The theme of our retreat is Lord Vishnu and the energies he embodies: support, maintenance and preservation. It is Vishnu who nurtures and sustains all that Brahma created.

If you have ever taken a training with Master Yoga or SVA, you know all about the care that is taken to support you through the openings you receive in that process.  Imagine the kind of openings that can happen to a relatively neophyte yogi coming to the epicenter of Grace for the first time. A contemplation quote this week said: “Grace can be like acid; it can also be like nectar”. This yogi has discovered both. How terrifying it would be to go through these experiences alone, but of course we are not alone. The SVA organization is here to channel the nurturing of Vishnu and support us in so many ways.

In our group there are a good number of individuals that I think of as ” elders,” those whose practices and understandings are so much deeper. They are the discreetly watchful, caring ones who can see a need and address it with a small word or gesture. I have the great blessing of sharing a room with one of these lovely souls, and I can say I have felt the flow of Grace through her lighthearted but profound guidance. There have been tears but there has been much more laughter. Then more tears… tears of gratitude to Vishnu and sweet Nityananda.