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!

Why Do You Do What You Do?

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By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

There’s always a reason behind your actions. You are a volitional being, meaning you have free will. Animals function by instinct but humans have more options. What is it that motivates you?

When you lack any of the basics, they are your priority… Yoga honors the reality of such needs and reactions. You must prioritize basic issues, perhaps making yoga part of your support system when setting up a better quality of life. I have been fortunate to help a few yoga students facing such difficulties. Yet I recognize that most people come to yoga only when their basics are managed.

Once you have room to look at yourself and your own process, I ask — why do you do what you do? Hopefully you’re not focused on the instinctual level anymore. You have some breathing space in your life, enough that you’re interested in yoga. That means you have freedom of choice.

As an adolescent, I made choices based on anger. I was deeply frustrated at the incongruity between the ideals I’d been taught compared to the reality of the world around me. The prevailing message seemed to be, “Do what I say, not what I do.” My knee-jerk response was to try both what was recommended as well as what was advised against. What I learned in the process fueled my aspirations for something greater. I first sought it in higher education, but intellectual achievements were not enough for me.

Only yoga’s timeless teachings satisfied me. Now, for five decades, I’ve deliberately deepened my yogic knowledge and the experiences it has opened up in me. This is truly a bottomless well! Yoga has empowered me to live up to the highest ideals, yet in a down-to-earth way.

I think of my life’s path as a good use of my free will. Svatantra means free will. Svatantrya is God’s free will. Only you and God have free will. It is the distinguishing characteristic of…

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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!

Donate Today

The Yoga of Relationship

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By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

The intimate connection that you seek with another person is more than a meeting of minds and more than a meeting of bodies.

The point at which com­munication becomes communion is the experience of union. This is the goal of yoga, and the meaning of the Sanskrit word “yoga” itself — union. 

Once your innate yearning connects with your own inner source that fills it, you experi­ence this connection and communion with everyone. It is the natural outward expression of the inner experience. 

My own experience of relationships has been transformed by yoga. I have dif­ficulty naming it “love.” It is somehow both more and less than what I always thought love was. Whatever you want to call it, it is yoga. This is what makes our relationships work.

For me, it includes a deep respect for every person, along with a genuine interest and caring for how they think, how they feel, and for what is going on in their lives. 

Because of this, I never tire of talking with students about their lives, about their body, about their feelings, and especially about their experiences of yoga. I feel deeply honored by their sharing with me. I am grateful for this opportu­nity to share my understanding and my experience of yoga with you..

– excerpt from Yoga in Every Moment, page 2 

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Yogic Nutrition with Gurudevi 

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Online beginning November 7

What does a yogi eat?  

To achieve health as well as pleasure and (most importantly) spiritual development, yogis feed themselves consciously.  

Drawing on yoga, Ayurveda and scientific nutritional guidelines, Gurudevi gives you easy ways to improve your nutritional profile.

Taste is also important, especially as it contributes to your nutrition as well as your quality of life. Each class includes a tasting session with discussion. Enrollment is limited, so everyone can participate in the discussions as well as get personalized support and recommendations from Gurudevi.

My taste buds came alive.  I was in shock! Gurudevi guided us through making toast with all six tastes on it.  A huge light bulb went off.  Food can be good and good for me!  In this course, I learned I’ve been protein-deficient for 20 years.  Now I understand where my cravings come from.  The course inspired me to slow down and be more conscious of my eating.  I was thrilled to learn so much in a short period of time. And watching Gurudevi in the Ashram kitchen was a joyful experience.  — Sheralee H.

Yogic Nutrition

Inner Strength & Clarity

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By Jules (Brahmani) Watson, Yogaratna

I am grateful for the flexibility that Svaroopa® yoga has given me! I can now sit comfortably without props in the classical Vajrasana (Lightning Bolt pose). This was not the case when I first started yoga.

I sit in Vajrasana to teach classes. Settling into my sit bones, I begin by leading students into Shavasana with the Guided Awareness. Then I guide them in Ujjayi Pranayama. During class I sometimes sit in this pose beside a student to assist them. I also sit in Vajrasana to give private yoga therapy sessions. With an upright spine, I feel balanced and present. 

When I want to sit longer in my own practice, I bring in blanket props. This takes the pressure off my ankles and allows the blood to flow freely to my feet. It also takes the pressure off my knees and supports my spine. Then I can stay sitting longer.

It’s delicious! My spine lengthens upward, my belly softens. I feel vibrational energy in my solar plexus, my breathing is easier, and I feel expansive. My spine softens even more, and my awareness turns inward easily. I am at peace.

