{"id":99597,"date":"2023-04-16T14:24:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-16T18:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=99597"},"modified":"2023-04-20T09:38:17","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T13:38:17","slug":"the-life-of-yogananda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/","title":{"rendered":"The Life of Yogananda: Exploring His Birth & Early Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Who was Paramahansa Yogananda? Do you want to learn about the life of Yogananda during his early years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paramahansa Yogananda was a prominent yogi, guru, and author of the popular memoir, Autobiography of a Yogi<\/em>. In his early life, Yogananda claimed to experience supernatural abilities and had a deep yearning for spiritual growth<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn about the early life of Yogananda, according to his memoir Autobiography of a Yogi<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Life of Yogananda: Birth and Early Childhood<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In his memoir, Autobiography of a Yogi<\/em>, Paramahansa Yogananda provides practical lessons about yoga, spirituality, and how to live a good life<\/a>, interspersed with highlights and anecdotes from the author\u2019s life. In this article, we’ll explore the life of Yogananda during his early years, including his birth and childhood, according to Autobiography of a Yogi<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In describing his early life, Yogananda notes that his birth was prophesied by a Bengali guru named Lahiri Mahasaya. The prophecy said that Yogananda would become a great yogi and undertake an important spiritual mission, though it didn\u2019t specify what that mission would be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Much of what we know about Mahasaya today comes directly from Autobiography of a Yogi<\/em><\/a>. However, some quotes attributed to the guru<\/a> provide some more insight into his personality and beliefs. Mahasaya said that seeking God is the only worthwhile pursuit in life\u2014but that the trappings and ceremonies of organized religion are unnecessary. He believed that meditation<\/a> is all you need to worship God and that meditating on any problem will reveal the solution to it through that connection with God.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man who would become Paramahansa Yogananda later in life was originally named Mukunda Lal Ghosh. He was born on January 5, 1893, in the city of Gorakhpur, India. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout his life, even as a young child, Yogananda had frequent spiritual experiences, such as prophetic dreams and visions.<\/strong> He also demonstrated supernatural abilities, such as causing other children\u2019s kites to fly over to him simply by exerting his will upon them. Furthermore, Yogananda remembered his previous lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siddhis: Extraordinary Abilities<\/strong>

As previously noted, abilities like those Yogananda describes here are called siddhis. <\/em>The Sanskrit word siddhi <\/em>means \u201csuccess\u201d or \u201cperfection,\u201d<\/a> so called because they\u2019re feats of understanding and controlling your body, mind, and the world around you. 

To give a few examples of siddhis, controlling your body can allow you to levitate or exhibit superhuman strength. Controlling your mind<\/a> can enable you to remember your past lives (as Yogananda did) or foretell the future (in fact, prophecy will continue to play a large role in Yogananda\u2019s life story). Controlling the world around you can allow you to manipulate air currents, move things without touching them (as Yogananda did with the kites), or cause objects to appear and disappear as if by magic.Though these powers seem supernatural, yogis claim that anyone can learn siddhis with enough training. Being born with such abilities\u2014as Yogananda says he was\u2014is rare, but not unheard of<\/a>. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Running Away From Home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yogananda, eager to begin his spiritual training, frequently ran away from home. Each time, he planned to either look for a guru or to make a pilgrimage to the sacred Himalayan mountains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In Hinduism and Indian culture, Guru<\/a> means someone who\u2019s both a teacher and a spiritual guide in Hinduism. This word has entered the English language with a definition more like simply \u201cteacher\u201d or \u201cexpert,\u201d but the religious connotations are crucial to its original meaning.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, no matter how many times he tried, he never made it far from home. Yogananda explains that he failed because it wasn\u2019t the right time for him in his life\u2014his destined teacher hadn\u2019t appeared yet, so God and fate blocked him from beginning his spiritual journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Destiny is a complex subject in Hinduism<\/a>. Hindu scriptures teach that every living thing has a destiny (called dharma<\/em>) that\u2019s determined by karma<\/a> and set by God. However, people also have free will<\/a>, which can be misguided by the illusions of maya\u2014they trick themselves into believing that they\u2019re in control of their own destiny and thereby trap themselves in a delusion. You could think of your destiny as what you\u2019re supposed <\/em>to do, but fulfilling <\/em>your destiny requires you to understand and submit to God\u2019s will.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prophecy and the Amulet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition to foretelling Yogananda\u2019s birth, Mahasaya gave a second prophecy: Yogananda\u2019s mother would receive an amulet, which she would pass to Yogananda after her death. Yogananda would then carry the amulet\u2014and<\/strong> when the amulet disappeared, it would be time for Yogananda to meet his guru. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prophecy came true. Yogananda\u2019s mother left the amulet to him when she died. It was one of Yogananda\u2019s most precious life possessions, and he kept it in a locked box, except for brief times when he wanted to look at it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Psychic powers and prophetic abilities<\/a> are frequently attributed to yoga masters such as Lahiri Mahasaya. However, yogis don\u2019t claim such abilities as their own\u2014rather, Mahasaya would likely say that he was simply a conduit for the knowledge and will of God, and that was how he knew the future.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, one day, Yogananda opened the box to find that the amulet was gone. That same day, seemingly by chance, he met Sri Yukteswar Giri\u2014a swami who would become his guru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Swami<\/a> is a title of respect for a senior member of a Hindu monastic order. This word can also mean \u201creligious teacher,\u201d similar to guru. Sri<\/a> is also an Indian title of respect, used when speaking about or to an important person. Unlike guru and swami, sri doesn\u2019t necessarily suggest a religious leader\u2014although in this case, Sri Yukteswar happened to also <\/em>be a spiritual guide.) