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