Time & Timelessness

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By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

Infinite Beingness is being finite by being you.

Like an iceberg in the ocean, you have a clear and distinct sense of individuality, yet you are made of the same substance you are melting into. Iceberg and sea are like time and timelessness interwoven together. This is our world.

I found timelessness by listening to the clocks ticking in my elementary classrooms. I stopped hearing the teacher as I listened to the silence between the ticks. Looking back, I think I was meditating. The teacher didn’t appreciate me tuning her out.

Right/wrong, good/bad, pleasure/pain — yoga calls these “the pairs of opposites.” We see the world this way, though it is much more complicated. The sages of India explained that the world is not merely black and white. Finite reality is manifesting in bold living color, yet it is all made of the infinite. It’s all Divine, even when you’re not getting your way.

You have probably invested time and energy in doing things right. The theory says if you do everything right, you will get what you want. It works most of the time. But some days give you different results. Also, it works differently for other people. Trying to calibrate all the differences can spin your mind out of control.

Yoga says you don’t have to track it all. You don’t have to map where all the individual icebergs are headed. Find the water in which they rest, that substance of which they are made. When you find your own essence, you find Essence-Itself, flowing in a Divine choreography. While each dancer hears a different song and creates their own moves, it all lives and breathes in timeless time.

Na shivam vidyate kvachit. — Svacchanda Tantra

There is nothing that is not-Shiva.

What exists that is made of something other than Shiva? There is nothing that is not-Shiva. This is true because “that which exists” is called Shiva. Thus, if something exists, it is made of Shiva. Even that which does not exist is made of Shiva! The texts explain that…

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Planted at My Guru’s Feet

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By Carolyn (Karuna) Beaver, Yogaratna

Our current fundraising is themed “Unmilana,” a Sanskrit word which means to blossom forth.

“Bloom where you are planted” is popular advice. You make the best of your circumstances, even thrive and find joy.

I am so grateful to be planted firmly at Gurudevi’s feet. For all that the Svaroopa® Sciences have given me, I am grateful. So as each biannual fundraiser rolls around, I donate from an open heart and wallet. Won’t you join me?

Through your practices, you discover your inner light and bring it forth into the world. Gurudevi says, “As you are emerging into the world, you have an opportunity to focus on what you can give.”  

I am emerging back into the world after some serious injuries. They left me wondering if I would ever teach Svaroopa® yoga again. Gurudevi says yoga “melts the tensions and dissolves the fears so that the inner Source can arise inside to fill you and to bloom into the world.” This has been so true for me.

With dedication to the practices and Guru’s Grace, I am blooming where I am planted. My inner light is shining brightly once again. I am teaching and even giving yoga therapy sessions. I owe it all to Gurudevi and the fire she has lit within me.

Will your blossoming forth lead you to share with others, and with the Ashram? Please consider a generous donation to our spring fundraiser: “Unmilana — Blossoming Forth.” Let your bighearted inner light overflow. Share freely. It comes back to you, again and again.

Our fundraiser is ending soon. But the sun never sets on your opportunity to give. Please donate today! Thank you.

Donate online or call us at (610) 644-7555.  Or send your check to Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram, PO Box 143, Downingtown PA 19335.  Thank you again and again! 

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50 Years

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By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

I never dreamed I would live this long, but here I am, still going strong. It’s from yoga, of course, especially from receiving Shaktipat 50 years ago.

Baba always said that the effects of Shaktipat are unerring. Keep doing your best in life while meditating every day and you will attain Self-Realization. The best part is that, in every meditation, every day, you get a taste of enlightenment. Baba’s mantra makes this happen. This is why I share it with you.

Each enlightenment-moment leaves an imprint in your mind and heart. They add up. Guaranteed. It’s Baba’s guarantee. And I have benefitted from it personally.

One of Baba’s swamis shared a conversation with a new meditator who wanted to know if he should change his lifestyle. The swami reassured him that all he had to do was meditate every day.

Getting more specific, the man asked, “I can eat meat? I can have my brandy snifter every evening? I don’t have to give up my girlfriend, that my wife doesn’t know about?” The swami gulped and said, “All you have to do is meditate every day.”

A year later, a woman came to say thank you to the same swami. She said, “My husband has been meditating every day. He has given up meat and his daily brandy. And he gave up the girlfriend he thought I didn’t know about. Thank you.”

Yes, you will change. I did. And I am so grateful. Because all those external pursuits had never made me happy, not even when I practiced them more intensely. Meditation filled me from the inside, freeing me from the desire for the things that had never actually worked.

Best of all, Kundalini dissolved all my gripes and complaints about life. Shaktipat awakens the energy of Consciousness to arise within, uplifting you in her pathway from tail-to-top. I rock-n-rolled through my meditations for years, with Kundalini moving me into classical yoga poses. I learned anatomy from the inside-out as deep tensions were melted away.

