No one’s working on attaining equanimity. Well, that’s not precisely true. You probably have tried to get a little peace by withdrawing from news, from the politicians, from the musicians, the social media influencers, and even your family and friends. But you bring your mind with you, even when you isolate yourself or numb out.
— Gurudevi Nirmalananda
From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Equanimity — Peace of Mind“
Ellen (Lajja) Mitchell, SVA Board President
It is my pleasure to introduce Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram’s fundraiser “Doorways to Your Self.”
There are many ways to experience your Self, your Divine Essence. One of them is dakshina (selfless financial giving). Join me in giving to Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram. Bring yoga into your heart and wallet.
Gurudevi says:
If you do this yoga, you will come to know who you really are. It begins as brief glimpses, subtle knowings, inner impulses, flashes of insight and currents of bliss. They grow on you; they grow in you.
It is wonderful that there is not just one doorway to your own Self. You can access it many ways — Shaktipat, chanting, studying the sutras, mantra, asana (yoga), meditation and more. I had the experience of Self in my first asana class, yet I could not put words to it. I felt different, like I was coming from a deeper place. Perhaps you have experienced it as well. A dip into consciousness that left you feeling refreshed, joyful, deeper, more aware or embodied.
Recently, I have been experiencing my Self in the pause. Particularly the pause when doing mantra repetition. Between each mantra ( said out loud or silently), I pause. I have found everything in the pause — joy, peace, contentment and more.
The feeling that arises when I think of all that Gurudevi has helped me uncover is gratitude. Gratitude for her patient repetition of teachings, for creating Svaroopa® Yoga, for helping me uncover what was already there by showing me the many doorways to my Self.
If you have benefited from Svaroopa® Yoga, please join me in supporting Gurudevi and Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram. Open the Dakshina Doorway to your own Self. Please donate today.
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 again and again!
By Amanda (Purna) Schmidt
Yoga blankets are now on sale! These blankets have supported students in Ashram classes and trainings. Now, they are ready to support your home practice.
The right propping makes all the difference in your yoga. It allows you to release more deeply into the poses. This is the perfect opportunity to purchase blankets at a discount. Pick some up the next time you come to class at DYMC.
Or stop by for a free program like Swami Sunday, and take blankets home then. Gift yourself the support you need. Release into new depths in your yoga practice.
When you hear these teachings, you are fed at the deepest level of your own being. The words and the energy turn your mind inward, while the words name your own Divine Essence. So you experience Self again and again. This is why I give discourses, to pour this stream of Grace-infused teachings into your head, and heart, and deeper. Again and again.
— Gurudevi Nirmalananda
From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Who’s In Charge?“
Begins May 2, 2025
Shaktipat accelerates your spiritual progress. With Shaktipat initiation from Satguru Swami Nirmalananda (Gurudevi), your spiritual momentum is greatly enhanced.
During the weekend Shaktipat Retreat, you gain new levels of access to the deeper dimensions of your own Beingness.
You receive formal Shaktipat initiation from Gurudevi twice. As a Kundalini Master, she is authorized to transmit this powerful initiation. She explains the process and purpose as well as how you cooperate with the inner light arising within you, in-light-ening you day by day.
Discover a whole new dimension to your own being. Recognize and revel in your own spiritual essence. And learn tools that help you bring that into your life.
At the beginning of the Shaktipat retreat, my mind and body had a little resistance. “Oh,” I thought, “we’re chanting again??!” But I went with it. After Gurudevi’s first touch, I felt pulled up from my base and realigned. I could see a roadmap that Kundalini had implanted inside me. During my meditations, the kriyas were much stronger. I experienced a physical cleansing, a burning off.
– Darren T
How do you meditate on your own Self when you don’t know your own Self? In one way, it’s kind of like you lived in a cave your whole life and I tried to teach you to meditate on the sun or the moon. You wouldn’t know what they are. This is why the mantra names your own Self..
— Gurudevi Nirmalananda
From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Meditating on Your Own Self“
By Barbara (Girijananda) Hess
Oh how I love to chant our mantra! An inner stirring arises from deep within, settling me into my own Self.
Gurudevi has given us several melodies in which to chant our mantra. I chant them all, but I especially like to chant the Mt. Kailasa melody, the third track on her “Live! La Jolla ‘02” album.
