Category Archives: Fundraiser

Gratitude for Divine Light

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By Marlene (Matrikaa) Gast, Yogaratna

 “Wow! Just what I’ve always wanted!” It’s like I open a box, and a beautiful, gleaming gift is revealed.  

I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for all I receive from our Ashram.  The yogic practice of dakshina — financial support for the source of the teachings — is the only way I can begin to give back.

I hope you will join me!  Together, let’s make our Ashram’s year-end fundraiser a festival of gratitude.  In a real sense, we’re all sitting at the same table.  We are all being nourished by the practices of Gurudevi’s Svaroopa® Sciences.  We can help ensure the continued flow of those teachings to ourselves and the world beyond.  And, by doing so, we Shine with Divine Light.

In my mid-seventies, I’ve pondered our culture’s socially respectable invitation to take it easy.  I’ve taught yoga for decades.  So many logistics to manage!  So many finances to figure out!  Isn’t it time to retire?  

Then I reflect on my experiences of the ancient, authentic yogic practices that Gurudevi gives us.  They have healed, supported and protected me through life’s “scrapes.”   Gurudevi’s presence invites Divine Light to Shine from within me.  When it wells up, it burns off the fog of delusion.  Through this yoga, I can Shine with Divine Light to serve friends, family and students.  It’s the gift I’ve always wanted.

So please join me in our Ashram’s year-end gratitude celebration.  Please reflect on what you’ve received from the Svaroopa® Sciences.  Based in the Divine Light of your natural gratitude and generosity, decide on your donation.  

With your financial support, in any amount, you receive our heartfelt thanks. Shining your Divine Light in this way, you are helping spread Gurudevi’s teachings to the world — so very important right now.  

You can donate by clicking the button below.  You can also call us at (610) 644-7555.  Or you can send your check, in honor of Gurudevi’s Birthday, to Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram, 116 E. Lancaster Ave, Downingtown, PA 19335.  Thank You!

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Shine with Divine Light

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By Kristine (Dhairyavati) Freeman

Please join me in donating to our “Shine with Divine Light” fall fundraising campaign.

Gurudevi says that light is so important to you because you are made of light. You feel most like yourself when you are shining with light. When your actions show your generous and loving nature, you feel so natural. You feel like yourself. You are radiant with light in those moments. You are your own Self.

As a freshman in college, I wasn’t feeling like myself. The social and academic transition was a challenging one. But twice a week I volunteered to give campus tours to prospective students and their parents. I noticed that I always felt better after giving a tour. I felt more like myself. Yet my light was limited, and I could get depleted quite quickly. I was like a little spark of light.

Gurudevi taught me how to be a steady flame. I am forever grateful for this gift.

As a Svaroopa® Yoga and Meditation teacher, I serve as an internal tour guide.  I offer others yogic tools to access their own Divine light, so we can shine together. Like a blaze of light.

When you shine with the light of Consciousness, you too are a light unto the world. And when you give of yourself, you truly do receive. This is why dakshina, or selfless giving, is one of yoga’s most important practices.

As an Ashram donor, you make what we do possible. Yet you are the one who gets the most benefit. You are making a difference in the world. You are helping Gurudevi make a difference in the world.

That difference is an inner difference. When you’re changed on the inside, then you can truly work to benefit the world and all in it. It’s another reason to do more yoga. Let your Divine Light shine. Make a difference.

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Everything Sparkles with Divine Light 

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By Beth (Bhānumati) Cunningham

Divine light touches all parts of my life. It’s because of Gurudevi. This is why I practice sharing it as much as I can. 

One of the most important parts of this practice is dakshina: supporting our Ashram financially. Another is inviting you to join me in this practice. I love honoring my revered teacher with a donation on her birthday (November 15). 

I love reaching out to let you know the benefits of your own contribution. Svaroopa® Yoga practices reveal your Divine light to you so you can shine it in the world. 