I am held by my inner stambha (the arising column of spinal energy). And I slip into the bliss of the Self. After sitting in Vajrasana for this longer time, I feel balanced and composed with a new sense of inner strength and clarity.

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Embodied Spirituality

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By Gurudevi Nirmalananda 

Tantra means loom, like a weaver’s loom that interweaves the warp and the woof threads.  It means that you find the infinite in this finite reality.  

You discover the Divine which is already present within the mundane.  The tantric sages say that the One Reality, which has always existed, decided to manifest the entire world and everyone in it. Everything is Shiva being the world as well as being beyond the world.  

The doorway into this tantric tradition is through initiation — Shaktipat.  It is a transmission of energy that awakens your own dormant energy, hidden within.  Your awakened energy then climbs your spine from the tip of your tailbone to the top of your head.  The purpose of all Svaroopa® practices is to awaken and support the blossoming of this spiritual energy in you.  

During meditation, signs of this inner awakening include little swaying movements, even small little jerks that deepen your meditation.  You may feel an inner heat climbing up your spine and spreading through your body.  You can be drawn into a deep and profound meditative state, so deep that it feels like sleep.  It is a deep meditative immersion into Consciousness.  

In your inner explorations, you may see lights, colors and visions, or you may hear divine inner sounds.  Or sudden and profound insights may be revealed.  These are all the results of Shaktipat — the inner awakening.  This is the beginning of embodied spirituality.  

Once you have received Shaktipat, the end goal is guaranteed — enlightenment in this lifetime.  I describe it like this: Once a baby is born, puberty is guaranteed.  Once you receive Shaktipat, realization is guaranteed.  

As cosmic energy moves through your spine, it vitalizes your body.  I can’t say revitalize because that would imply you were getting energy you’d previously had.  Rather, this is a vitality you never knew.  Your body undergoes energetic and cellular changes, profoundly beneficial.  

Yet the most important effect is that a profound inner state opens up for you.  Your new inner stability and depth provide additional physical benefits.  Your inner essence is expressed through your body and is experienced in your body, even while there is so much more.  

Svaroopa® yoga poses create and support this process.  Our sequencing always starts at the tip of your tailbone, followed by poses that mirror the inner opening of Shaktipat.  These practices support your inner upliftment, helping to dissolve blockages along the way.  Yet, as powerful, beautiful, wonderful and blissful as the poses are, they are only the starting point.  

Ultimately, the real work is accomplished in meditation. Meditation is where you let your Divine inner energy move through your spine.  This energy restructures your body and opens up your mind.  Your most powerful practices are mantra and meditation.  They will fulfill the promise of the sages, embodied spirituality: 

to know without thought

to BE without effort

to experience without fear or desire

to abide in the bliss of Consciousness

to live in the multidimensionality of your own being

to know your own Self as the Divine Incarnation that you already are.

-Excerpt, pages 22-24
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Embodied Consciousness

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By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

The goal of spirituality is not merely “Consciousness,” but “Embodied Consciousness.”  What does that mean?

It means you attain the ultimate state WHILE you live in a body, not after you leave it. Many spiritual traditions honor only those who have left their bodies.   In the West, no one can be called a saint until they’ve been dead for 50 years or more.

Some traditions focus on getting enlightened on the way out.  Tibetan Buddhism is well-known for its “Book of the Dead,” which is an instruction manual for your departure. Krishna-Consciousness has the goal to merge after you finish your life on earth.

The Kashmiri Shaivite tantric tradition says you can be enlightened and enlivened at the same time.  The goal is embodied Consciousness.

Tantra means loom, referring to the interweaving of the warp and woof threads, the Divine Reality and the mundane realities. The goal is to know your inherent Divinity while you are alive, and to see that same Reality in all others, all of the time.

Is this even attainable? You might wonder at the possibility for yourself.  Tantra says yes and that you need help from an enlightened Master to get there yourself.

Gururupaaya.h. — Shiva Sutras 2.6

The Guru is both the means and the goal.  

If enlightened living is possible, surely someone must have made it.  Many different someone’s, throughout the ages, not merely one who lived 2,000 years ago.  Were there others?  Are there others?

Yes.  Emphatically yes!  I have been blessed by meeting over 20 enlightened beings, from my own tradition as well as others. While they are all individual and unique, there is something consistent between them – their inner state is expanded beyond the norm.  And it is visible to others.

