Author Archives: Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram

The Wonders of Shaktipat

By Ashley (Tarini) Molson

Interviewed by Lori (Priya) Kenney

I was alone in my own home for the September Shaktipat Retreat. Even online, I had profound experiences. Gurudevi has no limitations.

Remarkable things happened and are continuing. Chanting had been something I felt uneasy doing. With no one listening, I sang out freely. By the end of the weekend, I had no inhibitions and was chanting loudly from my depths.

While receiving Shaktipat from Gurudevi, I found myself falling at her feet. It wasn’t me making a heartfelt or mental choice to fall. It truly felt as if I fell at her feet in full surrender. My spine was straight up, but my heart was bowing. It wasn’t something I thought myself into, it happened inside. In this moment, I fully embraced Gurudevi as my Guru.

The devotion has continued blossoming. I immediately signed up for Meditation Club so I can meditate with Gurudevi and the other Svaroopis. It wasn’t a priority before ¾ I always hit snooze. I now wake up most mornings between 3:45 and 4 am.

After Shaktipat, meditating more and spending more time with Gurudevi isn’t even a question. It’s like breathing. I want more time with Gurudevi to continue deepening my experience.

Shaktipat lit a fire that is filling me with the strength of my Sanskrit name. Tarini is one of the names of Durga. I’m feeling her strength, and it’s moving me to do things that seemed impossible before.

I own my own business and work full time. It’s intense and there’s no “off button.” I’ve been remembering what a gift it is to learn this yoga. I feel incredibly grateful to Gurudevi. She poured into me and now I’m saying, “Where am I needed? Where can I pour it out to others?”

I’m inspired to teach yoga again. It’s amazing — time and space are opening up for me.

Enroll Now

My Online Miracle

Leave a reply

By Joan Bragar

My online connections with the Ashram have been a godsend. I participate twice a week in online yoga classes taught by the Swamis.

The benefits of Svaroopa^® yoga have been huge through my online yoga therapy sessions with the Swamis. I fully recovered from two major surgeries within a year. I now can engage in life with full mobility and strength. This is increasingly important as I turn seventy.

I’ve also taken additional online classes, including the Magic of Ujjayi program, Gurudevi’s illuminating Telecourses, and her “live from the Ashram kitchen” Yogic Nutrition course. I even participated in my first Shaktipat retreat online!

So I feel very close and connected to the Ashram. My knowledge, commitment and dedication to this spiritual path have deepened over the past few years. I now offer seva (volunteer service) to support the work of Svaroopa^® yoga in the world.

Last year, I got to Downingtown PA for my first in-person Shaktipat Retreat. I was happy to be there in person at last, and Gurudevi greeted me warmly.

During a dinner, I had a funny and fun-loving conversation with some of the swamis. It was about how tall they had thought I was from seeing me on Zoom. Some thought I was taller, and some thought I was shorter. That seemed to be the only information that wasn’t easily discernable online. Everything else — including emotional connection and physical and spiritual development — had occurred through several years of virtual programs.

I am always surprised that more people don’t take advantage of these weekly classes with true Svaroopa^® yoga masters. The organization’s website makes it easy to find and sign up for classes and programs. I invite you to join me.

Online Services

Yogic Nutrition

Leave a reply

Online — Beginning Tuesday March 26

What does a yogi eat? To achieve health as well as pleasure and (most importantly) spiritual development, yogis feed themselves consciously.

This course focuses on what to eat, when and why. Drawing on yoga, Ayurveda and scientific nutritional guidelines, Swami Samvidaananda and Gurudevi give you easy ways to improve your nutritional profile.

Each class includes teachings as well as a tasting session with discussion and easy recipes for your homework. If you were able to be in-person, your tasting session would be foods prepared by the Ashram, but for an online course, you’ll have to do some simple preparation before class. It may include slicing apples or perhaps the heating up of milk or a non-dairy alternative. 

As these principles begin working for you, you’ll notice a change in your digestion, assimilation and elimination. Taste is also important, especially as it contributes to your nutrition as well as your quality of life.   

I loved taking this joyful, practical online course! It was full of fascinating nutritional information that showed me new ways to approach meal planning. Much of it happened in our kitchens, which created a relaxed vibe. We had fun tasting our experiments and comparing results. An especially important part for me was the personal advice I received. As a result, I am now consulting an Ayurvedic doctor to help with digestive imbalances. – Agnes H.

Video

Register

Sitting Auspiciously

Leave a reply

By Valerie (Atmananda) Light Trautlein, Yogaratna

Right now, my favorite pose is Swastikasana.

