Author Archives: Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram

My Year of Overlap Healing

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By Kristine (Dhairyavati) Freeman

Interviewed by Marlene (Matrikaa) Gast, Yogaratna

Two years ago, a bone scan showed osteopenia in one of my hips.  

Last spring, I wanted a home practice sequence with standing poses to address it. So I scheduled a private session with one of our Swamis.  I also knew that, at the same time, I’d be in a retreat with Gurudevi at the Ashram.

Instead of a pose practice, Gurudevi said I needed three thirty-session sets of Embodyment® Yoga Therapy.  This was a Shakti Blast to my brain!  I reacted with shock.  How could I find the time — or the budget?  Yet in my Embodyment® session with Swami Praj~nanda, I heard inner guidance: This is a gift from your Guru.  Can you find a way to accept it?

Home in MA, I found a longtime Embodyment® Yoga Therapist and realized I could make this happen. At first, I took lots of notes after my sessions. My lingering question was what if I do all these sessions and nothing happens?  Still, I felt an undercurrent of Grace supporting me.  I felt deeply settled, a steady stillness in the world.

By July, I’d completed my first set of 30 sessions. At the Ashram for another retreat, I could easily sit on the floor for meditation.  I could do all the poses without the modifications I had needed before.

During recesses, I didn’t need to rest in Shavasana and do Ujjayi.  My stamina had increased.  I was told my face looked lighter.  In August, a bone scan showed the osteopenia had stabilized at the level shown years before. The best-case scenario!

Now I’m in my third set of 30 Overlap Healing sessions.  Once again, I’m at the Ashram for a retreat with Gurudevi.  The seven-hour drive from MA was easy. I did not need long breaks, nor did I need caffeine. My body is free from the deep fatigue that I’d been living with before these therapy sessions.

I feel that “investing” in my bones has also delivered increased longevity and quality of life. With stabilized bone density, I don’t need medication for osteoporosis.  I am so grateful for Gurudevi’s Shakti Blast!  It’s been a highly effective intervention and so much more.

Yoga Therapy – Online and On-Site

Make a Difference

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By Ruth (Rama) Brooke

When you shine with the light of Consciousness, you are a light unto the world.  And when you give of yourself, you receive. 

Our nature is truly giving.  We love to give and when we do, we feel good.  The energy of giving is reciprocal.  It comes back to us, exponentially. 

This is why yoga offers so many ways to give.  One is through the practice of dakshina, selfless giving of financial resources.  Please join me in contributing to our Ashram’s year-end fundraiser — Shine with Divine Light.  Together, we can make a difference. 

Through dakshina, yogis make a difference in the world.  It’s both an inner and an outer difference.  In giving, we help change the world.  And in giving, we have much to receive.  The light of Consciousness shines brighter inside and outside, all at the same time. 

So shine on!  Make a difference.  Support Gurudevi and the Ashram as you recognize your Divine light. Then shine like a beacon, into the world.  The world needs Divine light now more than ever. 

There are some auspicious dates which fall during our Ashram’s fundraiser.  It runs from now until Dec 14.  Perhaps you’d like to time your contribution with one of these important dates:

Gurudevi’s Birthday – Nov. 15

Thanksgiving – Nov. 23 (in the U.S.)

Year-End Giving – anytime

We are now able to accept stock transfers as well. We even have a dedicated email for you to contact: donate@svaroopayoga.org.

You can also 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!

Shine with Divine Light

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By Ellen (Lajja) Mitchell, President

Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram Board of Directors

Our Ashram’s year-end fundraiser theme is “Shine with Divine Light.”  

Please join me in donating with a one-time amount or starting a monthly donation, or increasing your current monthly amount.  Any gift will help your Ashram shine its Divine Light brighter into the world.

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Kindly take a look at our Vision and Mission statements at the bottom of all our emails.  Our Vision is “To engage in and teach the worship of Paramashiva, the all-pervasive Divine Reality, focusing on finding and experiencing the Divine within the individual.”  

Our Mission Statement explains how we do that.  It says “We provide yoga and meditation programs, teacher training and a vowed order. As a conduit of Grace in an ancient yogic lineage, we serve seekers of Self-Realization.”

