By Dhananjaya King, SVA Board Member

A decade ago, my Guru Swami Nirmalananda set me on fire.  She gave me a simple adjustment in Alternate Leg pose.  That touch ignited a slow burn, which has been profoundly transformative.  I am truly grateful, for I am different now in ways I could never have imagined.

If you had told me then that I would have compassion for people who were trying to harm me or my family, I would have told you in no uncertain terms you were wrong.  Yet here I am, wanting to help those whom, in the past, I would have called enemies.  Before she came into my life, I was caught in drama, in the pursuit of desire.  Now I have only the one yearning, to know myself as the One Self Being All.

Because I am grateful to Guruji, I feel compelled to show my gratitude.  Yet how do you show gratitude to her, when she attributes everything that she gives as coming from her own Guru? When you thank her for all she has given, Guruji says she does what Baba has empowered her to do.  She offers to us what Baba offered to her.  She gives to us what we are able to receive.

So I feel that showing gratitude is supporting her in any way I can.  As a SVA Board Member, I serve by managing Ashram facilities.  I help improve the Ashram buildings that hold the Shakti which she infuses.  In gratitude, I offer time and service to support our community.  Following Guruji’s lead, I deal with everyone I meet in a more meaningful and present way.  I am empowered to do this because Guru’s Grace flows through me into everyone with whom I come into contact.

At this designated time of Thanksgiving, I ask you to find a way to show your gratitude for what you have received from Swami Nirmalananda’s teachings and presence.  Expressing your gratitude tangibly will serve you in cultivating the seeds of transformation that she has planted in you.  Once you fully give yourself to the act of giving, things that you could never have imagined will unfold.

Or perhaps looking at this another way works better for you.  A better question may be how much can you receive? Perhaps you don’t yet notice what she has planted in you.  If so, pondering this question will help you notice the new you that is beginning to form, thanks to Swami Nirmalananda’s teachings and presence.

In any case, I invite you to recognize what you have received and find a way to show your gratitude.  I don’t fully comprehend how she brings to fruition the transformation in each of us who sit at her feet.  I just know that I want to help her do what she does for all of us.

I ask you to do as I am doing, to support her in any way you can.  In this season of giving and gratitude please give what you can to support Guruji.  Click here to donate on online, or call the Ashram at 610.644.7555.  Every gift, of any size and frequency, makes a difference.  Thank you.