I’m enjoying the photos of my fellow Svaroopis in all manner of yoga poses, in all sorts of situations. The enjoyment goes deeper than amusement, though. It reaches right down into gratitude for what Svaroopa Yoga has given me: the ability to stay open and grounded in the midst of life’s ups and downs. A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to draw on this ability.

Yogeshwari (Melissa) Fountain was about three poses into a delicious weekend workshop at Matrika (Marlene) Gast’s studio in Boise, Idaho when we heard a huge boom. It sounded as if something heavy had fallen to the floor in the office next door. I went into the hallway that adjoins the two spaces and opened the door between them, which is usually locked. I saw daylight, heard a hissing sound and smelled something sickly sweet. A car had come off the freeway ramp behind the studio and crashed into the back of the building, hitting a gas main.

All 15 yogis and our teacher quickly exited the building and someone called 911 to report the incident. I knew we were not going to be able to continue the workshop, given the extent of the damage. I also knew it was not a particularly good idea to reenter the building, but a sense of calm and decisiveness came over me. I gathered as many people as I could and told them if they felt comfortable going back in, to grab as many blankets, blocks and chairs as they could carry in one trip. About 10 minutes later, props were loaded into cars, and we headed to my house to finish the workshop.

We moved furniture from my basement rec room to an adjoining kitchenette, and laid out blankets. It was quite tight, but no one seemed to mind, especially not my dog, Molly, who was quite happy to join us (see the photo of me up against the wall in JP, with Molly soaking up the Shakti). Yogeshwari taught from the top of a desk in the kitchenette, and Matrika wound up in a space in the hallway (see the photos of Yogeshwari teaching Slo Motion Dive from a squat on the desk and the “headless horseman” Matrika doing JP in the hallway!) Because the rec room is carpeted, and the centerpiece pose of the weekend was Reverse Triangle, we traipsed upstairs with chairs into my living/dining room with hardwood floors (see the photo of Yogeshwari in the dining room).

I was amazed at the good nature of the workshop participants, who almost seemed to enjoy the sense of adventure in the midst of a less than ideal situation. Everyone rolled with it and made it work. Grace. Yogeshwari’s skilled teaching and presence made it work. Grace. What could have been a “disaster” was transformed by Grace. Now THAT’S yoga in the midst of life! I am grateful for all that yoga and my Guru have given me.

Please enjoy the photos and consider what yoga has done for you in the midst of YOUR life. You can express your gratitude by voting for any of the photos in the “fun-raiser” contest, or by making a larger donation to the source of the teachings that supports you, Svaroopa Vidya Ashram.

Where is your place of bliss? Is it where your do your yoga or meditation? Or perhaps there is a special spot in nature that calls you back again and again. Maybe your bliss place is inside you, a place that you notice that your mind becomes still. Perhaps it is both outside and inside, just as our guided awareness in Shavasana directs you.

My “outside” bliss place is my stack of blankets next to my puja (altar) where I meditate every morning. I settle onto my blankets, settle into my mantra and settle into my Self, my “inside” bliss place.  The bliss of meditation keeps me coming back for more, the “more” I know I am. Luckily, my bliss isn’t restricted to my meditation spot. More and more often, I take it with me everywhere I go, because I recognize my bliss IS me. Yet I do notice that my “outside and inside” bliss can be deeper when I am in trainings or on retreat.

I remember opening my eyes after a deep Shavasana in my early days of Teacher Training, feeling that things were bigger and brighter. What I’ve come to know is that I am “bigger and brighter.” The practices, the teachers grounded in these practices and the energy that is grounded in our practice space has helped me see this.

The “Siva Sutras, and Swami Nirmalananda’s rendering, explain it this way:

Lokaananda.h samaadhi sukham — Shiva Sutras 1.18

The bliss of Self-Knowingess is experienced in its fullness in every place and every time.

In Sanskrit, loka means location, and aananda means bliss. Samaadhi is a deep inner absorption and sukham means full of sweetness and ease. A yogi can live in the easy and constant bliss of Self-Knowing; such a yogi also transmits it to everyone nearby. A place that houses the deep practices of yoga also absorbs and transmit this blissful energy.   With Swami Nirmalananda, we are fortunate to have such a yogi serving as our Master Teacher and Guru. She is based in the bliss of Self-Knowingness, and all the practices she teaches come from this deep well.

Now we’re also fortunate to have a dedicated building to absorb the bliss from Swami, from all the practices and from all the yogis who come. This place is Lokananda, our new teaching campus for Svaroopa^® Yoga and Svaroopa^® Vidya Meditation. Lokananda can be YOUR bliss place and you can be a part of it.  In October Lokananda opens its doors to our retreats and professional trainings, including providing our housing and meals.

It’s been a year-long process to remodel and update this lovely and historic building, which sits right in the middle of downtown Downingtown. It’s been an expensive process, too. Those of you who have remodeled a home know that there are always unexpected costs. We were able to fund the building purchase and the initial remodeling through donations and tuitions from our meditation-based programs. Our many sevites, including Swamiji’s seva, helped create the surpluses which we’ve invested in a new campus for your immersion experience.  Not surprisingly, there were cost overruns for the renovations, so more funding is needed to finish many needed tasks.

