Awake: The Life of Yogananda
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Description
Awake: The Life of Yogananda by Paola di Florio and Lisa Leeman follows the Indian teacher who carried yoga and meditation into the modern West and became a formative influence on spiritual life far beyond India. Built as a biographical portrait, it moves between Yogananda’s personal path, public mission, and the unusual afterlife of Autobiography of a Yogi. The documentary stays anchored in his legacy, tracing why his ideas kept resonating across religion, philosophy, celebrity culture, and personal practice for decades.
Director / Filmmaker
Paola di Florio, Lisa Leeman
About the Director / Filmmaker
Paola di Florio and Lisa Leeman, co-directors and producers, come from different but compatible lanes of American nonfiction. Di Florio, founder of Counterpoint Films, built films and television around singular figures, moral stakes, and later spiritual inquiry, while Leeman’s career spans decades of intimate, character-driven social-issue and faith-centered documentaries, editing, and teaching at USC. Together they form a genuinely team-led collaboration rather than a single-author entry.
Paola di Florio and Lisa Leeman, co-directors and producers, come from different but compatible lanes of American nonfiction. Di Florio, founder of Counterpoint Films, built films and television around singular figures, moral stakes, and later spiritual inquiry, while Leeman’s career spans decades of intimate, character-driven social-issue and faith-centered documentaries, editing, and teaching at USC. Together they form a genuinely team-led collaboration rather than a single-author entry.
Topic
Spiritual Health, Mindfulness
Who It’s Best For
Spiritual seekers trying to understand why Yogananda still matters within modern yoga and meditation culture are the clearest audience. It also reaches readers of Autobiography of a Yogi who want context for the figure behind the influence.
Production Company / Studio
CounterPoint Films
Approach
Commissioned as an unconventional biography, it assembles interviews, archival material, reenactments, and travel footage into a lineage-building portrait of Yogananda. Reverence is built into the method, with spiritual authority and legacy emphasized more than skeptical distance.
Duration
87 Minutes
Year
2014
What You’ll Learn
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Key ideas and core takeaways
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Important mechanisms, patterns, or tradeoffs
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Context behind the main argument or issue
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Practical insights, limits, and real-world relevance
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Disclaimer
This page links to third-party documentary content for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Views and claims expressed by the director, filmmaker, participants, studio, or distributor are their own and do not necessarily reflect ours. We do not guarantee accuracy, completeness, availability, or outcomes, and inclusion does not mean we endorse every statement. Consult a qualified professional before making significant health, mental health, diet, supplement, medication, or treatment changes, and seek urgent help if you may be at risk of harm.