What is Agni Yoga?
Agni Yoga, the yoga of Living Ethics (Russian: Zhivaya Etika), is a spiritual Teaching first transmitted through Helena Roerich in 1924. It is not a system of physical postures or withdrawal from life. Its field of practice is daily life: thought, action, relationship, service, beauty, and striving.
Living Ethics means that spiritual development is tested and expressed through ordinary responsibilities. The Teaching asks each student to refine consciousness, direct thought responsibly, and bring the heart into active cooperation with the common good.
Agni Yoga gives special attention to the fire of consciousness, the discipline of concentrated thought, the Hierarchy of Light, and the heart as the living link between the human and the higher worlds.
The Agni Yoga series comprises fourteen books composed between 1924 and 1938 by Helena Roerich, with guidance from the Masters of Wisdom. The volumes are available freely through the Agni Yoga Society and are supported here by study resources, study groups, and community connections.
Read the Deeper IntroductionThe Seven Fundamental Pillars of Agni Yoga
Helena & Nicholas Roerich
Helena Roerich (1879–1955) was the author and recorder of the Agni Yoga series, transmitted in collaboration with the Masters of the Agni Yoga Hierarchy. Her extensive Letters provide additional guidance on the path of Living Ethics.
Nicholas Roerich (1874–1947) was a Russian artist, explorer, and peace activist whose Himalayan paintings have become iconic symbols of the spiritual path described in the teachings. He founded the Agni Yoga Society in New York in 1920.
Together they worked to make the teachings available to the West, presenting a synthesis of ancient Eastern wisdom and modern Western thought. Nicholas was also the originator of the Roerich Pact, an international treaty for the protection of cultural property.
Their lives and the Teaching they transmitted remain inseparable — the paintings, the letters, and the books form a unified body of spiritual instruction for those on the path of conscious evolution.
The Agni Yoga World Community
The AYWC exists to connect independent study groups, organizations, and individual seekers across the globe — sharing news, events, translations, and insights to support each other on this path. We hold no hierarchy, charge no fees, and require no membership.