The filmmakers, CounterPoint Films, describe AWAKE as “an unconventional biography about the Hindu Swami who brought yoga and meditation to the West in the 1920s…. By personalizing his own quest for enlightenment and sharing his struggles along the path, Yogananda made ancient Vedic teachings accessible to a modern audience, attracting many followers and inspiring the millions who practice yoga today. Filmed over three years with the participation of 30 countries around the world, the documentary examines the world of yoga, modern and ancient, east and west, and explores why millions today have turned their attention inwards, bucking the limitations of the material world in pursuit of self-realization…. AWAKE is ultimately the story of humanity itself: the universal struggle of all beings to free themselves from suffering and seek lasting happiness.”