This means our fundraising theme, Shine with Divine Light, is what we do.  Gurudevi Nirmalananda, our Master Teacher, says

It’s about shining in a way that you help others find their own light.

Think of the world and everyone as a string of lights.  Not all the lights are shining or functioning at their full wattage. The Svaroopa® Sciences help you look inside so you find the source that powers your light to its fullest.  Once you are sourced this way, you in turn affect others in your circle.  

How many lights can turn on or shine brighter?  Your donation will help us to provide the opportunity for you and others to “Shine with Divine Light.” How? By doing more yoga.  Your generous donation is a shining example!

Donate today on our website.  Or you can call us at (610) 644-7555.  Or simply send your check to Svaroopa Vidya Ashram, 116 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown, PA 19335.  Thank You!

Donate Today

Yogic Nutrition with Gurudevi 

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Online beginning November 7

What does a yogi eat?  

To achieve health as well as pleasure and (most importantly) spiritual development, yogis feed themselves consciously.  

Drawing on yoga, Ayurveda and scientific nutritional guidelines, Gurudevi gives you easy ways to improve your nutritional profile.

Taste is also important, especially as it contributes to your nutrition as well as your quality of life. Each class includes a tasting session with discussion. Enrollment is limited, so everyone can participate in the discussions as well as get personalized support and recommendations from Gurudevi.

My taste buds came alive.  I was in shock! Gurudevi guided us through making toast with all six tastes on it.  A huge light bulb went off.  Food can be good and good for me!  In this course, I learned I’ve been protein-deficient for 20 years.  Now I understand where my cravings come from.  The course inspired me to slow down and be more conscious of my eating.  I was thrilled to learn so much in a short period of time. And watching Gurudevi in the Ashram kitchen was a joyful experience.  — Sheralee H.

Yogic Nutrition

Inner Strength & Clarity

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By Jules (Brahmani) Watson, Yogaratna

I am grateful for the flexibility that Svaroopa® yoga has given me! I can now sit comfortably without props in the classical Vajrasana (Lightning Bolt pose). This was not the case when I first started yoga.

I sit in Vajrasana to teach classes. Settling into my sit bones, I begin by leading students into Shavasana with the Guided Awareness. Then I guide them in Ujjayi Pranayama. During class I sometimes sit in this pose beside a student to assist them. I also sit in Vajrasana to give private yoga therapy sessions. With an upright spine, I feel balanced and present. 

When I want to sit longer in my own practice, I bring in blanket props. This takes the pressure off my ankles and allows the blood to flow freely to my feet. It also takes the pressure off my knees and supports my spine. Then I can stay sitting longer.

It’s delicious! My spine lengthens upward, my belly softens. I feel vibrational energy in my solar plexus, my breathing is easier, and I feel expansive. My spine softens even more, and my awareness turns inward easily. I am at peace.

I am held by my inner stambha (the arising column of spinal energy). And I slip into the bliss of the Self. After sitting in Vajrasana for this longer time, I feel balanced and composed with a new sense of inner strength and clarity.

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Teacher Directory

Learning to Eat Again

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By Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

Interviewed by Lori (Priya) Kenney

Food had lost its luster.  I was tired of cooking, tired of trying to find something exciting to eat. Nothing inspired me. My friends talked about recipes, but I wasn’t interested.  Being gluten and dairy-free made it even harder.  

In the first “Yogic Nutrition” class, my taste buds came alive.  I was in shock! Gurudevi guided us through making toast with all six tastes on it.  A huge light bulb went off.  Food can be good and good for me!  

Gurudevi told us that Baba said, “Food is medicine.”  Food can help me with my health too.  In this course, I learned I’ve been protein-deficient for 20 years.  Now I understand where my cravings come from.  

The course is both personal and practical.  I’d been accustomed to stressing about what to cook for myself and my family.  The course inspired me to slow down and be more conscious of my eating.  I was thrilled to learn so much in a short period of time.

Watching Gurudevi in the Ashram kitchen was a joyful experience.  It was amazing to see her and Swami Samvidaananda having fun making hummus.  It was heart-warming to see her doing things just like I do in my kitchen.  

