By Rosemary (Rudrani) Nogue, Yogaratna

Swami Sunday and Wednesday Satsang are magnificent Guru gifts. I am thankful that both satsangs are easily accessible online. I live far from the Ashram (like many of you). From the first 2020 online Swami Sunday to today, I’ve cherished these lifelines to Guru’s Grace.

Recently, I travelled to Downingtown and participated in person in two Swami Sundays and two Wednesday Satsangs at Lokananda. There were similarities between online and in person.  Gurudevi’s inspiring talks always resonate and offer what I need to hear (again). I always feel that each talk is the best talk ever!  Gurudevi helps me slide into easy, deep meditations whether I’m online or in person.

Still, there were wonderful upgrades to being with my Guru in person. Arriving early at the meditation hall gave me the opportunity to prepare myself to receive more.   I settled into the undeniable energy and repeated mantra.

Upon Gurudevi’s arrival, I bowed with my hands together in front of my heart (Anjali Mudra). I felt seen. Group chanting immersed me in a delicious surround-sound. During darshan I rested my head on Gurudevi’s feet. Upon sitting up, Guru and Self were One. 

Gurudevi answered a personal question and blessed my sacred object. Prasad was sweet. During the gathering in Lokananda’s café area, I shared, listened, and learned from others’ experiences of Swami Sunday. Another of Gurudevi’s brilliant offerings! 

Being with Gurudevi gave me an openhearted experience of being “here” within.  My Grace receiving capacity expanded while my reverence for Gurudevi and Self deepened.

I look forward to returning soon. Gurudevi always offers more when I am ready.

By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

Over a thousand years ago, the great Tibetan yogi Milarepa got teachings from his Guru, Marpa the Translator.

As a young man, Marpa had left his home in the Himalayas to study in India with the yogis. He memorized Sanskrit texts and copied them down.

Marpa then took those texts back to his homeland and translated them into the local language. He wasn’t making up new teachings. He brought the teachings from India up into the Himalayas and shared them with those who had an interest.

Similarly, I am a translator. Yet I am not translating from Sanskrit because I do not know the language. I study English translations of the texts, plus I know a lot of the technical terminology. As a teacher, I am giving you a cultural translation. It is needed because many of the texts were written for monks living in a monastery. Yet most Westerners interweave these spiritual principles into their worldly lifestyle.

As a cultural translator, I show you how to apply those yogic principles in your busy life. I empower you to live a yogic lifestyle at home, a place you probably share with other people and where there is a lot going on.

Do the yogic principles still work, even in this new setting? Yes, definitely! The same teachings are applied, not only in a different language, but in our modern times and in a different cultural context. So, in that way, I serve as a translator.

Excerpt from Yoga: Embodied Spirituality, pages 25‒26

By Gurudevi Nirmalananda 

When you get lost in the world, you have not only lost your way, you have lost your own Self.

If you go for a hike and get lost in the woods, after a while you know you are lost. You try to retrace your steps or find a pathway out. But you never get so lost that you think you are a tree. You still know you are a person and that you have a home to return to.

Getting lost in worldly stuff is like thinking you are a tree. You don’t remember that you have a home, a place inside where you are already whole, full, complete and perfect. When you are lost, you think you are imperfect and that you MUST have a certain worldly thing or a certain person to fulfill you. 

Allow me to assure you that you are not a tree. You are not a worldly person. If you were, you wouldn’t be reading this. You want something more than what the world can provide. Bottom line, you are seeking your own Self. You must look inward.

When you look inward, the first thing you discover is your mind. It replays your worldly experiences and reactions. Now, instead of getting lost in the world, you can get lost in your mind. You think, “I am my mind!”  But the statement itself proves…

This is the energy that fires off volcanoes.

This is the energy that keeps our sun burning. The energy that lights the stars or even makes them explode or collapse in on themselves. 

Kundalini Shakti is cosmic energy hidden in you. The name Kundalini describes how….   

— Gurudevi Nirmalananda

Turiya is the fourth state.  It is beyond your mind and senses, and free from the density and darkness you know from deep sleep. Turiya is vast, comforting… 

— Gurudevi Nirmalananda

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.

You can rely on Gurudevi’s satsangs — community gatherings — for timeless yogic teachings and wisdom applicable to modern circumstances. Your particular, “real-life” questions are the basis of her Q&A satsangs. 

Get online with Gurudevi Nirmalananda in this free call so you can ask your questions.  Gurudevi calls on yogis in the order in which they enrolled online to ask questions. Some questions are quicker and others are longer, so the amount of time devoted to each cannot be predicted. Thus, those who enroll earliest are assured of getting to ask their question.

Everyone benefits from hearing the discussion, which is exactly what it is like when you are able to attend a satsang with Gurudevi.

When you meditate, you have meditation experiences. They are different from your everyday experiences and your usual mental activity. 

As you develop your capacity, your meditation experiences change. Your capacity includes…    

— Gurudevi Nirmalananda

By Gurudevi Nirmalananda 

Grace is one of the primary principles of yoga.  Grace makes everything easy. It is always flowing. 

If life seems hard to you, you have unknowingly shut yourself off from the flow of grace.  Yoga opens you up to its support in many tangible ways.

The principle of support is a primary element of Svaroopa^® Yoga practice. Your teacher may slide a blanket underneath you in a seated position in order for you to get the most benefit. Halfway through the pose, she may remind you, “Lean your full weight into the support of that blanket.”  Most people do not really sit on the blanket or chair underneath them, but hold themselves up by tightening their spinal muscles.

Check in with yourself right now. Are you leaning your full weight into the support underneath you? As you lean more fully into your seat, you may find that you significantly relax and can breathe more easily. Learning to lean into the physical support is a way of practicing how to lean into the support of grace.

Let down your walls. They not only isolate you from others — they separate you from the flow of grace.  Learning how to relax in Shavasana is learning how to melt the walls. The progressive release of Shavasana becomes deeper and more reliable with repetition.

Excerpt from Yoga in Every Moment, page 111