Monthly Archives: November 2023

Make a Difference

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By Ruth (Rama) Brooke

When you shine with the light of Consciousness, you are a light unto the world.  And when you give of yourself, you receive. 

Our nature is truly giving.  We love to give and when we do, we feel good.  The energy of giving is reciprocal.  It comes back to us, exponentially. 

This is why yoga offers so many ways to give.  One is through the practice of dakshina, selfless giving of financial resources.  Please join me in contributing to our Ashram’s year-end fundraiser — Shine with Divine Light.  Together, we can make a difference. 

Through dakshina, yogis make a difference in the world.  It’s both an inner and an outer difference.  In giving, we help change the world.  And in giving, we have much to receive.  The light of Consciousness shines brighter inside and outside, all at the same time. 

So shine on!  Make a difference.  Support Gurudevi and the Ashram as you recognize your Divine light. Then shine like a beacon, into the world.  The world needs Divine light now more than ever. 

There are some auspicious dates which fall during our Ashram’s fundraiser.  It runs from now until Dec 14.  Perhaps you’d like to time your contribution with one of these important dates:

Gurudevi’s Birthday – Nov. 15

Thanksgiving – Nov. 23 (in the U.S.)

Year-End Giving – anytime

We are now able to accept stock transfers as well. We even have a dedicated email for you to contact: donate@svaroopayoga.org.

You can also 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!

Why Do You Do What You Do?

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By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

There’s always a reason behind your actions. You are a volitional being, meaning you have free will. Animals function by instinct but humans have more options. What is it that motivates you?

When you lack any of the basics, they are your priority… Yoga honors the reality of such needs and reactions. You must prioritize basic issues, perhaps making yoga part of your support system when setting up a better quality of life. I have been fortunate to help a few yoga students facing such difficulties. Yet I recognize that most people come to yoga only when their basics are managed.

Once you have room to look at yourself and your own process, I ask — why do you do what you do? Hopefully you’re not focused on the instinctual level anymore. You have some breathing space in your life, enough that you’re interested in yoga. That means you have freedom of choice.

As an adolescent, I made choices based on anger. I was deeply frustrated at the incongruity between the ideals I’d been taught compared to the reality of the world around me. The prevailing message seemed to be, “Do what I say, not what I do.” My knee-jerk response was to try both what was recommended as well as what was advised against. What I learned in the process fueled my aspirations for something greater. I first sought it in higher education, but intellectual achievements were not enough for me.

Only yoga’s timeless teachings satisfied me. Now, for five decades, I’ve deliberately deepened my yogic knowledge and the experiences it has opened up in me. This is truly a bottomless well! Yoga has empowered me to live up to the highest ideals, yet in a down-to-earth way.

I think of my life’s path as a good use of my free will. Svatantra means free will. Svatantrya is God’s free will. Only you and God have free will. It is the distinguishing characteristic of…

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Shine with Divine Light

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By Ellen (Lajja) Mitchell, President

Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram Board of Directors

Our Ashram’s year-end fundraiser theme is “Shine with Divine Light.”  

Please join me in donating with a one-time amount or starting a monthly donation, or increasing your current monthly amount.  Any gift will help your Ashram shine its Divine Light brighter into the world.

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Kindly take a look at our Vision and Mission statements at the bottom of all our emails.  Our Vision is “To engage in and teach the worship of Paramashiva, the all-pervasive Divine Reality, focusing on finding and experiencing the Divine within the individual.”  

Our Mission Statement explains how we do that.  It says “We provide yoga and meditation programs, teacher training and a vowed order. As a conduit of Grace in an ancient yogic lineage, we serve seekers of Self-Realization.”

This means our fundraising theme, Shine with Divine Light, is what we do.  Gurudevi Nirmalananda, our Master Teacher, says

It’s about shining in a way that you help others find their own light.

Think of the world and everyone as a string of lights.  Not all the lights are shining or functioning at their full wattage. The Svaroopa® Sciences help you look inside so you find the source that powers your light to its fullest.  Once you are sourced this way, you in turn affect others in your circle.  

How many lights can turn on or shine brighter?  Your donation will help us to provide the opportunity for you and others to “Shine with Divine Light.” How? By doing more yoga.  Your generous donation is a shining example!

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

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The Yoga of Relationship

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By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

The intimate connection that you seek with another person is more than a meeting of minds and more than a meeting of bodies.

The point at which com­munication becomes communion is the experience of union. This is the goal of yoga, and the meaning of the Sanskrit word “yoga” itself — union. 

Once your innate yearning connects with your own inner source that fills it, you experi­ence this connection and communion with everyone. It is the natural outward expression of the inner experience. 

My own experience of relationships has been transformed by yoga. I have dif­ficulty naming it “love.” It is somehow both more and less than what I always thought love was. Whatever you want to call it, it is yoga. This is what makes our relationships work.

For me, it includes a deep respect for every person, along with a genuine interest and caring for how they think, how they feel, and for what is going on in their lives. 

Because of this, I never tire of talking with students about their lives, about their body, about their feelings, and especially about their experiences of yoga. I feel deeply honored by their sharing with me. I am grateful for this opportu­nity to share my understanding and my experience of yoga with you..

– excerpt from Yoga in Every Moment, page 2 

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