If you’re going through pain now, simply name it. You are the one who is naming it. You’re not your pain. You’re the one who’s naming it. Yes, you have to deal with it. But you’re not your pain. You are more, so much more. The best way to discover that you are more than your pain is…
— Gurudevi Nirmalananda
From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Freedom from Pain“
By Amanda (Purna) Schmidt
More of Gurudevi’s music is now available in digital form. This makes it easier than ever to enjoy yogic chanting with Gurudevi wherever you are.
Her digital music collection spans decades, and includes both singles and full albums. She herself created the cover art for the re-released singles!
Check out iTunes or Amazon Music to purchase and download music to your device.
Or, try a streaming service. Choose what works for you! Immerse in the joy of chanting, anytime and anywhere.
By Gurudevi Nirmalananda
Love is essential. It is Divine Essence, expressed outward.
Your Divine Essence is found inside, which yoga calls “Self.” When you are experiencing your own Self, your eyes shine with light and your heart overflows. Other people experience it as love, but you know that it is God, shining from within.
The only time you ever have a problem with love is when you look for it outside. When you feel empty and you want someone else to fill you, it never lasts. It might work for a while, but never for long. The reason is that you’re looking in the wrong place.
Getting love from outside is like trying to fill a dry well. The way that wells work is this: you dig a deep hole that fills with water from underground. The source is called the “aquifer,” like an underground lake that comes from rainfall or snow melt that soaks into the ground.
If your well runs dry, and you have a water truck come in to fill it, the new water will soak in deeper, replenishing the aquifer. You cannot fill a dry well. The water must come up from a deeper source.
Love works in a similar way. It comes from deep within. In yoga, you base yourself in this deeper dimension of your own being, so you are always full. Not merely a well, you are a geyser! Your inner experience is sourced from your own Divine Essence, so you never run dry. Thus you never look for others to fill you.
A friend recently showed me a photo of his new granddaughter. His face lit up. His voice changed. He giggled. I’ve never heard him giggle before. It was delightful!
What is happening here? The child is not old enough to say, “I love you, Grandpa.” He’s not getting love from the infant. He is tapping into his own essence and overflowing from inside.
Why doesn’t every child make him feel that way? Why doesn’t every person make him feel that way? For him, love is related to DNA. If there’s no shared DNA, there’s no love. It’s like you have to compare your genealogical charts before you allow yourself to feel love. How limiting!
On Valentine’s Day, let your love expand to include everyone in your neighborhood, everyone in your town, in your county, in your state, in your country. How about everyone in the world? The way you do this is to dig deep so your well is being filled from the inside out.
We are in a tantric tradition. Tantra goes about it completely differently. Tantra says, “Let’s just shred anava mala.” Through Shaktipat, I will open you up from the inside out. Shred anava mala so you have experiences of your own Self. You know who you are. Go ahead…
— Gurudevi Nirmalananda
From Gurudevi’s full discourse “From the Inside-Out“
When you’re comparing what’s happening to what you think should be happening, you’ll be lost in your reactions.
What you need to do – let’s be very simplistic about this – if what’s happening doesn’t match your plan, then you need to…
— Gurudevi Nirmalananda
From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Bondage & Freedom“
By Joan (Jayadevi) Bragar
A famous Indian singer composed “Jyota se Jyota” in Hindi as a tribute to Baba Muktananda. Gurudevi has rendered this beautiful hymn into English verses. You can find audios and lyrics of both.
We sing the full version as part of the arati (candle ceremony) honoring Baba Muktananda before the morning meditation. We subscribers to the online Meditation Club joyfully sing it with Gurudevi and the Swamis every day. The shortened version with English is sung in our Satsangs, in-person and online on Sundays and Wednesdays.
When I wanted to be able to sing along, I learned this hymn on morning walks along the harbor. Every day, I would bring two lines to memorize. I started with the chorus:
Mera Antara timira mitavo,
Sadaguru jyota se jyota jagavo.
Remove the darkness concealing me,
Teacher of Truth, awaken my inner light
You, too, can memorize this chorus and join us in song. All the resources you need are now available:
Even better, listen to Gurudevi sweetly sing it in Hindi on her new album Honoring the One Who Needs No Praise, and in English on the recently released Mystical Song of the Guru.
As the song starts to wind down, I look forward to belting out the final verse:
Jivana Muktananda Avinashi. (x2)
Charanana sharana lagavo.
Sadaguru jyota se jyota jagavo!
O limitless one, Swami Muktananda,
In your lotus feet, I take shelter.
Teacher of Truth, awaken my inner light!
Hearing this perfectly sets me up for meditation. Muktananda awakens “my inner light.”
Come sing along with us!
By Gurudevi Nirmalananda
Born into bondage, your life’s task is to fly free. You begin the process like a caged bird who keeps flexing its wings, wanting to fly. Your cage door is opened by one who is already free.
This is the Shaktipat Guru’s task, to set you free by opening up the inner arising of Consciousness. Thus you discover the truth that has been hidden for so long, that your essence is Divine.
The not-knowing of your own Self is what causes all your pain. It is the result of Shiva’s decision to become individually and uniquely you. He does this by hiding himself in multiple levels of contraction.
It puts you on a merry-go-round, locked down by Shiva, going round in circles for lifetimes. What you have to do is grab the brass ring! Get Shaktipat, the inner awakening that sets you free.
The inner bolt of I-Consciousness bestowed by the Guru shatters the not-knowingness, setting you free.
Udyamo bhairavah. — Shiva Sutras 1.5
Prior to receiving Shaktipat, I had a few expansive experiences. Though they were rare and never lasted long. I wanted more. Some of my friends used substances to get there, but I preferred spending time in nature, as well as…
Atma, your own Self, is all pervading. You probably think of your own Self as being inside your body, but it’s the other way around. Your body is inside your own Self. You may think of your own Self like your soul, that your soul is found…
— Gurudevi Nirmalananda
From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Atma & Svaroopa“
You are so much more than you think you are. It is all summarized in this one sutra:
Your own Self is Consciousness-Itself.
Chaitanyam atma. — Shiva Sutras 1.1
This is the first sutra, in the first chapter of the first text of Kashmiri Shaivism, our yogic tradition. The first sutra is the most important one.
— Gurudevi Nirmalananda
From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Your Divine Essence“
By Amanda (Purna) Schmidt
A new year means a new calendar! The title of Gurudevi’s Calendar Journal — “Living Mysticism” — encourages weaving the sacred into daily life.
The pages offer space for organizing your schedule or freely journaling. And of course you can do both!
Sutra-like excerpts from Gurudevi’s teachings inspire you on each page. Embrace the yoga of spiritualizing all aspects of life. Begin a new year with a new outlook, based in the Self.
practice & grace: giving you your Self
revealing the mystery
SVA Blog 