This is great in two ways:  1) that there are many enlightened beings living now, and 2) that you can see they are different.  They embody the goal.  Remember, the goal is embodied Consciousness.

You might decide, as I did, to get out there and meet as many as you can. Yet each one of them will tell you, “Pick one of us and focus.  Do the practices that we share, for we know that they work.  Cultivate your ability to be in relationship by developing your relationship with me.  It will overflow into your life and all your relationships.”

I was fortunate that I already had a decade with my own Guru before I went to meet others. I didn’t get confused by their different approaches.  Why do they bring so many different approaches to spirituality?  Because there are so many different kinds of people.

I was able to see their Divine light and to honor them without being pulled off my path. My roots grew deeply into Consciousness with my Baba, for which I am ever grateful.

It was easy, for Baba was “rupa” — the form, the embodiment of Consciousness-Itself.  And he was the consummate “Guru” — teacher, guide and protector.  He sheltered and nurtured me for all the years I needed it, then sent me with his blessings when it was time for me to fly.

Yes, the Guru is the goal. Baba emanated Divine Consciousness. Sitting in his presence was like sunbathing, something I know from my California adolescence.  I got warmed all the way into my bones, into my soul and deeper.  I melted into the Divine Essence that I already was.  Baba showed me it was possible.  And he showed me the way.

Yes, the Guru is the means to the goal.  The Guru dispenses Divine Energy, the energy of upliftment, which is most concentrated when giving Shaktipat.  The Guru dispenses teachings, the flashlight you use to find your way through the inner darkness.  

The Guru lives in the constant flow of inner illumination and shares it abundantly.  You need all of this in order to attain the highest – which is the knowing of the One Divine Reality that you already are.  Thus you become embodied Consciousness.

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Learning to Eat Again

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By Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

Interviewed by Lori (Priya) Kenney

Food had lost its luster.  I was tired of cooking, tired of trying to find something exciting to eat. Nothing inspired me. My friends talked about recipes, but I wasn’t interested.  Being gluten and dairy-free made it even harder.  

In the first “Yogic Nutrition” class, my taste buds came alive.  I was in shock! Gurudevi guided us through making toast with all six tastes on it.  A huge light bulb went off.  Food can be good and good for me!  

Gurudevi told us that Baba said, “Food is medicine.”  Food can help me with my health too.  In this course, I learned I’ve been protein-deficient for 20 years.  Now I understand where my cravings come from.  

The course is both personal and practical.  I’d been accustomed to stressing about what to cook for myself and my family.  The course inspired me to slow down and be more conscious of my eating.  I was thrilled to learn so much in a short period of time.

Watching Gurudevi in the Ashram kitchen was a joyful experience.  It was amazing to see her and Swami Samvidaananda having fun making hummus.  It was heart-warming to see her doing things just like I do in my kitchen.  

I’m not 100% doing everything I learned, but I’m working on it.  I have staples on hand to bring the six tastes into every meal.  I know when to have the biggest meal, and I get much more protein than I used to.  I feel like Gurudevi really cares about how I’m nourishing myself.  She gave me confidence to continue on the path of yogic nutrition.  

Yogic Nutrition

Tired of Living with Pain

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By Kelly (Kushala) Sharp

Tired of living with pain, Jen started a Yoga Therapy healing series with me.  

Before her first session, she reported pain in her right shoulder at 8 (out of 10), with her right wrist at 6, and her right ribs at 7.  After her first session, her shoulder pain was down to 4, with her wrist pain at 0, and her rib pain at 5.

Jen reported, “After three days in a row of my Embodyment® sessions, I played golf.  I found that I hit the ball 20 yards farther.  I had to slow my swing down, and I could let my club do the work.  Usually when I swing the ball, I grip my toes.  I didn’t do that, so I didn’t have any cramping in my feet.  After the game, I didn’t experience any of my usual stiffness.”  These improvements supported Jen’s resolve to do her 20-minute Ujjayi practice twice daily.

By the time Jen was on session 13 of 30, she was free from pain.  She consistently reported having more energy and better sleep.  On session 30, Jen couldn’t recall what the chronic pain areas were when she started her series.  Her daily practices had become more consistent.  

Now two months into her weekly maintenance sessions, Jen continues to see improvements.  In Shavasana she feels her heels leaning more heavily into their support.  She sits in Baddha Konasana (Cobbler’s Pose) with her feet together, without efforting to hold them together.  Having done Svaroopa® yoga for many years, Jen is very excited to feel these changes in her body.  She continues to experience reduced pain and more energy.  And she’s still doing her home practice regularly!

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