I’m not 100% doing everything I learned, but I’m working on it.  I have staples on hand to bring the six tastes into every meal.  I know when to have the biggest meal, and I get much more protein than I used to.  I feel like Gurudevi really cares about how I’m nourishing myself.  She gave me confidence to continue on the path of yogic nutrition.  

Yogic Nutrition

Tired of Living with Pain

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By Kelly (Kushala) Sharp

Tired of living with pain, Jen started a Yoga Therapy healing series with me.  

Before her first session, she reported pain in her right shoulder at 8 (out of 10), with her right wrist at 6, and her right ribs at 7.  After her first session, her shoulder pain was down to 4, with her wrist pain at 0, and her rib pain at 5.

Jen reported, “After three days in a row of my Embodyment® sessions, I played golf.  I found that I hit the ball 20 yards farther.  I had to slow my swing down, and I could let my club do the work.  Usually when I swing the ball, I grip my toes.  I didn’t do that, so I didn’t have any cramping in my feet.  After the game, I didn’t experience any of my usual stiffness.”  These improvements supported Jen’s resolve to do her 20-minute Ujjayi practice twice daily.

By the time Jen was on session 13 of 30, she was free from pain.  She consistently reported having more energy and better sleep.  On session 30, Jen couldn’t recall what the chronic pain areas were when she started her series.  Her daily practices had become more consistent.  

Now two months into her weekly maintenance sessions, Jen continues to see improvements.  In Shavasana she feels her heels leaning more heavily into their support.  She sits in Baddha Konasana (Cobbler’s Pose) with her feet together, without efforting to hold them together.  Having done Svaroopa® yoga for many years, Jen is very excited to feel these changes in her body.  She continues to experience reduced pain and more energy.  And she’s still doing her home practice regularly!

Svaroopa® Yoga Therapy
Teacher Directory

Yogic Nutrition with Gurudevi

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Online beginning November 7

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

Drawing on yoga, Ayurveda and scientific nutritional guidelines, Gurudevi gives you easy ways to improve your nutritional profile.  

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.  Each class includes a tasting session with discussion.

Enrollment is limited, so everyone can participate in the discussions as well as get personalized support and recommendations from Gurudevi.

Yogic Nutrition

Diagonal Leg Deliciousness!

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Carolyn (Karuna) Beaver, Yogaratna

One of my go-to poses is Diagonal Alternate Leg.  It has a wonderful way of resetting my unstable hip joints.  Lately, however, I have been slowing it W-A-Y down.  Then I get all the juice I can from it.  It feels like my own self-administered Cure All Knee Press.

It’s a two-for-one pose.  You start in the regular angle of Alternate Leg.  I linger just a little, first with my knee in towards my chest.  Then, I move my leg into an advanced and deeper angle, thus I can feel my tailbone release in both angles. Ahh…

I take my time moving my leg across my body into the diagonal angle.  I go slow, and then pause.  When I coax my knee in towards my chest, I might even feel into a tight spot.  Some softening breaths, and I can feel those muscles let go.  It’s the “Cure All” effect!

My favorite part of all?  Allowing my leg to lean in towards my chest slowly and naturally, as I ease it back to its starting point.  I can feel my thigh bone pivoting and settling into my hip socket in a different and deeper way.  And even better than all this?  I get to do it all on the other side!

Svaroopa® Yoga Classes

Telecourse: Being, Light & Bliss

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Gurudevi’s Telecourse helped me remember I am more than my daily to-do list.  I am a human BE-ing.  My greatest potential is realized not by becoming but by relaxing into who I already am. I am the Light and Bliss of Consciousness.  The constant obsession for fulfilling my to-do list wears me down.  The constant knowing of my own Divine Beingness lights me up.

— Phil M.

Each of Gurudevi’s Telecourses has several modules.  Enroll in them all for a discount or take only the ones you want.  You have personal access to all the articles and videos for months.  You can dive in deep, even reviewing each offering multiple times.  This is guaranteed to shift your sense of who you are, supporting your life in the world from the inside-outward.

Free Intro Video