The more energy you put into getting love from others, getting your sense of self-worth from others, getting your happiness from others — the more energy you put into this, the more bound you are. Freedom comes from…
From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Subtle Perceptions and Powers“
By Ellen (Lajja) Mitchell, President Board of Directors
Asana, meditation, chanting, studying sacred texts — are these yoga practices reliable to make us feel better and to deepen us spiritually? I would say yes!
Can we bring them into our daily lives? Again, I would say yes! This weaving of yoga into life is tantra. It’s a recipe for living a spiritual life full of openings.
Dakshina, unconditional financial giving, is another practice that creates openings. Please join me in giving to our end-of-year fundraiser. Help Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram continue to share these practices with you and the world.
I can attest to what the practices have given me. Asanas (yoga poses) open my body and quiet my mind. And sometimes bliss arises. It could be the opening or closing Shavasana in a Svaroopa® yoga class that does this, or it could be any of the poses in between. After Seated Side Stretch, your teacher has you pause for a moment. What do you feel? Are you sitting deeper in your seat? Do you feel more settled? Do you feel more open?
Gurudevi Nirmalananda’s teachings bring understanding to the experiences we have while doing the practices. Gurudevi explains in modern terms what is happening. She talks to us about the journey we are on, practices that will benefit us and where we can go.
This journey is not new to the 21st Century yogi. It is a journey that yogis have been on for ages. It is tried and true. It is the purpose of life — to know our own Self. It is the reason Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram exists — to serve seekers of Self-Realization.
Help Gurudevi and Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram continue to share the practices and teachings by giving today.
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!
By Gurudevi Nirmalananda
There are two types of desire. I will call the most common one the “passing desire.” It is a desire that arises from an inner feeling of being incomplete.
This inner feeling makes you sense you lack something, which makes you desire something to complete you. It is a desire to get something from outside of you, which gives you a sense of fulfillment that lasts for only a short time. It might be a desire that is easy to fulfill, maybe to eat something or to phone somebody.
It might be something that takes longer: a desire to spend more time with somebody or to go a particular place on vacation. It could be a long-term process, like the desire to be successful in your profession or to support someone who is going through an illness.
This type of desire may even feel like a compelling need for something, because it arises from an inner sense of being incomplete. This is the source of almost all of your desires and it motivates all of your actions. You are trying to fill up the bottomless well inside, the well of “lack.”
There is another type of desire, which I will call a “true desire.” It arises from a deep inner sense of fullness. This desire is a recurring desire. It keeps coming back to you, arising from somewhere profound within you. It is not really a desire; it is foreknowledge of your own destiny.
Excerpt from Yoga: Inside & Outside, page 127
By Amanda (Purna) Schmidt
Aratis, bhajans, kirtans — it’s all here! Find them all in Yoga’s Sacred Songs, Gurudevi’s newly published compendium of all the SvaroopaⓇ yoga chants.
Learn the inspiration behind each chant, as Gurudevi explains the importance of the words as well as melody. You’ll also find a Sanskrit pronunciation guide as well as photos of Gurudevi.
Best of all is Shree Guru Gita, which she has rendered into English verse.
The companion CD, “Mystical Song of the Guru,” is also available now. These wonderful new resources make the mystical experience of chanting more accessible than ever. It’s never been easier to bring this Ashram practice into your daily life. Deepen both your understanding and devotion.
Nila and sukha, the blue of Consciousness and the pleasure of sensory experiences – one of them lasts, the other doesn’t. Which one is your focus? The good news is that in tantra you don’t have to give up pleasures. You have to give up…
— Gurudevi Nirmalananda
From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Into The Blue“
By Gurudevi Nirmalananda
Siddhis, riddhis and nidhis — these are three different types of mystical powers that a yogi is endowed with, progressively more and more with their continued practice.
Yet the yogis of yore, who gave us these practices and documented them in their writings, warn against the pitfalls of having such powers. In a sense, they are attainments, as most people think. Being able to do these things is beyond the pale of what we call “normal”. Some of them are:
The power to attract and control others (vashitva) – lots of social media influencers
have this siddhi
The ability to make everyone happy and joyful
Knowing what others are thinking
Knowledge of past lives
Whatever you desire happens — named satya-sankalpa
The ability to walk on water, to be unaffected by cold and untouched by fire
The ability to surround yourself with a blaze of light.
Omniscience – all knowing, as described in the Yoga Sutras
With these powers, you can get lots of attention from lots of people, but you won’t find your own Divine Essence. And no matter how much attention others give you, you’re always anxious that it could end. And it can. You may hold others captive, but you are completely dependent on them.
This is not freedom. It is a sophisticated sort of bondage. The more energy you put into getting love from others, getting your sense of self-worth from others, getting your happiness from others – the more energy you put into this, the more bound you are.