Lately, I’ve been asking for light to shine into my mind and heart’s deepest crevasses. This is new for me. I used to be afraid of what was in there. I used to hide from difficulties. Svaroopa® Yoga has taught me to trust my own inner light. Whatever it uncovers is a great treasure, even if it doesn’t appear so at first. 

Guided by Divine light, I cannot help but shine. I see it reflected back to me in my loved ones and community.  More and more, everything sparkles. I cannot repay Gurudevi for this gift, but I can support her teachings by donating to the Ashram in her honor. 

Supporting Gurudevi supports my inner Guru – the source of the light.  It is the single most important thing I can ever do with my money.  I invite you to share in supporting our Guru and Swamis with your own contribution.  And I thank you for sharing your own Divine light in the world.

You can donate in Gurudevi’s honor by clicking the button below.  You can also call us at (610) 644-7555.  Or you can send your check, in honor of Gurudevi’s Birthday, to Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram, 116 E. Lancaster Ave, Downingtown, PA 19335.  Thank You!

Gurudevi’s Birthday

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!

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Giving and Receiving

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By Ellen (Lajja) Mitchell, President

Svaroopa® Yoga Ashram Board

It’s hard to believe that our “Body, Mind, Heart and More” fundraiser is wrapping up.  From the bottom of my heart, I thank each and every donor for your support.  Your generosity touches my heart.  If you have not already given, there is still time.  

Your donations are the foundation that allows us to keep going.  Your donations build a stable platform for us to offer Freebies, programs, trainings and immersions.  Thus, our Ashram can offer the gems of Svaroopa® yoga: asana, Embodyment® yoga therapy, vichara, meditation, chanting and more.  I want to thank you for helping to support our Ashram in this way.  You help us to share the tools that you know work.

I find it easier to give than receive.  Even when I volunteer, I feel good and my heart is opened.  Then I find it easier to receive.  It’s a cycle of giving and receiving.  

This isn’t about how much you give.  It’s about the place inside from which you give.  We think of giving and receiving as two different things.  Or is it one?  Can you give without receiving?  

When you receive, you’re giving a gift to the one who is giving.  You’re allowing them to help.  So I don’t think giving and receiving are different.  They are intertwined.

When you do the Svaroopa® yoga practices, they uncover your indwelling light.  Then it shines through you.  You also allow the Ashram to serve you.  Your donation keeps the cycle of giving and receiving going.  By being in this community and by giving, you allow our Ashram to shine the Light of Consciousness in the world.

Donate today on our website.  You can 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!

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Keep the Light Shining

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By Carolyn (Karuna) Beaver, Yogaratna

Member, SVA Board of Directors

The Svaroopa® Sciences practices are like glittering gems.  On their own, they sparkle.  When you do more of them, YOU sparkle.  It’s because these gems are infused with the scintillating Grace of the Masters of our tradition.

Sparkling and shining with the Light of Consciousness, it’s easy to feel open-hearted and generous. Many of you have donated to our fundraiser, Body, Mind, Heart and More. And many of you have increased your monthly pledge.  And if you haven’t yet donated, there is still time!

We’re fortunate to have found a system of yoga and meditation that gives us so many doorways inside.  Our system of yoga and meditation is led by a living Meditation Master. She has the key to set us free . Ours is a mystical tradition. Gurudevi Nirmalananda unlocks access to your own Self.  Then she hands you the keys.  You can propel yourself all the way to enlightenment, if that is your goal.

Your goal could be continuing to feel better as well as to enjoy life more by taking yoga classes.  That’s terrific. Or you may want to shed the layers wrapping and warping your mind by using vichara (self-guided inquiry).  Awesome.  Maybe you want to delve deeper into your heart with chanting and meditation.  How wonderful.  All these radiant gems are there for you.

Still, there’s more.  These practices shine the light on all that you are.  Then Grace fuels your process and lifts you up, no matter what doorway you enter.  You shine brightly, like a diamond glittering in the sun.  You shine with the Light of Consciousness.

