Category Archives: Yoga in Life

Mystical Upgrade

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By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

You have earned your current condition. Yoga calls this your bhava, meaning your state of mind and body as well as the circumstances of your life and status of your relationships.

You have invested your time and energy into getting what you’ve got, which includes the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s called karma-phala, the repercussions of your prior actions.

This is karma-bhumi, the world of action. Bhumi means land, literally earth, also referring to our planet. Karma means action. You must have a body to exist in this plane. Having a body means you are propelled into action.

This plane of existence is based in perpetual motion. Even if you decide to abstain from external activity, your mind keeps going. The key question is — what is your motivation for any of your actions? Your motivation determines what your karmic repercussions are.

Being a good person is a primary motivator for most people. They will forego pleasures in order to take care of their loved ones and handle other obligations. The Bhagavadgita, an ancient yogic text, focuses on you being a yogi while fulfilling your dharma — your roles and responsibilities.

Classical yoga systems begin with morality and ethics. The yamas and niyamas are lifestyle practices that clean up your act. My Baba summarized them succinctly:

They are nothing but rules of self-control: living a regular and disciplined life, going to bed and getting up punctually, talking less, speaking the truth and eating only as much as you can digest. Now who in the world doesn’t need these rules?

When I met Baba, I hadn’t been following the rules. I had invested years in breaking every rule I could find. As a teenager in the 1960’s, I took rebellion seriously. Fortunately, tantra is for everyone. Even if your lifestyle isn’t yogic and your karma is a bit messy…

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90-Year-Old’s Yoga Miracle

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By Kelly (Kushala) Sharp, Yogaratna

Elizabeth, who is 90 years old, has taken Svaroopa® yoga classes for 15 years.

An avid gardener, she often loses track of time when working in the yard. In the spring, she stopped taking yoga classes because she strained her neck and right shoulder.

Her neck continued to get worse. So Elizabeth signed up for a package of yoga therapy sessions and then an Overlap Healing* series. Her treatment goal was to feel as good as possible for the rest of her time on Earth.

After five yoga therapy sessions, Elizabeth’s neck and shoulder pain was gone. As it lessened, she had become aware of an old pain in her sacrum.

Embodyment® in a yoga pose became the focus of our sessions, and Elizabeth continued to deepen. During her Overlap series, she joked saying she didn’t know how she could feel any better. And yet she did!

Elizabeth started to incorporate changes into her gardening routine. She set a timer while gardening so she wouldn’t overdo it. She did Slow Motion Dive as soon as she came into the house. If she had more gardening to do, she took a break before heading back out. The changes in her gardening behavior supported her changes from the Overlap Healing series.

Then Elizabeth took a fall when the wind caught her foot. The next thing she knew, she was on the ground. Elizabeth was concerned that she’d aggravated the areas yoga therapy had improved.

Aside from her left knee being a little tender, however, Elizabeth was no worse for wear. At her age such a fall could have been a real game changer. She was delighted with the unexpected outcome.

The changes that the yoga therapy made in Elizabeth’s body noticeably increased her resilience.  When we discussed the event, Elizabeth said that the fall had felt different. I told her, “That’s because yogis bounce!”

*Overlap Healing is a series of yoga therapy sessions done daily for 5-10x, then every other day, then twice weekly.

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You Are More

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I describe it this way: you are more than what the world tells you that you are. You are more than you think you are. You discover who and what you really are, oh Shiva, by looking within. And you still live in the world. You still have experiences, but they don’t make you who you are. Now, based in Self, you draw on Divine intelligence within to guide…

— Gurudevi Nirmalananda

From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Self-Mastery“

Watch Full Discourse Here

Meditation Teacher Training

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Starting Now!

Become a Meditation Teacher in our upcoming training. Your six-day On-Site Retreat starts in just one week.

You begin with deepening your experience of Self, the key part of your process. Your retreat includes a Shaktipat Day, to open you inward to the flow of profound meditative energy. Your own meditation experiences give you the foundation for your teaching. Then, by studying the sutras, you learn how to guide others in the same process.

Returning home, you begin seven months of Online Classes. Daily group meditations and weekly satsangs (meditation programs) with Gurudevi ensure that you continue to marinate in Consciousness.

Your live-streamed classes train you in increasingly powerful meditation tools. You hone your communication skills as you learn to teach about bliss and awareness. You are also trained to answer students’ questions and help them with practicalities.

Your training culminates with a two-day Online Retreat. Plus, mentoring afterwards supports you as you teach your first “Intro to Meditation” series.

Don’t miss out on this golden opportunity. Enroll today.

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Nutritious & Delicious

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By Marlene (Matrikaa) Gast

Our Ashram’s Chai Granola is now ready to be shipped fresh to your home.  

Developed under Gurudevi’s guidance, this nutty blend is rich in protein. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and clove deliver classic chai flavor, comforting and deeply satisfying.

Savor it for breakfast, for snacking and as a dessert topping. Both vegan and gluten-free, this granola is suitable for everyone, including those with dietary restrictions.

You will be sustained and grounded. Because each batch is crafted in our Ashram kitchen, every bite is infused with shakti. This living energy supports and uplifts you.

Available in 12-ounce packages.

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Lulled into Self

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By Barbara (Girijananda) Hess

Listening to Gurudevi Nirmalananda’s Spiritual Hunger & Fulfillment album always lulls me into my own Self.

