By Kristine (Dhairyavati) Freeman

Interviewed by Lori (Priya) Kenney

Attending Swami Sunday online gives me an infusion of Grace each week.  Sometimes there’s a satsang that especially speaks to me, and I need to hear it again.  Sometimes, again and again!  

With Gurudevi’s Deep Teachings videos online, I can easily watch them.  The subscriber discount makes it cost less than a latte at Dunkin’^® Donuts.  It’s so powerful to see Gurudevi in these videos.  More of my senses are engaged.  Grace is just pouring out of the screen.

I visit my son in California every few months.  Before flying, I rent and download several videos to watch during the flight.  It’s like having Gurudevi with me.  Each video is available for three days, and I can watch as many times as I want in those three days.  The three-day clock doesn’t start ticking until I start watching.

Another way I use them is on a long drive. I drive from Massachusetts to New Hampshire regularly to see my 85-year-old dad, who needs lots of support.  I load the videos onto my phone, put it in my cupholder and listen.  It puts me in a great state for whatever I encounter with my dad that day.  These videos are a game-changer. 

Gurudevi’s satsangs are grounding me in a deeper understanding of the teachings. That’s especially so when I watch the videos multiple times. Last week, I taught a “Troubleshooting Your Meditation” class.  I noticed I was teaching from a greater depth.  Both I and my students benefitted from that.

Breakthrough!  Once I received Shaktipat, the old identities couldn’t limit me anymore.  Oh, I still did daughtering. I still did worker-bee. I still did pay-my-taxes, vote-in-elections. I still renewed my driver’s license when it was due.  But they were things I did, not…

—  Gurudevi Nirmalananda  

From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Open The Curtains“

Yes, you are spirit, clothed in a human body.  Your inner essence is enlivening your body and using your mind to manage the tasks and functions of the physical world.  You are not your body.  You are not your mind. You are not your body, and your mind put together.  You are…

From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Wearing a Costume“

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…

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[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 Amanda (Purna) Schmidt

Aratis, bhajans, kirtans — it’s all here!  Find them all in Yoga’s Sacred Songs, Gurudevi’s newly published compendium of all the Svaroopa^Ⓡ yoga chants.

Learn the inspiration behind each chant, as Gurudevi explains the importance of the words as well as melody. You’ll also find a Sanskrit pronunciation guide as well as photos of Gurudevi.  

Best of all is Shree Guru Gita, which she has rendered into English verse.

The companion CD, “Mystical Song of the Guru,” is also available now. These wonderful new resources make the mystical experience of chanting more accessible than ever. It’s never been easier to bring this Ashram practice into your daily life. Deepen both your understanding and devotion.