Keep the light shining for yourself and others with another one of yoga’s gems.  All your yoga practices open an inner flow that makes you want to share.  Dakshina, the yogic giving of financial resources, is an organic extension of this.  In our fundraiser, Body, Mind, Heart and More, contribute from all that you are.

When you give from the depths of your being, you feel generous, organically.  Open your body, mind, heart and more.  Give to the organization that gives you so much in return. Give to the organization that gives so much so freely to the world.

Donate today on our website.  You can 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!

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A Life Filled with Precious Gems

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By Lynn (Gurupremananda) Cattafi

Member, Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram Board of Directors

I choose a life filled with treasure.  Not treasures made of gold or silver, but of the most precious gems – Svaroopa®yoga gems.  

It is Gurudevi who lays before us this dazzling array of yoga practices and teachings.  So I support Gurudevi’s work in the world.  Please join me in offering your support during our Ashram’s current fundraiser: “Body, Mind, Heart and More.”

Our priceless Svaroopa® practices show us our inherent personal value plus how to make life meaningful.  The practices allow me to choose the treasures of an open heart and an open mind.  I choose the treasure of health and vitality.  

I choose a life of service to others and commitment to my own growth.  I choose to bask in the radiance of my own Self within.  All this is possible because of the precious gems of Svaroopa® yoga.  Miraculously, you can choose all of these amazing treasures, and more, and still live fully in the world.

My husband doesn’t really “do yoga.”  Yet he has chosen the gem of weekly Embodyment® sessions for the last 12 months.  He sees the benefit in his body.  And I see the shift in his state.  Just the other day, he experienced a sharp, unusual pain radiating through his torso.  When I came out of meditation, he calmly described, “I’m not saying it’s a heart attack, but…”  

Asked whether he wanted to go to the emergency room, he said yes.  We calmly got into the car and went.  My husband remained steady and calm throughout the check-in and tests.  They couldn’t find anything wrong, and sent us home after five hours.  Once home, we went on with our day.

I am showered with Svaroopa® yoga gems.  They light up my life with clarity, peace and joy. Please consider how Svaroopa® yoga gems have enriched your life.  Then I hope you will join me in donating to our Ashram in gratitude.

Donate today on our website.  You can 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!

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The Astounding Power of Dakshina

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By Beth (Bhanumati) Cunningham

I am astounded at the power of dakshina.  Dakshina is the practice of supporting the financial health of our Ashram. For me, no other practice offers more tangible transformation.  If I didn’t give to the Ashram, what tremendous gems would I be missing out on? That’s why it’s important to me to donate.  I don’t want you to miss out either.  So I hope you’ll join me in donating to the Ashram’s “Body, Mind, Heart and More” fundraiser.

A year ago, my family and I were set for some travel.  I was also planning a yoga retreat in the summer.  Everything was funded.  Then, we had a large amount of money stolen.  We cancelled everything.  We even had to borrow to pay our taxes.  It was tough.  About two weeks later, I got a phone call to donate to the fundraiser going on at the time.  I had a good excuse not to, but it didn’t even cross my mind.  I re-assessed what we could offer and made a donation.

By the end of the evening, Grace showered the returns upon me.  I discovered a great compassion for the people who had stolen the money.  Then, I had a powerful karmic clearing.  I realized that throughout the entire ordeal, I was still Me.  My Self was still there, whole and untouched.  What had the thieves stolen — really?  Nothing that I would not have freely given for such priceless gifts.  

These gifts continue to unfold.  Soon after, I got a significant raise.  Within six months, I was earning double what I had been.  Somehow, with little effort on my part, we’ve quickly recuperated the money we lost.  I’ve also been able to take Ashram courses that I couldn’t afford before the theft.

Yes, I am astounded at the power of dakshina.  Please join me in donating and be astounded yourself.

Donate today on our website.  You can 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!

Donate Today