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“
By Kristine (Dhairyavati) Freeman
Ashram Board Member
Our Ashram Fundraiser “Tried and True: Recipes for your Spiritual Journey” has begun. Please join me in making a donation today.
Gurudevi describes herself as a modern-day representative of an ancient tradition. The yogic texts were written for monks living in monasteries. Yet Gurudevi makes these spiritual teachings relevant to us today. She shows us how to apply these ancient tried and true practices in our busy lives. And they work!
My yogic spiritual journey began with a referral to a Svaroopa® yoga class from my physical therapist. I’d been cycling in and out of PT (physical therapy) for more than a year with chronic back pain. In my very first Svaroopa® yoga class, my back felt better. I was so surprised!
Soon my teacher gave me a home practice to do. Right away I could feel the poses were more effective than the PT exercises. My mind was benefiting too. I felt a sense of overall well-being that motivated me to do more.
I quickly found my way to a weekend workshop offered by Gurudevi. She generously answered my questions and offered context for the spiritual experiences I was undergoing. Twenty years later, my spiritual practices have expanded to include chanting, meditation, seva, dakshina and studying with my Guru.
All of these practices are tried and true. They open you inward to the experiential knowing of your own Divine Essence. Ultimately, this experiential knowing can shift the world. What a great reason to be an Ashram Donor!
Donate today to 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!
By Marlene (Matrikaa) Gast, Yogaratna
“Your knee is shot,” pronounced Eva’s doctor. An online Svaroopa® yoga student since 2022, she injured her right knee walking her dog and doing yard work, leading to knee replacement surgery in May. In September, I called to learn when she would resume her yoga.
Eva reported, “I was doing well with daily PT exercises, Ujjayi Pranayama, and walking. At the gym, I spent time on a ‘new step machine,’ recumbent bike and rowing machine — 10 minutes each. Best was the pool. I felt so buoyant! I even did the can-can in the water — and, unfortunately, over did it.
“Two days later, I couldn’t walk with a straight knee. To straighten it, I could barely do 2 seconds of the 5 minutes of my PT exercise. Once every hour, I sit upright in a chair with a bench at the same height across from me. My knee is straight while my foot rests on the bench. I lean forward without bending my shoulders until I feel a moderate stretch. But after my pool can-can, the pain at the back of my knee is unbearable, and my thigh spasms.”
Hearing this, I recommended yoga therapy. Online, Eva settled into a supported Shavasana, I led her through Ujjayi Pranayama for about 5 minutes. Then I guided her in a gentle tailbone release pose followed by Dhanurasana Leg with a therapeutic adaptation.
Afterward, she reported feeling exponentially better. I recommended that she do her daily PT exercise for 1 minute only and follow it with this therapeutic sequence. I suggested increasing the PT time by 1 minute each day to return to 5 minutes.
On September 30th, Eva returned to my beginners’ yoga class, which features the Primary Spinal Openers. She substituted Dhanu Leg for Lunge. Afterward, she felt “glowy, floaty and really good.” With Svaroopa® blankets under her knee, Eva did Lunge in the next class.
She says, “For the first time since surgery, I had enough flexion in my knee to move forward into the pose. Lunge does something for my whole spine like nothing else. Lunge makes everything flow.”
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“
By Gurudevi Nirmalananda
The first time you chant Shree Guru Gita can be a powerful experience, whether it’s due to the beauty and power of the chant or because your tongue can’t quite wrap itself around the Sanskrit syllables. You have options about how to participate:
Close your eyes and listen, coasting on the Shakti (energy).
Open youvr eyes and follow along with the Sanskrit.
Read the English silently while the group is chanting the Sanskrit.
Mouth the Sanskrit words silently, or even breathe into them.
Chant quietly, even if your chanting isn’t perfect.
Open your mouth and sing along, even perhaps using a finger to track each word!
Beyond your experience of the chant itself, notice what the chant does for you. Your “Marker Pose” is your state before and after the chant: what is the condition of your body, breath, mind, and heart? How do you feel within yourself — at what depth are you sitting within? By assessing these changes, you can determine the value of this practice for yourself.
Excerpt from Yoga’s Sacred Songs, pages 149‒150
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…
[1] To receive the mantra from Gurudevi, attend one of her programs or request a mantra card at https://svaroopa.org/mantra-card.
By Lynn (Gurupremananda) Cattafi
Shhhh … don’t tell anybody, but I got a sneak peek at Gurudevi’s 2025 Calendar Journal. She took everything that worked so well with the format of the 2024 version and made 2025 even better!
The cover photo for 2025 is one of my personal favorites of Gurudevi. Someone described it as a visual manifestation of the upwelling light of Consciousness. The photo is pure Grace. What a way to start every day!
The 2025 daily quotes are perfectly selected to keep us moving forward, and ever inward, on our path to enlightenment. I love how the 2024 Calendar Journal daily quote always meets me right where I’m at.
Gurudevi reading the quote at the start of Meditation Club every morning is such a bonus. When she adds her comments, it makes the teaching land even deeper inside.
For each 2025 daily quote, Gurudevi has included the name and date of her Teaching article from which it comes. I love this! Sometimes, I don’t make a note of her article reference when she states it. Some days, I simply missed it while my mind was contemplating the quote.
Now, I will be able to effortlessly find the source article to read in its entirety. I look forward to being able to imbibe the teaching in its fullness. I plan to make this a daily practice. It’s a Grace-filled New Year’s resolution.
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 Ellen (Lajja) Mitchell, President Board of Directors
Asana, meditation, chanting, studying sacred texts — are these yoga practices reliable to make us feel better and to deepen us spiritually? I would say yes!
Can we bring them into our daily lives? Again, I would say yes! This weaving of yoga into life is tantra. It’s a recipe for living a spiritual life full of openings.
Dakshina, unconditional financial giving, is another practice that creates openings. Please join me in giving to our end-of-year fundraiser. Help Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram continue to share these practices with you and the world.
I can attest to what the practices have given me. Asanas (yoga poses) open my body and quiet my mind. And sometimes bliss arises. It could be the opening or closing Shavasana in a Svaroopa® yoga class that does this, or it could be any of the poses in between. After Seated Side Stretch, your teacher has you pause for a moment. What do you feel? Are you sitting deeper in your seat? Do you feel more settled? Do you feel more open?
Gurudevi Nirmalananda’s teachings bring understanding to the experiences we have while doing the practices. Gurudevi explains in modern terms what is happening. She talks to us about the journey we are on, practices that will benefit us and where we can go.
This journey is not new to the 21st Century yogi. It is a journey that yogis have been on for ages. It is tried and true. It is the purpose of life — to know our own Self. It is the reason Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram exists — to serve seekers of Self-Realization.
Help Gurudevi and Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram continue to share the practices and teachings by giving today.
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!
practice & grace: giving you your Self
revealing the mystery
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