By Carolyn (Karuna) Beaver, Yogaratna

SVA Board Member

I get so much from my yoga practices.  My body is less tense.  My mind is more open and receptive.  I am grateful to the source of the practices that give me so much.  That is why every spring and fall, I set aside funds to participate in the Ashram’s fundraisers.  I help raise funds for the Ashram because the Ashram raises me up.  I hope you will join me!

I am buoyed on a River of Grace — Guru’s Grace (guruk.rpa).  Gurudevi Nirmalananda says her ability to serve us is like a tributary of a great river.  “I am the riverbed,” she says.  “That flow of grace comes from my Guru, and I am a wide-open channel for that flow.” Importantly, she adds, “So are you.”

I felt this strongly when I attended a meditation weekend with Gurudevi just after she had taken her swami vows.  Down the center aisle, she had a clear sight-line to a picture of her Guru, Baba Muktananda.  That aisle was just like a riverbed.  I felt the current pull me strongly toward her.  But it wasn’t “her.”  It was the power of the lineage of yogic masters who came before her.  She says, “Whatever you see in me that is inspiring and beneficial is coming from the one to whom I have dedicated my life.”

The power and Grace of the Svaroopa^® tradition flows through all of Gurudevi’s teachings.  It flows through all the teachers Gurudevi has trained.  It flows online.  It’s everywhere and finds you when you need it.  I know this is true for me, and I suspect it is for you as well.  This Grace is freely given, but it must also be received.  Are you ready to receive?  Because ultimately, this is not about the Guru.  It is about YOU.  

How are you moved and changed by your yoga practices?  Does it carry into your life and into the world?  One important practice is dakshina, selfless financial giving.  Like the river of Grace, it flows through you.  It comes from the heart.  

You can help keep the river of Grace flowing to you.  You can help others be led to the river as well.  It’s not really about how much you give.  It is the act of giving itself that puts you in the river of Grace.  Any contribution of any amount helps support the source of the teachings.  Of course, it ultimately supports YOU.  

Please join me in giving today — online, by email or phone.  This is a cause-and-effect universe.  Open the channels wide and see what happens!

Donate today on our website.   You can call us at (610) 644-7555.  Or you can send your check to Svaroopa Vidya Ashram, 116 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown, PA 19335. Thank You!