By Amanda (Purna) Schmidt
Guru Sandals jewelry is now available! The Guru’s sandals are traditionally venerated as a potent source of Grace. These pieces were designed after Gurudevi’s own sandals. Choose from a pendant or earrings.
The earrings feature one sandal for each ear, while the pendant is a pair of sandals together. The jewelry is in stock in silver, or can be custom ordered in gold.
Adorn yourself with this powerful symbol of Grace, and feel Gurudevi’s guidance wherever you are.
by Heidi (Hamsaa) Flannery
Interviewed by Lori (Priya) Kenney
Having a Guru seemed like a fairytale before meeting Gurudevi Nirmalananda. I met her at Swami Sunday in May 2022. It felt familiar and I knew, “I’m where I’m supposed to be.” I’ve loved Gurudevi’s Swami Sunday programs from the beginning. Every discourse brings me what I need to know that week.
I am reading a lot of books, including Gurudevi’s A Yogic Lifestyle. Two years ago, I decided to pick a word for my New Year’s resolution: humility. The next Swami Sunday, Gurudevi asked what our resolutions were. I raised my hand when no one else did. When I told her my word, she asked if she could change it. I nodded. She looked at me fiercely and said, “Warrior!”
In reflection, it felt like she placed it into my heart. At home I put warrior pictures and phrases all over the house. I was in the middle of a divorce and my ex wasn’t being generous financially. Gurudevi told me I needed to hire a lawyer — for my children. It was both practical and spiritual advice. I did what she told me to do. That whole year, I did warrior poses to help me stand up for my girls. I owe it all to Gurudevi. I needed her to point me in the right direction.
Every other Sunday when my girls are with me, I do Swami Sunday online. Gurudevi told me to keep doing it for my daughters, even though my own attention is divided. My girls smile at Gurudevi, touch the screen and call out to her. They chant “Jyota se Jyota” with us or while playing. I’m so grateful they have access to Gurudevi.
I never dreamed I would meet my forever teacher. Nor that I would announce it to the world and myself. The moment Gurudevi walks in the room, I don’t want to take my eyes from her. I love the devotional part of being there, honoring her, bowing to her, loving her. Yoga used to be a hobby or a class. Now it’s my whole life.
Feel the vibe, the shakti of all the teachers chanting with Gurudevi in 2002.
Back then, she was Rama, leading the first Svaroopa® Yoga Teachers Conference. Some yogi musicians joined her, with sitar and drum, leading to an ecstatic evening!
- Shree Ma
- Jaya Shiva Shankara
- Mt. Kailasa OM Namah Shivaya
Get singles or buy the whole album. Chant along to experience the bliss of Consciousness or play it in your headphones. People will ask why your smile is so bright.
By Annette (Annapurna) Zucco
Interviewed by Agnes (Aikya) Hetherington
I met Amy in spring 2023, a month after her quadruple bypass surgery. The pain, fear and trauma poured out of her, a stream of hyperanxiety. At 59, her chest had been surgically opened up, exposing her physical and emotional heart.
We began with Ujjayi Pranayama and then moved on to the high-risk protocol for Embodyment® Yoga Therapy. After her first session, Amy reported “…feeling very relaxed in the chest area, feeling very soothed.”
Amy adopted a home practice of Ujjayi Pranayama while continuing with Embodyment® sessions. She was walking daily for cardiac rehab, but she would vomit after the walk. The exercise was medically necessary, while we were balancing it out with yoga practices.
The power of this practice continues to amaze me. Amy was learning techniques to calm herself and live her life. By summer, she could take her walk without pain or vomiting. She reported feeling movement in her sacrum, being open and relaxed in her chest. By winter, now doing the standard Embodyment® protocol, she described “dropping into that state of peacefulness.”
In Spring 2024, it was obvious from her breathing that Amy settled in very deeply. She remembered nothing but reported “I went very deep inside.” I let her settle into Self, into that healing place, a few more minutes.
Fourteen months after traumatic surgery, Amy took a two-week trip to Italy with her husband. She still has her challenges, but she realizes that she is more than her pain or anxiety. This incredible progress was achieved simply by following the Embodyment® protocols. It is so powerful, truly a therapeutic tool to be respected.
By Swami Satrupananda
You had help creating your aches and pains. People in your life have contributed to your stresses. Thus you need help reversing the process.
This is why you take a yoga class with a yoga teacher or you attend a meditation program with a meditation master. But if you want to accelerate your progress, work one-on-one with a yoga therapist.