The transformation in my body was only part of it, for each tight area had its related mental-and-emotional tensions. As they dissolved, I outgrew my past. While I still loved the people who had raised and trained me, I was no longer limited to their ideas of who I was or what I could do.

Baba described it this way:

Once a disciple’s spiritual energy has been awakened by the Guru and he begins to meditate, the unresolved impressions of past actions, or spiritual debts, are reduced and the seeker’s future automatically brightens.

Two types of impressions dissolve, karmas and vasanas. Karmas are the yet-to-come consequences of your prior actions, which balance out your deeds from many lifetimes. Now you don’t have to live through events to complete your karmas. They resolve in your meditations.

Vasanas are the mental-and-emotional patterns you have so carefully installed through repetitive thoughts and the strategies you’ve been using to get through life. For example, if you always speed up when a traffic signal turns yellow, you’re going to end up in an accident. Or if you eat when you’re sad, you’re going to end up with some health problems. Worse, you’ll be sad a lot of the time.

When these patterns dissolve, you see life differently. It’s like your peripheral vision has expanded. More light is coming in through your eyes. Better yet, your inner light shines brighter, more of the time.

How do I know?  I took my own advice. I have been doing more yoga for decades!

Yogic Bliss

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There are two ways to be experiencing yogic bliss: from the outside — looking inward, or from the inside — looking outward.  When you do some spinal release poses, or Ujjayi Pranayama, mantra, chanting, any of the practices we do, when you’ve gotten lost in the world again outside yourself, you do these practices and now, you’re looking inward.  Any of these practices settle you inward.  And the deeper you go, the more bliss you experience.  And then deeper, beyond your senses, beyond your mind, beyond your idea of who you are. All the way in, to your own Self.  Oh, Shiva.

— Gurudevi Nirmalananda

From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Inner Bliss“

Watch Full Discourse Here

Gratitude for Transformation

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By Kristine (Dhairyavati) Freeman

Our Ashram Fundraiser “Unmilana” has begun. Spiritual transformation is called “Unmilana” in Sanskrit — your inner opening, your blossoming forth. Through our Svaroopa® yoga practices, we discover inner light and bloom it into the world.

Svaroopa® yoga gives us so many transformational practices to choose from — asana, meditation, chanting, seva and dakshina (financially supporting the source of the teachings). Please join me in the practice of dakshina —  make a donation to our Ashram today!

Recently, I’ve been focusing on expanding my asana practice. It hasn’t been easy — tapas! I noticed I’d been doing the same poses over and over again. I was stuck in an asana rut. But with the help of a Yoga Therapy session, I got a growth spurt. I was able to cultivate a new practice to give my body the support it needs.

These yoga poses also support my spiritual transformation. They allow my own inner light to unfold into new areas. As this inner light spreads and grows brighter, I’m able to bring it into more and more of my worldly life. This is so beneficial for me and for those around me.

Gurudevi says, “Your yoga melts the tensions and dissolves the fears so that the inner Source can arise inside to fill you and to bloom into the world. Yoga doesn’t make you yogic, it makes you more You.”

Will you share your blossoming forth? Gurudevi says, “Like a star at night, you can bring the light of your own being into the world, which makes a difference for everyone.” And you can make a difference for the Ashram, which has made such a difference for you.

Please consider a generous donation to our “Unmilana – Blossoming Forth” fundraiser. Let your inner light overflow. Share your Self freely. It will come back to you again and again.

Donate online or call us at (610) 644-7555.  Or send your check to Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram, PO Box 143, Downingtown PA 19335. You may also email us at donate@svaroopayoga.org.

Thank you again and again!

Donate Today

Who You Really Are

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One of the glorious things I love about Baba’s gift to us is when I see it blossoming in you. Of course it’s Shaktipat that makes it happen. That’s Baba’s gift. But you are the one who’s blossoming, and I get to watch as you become more you. As you find who you really are, you bring your light and your Essence into your life and into the world. You glow in the dark, and you can feel it.

— Gurudevi Nirmalananda

From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Glow in the Dark“

Watch Full Discourse Here

Our Not-So-Secret Ingredient

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By Swami Satrupananda

With great joy and clarity, I exclaimed, “Svaroopa® Yoga can heal the world!”

I was introducing myself at the beginning of the Embodyment® PLUS training. My enthusiasm and confidence surprised me a bit. But I know this to be true.  Svaroopa® Yoga has limitless healing power.

Grace is the “not-so-secret ingredient” that makes Svaroopa® Yoga so magical. Grace is God’s power of revelation. Grace opens us up to experience our own Divine Essence. And the experience of our own Divine Essence can heal anything and everything. That’s how the accessible poses of this yoga can be so powerful. 

Yes, the angles target your spine. Yes, the propping supports you allowing muscular tension to soften. And Grace superpowers the whole process. Limitless healing ensues. It’s always amazing but never surprising. It’s reliable.

In my introduction, I followed up my bold statement with a comment: “If they let us heal them.”