I love this pose because it supports my spine to be so upright in meditation. The “envelopes” of my thighs and calves are wonderful supports for my feet. Props for my knees give my hips and spine support.

They rest in alignment with each other. The support of blankets and my own body allows Kundalini to rise up my spine. Any blockages are cleared.

This support allows me not to work so hard at meditation. As I sit in the pose, I feel my body as one unit. This sensation of wholeness supports the truth of experiencing the One Reality as I sit.

I can remember a time when I could not sit in this position for long periods. I would experience hip and knee pain towards the end of meditation. So I decided to focus on deeper spinal release poses in my home practice.

The deep, consistent spinal release opened up the tight parts of my body. This of course addressed mental tension too. This focus created lasting change. It gave me the ability to enjoy sitting in this pose without pain. The whole thing got much easier.

The name of the pose, I find, really describes the gift of the pose. Swastikasana means auspicious sitting. Also, one translation of the Sanskrit name Shiva is “auspicious.” When I sit in Swastikasana, my body is aligned in a way to sit as my Self auspiciously with ease.

I receive support from the blankets as well as from my own body. Outside and inside work together with one goal. Sitting as Self.

On-Site & Online Classes

Teacher Directory

Experiencing Shavasana & Ujjayi Pranayama

Leave a reply

Gurudevi’s Audio Recording

By Barbara (Girijananda) Hess

The cover says it all: “Discover more of yourself in these inner explorations into the vastness of your own beingness …”

Listening to Gurudevi Nirmalananda guide me into Shavasana with this CD has supported me for many years. The CD offers a wide range of Shavasana and Ujjayi Pranayama experiences. Some are short and others long. You can choose the tracks that fit your available time.

I especially love the Track 4 “Long Guided Awareness” with tamboura. Gurudevi begins with the familiar “Become aware of your toes, all ten toes …” Then she continues with an in-depth inner exploration throughout your body. I especially love the section when she tracks up your spine one vertebra at a time. I must say I missed this section for more than a year. I would pass in before I even got to the sacrum!

Now I mostly stay conscious. I love the deepening awareness of each vertebra. I sense the subtle presence of the inner conduit through which Kundalini arises. I have new, deepening awareness at different areas of my internal terrain each time I dive inside with Gurudevi’s guided awareness. It gives me a full 30 minutes of Divine exploration.

I have recommended this CD to many students who want to be guided in Shavasana in their home practice. They report, just as I do, many new insights each time they practice Shavasana guided by Gurudevi.

Listen to a Sample

Buy Now

The Light of Consciousness

Leave a reply

By Rebecca (Jyoti) Yacobi

Interviewed by Lori (Priya) Kenney

Chanting is a powerful, effective way for me to prepare for meditation. It draws me very deep, very quickly.

And when I chant with Gurudevi, the sound reverberates progressively deeper and deeper. Then, in meditation, what bliss! My meditation is light-filled. Like a magnet, it draws me even deeper. Chanting and meditation with Gurudevi give me an experience of a spacious, expansive mind. It almost feels like the space between my neurons is opened.

Gurudevi offered two Grace-infused Chanting and Meditation Retreats online in 2021. I felt like a kid in a candy shop. In April, the whole weekend was devoted to mantra. I delved into the power of our mantra.

Gurudevi talked about the mystical vibration of the mantra and how OM contains the whole universe. We chanted and repeated mantra in many different ways. We chanted it frontward and backwards. The power of the mantra was manifest by Gurudevi unfolding its mystical meaning.

Then she led us through the experience of chanting it. Carried by the vibration of the sound, I tracked back deeper and deeper within. I had an embodied experience of what Gurudevi described — mantra is one with Self, with the Guru, with Shiva.

This April retreat was so blissful and transformative that I signed up for the next one. I wanted more. It was dedicated to the warrior Goddess Durga, the Goddess who protects us. Chanting her name with Gurudevi was extraordinary. It wasn’t just chanting a Great Being’s name. I felt the amplification that comes from Grace flowing through her name.

I just love chanting and meditation together.

Chanting & Meditation Weekend

Never Underestimate the Power of the Tailbone

Leave a reply

Lissa (Yogyananda) Fountain, Yogaratna

Arthur came to see me after Gurudevi Nirmalananda recommended an Embodyment^®Overlap Healing series.

He had been diagnosed with a condition called Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR), an inflammatory rheumatoid disease.

He was in constant pain. Gurudevi said that because medicine can cite no cause, at least 80% was tailbone tightening. He would really benefit from the daily release a five-session series provides.

