By Ellen (Lajja) Mitchell
Ashram Board President
Our theme for our new fundraiser is “In Honor Of.”
Who has impacted your life or changed you? Who is it that you would like to honor? Please join me in donating in honor of someone who has made a difference in your life.
I think this theme makes sense because this year is Gurudevi Nirmalananda’s 50th year teaching and 80th birthday. Gurudevi is the one who created Svaroopa® Yoga. She is the one who gave me Shaktipat. She has taught me how to honor.
She renews the lesson every time she bows to her Baba Muktananda and to his Guru, Nityananda, as well as to us and to her own Self at the start of every program. I am so grateful to Gurudevi and the awareness she has helped me to cultivate. I honor Gurudevi. I bow to her, to our lineage and to my Self every day.
Gurudevi has said, “I tried to make it all about him. But the bottom line was that the difference in him made a difference in me. When I was with Baba, I was better able to be me, deep inside to really be me. I could rest in my own Self.”
Yes! Gurudevi has helped me to see my own Self. She has helped me to rest in my own Self. I remember taking her Year-Long Programme some years ago. At Lokananda during one of the weekend retreats, I felt so deeply centered — like a root from a tree that goes to the center of the earth. There was activity around me, and I participated in classes. Yet I was functioning from a centered place within.
Participating in our “In Honor Of” fundraiser is your chance to support your Ashram AND honor those who support you. Are there Svaroopa® Yoga Teachers or Yoga Therapists you want to honor? Do you have a yoga buddy who supports you that you would like to express gratitude for?
Send an email to donate@svaroopayoga.org. In it, give us the name of the person(s) you want to honor and one sentence saying why. Also tell us the amount you want to donate and how you will be paying for the donation. We will send a note to them, letting them know that a donation was given in their honor. The amount remains confidential.
Please join me in supporting the Ashram by donating in honor of someone who touches you. Give from your heart and feel the joy of giving selflessly.
Donate online or call us at (610) 644-7555. Or send your check to Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram, PO Box 143, Downingtown PA 19335. Thank you again and again!