A private yoga therapy session is all about you. The yoga therapist meets you where you are at – understanding your current needs and goals. Then the yoga practices are customized for you.
In this one-on-one setting, the yoga therapist can utilize yoga’s most powerful tools. You will feel the difference in your first session. As you continue with more sessions, dramatic changes are possible – more than you ever imagined.
This is possible because yoga’s therapeutic tools open you up to your inherent wholeness. Your health comes from your wholeness. This is even built into the word “health” as it comes from an Old English word “hale” which means “wholeness.”
Yes! The ancient yogic teachings agree. Your body, mind and emotions are all integrated and aligned with your wholeness and you feel great.
When you are fragmented, divided or scattered, you do not feel well. Your body, mind and emotions are taking you in different directions blocking your own inherent wholeness. Your body aches. Your bodily functions don’t work well. Your mind and emotions are at odds with each other creating internal turmoil.
The key to feeling better is to experience your wholeness again. This is the purpose of all of yoga’s practices. In a yoga therapy session, your therapist gives you the tools that reweave your inner fragmentation.
As you experience your wholeness, your body, mind and emotions are rejuvenated. As you continue to experience your wholeness again and again, you align to this wholeness. Then you live your whole life this way. Aches and pains fade away. Your breath, heart and other organs function better. And best of all, your mind and emotions are soothed and focused.
As the Beatles said, “with a little help from my friends.” Your healing is not a DIY project. Get a little help and a lot more with support and expertise from a yoga therapist. Your own yoga therapy sessions can be the boost you need to reclaim your wholeness.
Talk to a yoga therapist at 484.678.2078 to find out more.
By Sue (Shuchi) Cilley
I anchor my week in Swami Sunday. I anchor my days in Meditation Club — every day of the week.
It’s amazing how often Sunday comes around again. Every Sunday, Gurudevi makes time in her schedule. She invites me (and everyone else) to Lokananda for Satsang. I come on Zoom. Others, who live closer, come in person.
I make it a priority in my week. A monthly subscription makes it easy. Occasionally I can’t attend, but it’s rare. I care.
Baba says if you want enlightenment, go to one who’s got it. I am so grateful to be able to spend this time with Gurudevi.
What’s so great about Swami Sunday? Technically it’s called Satsang. It’s an opportunity to experience Truth (sat), your own inherent Divinity, in the company of others (sangha). What’s a better use of time?
Swami Sunday has a formal structure to it. Using ancient practices invokes the inner arising of your own inherent Divinity. It’s totally reliable. So many practices. We chant at several different times, we listen to stories and Gurudevi’s illumined teachings. Can you keep your eyes open while she’s speaking?
We use a candle flame ceremony to invoke the power of revelation. She gives meditation instructions; we repeat the lineage mantra and meditate. She’s endlessly creative, always giving the gift of Self-Knowingness. If you want to know, go to one who knows and can give it to you.
And now the Sunday subscription includes the Wednesday evening programs as well! What a bonus that is!
It’s a less formal evening, but no less powerful. Each evening Gurudevi unpacks the nuances of the language from a multi-line quote from Baba’s writings. Somehow each of them is magnifying the clarity of each other, invoking Grace. She’s enlivening the teachings.
Her words are profound and easy to understand. I dive in deeper and deeper. Then we do a longer chant and a longer meditation. It couldn’t be any more perfect. I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to be there. Her invitation is open to everyone.
Now Wednesdays are becoming a commitment, too. All my inner and outer obstacles to attending have melted away. I’m more securely aligned with the Grace which flows into every aspect of my life.
If you want to know, go to one who knows and can give it to you. I want to know and I keep showing up, sitting at the feet of my Guru – via Zoom. Jai Gurudevi!
By Soraya (Sudevi) Pereira
My all-time favorite pose is Vrkshasana (Tree Pose). I love doing the pose as well as teaching it.
I especially love practicing it outdoors beside a tree. In the midst of trees, I feel like one of them. When the ground allows, I take my shoes off and feel the grounding effects of being barefoot on dirt or grass.
I feel deeply rooted as my straight leg leans into the ground. At the same time, I’m uplifted by the upward-moving energy (udana prana). It starts to rise as I lift my arms towards the sky. Engaging my abs a bit releases my spine and lets the udana prana flow freely. The balance between this downward rooting and the upward lift feels amazing!
With my bent knee wide and the straight leg and hip facing forward, I find a balance between right and left. Finding balance, I feel at ease, clear-headed, invigorated, positive and in touch with my Self.
I feel the light of my own Self transmuting any mental or emotional contraction and negativity into openness, ease and deep understanding. This is very much like the light of the sun allowing the tree to transmute carbon dioxide into life-giving oxygen.