Arthur, an otherwise dynamo of an octogenarian, was definitively not feeling like himself. We began by building a bond of trust. I asked him to share some of his life story, as he described his physical pain. For him, this facilitated an understanding of the body-mind connection.

We took it very slowly in the beginning, as is the protocol for a high-risk client. In the first session, even the slightest tailbone opening would flare up his shoulder pain. So I improvised with extra pillows and higher blankets for his head. We inched our way, step by step, and the unraveling began.

By the second session, Arthur was breathing easier, and letting his body relax more into the process. When he got up to stand, he felt two inches taller. His skin and eyes were brighter. There was more of a spring to his step as he walked out my door.

After our first five sessions, his wife was amazed! Arthur started feeling more like his energetic self. It only got better as the series progressed.

He already had a daily Shavasana and Ujjayi Pranayama practice. Now he could get up and down from the floor more easily. He was climbing stairs with greater ease. His sinuses were draining and even his sleep improved.

With his lower spine decompressing, his spirits lifted. He felt happier. It wasn’t long before the shoulder pillows were gone, and his head needed only one blanket. The best was, he could drop into Consciousness, no longer interrupted with painful flare-ups. Arthur’s healing continues. Never underestimate the power of the tailbone!

Svaroopa Yoga Therapy

Teacher Directory

Gurudevi’s CD: Honored Guru Gita

Leave a reply

By Joan Brager

I love the chant “Jaya Jaya Arati Nityananda,” track 7 on this CD. The first time I heard it at the Ashram, it sounded like a march for a noble cause.

I wanted to sing along. I found the refrain lively and simple enough for me to quickly catch on: “Jaya Jaya aaratee Nityananda.”

I knew we were singing about Nityananda. I had read and heard enough about him to know that he was a great spiritual being. I knew that “jaya jaya” meant “Hail hail.” But the sound of jaya jaya is better than that translation. You know you are heralding someone great when you sing it out.

So I boldly sang out the refrain.

I learned later, when I looked up the translation, that the refrain says ”Hail Hail, I offer lights to Nityananda.” That is a fitting tribute to someone who brought so much light to so many.

Hearing this chant in Gurudevi’s beautiful singing voice is a pleasure that I repeat often.

Audio Sample

Buy Now

My Favorite Marker Pose

Leave a reply

By Marlene (Matrikaa) Gast, Yogaratna

Every time I do Downward Facing Dog pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana), I savor the experience.

To prepare, I lengthen my arms out on the floor, and feel a soft knot unravel between my shoulder blades. It’s like a looped scarf simply smoothing out. Nearly effortlessly, I back into the pose.

I feel supported and protected by my leg bones. Miraculously stable, they take my body’s weight. My torso feels fluid and light. I feel enlivened and timeless. A pure, blissful awareness of being expands from within and envelopes me.

In my 30’s, I found I could do yoga, though I’d nearly flunked high school physical education. Down Dog has been a loyal friend. In Down Dog, I proudly sunk my heels into the floor while others had to lift theirs. True, the teacher suggested I seek a chiropractor for my visibly tight upper spine. But my heels landed! I was good (or so I thought)! For decades, I continued with yoga classes in different styles. Down Dog was always my favorite pose. I stayed in delusion.

Finding Svaroopa^® yoga, I first felt the bliss of spinal opening and then learned the truth. Overstretched ligaments are a big problem. I could press my Down Dog feet into the floor and go into all kinds of pretzel poses. But this deceptive flexibility kept my spine tight.

Fortunately, I enrolled in Foundations. That “iceberg” hiding in the depths came to light. After YTT 1, I vowed to practice Svaroopa^® yoga poses exclusively. No more Down Dog — not until YTT 3 a few years later.

Being trained to teach Downward Facing Dog as a Svaroopa^® yoga pose was a breakthrough. I felt my spine and whole body come alive. It’s a lifetime Marker Pose for me. Down Dog shows me, in no uncertain terms, the miraculous power of Svaroopa^® yoga’s spinal decompression.

I now do Down Dog with reverence. It reveals the sanctity of my human body and sends me into bliss.

Meditation Tips & Tricks

Leave a reply

Free Program with Gurudevi

A day without meditation would be like a day without eating — you can do it, but why?

Enjoy all the benefits you’ve heard about: inner clarity, creativity, peace, healing and happiness.

Learn directly from Gurudevi Nirmalananda in this FREE online program.

Wednesday February 7

1:30 – 3:00 pm (Eastern Time)

ONLINE

Your take-away is personal, empowering you to make a choice about when and how you meditate as well as why. When all these factors line up, you wouldn’t want to miss a day!

Learn More