By Jodi Dial

When I registered for my Healing Retreat, I was seeking more than healing from physical pain. I wanted to find God and wake up! It turned out that I got both.

From daily Svaroopa^® yoga classes and individual yoga therapy, I got openings in my upper spine behind my heart. My hand tremors as well thyroid issues were soothed.

I also arrived with pain in my hip. Sitting for meditation was nearly impossible. By the retreat’s end, I could sit to meditate for a whole hour in the morning.

Meditations with Gurudevi Nirmalananda, along with her talks, were life changing. I know it’s the mind that has the greatest effect on the body. And meditation along with vichara sessions (guided self-inquiry) powerfully gave me exactly what I yearned for.

At first, however, vichara was scary. As a hairdresser, I have personal conversations with clients. They describe complicated situations, and I ask, “How so?” I’m great at turning such questions back to my clients. But when my Vichara Therapist posed these questions to me, I didn’t know what to say!

Yet, ultimately, my answers surfaced, and I got clarity. I was on a spiritual quest, looking for God. With vichara, I realized there are many paths to your own Truth. Finally, a vichara session brought me home inside to the knowing that I am God.

When I said these words, the electrical power in the building went out. My Vichara Therapist said, “I guess you got your answer.” I returned home in peace — with lots of energy, calm, trust and pure love.

When I graduated from Svaroopa^® Yoga Teacher Training two decades ago, I was into working out and looking good. I didn’t know what yoga really meant. In this Healing Retreat, I “got” svaroopa (the bliss of my own being).

Now I see the world, other people, and myself differently. I’m filled with gratitude for my yoga family, including Gurudevi; her Guru, Swami Muktananda; and his Guru, Bhagawan Nityananda. I bow again and again, continuously.