In this uplifting episode of Women of Kriya Yoga: Living in Joy, host Marydale Ma welcomes longtime Kriyavan and spiritual leader Diane Spence for a heartfelt conversation about faith, service, and transformation. From her early life across Jamaica, Canada, and the United States to her remarkable career in media and higher education, Diane shares how the living presence of her gurus reshaped her path and deepened her understanding of joy, peace, and purpose. Through stories of divine timing, service, and surrender, she reminds us that Kriya Yoga is not just a practice—it’s a way of living in harmony with the Divine in every moment.
About Our Guest
Diane Spence lays claim to several cultural influences. While born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, she grew up in Ontario, Canada after her family immigrated there. After high school, she completed a couple of bachelor’s degrees including a degree in broadcast journalism. After 10 years in the film and television industry, which included a move to New York City, she decided to pursue graduate studies in Virginia. She went on to complete her MBA and a PhD in Public Policy. She spent the remainder of her career as an Executive Director and Chief Business Officer at a research university. It was during her time in New York that she was introduced to Kriya Yoga by a friend. She took 1st Kriya initiation in 2001 and has been a practicing kriyavan since then. While in Virginia, she helped set up the Falls Church Kriya Center. She now resides in Florida and continues to seek opportunities to serve.
Episode Transcript
Marydale Ma:
Aum and welcome, dear friends, to the Living in Joy podcast. It’s a blessing and my joy to greet you, our listeners from around the world.
As you well know, we find ourselves living in challenging times when uncertainty and change touch all of us. Yet, it’s in moments like these that our spiritual practice becomes an anchor—a refuge—and for most of us, a source of real strength.
More than ever, women everywhere are being called to come together—to lift one another and to lean into the timeless wisdom of the masters.
We’re blessed to have this platform, this gathering place, a sanctuary to remind us that we’re not alone—and that joy, love, and even equanimity are possible in every season of life.
We’re walking this sacred path together, so let us join our hearts and our hands as we celebrate the voices of women in Kriya Yoga, represented by our special guest today, Diane Spence.
Before I introduce Diane, I’d like to invite you to truly arrive in this moment. You’ve taken time to be here with us, which we’re grateful for. Now, let your whole self settle into this sacred space. Please silence your phone, release any distractions, and give yourself the grace of stillness for the next little while.
Find a comfortable seat, and if you’d like, you may join us by closing your eyes. Let your breath begin to guide you inward.
With each inhale, receive a sense of peace. With each exhale, feel a sense of love.
Inhale peace. Exhale love.
Father, Mother, Beloved Lord, with reverence we bow at the feet of our masters—our divine Paramahansa Hariharananda, our adorable Guruji Paramahansa Prajnanananda, our Paramguru Paramahansa Yogananda, and the luminous lineage of Kriya Yoga masters across time.
To you, we offer our deepest gratitude for this blessed gathering—for the opportunity to honor women walking the path of Kriya Yoga—and for the joy of their voices in the world.
May the stories and wisdom shared today be a light for all—strengthening our devotion, deepening our sadhana, and uplifting women everywhere.
With humble hearts, we bow at your precious feet.
Om Shantihi, Om Shantihi, Om Shantihi. Amen.
Thank you, everyone—and thank you, Diane, for being with us today. We’re so happy to have you.
You’ve lived in so many cultural landscapes—Jamaica, Canada, New York, Virginia, and now Florida. How have these diverse roots shaped your outlook on life and spirituality?
Diane:
That’s a great question. Not only have I lived in diverse landscapes, but I’ve also traveled a lot. To be quite frank, I think travel and living in different environments bring compassion and appreciation for differences—not only in how people exist in the world but also in how people worship.
In Jamaica, I was part of a very traditional Christian, Catholic upbringing. Later, as I grew up in Canada, where I spent many formative years, it was really once I moved to New York—the melting pot of diversity—that I began having different experiences that spoke to my questions about life, spirituality, and purpose.
Marydale Ma:
That sounds wonderful. And I know that here in the U.S., people like to think of New York as the heart of our country because of all the diversity and gifts there.
As you look back, were there seeds of spirituality in your childhood or youth that you feel prepared you for the path of Kriya?
Diane:
When I reflect on that—maybe yes, though not in ways I consciously recognized at the time. I was provided with a foundation and belief system that I later questioned as I grew older and expanded my perspective.
I spent a year in a Catholic boarding school with nuns, and in Canada I was active in the church and youth choir. Those experiences built a foundation, even though I see them differently now.
My father was a deacon in the church, and my mother became a lay minister later in life. So perhaps those foundations were being built without my awareness. My spiritual path today is very different from theirs, but the roots were there.
Marydale Ma:
It sounds like your parents modeled spirituality beautifully. That’s a true gift for a child.
Diane:
Yes, absolutely. As a child, it was more carrot-and-stick—do the right thing and you’re rewarded, do the wrong thing and… well, you know.
But as we grow, our understanding deepens. Those teachings—charity, forgiveness, doing unto others—became a real framework for life. They shaped my character and prepared me to see spirituality in a broader way later on.
Marydale Ma:
Beautifully said. Those same qualities are present in the yamas and niyamas—the eight limbs of yoga. It’s a very good beginning.
You’ve built a remarkable career—not only in journalism but also in film, television, and later in leadership at a research university. How has your professional journey influenced your spiritual life?
Diane:
Actually, I’d say the opposite—how my spirituality influenced my career.
