Yoga tells you to focus on your own inner process.  Support your yogic transformation with yoga practices. 

You will change, it is guaranteed.  And the world will change as you change.  When you become healthier and stronger… 

—  Gurudevi Nirmalananda  

From Gurudevi’s full discourse “A Personal Upgrade”

by Gurudevi Nirmalananda

Divine sounds lie at the root of your existence. This is what makes words affect you so deeply. They reverberate all the way in. The power of words originates in the Divine sound, OM.

In order to manifest as the universe, Shiva emanates his bliss as the subtle sound OM. It grows and expands, then blasts itself into many sounds, called Matrika. In this yantra (drawing), the sounds emanate forth into the energetic structure underlying the universe, as expressed in the Sanskrit alphabet. It’s all made of energy, with every energy having its own sound.

J~naanaadhishthaana.m maat.rkaa. — Shiva Sutras 1.4

The underlying limitations are rooted in Matrika.

The sounds combine to make words. Thus, words embody the energy of Consciousness at a primal level. Other people’s words impact you unless you are based in a deeper level of your own Beingness. The words you say to yourself have even a stronger impact, which is why mantra[1] is such an important yogic tool.

Your current “human condition” is one of feeling incomplete and insecure. It makes you turn toward the world in order to create identity and self-worth. It matters to you how other people see you and what they say to you. What they say about you to others is almost more important. You crave their good opinions in order to feel good about yourself. Thus their words matter enormously, even if inaccurate or untruthful.

When you turn your attention inward, settling into your own Beingness, you see that their words are simply their opinions. Thus we get the saying…

[1] To receive the mantra from Gurudevi, attend one of her programs or request a mantra card at https://svaroopa.org/mantra-card.

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 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 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:

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.

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?“

One easy way to tell if your meditation was truly meditation – regardless of what happened during your meditation, when you open your eyes do you feel different? 

Washed clean, rested, refreshed. Settled – meaning centered, free from anxiety, serene. 

Perhaps your breath is…  

—  Gurudevi Nirmalananda

From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Inner Experiences”

By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

How do you know you’re really meditating? The different inner experiences you may have can be confusing.

If your mind becomes still, you might wonder if maybe something should be happening. And if something happens, like inner lights or visions, you may think you’re imagining it or making it up.

If you delve deeper than your mind, a meditative immersion into the deeper dimensions within, you might think you fell asleep. But if your mind is busy, you might conclude you’re not meditating.

If you get insights into the nature of Consciousness or inner answers to life situations, you might conclude that you were thinking the whole time. But if you don’t get any inner insights, and all you did was repeat mantra the whole time, was it merely a waste of time?

So many questions!

There is one answer to all these questions. One easy way to tell if your meditation was truly meditation, regardless of what happened during your meditation – when you open your eyes, do you feel different?

Washed clean, rested, refreshed? Settled, meaning centered, free from anxiety, serene. Your breath is more open. Your peripheral vision may have expanded. You may feel you had stepped out of time, into the timelessness of your own Beingness. Yes, you meditated.

How long does it take to get there?

A minute. Less, actually. For your own Self is right here, right now, in you, being you. Closer than your breath. More intimate than your mind. Present within your own presence, Consciousness being you…