I play it every morning before I join in our Meditation Club. The call and response capture my attention. I hear Gurudevi’s voice, then the voices of the yogis chanting with her and along with my own voice. The tempo energizes, focuses, and prepares me for when Gurudevi gives a reading before we meditate.
Lasting about 9 minutes, this chant is the perfect length of preparation for the Meditation Club. I can chant it without needing to track time. Thus, I am already inwardly based when I zoom in with the group. It is a grace-filled way to prepare for meditation and my day.
By Pat (Sumati) Morrison
Interviewed by Lissa (Yogyananda) Fountain, Yogaratna
Years ago, I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy. My feet and lower legs had a diminished sense of feeling that slowly progressed. It was uncomfortable and distracting.
While I have been practicing Svaroopa® yoga since 1997, my focus was on the breathing practice and Svaroopa® yoga poses. This keeps my mind peaceful and decompresses my spine. In my 80’s, I am able to function with a higher level of energy. l am so grateful for all these practices.
Yet I got so much more when I took a retreat a few months ago. I returned home with a new pose sequence. About six weeks into my new home practice, I noticed a marked change in my condition. The retreat poses certainly opened my spine a lot. My tailbone and sacrum muscles began releasing like never before.
I had also received a Guided Awareness practice that made a huge difference. It was through the Guided Awareness that my neuropathy really decreased. As my awareness expanded, the more my spine decompressed.
As my peripheral nerves came back to life, I could gradually feel more. My previously thick toes felt distinct from each other. It was a miraculous return to more normal feeling in my feet and lower legs. A complete and very welcome surprise! Yes, this stuff really does work.
The yoga miracle is ongoing, for some numbness began to return to my toes. Thus, I knew it was time for some Embodyment® sessions with my local Svaroopa® yoga therapist. A private online class with Swami Shrutananda helped me tweak my home practice and get on track again.
Svaroopa® yoga gives me the tools to take action when needed. And meditation keeps my mind steady. This yoga gives me profound insights. And I am delightfully embracing this healing in my body. My body is releasing long held tensions. I am healing on multiple levels.
By Gurudevi Nirmalananda
You lie on your back in yoga’s relaxation pose, Shavasana. Or you may prefer to lean back in a recliner.
You drift into a quasi-meditative state without going all the way to sleep — this is yogic sleep, yoga nidra.
It is a state of deep rest but without the heaviness of sleep. In a short time, you arise refreshed, perhaps even more so than after a full night of sleep. Three hours of yoga nidra can substitute for a full night of sleep. I have taken advantage of this on many overnight flights. It is a lifesaver when my day’s activities overflow into late night hours, especially since I don’t want to give up my early morning yoga practices.
As a yoga teacher, I learned how to lead yoga nidra as part of a yoga class. We called it a “Guided Relaxation” even though it’s not really about relaxing. It is an awareness practice, where you extend your awareness into the inner spaces of your body and being. Thus I changed the name of it to “Guided Awareness,” which we still include in every Svaroopa®yoga class. Twice. At the beginning and at the end. This is how important it is.
Its roots lie deep in the yogic tradition, with references in several ancient Sanskrit texts. Yoga nidra was brought to the West by students of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh. In recent years, it has been used as a healing therapy for veterans and others with PTSD.
Most people are simply looking for an easy way to meditate. The value of following a Guided Awareness for yoga nidra is that it reins in your mind, bringing it back to where you are physically located. As you become more present in your body, you are becoming more present. It is your presence that matters.
We include yoga nidra in Ashram programs in several ways:
Yoga nidra can be a little tricky. As you begin to settle more deeply within, you may want to roll over into your favorite sleeping position. Or your head may lean over toward one side. These are ways of going unconscious, into a sweet deep sleep, but not yogic sleep.
Yoga nidra is a light meditative state, yet not sleep but not wakefulness. Your mind is restful but not unconscious. Someone is still home inside. Who is that someone? That is you. This is the whole point, that you find the deeper dimensionality within. This is what yoga is all about.
While you may wish for bliss in every meditation, it’s actually the busy meditations that are moving you toward enlightenment faster. Just like a car speeding along the highway passes more scenery, when you’re really zipping along…
— Gurudevi Nirmalananda
From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Growing into Self“
practice & grace: giving you your Self
revealing the mystery
SVA Blog 