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Who was Paramahansa Yogananda? Do you want to learn about the life of Yogananda during his early years? Paramahansa Yogananda was a prominent yogi, guru, and author of the popular memoir, Autobiography of a Yogi. In his early life, Yogananda claimed to experience supernatural abilities and had a deep yearning for spiritual growth. Read on to learn about the early life of Yogananda, according to his memoir Autobiography of a Yogi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":25867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,6],"tags":[990],"class_list":["post-99597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","category-spiritual","tag-autobiography-of-a-yogi","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Life of Yogananda: Exploring His Birth & Early Years - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Curious to know about the early life of Paramahansa Yogananda? Learn about his prophesied birth, childhood, and early spiritual journey.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Life of Yogananda: Exploring His Birth & Early Years\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Curious to know about the early life of Paramahansa Yogananda? Learn about his prophesied birth, childhood, and early spiritual journey.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-16T18:24:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-20T13:38:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/meditation-sunset-person-statue-garden-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emily Kitazawa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emily Kitazawa\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emily Kitazawa\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e094024454c7d3334a149c0cf039bdeb\"},\"headline\":\"The Life of Yogananda: Exploring His Birth & Early Years\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-16T18:24:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-20T13:38:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/\"},\"wordCount\":996,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/meditation-sunset-person-statue-garden-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Autobiography of a Yogi\"],\"articleSection\":[\"People\",\"Spiritual\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/\",\"name\":\"The Life of Yogananda: Exploring His Birth & Early Years - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/meditation-sunset-person-statue-garden-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-16T18:24:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-20T13:38:17+00:00\",\"description\":\"Curious to know about the early life of Paramahansa Yogananda? Learn about his prophesied birth, childhood, and early spiritual journey.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/meditation-sunset-person-statue-garden-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/meditation-sunset-person-statue-garden-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Life of Yogananda: Exploring His Birth & Early Years\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e094024454c7d3334a149c0cf039bdeb\",\"name\":\"Emily Kitazawa\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f5c60fcdcf3b7cd02c2882334c15a3d02f74a69631c696c3bce47deb21dc9ac?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f5c60fcdcf3b7cd02c2882334c15a3d02f74a69631c696c3bce47deb21dc9ac?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Emily Kitazawa\"},\"description\":\"Emily found her love of reading and writing at a young age, learning to enjoy these activities thanks to being taught them by her mom\u2014Goodnight Moon will forever be a favorite. As a young adult, Emily graduated with her English degree, specializing in Creative Writing and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), from the University of Central Florida. She later earned her master\u2019s degree in Higher Education from Pennsylvania State University. Emily loves reading fiction, especially modern Japanese, historical, crime, and philosophical fiction. Her personal writing is inspired by observations of people and nature.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/emily-kitazawa\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Life of Yogananda: Exploring His Birth & Early Years - Shortform Books","description":"Curious to know about the early life of Paramahansa Yogananda? Learn about his prophesied birth, childhood, and early spiritual journey.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Life of Yogananda: Exploring His Birth & Early Years","og_description":"Curious to know about the early life of Paramahansa Yogananda? Learn about his prophesied birth, childhood, and early spiritual journey.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2023-04-16T18:24:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-20T13:38:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/meditation-sunset-person-statue-garden-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Emily Kitazawa","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Emily Kitazawa","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/"},"author":{"name":"Emily Kitazawa","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e094024454c7d3334a149c0cf039bdeb"},"headline":"The Life of Yogananda: Exploring His Birth & Early Years","datePublished":"2023-04-16T18:24:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-20T13:38:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/"},"wordCount":996,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/meditation-sunset-person-statue-garden-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Autobiography of a Yogi"],"articleSection":["People","Spiritual"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/","name":"The Life of Yogananda: Exploring His Birth & Early Years - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/meditation-sunset-person-statue-garden-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2023-04-16T18:24:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-20T13:38:17+00:00","description":"Curious to know about the early life of Paramahansa Yogananda? Learn about his prophesied birth, childhood, and early spiritual journey.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/meditation-sunset-person-statue-garden-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/meditation-sunset-person-statue-garden-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-life-of-yogananda\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Life of Yogananda: Exploring His Birth & Early Years"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e094024454c7d3334a149c0cf039bdeb","name":"Emily Kitazawa","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f5c60fcdcf3b7cd02c2882334c15a3d02f74a69631c696c3bce47deb21dc9ac?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f5c60fcdcf3b7cd02c2882334c15a3d02f74a69631c696c3bce47deb21dc9ac?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Emily Kitazawa"},"description":"Emily found her love of reading and writing at a young age, learning to enjoy these activities thanks to being taught them by her mom\u2014Goodnight Moon will forever be a favorite. As a young adult, Emily graduated with her English degree, specializing in Creative Writing and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), from the University of Central Florida. She later earned her master\u2019s degree in Higher Education from Pennsylvania State University. Emily loves reading fiction, especially modern Japanese, historical, crime, and philosophical fiction. Her personal writing is inspired by observations of people and nature.","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/emily-kitazawa\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/meditation-sunset-person-statue-garden-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99597"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99913,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99597\/revisions\/99913"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}