About Linda Johnsen

ABOUT ME

Linda Johnsen, M.S.

I'm a writer who shuttles back and forth between two universes: the modern Western world and India! I've published over 200 articles on topics related to yoga and Hindu spirituality in many magazines including Yoga Plus, Yoga International, Yoga Journal, Himalayan Path, The Mountain Astrologer, and Light of Consciousness.

I'm also author of eight books so far:

1. Daughters of the Goddess: The Women Saints of India
     Winner of the MBA Award for "Best New Age Book of the Year."
2. The Living Goddess
     A book about the Hindu Goddess tradition, assigned reading in several college courses.
3. Meditation is Boring
     Advice on how to jumpstart your spiritual practice.
4. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hinduism
     A popular guide to the world's oldest religion.
5. Alpha Teach Yourself Yoga in 24 Hours
     A step-by-step introduction to yoga and meditation practice.
6. A Thousand Suns - Designing your Future with Vedic Astrology
     An introductory guide to yoga astrology, with its refined view of the mechanics of karma.
6. Lost Masters - Sages of Ancient Greece
     Exploring the connections between the ancient Western Wisdom Tradition and India.
7. Kirtan - Chanting as a Spiritual Path (co-authored with Maggie Jacobus)
     A celebration of kirtan, the ecstatic spiritual music of India.

My essays have appeared in a half dozen anthologies including The Divine Mosaic, Uncoiling the Snake, Science of Breath, Shree Maa: The Story of a Saint, Hindu Astrology Lessons, Yoga Abenteuer Meditation (in German), and In the Footsteps of the Goddess.

I've lectured throughout the U.S. on Goddess spirituality, yoga, Hinduism, and Vedic Astrology. I've suffered through numerous radio and cable TV interviews. I have a Master's degree in Eastern Studies.

For four years I was Manager of the Center for Holistic Medicine in Glenview, Illinois. Later I served as Administrator of the Program in Eastern Studies, in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. This was a fully accredited Master’s degree program which focused on the many facets of the yoga tradition: hatha yoga postures, stress reduction and breathing exercises, diet, physiology, ethics, philosophy, Sanskrit studies, meditation and research.

These days I'm still writing, teaching, and introducing people to their Vedic horoscope. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area where my husband, Johnathan Brown, shares my passion for the Vedic tradition.

(Last updated June 16, 2010.)