Freedom comes from finding the source of love within. Freedom comes when you know your own Self as the source of your worth — you are inherently worthy. Freedom comes from living in the constant inner flow of bliss – not mere happiness but the bliss of Consciousness. It sets you free…
— excerpt from Gurudevi’s satsang discourse, October 13, 2024.
By Barbara (Girijananda) Hess
With Gurudevi’s new album, chanting brings me to such a blissful inner space.
I feel the eternality inherent in Guru, the remover of darkness, revealing the light. OM flows into Guru which flows back into OM. I coast inside on the slow, melodic repetition of OM Guru, OM Guru, OM Gurudev. I become aware of the infinite depth of my own Self.
This is what the Guru does — she removes my darkness to reveal the light of my inherent Divinity to me. She shows me the source of illumination inside. The formless and the form at the same, time, she guides me in coming home to my own Self. This chant opens me to this ever-expanding awareness.
Recorded at our Vowed Order retreat, this chant is a call and response between Gurudevi and the chorus of vowed members. During our recording session, my heart expanded. I perceived the devotion of Gurudevi singing to her Guru, my own devotion, and the devotion of my fellow vowed kula singing to her.
The powerful simplicity of this chant stays with me wherever I go. I find myself singing it out loud or silently many times during the day. Even amidst daily life busyness, I am drawn inside to the bliss of my own Self, the One Self Being All. Jaya Gurudev!
That’s one of the reasons I love when you’re able to come, to come here in person. Of course, I love to reach you wherever you are, to guide and to support you in the midst of your life. But when you can come here in person, it’s like diving in at the deep end of the pool. And your immersion in the water, in the Grace, makes it easier…
— Gurudevi Nirmalananda
From Gurudevi’s full discourse “What is an Ashram?“
By Ben Waters
Interviewed by Lor (Priya) Kennedy
From the very first Swami Sunday I stumbled into, I knew. I had found the most important part of my life. Swami Sunday is the place where I began to find my Self. It’s where I got to know Gurudevi. If it were offered every day, I would be there. Outside of living at the Ashram, Swami Sunday is how I can spend time with Gurudevi Nirmalananda every week.
I really didn’t know what I was looking for 10 years ago. I didn’t have a clue what a Guru was. In the beginning, I just watched her. I knew I wanted to give everything to this person, to give her my life. But I questioned why I felt that way — wasn’t she just another human being?
In the past, she’s been everything to me, but she continues to be even more. My relationship with her and my understanding of who she is continues to unfold. Now I have a relationship with her on the inside too. At first, there was a duality, but now I am realizing, she is no different than me. She is my Self. In meditation, when I repeat mantra, there is nothing but her form.
One of the things that brought me to spiritual practice was a crippling social anxiety. Serving as emcee for Swami Sunday was intimidating at first. My voice would crack and shake. I didn’t want to screw up and disappoint Gurudevi.
Then I realized it wasn’t about me whatsoever. I was one of the many people Gurudevi uses as a link between her and others. Often, when I share my personal story, it’s in alignment with her talk that day. I’m trusting that it’s really not about me — it’s all taken care of. Being able to serve her this way is incredible. It’s a little part I can do to give back.
How was I blessed to find a Shaktipat Guru and have this relationship with her? My karma in this life has been tough. But if I had to go through all that to get to her, it was worth it.
By Cayla (Mangala) Allen, Yogaratna
In the beginning of my Svaroopa® yoga experience, I did not care for Pawanmuktasana Seated Side Stretch. My body and mind resisted it.
I learned a couple of things from this resistance. As is often true, we resist what we need. I needed what this pose offered, and the only way to receive its benefits was to surrender to it. Over time, I have learned to enjoy this pose immensely.
I prepare for Seated Side Stretch with lower spinal release poses. Next, I check the propping I need. Effective propping is essential, and it can change from day-to-day. My initial complaint with this pose was pain in the knee of my back-turned leg. Spinal tension was torquing from my spine through my hip and into my knee. Adding blankets relieved spinal tension.
At this point I was sitting on six blankets. While that can be hard on the ego, it relieved tension through my hip and knee. Then my body leaned and lengthened more easily to the side.
When I settle deeper into my seat before moving into Seated Side Stretch, my spine relaxes upright into an easy alignment. This provides the most effective results. I reach into space and feel the effortless traction of my upper arm. I feel the stability of my lower arm as I lean through its support. Finally, my spine luxuriously releases and lengthens in this side bend.
Afterwards, I sit more balanced in my seated pose. My breath is easily fuller. I am aware of energy rising within. I feel spacious and open.
practice & grace: giving you your Self
revealing the mystery
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