yogananda
IMDB Rating 7.3
Yogananda is an Indian swami who brought yoga and meditation in the west specifically to the United States in the 1920s. The spiritual teachings of Yogananda provide a scientific approach to spirituality and it has been deeply woven into our modern society. Students of Yoga will find the subject matter of interest and the subject itself is indeed fascinating.
This enlightening documentary took around 3 years to get filmed. It explores ancient and modern yoga culture and techniques used both in east and west. It also explores why millions of people are turning towards yoga and meditation for self-discovery. Every spiritual seeker has the urge to free themselves from the barrier of mind which creates the illusion of suffering and pain. Awake depicts the universal struggle of man-kind and longing for peace and happiness.
Inner Worlds Outer Worlds (2012)
I will personally recommend every yogi to watch this beautiful documentary. According to this documentary, there is only one vibratory field that connects all things. It reveals hidden meaning about the universe and provides a very deep meaning on the subject of the spiral of life and explores topics like pineal gland and kundalini energy.
This mind-expanding and a visually amazing movie will expand your understanding of yourself. You will love watching the visual illustrations of the process of self-realization and enlightenment along with amazing scientific and historical information delivered in a colorful visual format. This movie has 3 parts: Akasha, the Spiral and the serpent and the lotus.
Ram Dass, Fierce Grace (2001)
IMDB Rating 7.6
Ram Dass was a renowned spiritual leader and speaker in the West who influenced the lives of millions. This documentary is a comprehensive portrait of the life of Ram Dass. For conducting psychedelic research in 1963 he was fired from Harvard University which led his journey to India where he found Neem Karoli Baba, his guru. From this point, ram dass spiritual journey began.
This 1 hour 33 minutes documentary shows the struggle in the life of a spiritual seeker like the death of loved ones, suffering from a stroke and past mistakes. It will surely give you inspiration and strength to deal with your own struggles in life in a profound manner.
Yoga Unveiled
IMDB Rating 8.2
Every devotee of yoga should need to watch this marvelous piece of work. Yoga Unveiled shares 5000 years of yoga knowledge covering the origin of yoga, branches of yoga, the passage of yoga from east to west, modern yoga and its medical potential. It also provides the commentaries and discussion on yoga by renowned yoga teachers and scholars like B.K.S. Iyengar.
Great American medical doctors like Dr. Herbert Benson and Jon Kabat-Zinn enlightens us on the healing power of yoga in medical terms. It covers all the yoga traditions from East to West in a fascinating manner and also explores Vedas and Upanishads which is the root of ancient and modern yoga.
On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace (2017)
IMDB Rating 7.8
This is the most beautiful and thought-provoking documentary that will inspire you to implement yoga seriously in your life and help you live a wonderful spiritual journey through Yoga and expand your consciousness. It shows the beautiful reality of life that every yogi should know. After watching this short and extraordinary documentary you will gain true wisdom and get a clear understanding of life.
Photographer Michael O'Neill traveled to India, Tibet and New York to understand the culture and philosophy of Yoga and his love for photography. This movie will take you deep inside the art of yoga and meditation along with serene encounters with Indian gurus and yogis.
Enlighten Up! (2009)
IMDB Rating 6.4
This documentary is great for those people who are beginners in Yoga and want to start yoga as exercise and also for non-believers of Yoga. Filmmaker Kate Churchill believes that anyone can transform their lives through the practice of Yoga and to prove this point she invites Nick Rosen, an unemployed journalist to discover the transformative power of Yoga.
He travels to India and other places to explore the culture and philosophy of yoga. In this amazing film, Nick Rosen, for six months traveled the world and met many great yoga teachers and gurus including B. K. S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, Sharon Gannon, Rodney Yee and many more. Highly recommend for Yoga enthusiasts.
Breath of the Gods (2012)
3.7/5 iTunes Apple
This documentary is a journey to the roots of modern yoga as exercise. The marvelous life and work of renowned Yoga guru, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya is shown in this film through rare historic footage and by interviewing his disciples, legendary students and closed ones who spend their part of life with him.
List of appearing yoga gurus in this beautiful documentary is T. Krishnamacharya, K. Pattabhi Jois from which he learned 'Sun salutation', B. K. S. Iyengar from which he learned "King of Asanas", T. K. Sribhashyam and Alamelu Sheshadri. The revolutionary life and spiritual teachings of T. Krishnamacharya are shown profoundly by director Jan Schmidt-Garre.
Titans of Yoga (2010)
IMDB Rating 5.8
Titans of Yoga is a documentary that will help you unlock the door to health, everlasting peace, happiness, and enlightenment. It features 25 modern gurus of yoga and meditation. These masters of yoga have shared their combined knowledge so that our generation can understand the meaning of mind and body union.
A great documentary for yoga enthusiasts to explore the art of yoga and healthfulness. These prominent figures have shared their inspiring life stories and how yoga helped them recover from common issues like addiction, drug abuse, and depression. Honestly speaking there is a lot to learn from this awe-inspiring documentary. Go check it out!
Agniyogana (2019)
IMDB Rating 9.9
If you want to know the true meaning of Yoga then you need to watch Agniyogana. This documentary dives deep into the lost art and tradition of Hatha Yoga. A millennium ago Gorakhnath, the forefather of Hath Yoga shared his knowledge and practice to the people in Nepal. This short film will help you explore inner dimensions of Hath Yoga and what are the key requirement of Hath Yoga.
A great documentary to gain wisdom and deep insights on ancient ways of yoga. Agniyogana means invoking your inner fire, it will lead you to the depth of heart, mind, and exploration of your true potential through yoga.