Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian is the Spiritual Director of Center for Spiritual Enlightenment (CSE) with headquarters in San Jose, California, serving seeking souls since 1981. CSE is a meditation center in the spiritual tradition of Kriya Yoga that serves people from all faith backgrounds who are seeking Self- and God-realization.

Yogacharya O’Brian was ordained to teach in 1982 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda who brought the teachings of Kriya Yoga from India to the West. 

Publications 
She is the author of several books on meditation and spiritual practice including Living the Eternal Way: Spiritual Meaning and Practice in Daily Life, and is the Founding Editor of Enlightenment Journal, a quarterly yoga magazine as well as author of CD lessons on the classic spiritual works: The Gospel of Thomas, The Bhagavad Gita and The Upanishads. A published author of devotional poems, she is also the lead singer of Gitanjali, a kirtan band that offers devotional chanting. 

Outreach 
Yogacharya O’Brian is a frequent speaker at conferences and retreats both nationally and internationally on the value of meditation for seekers of spiritual truth and the importance of ethical and spiritual awakening to contribute to world peace. 

Community Service 
Yogacharya O’Brian received the Human Relations Award from the Santa Clara County Office of Human Relations in 2008 recognizing her contribution to positive human relations and peace in Santa Clara County. She is the founder and President of Carry the Vision (CTV), a community nonprofit organization dedicated to nonviolence education, helping people discover the potential of ahimsa in all walks of life. She is the Vice Chair emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions. She is the host of The Yoga Hour, a weekly radio program on the Unity.fm network reaching over 122 countries with inspiration and practices from the yoga tradition.