I was initiated into Kriya Yoga in 2001, and that moment changed my life trajectory. Once I began living the tenets of Kriya, my direction shifted from film and television to public service, nonprofit work, and eventually education.
The teachings of Gurudev and Guruji have guided every step I’ve taken since. I kept their pictures on my desk—even in corporate meetings—as a reminder of how to act, how to serve, and how to lead with integrity and compassion.
Marydale Ma:
That’s so powerful. And it reminds me of what Guruji often says about Lahiri Baba—if you think my picture is just a picture, it is; but in truth, it is the living presence of the masters.
Diane:
Exactly. They were my constant reminder of the path I chose. And through that, I learned to lead with love, patience, and service.
Marydale Ma:
Speaking of that, when you first encountered Kriya Yoga—was there a moment or experience that truly drew you in?
Diane:
Yes. I rarely tell this story, but I will now.
A friend in New York told me about Kriya Yoga and gave me a pamphlet. Something about it felt like home. I literally called Homestead that same day and said, “I think I’m supposed to be initiated into Kriya Yoga.”
They kindly told me to attend a meditation group in New York. When I arrived, the acharya leading it was John Williams—from Jamaica. That was my sign. I knew I was in the right place.
A short time later, I was initiated. And soon after, while visiting Florida for my sister’s wedding, I drove to the Homestead Ashram—unannounced—to see Gurudev.
By divine grace, he agreed to see me. I had the immense blessing of bowing at his feet and speaking with him. He forever changed the chemistry of my soul.
Marydale Ma:
Oh, Diane. That’s extraordinary—and so moving. Truly, when you meet your guru, you know it’s divine timing.
Diane:
It was. Gurudev saw me as I truly was—without the filters I had. Once you’ve experienced that kind of love and clarity, you can never see yourself—or life—the same way again.
Marydale Ma:
Yes. And Guruji continued that work, didn’t he?
Diane:
(Laughs) Oh yes—Gurudev brought me in, and Guruji got the assignment to do the work!
Marydale Ma:
That’s perfect.
Diane:
The gurus give us an example of how to live—lives of service, generosity, and love without expectation. Gurudev’s teachings were simple: “Where’s your focus?” He reminded us to lift our attention to the fontanel, to keep awareness on the divine.
That one practice changes everything.
Marydale Ma:
Yes. So simple, yet so profound.
Diane:
Exactly. It’s practical spirituality—something you live every day, not just during meditation.
Marydale Ma:
Speaking of daily life—you helped establish the Falls Church Kriya Center in Virginia. How did being in that community shape your understanding of seva?
Diane:
It deepened it. The desire to start the center came from gratitude—I had been given so much.
A couple who’d just been initiated reached out, and I began sitting with them. One small gathering grew into a community. Eventually, we hosted programs and initiations.
That experience taught me that everything is service—family, work, community. The gurus live to serve, and I’ve tried to live that way too.
Peace precedes joy. To live in joy, you first must find peace—and peace comes from letting go of resentment and anger, from forgiveness.
Once peace is established, joy becomes natural—joy that isn’t dependent on circumstances, but arises from within.
Marydale Ma:
Beautifully said.
Diane:
Thank you.
Marydale Ma:
With your busy professional life, how did you make space for your practice?
Diane:
It hasn’t always been perfect, but I’ve learned that when something makes your life better, you make time for it.
For me, that meant rising early—4 or 4:30 a.m.—to meditate and read. Even now that I’m retired, I still wake at that hour!
That morning practice set the tone for the day—it lit the pilot light. And when you live the teachings throughout your day, the whole day becomes your practice.
Marydale Ma:
Yes, that’s so true.
Diane:
As Guruji says, Kriya Yoga is practical spirituality. It’s not separate from life—it is life.
Marydale Ma:
If a young woman came to you wanting to learn about Kriya Yoga, what book would you recommend first?
Diane:
Oh, that’s a tough one! But I’d say start with Autobiography of a Yogi—it’s foundational. Then read My Time with the Master by Guruji.
Together, those books reveal the lineage, the role of the guru, and what it means to be a disciple. After that, follow where your heart is drawn—Guruji’s library has books that speak to every stage of growth.
Marydale Ma:
Wonderful guidance.
Diane:
Before I go, I’d love to share a short passage from The Tao Te Ching in the Light of Kriya Yoga by Guruji:
“Obstacles on the spiritual path are like tyrannical rulers in the physical world.
If they cannot be overcome, life seems miserable and not worth living.
Human life is a beautiful opportunity for eliminating weaknesses, cultivating strengths, and experiencing divinity.”
That experience of divinity is the source of true joy—it’s available to all of us, in any moment.
Marydale Ma:
Om, Om, Om. Amen. Diane, you’ve been a breath of fresh air and a beautiful example to Kriyavans everywhere. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Diane:
It’s been an honor and a privilege. Much love.
Marydale Ma:
Much love to you, Diane. And to our listeners—thank you for joining us for this episode of Living in Joy.
If you’ve been uplifted by what you heard today, we invite you to subscribe to the Women of Kriya Yoga YouTube channel or listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Your positive comments and reflections mean so much to us—they help spread the light further and uplift more hearts around the world.
Let me leave you with these words from Paramahansa Yogananda:
“If you live with the Lord, you will be healed from the delusions of life and death, health and sickness.
Be with the Lord. Feel His love. Fear nothing.
Only in the castle of God can we find protection. There’s no safer haven of joy than in His presence.”
Until next time, may you continue to walk your path with love, devotion, and joy.
Om, Om, Peace, Amen. Jai Guru.