Yes, it is up to you. You are in charge. How much will you allow Svaroopa® Yoga to transform your body, mind and heart? How much can you melt into Grace?

If you want more healing, take a yoga class with our teachers. Beneath the umbrella of the Ashram, Gurudevi’s Grace flows more strongly. Through Ashram yoga classes, Online as well as On-Site, you’ll get more of the not-so-secret ingredient, Grace. 

If you want even more change, take a private yoga therapy session. One of our Swamis will personally assist you. More Grace. More Healing.

Svaroopa® Yoga can heal you. How much will you allow? Take the next simple step with a yoga class or yoga therapy session. 

 Yoga Classes
Yoga Therapy

Gratitude for Spiritual Transformation

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By Ruth (Rama) Brooke, Yogaratna

Spiritual transformation is called unmilana in Sanskrit — your inner opening, your blossoming forth.
I have experienced the opening, expanding and unfolding through Gurudevi’s teachings and practices. This has likely been your experience as well.

Today, I ask you to join me in the practice of dakshina, financial giving in gratitude to the Ashram. Please give generously to our fundraiser, aptly titled “Unmilana — Blossoming Forth.”

Several years ago, in a personal meeting with Gurudevi, she said:

You are a bud blossoming forth from muddy earth into sunlight. Try to stop it! You can’t!

These words have resonated with me ever since. They speak to the power of the shakti (spiritual energy) flowing through her. As I look back, I see how that energy has blossomed within me. The emotional walls I spent most of my life constructing have tumbled (mostly).

I don’t need that protection to feel safe. I have a greater knowing of who I am. I am able to express my-Self with more clarity and less discomfort.

Another profound teaching stays with me as well:

Svecchaya svabhittau vishvam unmilayati.

By free will alone, Consciousness blossoms forth the universe on the screen of her own existence.
— Pratyabhijnah.rdayam, verse 2

Gurudevi explains that everyone and everything in the universe blossomed forth as a form of Consciousness-herself. She also personalizes the teaching, like she did for me that day in our meeting. You are one such form of Consciousness. You are blossoming forth. You are becoming more you.

Yoga guarantees this transformation. How will you choose to blossom forth and shine your light into the world?

Gurudevi and our swamis model this so beautifully for us. The light of Consciousness shines through their eyes, their teaching and all that they give. Please join me in giving back in gratitude. Donate generously to our Unmilana — Blossoming Forth fundraiser.

Donate online or call us at (610) 644-7555. Or send your check to Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram, PO Box 143, Downingtown PA 19335. You may also email us at donate@svaroopayoga.org.

Thank you again and again!

Donate Today

Time and Effort

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But if you’re not putting your time and effort into these teachings and practices, what are you putting your time and effort into? If you put your time and effort into reinforcing your limitations, your feeling of emptiness and neediness, reinforcing your pain and suffering, what will you get from that? You already know. So, you put some time and effort…

— Gurudevi Nirmalananda

From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Your Divine Essence“

Watch Full Discourse Here

Growing & Blossoming

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By Lynn (Gurupremananda) Cattafi

My redbud tree is a joyous mass of bright pink blossoms. Its spring blooms are so bright that they are visible at night, lighting up the dark.

In the same way, you bloom extravagantly, nurtured by your Svaroopa® yoga practices! Join me today in offering your financial support to Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram’s “Unmilana — Blossoming Forth” fundraiser.

The Sanskrit word for blossoming forth, unmilana, signifies the act of opening, expanding or unfolding. In the Svaroopa® yoga tradition of Kashmiri Shaivism, unmilana is associated with spiritual transformation. Gurudevi describes unmilana this way:

Like a plant blossoms forth flowers, you are built to blossom forth a unique form of Consciousness into the world. The impulse to do this arises in you over and over again. It is the purpose of your life.

Feeling a deep renewal inside, my mind, body and heart are opening in new ways. I am blossoming forth joyously. It’s not the springtime here that is making me blossom forth. It’s my Svaroopa® yoga practices. Most importantly, my spiritual transformation is due to having a Master Teacher like Gurudevi.

Gurudevi is a master gardener, expertly tending to her garden of blossoming yogis, including you! Her teachings nourish your roots. Her programs are designed to cultivate your continued growth. She helps you deadhead the stuff that’s old and finished. She supports you in sweeping the debris from your path.

She showers all of us with Grace. By the inner arising light of Consciousness, we blossom forth, shining our light into the world.

Wherever you are in your own spiritual growth process, Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram has pathways to support you. Gurudevi and our swamis meet you exactly where you are. They show you how to bloom. How fortunate we are to have such a Guru as Gurudevi Nirmalananda guiding our spiritual growth.

She can’t do it without your financial support of our Ashram, through which her teachings flow. Please give generously. You are supporting your own growth as well as the worldwide garden of seekers.

Donate online or call us at (610) 644-7555.  Or send your check to Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram, PO Box 143, Downingtown PA 19335.  Thank you again and again! 

Donate Today