Now that America's First Guru introduced you to spiritual visionary Swami Vivekananda, we’re excited to offer you a unique opportunity to deepen your experience of his life and teachings.
Raja Choudhury’s empowering 12-part video series serves as a study guide for integrating the unconditional love and soul-nourishing wisdom of Vivekananda’s timeless teachings into your daily life.
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Immerse yourself in the timeless wisdom and revolutionary teachings of Swami Vivekananda, the dynamic Indian monk and spiritual trailblazer whose message of universal acceptance and interfaith unity reshaped the West and continues to inspire the world today.
Beyond the inspiring story beautifully captured in the film America’s First Guru , this journey invites you to answer Swami Vivekananda’s enduring call for spiritual transformation.
If you haven’t seen the film America’s First Guru yet, don’t worry! You’ll receive exclusive 12-month access to stream it any time through your Shift homepage.
Swami Vivekananda’s groundbreaking address at the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions introduced Vedanta and yoga to the West, inspiring a new path to spiritual awareness and mindfulness.
His teachings challenged the traditionally restrictive views on women in spiritual life, emphasized self-realization and inner divinity, and promoted service as worship, interfaith unity, and universal acceptance — shaping the foundation for the spiritual diversity we cherish today.
You’re invited to take the next step in your own spiritual journey by applying Vivekananda’s wisdom to your life in a very real and tangible way. Join the film’s director, Raja Choudhury — a spiritual teacher, award-winning filmmaker, and beloved Shift faculty — for this 12-part video program offering a practical roadmap for integrating Vivekananda's teachings on self-realization, inner peace, and social action.
With these 12 videos, you’ll dive deeply into Vivekananda’s teachings, embodying his practices to cultivate inner peace, a deeper connection to your divinity, and a compassionate, loving outlook on life and service.
Guided by Raja Choudhury’s teachings and reflections, this transformative program weaves together practical wisdom, reflective teachings, and useful insights and inspiration from interviews with renowned spiritual leaders — including Samrat Chakrabarti, Swami Sarvapriyananda, Swami Saravadevananda, Ruth Harris, and others.
Along with exclusive film clips and inspiring conversations, you’ll uncover a clear path toward liberation, purpose, and spiritual awakening, empowering you to live his timeless teachings every day.
Access the interviews, teachings, and film clips through streaming video via any connected device.
Dive deeply into these 12 videos all at once or savor the journey over 12 days — you can tailor your learning experience to whatever works for you.
Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, these pre-recorded videos are available to you 24/7 so you can create an experience that fits your schedule — as you create your own transformative journey.
Enjoy 12 months of streaming access to Raja’s documentary film and experience the remarkable story of the Indian monk who first brought Vedanta, yoga, and meditation to the West in 1893, delivering a hopeful message of connection and transcendence that’s even more relevant today.
Each video will be available for you to stream in a high-quality format and you can watch anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
The audio version of each video will also be available for you to stream so you can listen anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
You’ll receive the entire transcript after each session is completed. You can then review, print, and highlight the insights and information you found most impactful.
Our exclusive Facebook online community is the perfect place to continue your discovery process after each video session. Here, you can discuss the session content and interact with others to take your exploration to an even deeper level.
In addition to Raja’s 12 transformative videos, you’ll receive 12 months of streaming access to America’s First Guru, the acclaimed documentary film that inspired this video series.
As this journey begins, Raja will take you on a deeper dive into the world of Swami Vivekananda.
Having witnessed his incredible journey in America’s First Guru, you’ll now move beyond the biographical details to explore the heart of his teachings and their profound relevance to your life today.
In this video, you’ll:
Delve into the core principles of Vedanta, the ancient Universal Hindu philosophy that teaches us that all human beings are potentially divine, and it is our destiny to awaken and discover our own divinity.
You’ll also learn how the Four Paths of Yoga contribute to fully realizing this philosophy.
In this video, you’ll:
Uncover the transformative power of Karma Yoga, the yoga of selfless action. Karma means work or action, and this yoga teaches us how to act in our everyday lives in a more attuned way to our higher selves and divine potential.
Learn how to perform your duties with dedication and skill while remaining detached from the results. Raja will guide you toward finding fulfillment in action without ego attachment, helping you live a life of purpose and inner peace.
In this video, you’ll:
Raja will invite you to open your heart to the divine through Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion. According to Swami Vivekananda, when you open your heart through devotion to a divine ideal, all your efforts are guided by a higher power.
Explore practices like chanting mantras, prayer, devotion to a chosen deity or saint, and selfless service, all aimed at cultivating love and surrender to a higher power. You’ll discover how devotion can deepen your spiritual connection and transform your life.
In this video, you’ll:
Explore the ancient practice of Raja Yoga, the yoga of self-control, breathwork, and meditation.