Gurudevi chants the “Atma Shatakam” in Sanskrit, an ancient poem of six verses on liberation by Adi Shankaracharya. While the first five verses state what you are not, the sixth verse proclaims your true nature:

Chidananda rupa shivo’ham shivo’ham
My true form is the bliss of Consciousness. I am Shiva. I am Shiva.

This refrain is sung twice between each of the poem’s verses as well. This settles my mind into stillness.

“Atma Shatakam Translation,” Track 3, is Gurudevi’s spoken English translation. Her strong, compassionate voice captivates me, especially the refrain. The repeated “My true form is the bliss of Consciousness. I am Shiva. I am Shiva” draws me inside. 

Gurudevi allows a subtle pause between the two instances that come after each of five verses. I linger in these pauses, settling in deeper.

As she speaks the translation of the things Shankaracharya says you are not in each of the first five verses, my mind continues to resonate with “I am Shiva.” As this slows my thinking, it also gives me focus. This is a great support while I write talks based on sutras for the meditation classes I teach. I settle in and the sutras come to life.

In Verse 6, Gurudevi speaks Shankaracharya’s proclamation of this true nature:

I am free from thought, I am the formless in form, I am the sacred power of speech . . . 
My true form is the bliss of Consciousness. I am Shiva. I am Shiva.

This gives me the answer, which I’ve always longed for, to the question “Who am I?”.  My form is bliss! I am Shiva. I am Shiva.

Another track is “Bhagavan Namah,” meaning “I bow to the Divine.” As Gurudevi chants in Sanskrit, I listen with a deep reverence and gratitude. I mentally bow again and again.

When I listen to this CD in the evening before bedtime, I experience it as a sweet lullaby. I’m soothed into stillness and then sleep.

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You Are Not Your Body

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You are not your body. You have a body.  Your body is not who you are.  Everyone identifies with their body.  If they are coughing and sneezing, they say, “I have a cold,” or “I have allergies.”  If you change your words and say, “My body has a cold,” or “My body has allergies,” you might actually…. 

—  Gurudevi Nirmalananda

From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Your Physical Condition“

Watch Full Discourse Here

November in Ganeshpuri with Gurudevi

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Join Gurudevi as she honors her spiritual roots on her 80th birthday. Two special events are planned!

On the day before her birthday, Gurudevi will do a special fire ceremony, only for 80-year-olds.  Sahasrara Chandra Darshanam celebrates  that she has lived through 1,000 full moons. It conveys gratitude, longevity and spiritual maturity.

On her birth anniversary, Gurudevi will participate in the morning ceremonies for Nityananda in his temple. She has done this several times before, and says:

I am grateful to be able to honor Nityananda in such an intimate and personal way. This ceremony always gives me the feeling I had when sitting with my Baba. What a glorious way to honor my Baba — by honoring his Baba.

You are invited to join her. You will sit at her feet just as she sat at the feet of her Guru. The transformative effects of her teachings and practices will be amplified.

Golden Jubilee

Begins Monday November 9

You will dive deep into Consciousness with Gurudevi each day. Sutra discourses, chanting and meditation prepare you for profound transformation. Svaroopis who have travelled with her to Ganeshpuri attest to this:

Gurudevi already has us on the fast track to enlightenment. Being in Ganeshpuri with her adds a turbo boost. The power and Grace in every square inch of Ganeshpuri adds to what she already gives. — Lynn (Gurupremananda) Cattafi

Sitting with Gurudevi in my home over Zoom is awesome. Sitting at Gurudevi’s feet at Lokananda, I am enveloped in Grace. Sitting at Gurudevi’s feet in India is being transported to the land of Grace, to the Heart of Being. I’ve been to Ganeshpuri with Gurudevi twice. Nothing surpasses sitting with her in the powerful, mystical presence of her Guru and his Guru. This is truly a sacred journey of a lifetime.
 — Lori (Priya) Kenney

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Meditation Teacher Training

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Starting Soon!

Combining On-Site and Online training, our new MTT format is time efficient and powerfully deep.

You start your training on April 7 with a 6-day On-Site Training Retreat. Day by day, you lengthen and deepen your meditations. The Shaktipat Day opens you inward to the flow of profound meditative energy.

Experiencing your own Divine Essence is the key part of the process. Your own meditation experiences give you the foundation for your teaching. Then, by studying the sutras, you learn how to guide others in the same process.  

Returning home, you begin 7 months of online classes. Daily group meditations and weekly satsangs (meditation programs) with Gurudevi ensure that you continue to marinate in Consciousness.

Your live-streamed classes train you in increasingly powerful meditation tools. You hone your communication skills as you learn to teach about bliss and awareness. You are also trained to answer students’ questions and help them with practicalities.

Your training culminates with a two-day Online Retreat.

This new MTT format gives you everything you need to begin teaching. Plus, mentoring afterwards supports you as you teach your first “Intro to Meditation” series.

Don’t miss out on this golden opportunity. Enroll today.

Enroll Now

Your Existence

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Your existence is concentrated right now in this body, this life. But your existence is that which has always existed, even before this body existed. You existed before you were born. You will exist beyond this body’s ability to sustain your presence in this form. Your own existence is the one existence that has…

— Gurudevi Nirmalananda

From Gurudevi’s full discourse “Tantric Systems“

Watch Full Discourse Here