Just like trees, Vrkshasana is pure magic! But don’t take my word for it, try it yourself.
Every week, you can attend two satsangs with Gurudevi Nirmalananda — in person or online! Which works for you?
Sundays from 10:00 – 11:30 am (Eastern Time)
Wednesdays from 7:30 – 9:00 pm (Eastern Time)
When you meditate with a Master, you slip inward so easily. That’s what Gurudevi offers, along with the sutras and teachings from the ancient tradition. Join us for chanting, a discourse, meditation instruction and group meditation.
It’s free if you can join us live in Downingtown PA.
If you cannot join us onsite, enroll in our online program. Our subscription service gives you a way to participate no matter where you’re located. You may enroll for a single satsang or for a series.
By Barbara (Girijananda) Hess, SVA Board Member
Yes, the light of Consciousness is contagious. I caught this “light contagion” the first time I met Gurudevi.
I did not fully understand it. But when I received this gift, I wanted to give back. I became a monthly donor and began supporting the semiannual fundraisers. Join me in offering financial support.
Supporting the teachings and the teachers who bring them to you is a sacred practice. It’s called dakshina — unconditional financial giving. This sacred way to share your own light uplifts you. There is nothing better to do than to dedicate your actions to your own upliftment. And it helps Gurudevi reach more seekers in search of a Great One.
What she offers is contagious. It’s an ever-expanding process. After meeting her, I was expanding and wanting more. Along with practicing dakshina, I started traveling to take courses with her. The effort I was putting toward studying and learning with a Great One sped me along my spiritual deepening.
Gurudevi says, “Like if you sit in the sun, you get warm. If you sit with the Guru, you get lit up on the inside. Why? Because your nature is light. When you spend time with one who lives in the light full time, you start to perceive your own.” When you come to Lokananda for trainings or retreats, you feel this most strongly.
Have you caught the “light contagion?” You are a yogi drawn to the Svaroopa® Sciences which offer healing and transformation on many levels. Arise! Awake! Learn! And please participate in our fundraiser. You were born to share your transformation with the world, to let your inner bliss overflow into the world.
All that we do, we do for you. We appreciate your support more than you know.
Donate online or shoot us an email: donate@svaroopayoga.org. Or send us a check: SVA, 116 E. Lancaster Ave, Downingtown PA 19335. Or give us a call and talk to a real person at 610.644.7555.
By Marlene (Matrikaa) Gast, Yogaratna
Adventurous and enthusiastic at 81 years of age, Bette sought Svaroopa® yoga therapy after ziplining and white water rafting in Costa Rica last winter. Her neighbor — a Svaroopa® yoga student — noticed Bette walking “strangely,” clearly in pain. Her neighbor suggested yoga therapy. Bette replied with a resounding “yes.”
After a series of 10 Overlap Healing Embodyment® sessions, Bette’s back pain was gone. Her shoulder pain was gone too. But that can’t be attributed entirely to yoga therapy. Midway through her Overlap Healing, her painful shoulder got an anesthetic injection from her physician.
Bette began yoga therapy with level 10 pain in her sacrum and 7 in her right shoulder. Her physician had diagnosed a fracture of the left side of her sacrum. Years before, she’d had two surgeries to repair torn ligaments and tendons in the shoulder. At age 9, she incurred a serious tailbone injury.
Per protocols for a high-risk client, I began her pain treatment by teaching her Ujjayi Pranayama. She took to it immediately. Afterward, she felt “much more relaxed.” She was “only slightly aware of” the sacrum pain with which she’d arrived. Her shoulder was also “feeling much better.” During the six weeks of her Overlap Embodyment® sessions, Bette faithfully practiced daily Ujjayi breathing.
After four sessions in a row, she reported feeling “straighter without trying or straining, taller and just calmer up and down my back.” Her pain steadily lessened through the six sessions at wider intervals. In her final session, Bette arrived with no pain in her shoulder and just a level 1 in her sacrum. At the end, she had zero pain and told me, “I don’t understand it. It’s sort of mystical. The pain is gone.”
I moved 2,000 miles away a few weeks later. So Bette has continued weekly sessions with another Embodyment® Therapist near her. She wrote me a note saying that her “sacrum fracture has become less painful.” She feels that with continued daily Ujjayi breathing it “has a better chance to heal.”
Yes, Embodyment® plus Ujjayi opens us to the healing power of Consciousness.
practice & grace: giving you your Self
revealing the mystery
SVA Blog 