Delve into Swami Vivekananda’s interpretation of Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga, including ethical principles, physical postures, breath control, and concentration techniques.
In this video, you’ll:
Vedanta considers that Jnana Yoga is the highest ideal for realizing Brahman. Knowing your Self is the key to self-knowledge and realizing your divine nature. The path of Jnana Yoga takes you on a contemplative journey of study, learning, contemplation, and realization.
Embark on a journey of self-discovery through the yoga of self-knowledge. Raja will guide you through inquiry and reflection to realize your true nature.
Examine the role of scriptures, teachers, and self-effort in your quest for liberation.
In this video, you’ll:
Explore Swami Vivekananda’s concept of freedom, focusing on the inherent divinity within you and the liberation that comes from realizing this truth.
As you begin to practice the Four Paths of Yoga in your life, you will experience a new sense of freedom and lightness that will transform your existence. You’ll find an inner spark inside you that is the source of all divine wisdom.
Learn how true freedom transcends social, political, and psychological limitations, leading to a state of self-mastery and inner peace.
In this video, you’ll:
Swami Vivekananda envisioned a universal religion that transcends dogma and embraces the unity of all faiths and the divinity of all souls. What does it feel like to have an inner wisdom that transcends all religions, dogmas, creeds, and ethnic or gender identities?
Explore his belief in religious harmony, his critique of sectarianism, and his call for a spiritual awakening that unites humanity through shared values and common goals.
In this video, you’ll:
Dive into Swami Vivekananda’s passionate call for social justice and his vision for a spiritually awakened society.
Consider questions such as Can I bring justice to an apparently unjust world?
Examine his critique of inequality, his emphasis on education and women’s empowerment, and his belief in the transformative powers of Vedanta and yoga to create positive social change.
In this video, you’ll:
Swami Vivekananda recognized the crucial role of women in society and passionately advocated for their education and empowerment. He truly believed that women need to run civic society. His inspiration guides us even more today when we still see so much inequity and discrimination.
Raja will invite you to explore these progressive views on gender equality, his critique of social practices that limited women’s potential, and his vision for a society where women are empowered to do anything and everything in all spheres of life.
In this video, you’ll:
Raja will encourage you to critically analyze Swami Vivekananda’s ideas in the context of today’s challenges. What lessons can we learn from this pioneer and revolutionary thinker from over a century ago? What battles did he fight that still resonate with us today?
Examine his legacy through diverse perspectives, address potential limitations or controversies, and reflect on the continued relevance of his teachings for promoting social justice and personal growth.
In this video, you’ll:
As this journey comes to a close, you’ll synthesize key takeaways and receive a call to action. Learning to work with the Four Paths of Yoga to explore your own inherent divinity will be the key to your success. As Swami Vievakananda promised, you can be free in this life.
Raja will guide you in reflecting on how you can apply Vivekananda’s ideas to your life and continue exploring his teachings.
In this video, you’ll:
What if one speech could change the spiritual landscape of a nation — and even the world? Enjoy 12 months of streaming access to Raja Choudhury’s film and experience the remarkable story of the Indian monk who first brought Vedanta, yoga, and meditation to the West in 1893, delivering a hopeful message of connection and transcendence that’s even more relevant today. This movie is a must-watch for anyone and everyone pursuing, or interested in pursuing, personal transformation, mindfulness, and inclusivity in spiritual exploration.
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Join an international community of seekers who are also answering Swami Vivekananda’s enduring call for spiritual transformation depicted in the film America’s First Guru.
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed! If you don’t absolutely LOVE Awaken Your Inner Freedom — or don’t feel that it meets your needs — please submit your refund request form within 2 weeks of your date of purchase and we’ll happily issue a refund.
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Raja Choudhury is a National Film Award (India) and Webby Award-winning filmmaker, speaker, and spiritual teacher who has been creating acclaimed documentary films, online programs, and major events in the U.S., UK, and India since 1993.
Trained as an architect at London's prestigious Architectural Association, he entered the world of digital media by creating the highly acclaimed VID Zone music video kiosk network in 1993.
His filmography includes celebrated works such as I Believe about Dr. Karan Singh, Spirituality in the Modern World featuring Ken Wilber, and The Modern Mystic about Sri M of Madanapalle. He also directed The Quantum Indians, an exploration of the lives of Saha, Bose, and Raman that won the National Film Award of India in 2014.
Raja’s other notable films include Guruji Amritananda and Yoga Harmony with Nature, India's official film for the first International Day of Yoga. His most recent acclaimed film, America's First Guru, is currently showing on PBS in America and will soon be seen internationally.
Raja is a TED speaker on “Indian Wisdom for Today's World” and a TEDx speaker on “Yoga 3.0.” Since 2018, he has taught over 4,000 students through The Shift Network in courses covering Kundalini Shakti, the Third Eye, Yoga, Vedanta, and Tantra.