Ashram programs are residential “yogimmersions.” Many yogis have asked us to once again have our own yogic space, so we searched over a couple of years. We found it, bought it and have moved in, but we need your help to truly make this wonderful old building into a fully functional yoga home. Your financial support will fund the overruns, remodel and furnish the upper floors for residential use, and provide funding for repairs we know are coming, including a new roof.

At our annual retreat last July, the Svaroopa^® Vidya Ashram Board of Directors voted to conduct a Capital Campaign. This is in addition to our annual fall and spring requests for donations, which are essential for our ongoing operating expenses. Capital Campaigns are time-limited and happen only when there are extraordinary needs: for buildings, equipment or other major expenditures.  Certainly we have extraordinary needs, and we’re calling on you, our extraordinary community of yogis. We’ve set a cautious and conscious goal of $150,000 in the campaign we’re calling Lokananda – Your Bliss Place.

What it would be like to have programs located in a space that grounds and holds the energy of bliss to support you? Imagine yourself there, in the place of bliss.  Now imagine that you can make it happen. I have just made the largest financial pledge in my life to a non-profit organization (yes, your donations are tax deductible). I am already imagining myself there. I can already feel the bliss. Join me in our Bliss Place. Dig deep and give what you can. You can make a one-time donation or make a pledge over two years. And when you do, know that you are supporting the bliss of your own Being. You couldn’t make a better investment!

Click here to learn more or to offer your donation in one of four levels.

At the Ashram with Swamiji, I have deep experiences of inner bliss, because the sacred “location” where Guru’s Grace and shakti are grounded is a catalyst to my opening inward to Self. Location is such an important support for connecting with our inner bliss!

I first learned this lesson years ago practicing yoga in another style. My husband and I had three growing sons living at home and space was limited.  My morning asana practice took place on our bedroom floor, and my husband had to step over me as he got ready for work, which didn’t work well for either of us.

When our sons left home and I discovered Svaroopa® yoga and meditation, I knew I needed to claim a dedicated yoga space. Thus, a spare bedroom has become sacred space, a true “yoga room.” Through daily meditation, chanting, asana practice and arati to pictures of Swamiji and our lineage, it supports me in looking inward.

After years of being hosted in commercial locations, our Svaroopa® yoga and meditation community needs our very own sacred space for teacher training, programs and retreats.  It is time for us to claim our own “sacred space” in the world. Lokananda, the building that we purchased in Downingtown last year, is nearly ready to provide this environment.

Our completely renovated first floor is already housing public programs in Downingtown including chanting Sri Guru Gita and holding satsangs and local yoga and meditation classes. The shakti is accumulating and concentrating in the building. The renewal of Lokananda on the first floor has been funded through revenue from meditation programs and donors.

Now we are working to improve the upper apartments (two are already vacated) so you can be immersed in an ashram environment during teacher training, yoga and meditation programs and retreats.  In turn, having a building dedicated to yoga and meditation supports our Guru and our Teacher Trainers. This historic building needs care, both inside and outside including a new roof, and preparing the upper floors to house you.  Now your financial support in our capital campaign is needed to complete this renovating/remodelling project.

Our capital campaign goal of a $150,000 is a big one — requiring support from each and everyone. The funds that you give will have a direct impact on what can be renewed and how long it will take.  Please join me in donating. Together we can claim our own sacred space and ground the Guru’s Grace in it to support our journey, individually and as a community, into the Bliss of Beingness. Choose the method that works best for your budget, either a lump sum or a pledge over a period of time. Now is the time to step up and lay claim to your own Bliss Place.

Click to donate or for more info, or call us at 610.644.7555

OM svaroopa svasvabhava.h namo nama.h

By Kevin Maloney, Ashram Business Manager

We had our Grand Opening at Lokananda, our renovated 130-year-old building, on September 12^th. The event went very well, with a steady flow of traffic through the day. Some people who had a lot of yoga experience came in, and some came in with no yoga experience. People who were what I would call “seekers” came in, and people who said they had no idea why they stopped in just decided to open the door and enter. It was certainly an event of community and diversity.

During the event, one woman said she suffered from PTSD.  Swamiji sat with her and told her what a great accomplishment it is that she simply survived the first 35 years of her life. And then Swamiji indicated that perhaps there is a better way moving forward.  As I observed all this, tears came to my eyes. These were not tears of sadness. While I could see the pain this woman was feeling, what touched me was the beauty of what was happening. Pain walked in the door and it found some relief and sanctuary at Downingtown Yoga. She became the first person to enroll in our new monthly membership.

As I drove home after the event, I thought about all you yoga and meditation teachers we train spread out over a large geographic area. I could see people in pain, or people who just know something is missing in their lives, walking in to find true relief from suffering. The experience I witnessed is a microcosm of a much larger effect that Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram has worldwide. There are many organizations that offer much needed relief including food, shelter, clothing, medicine, etc. That help is so important, yet it is temporary. What SVA provides is an opening for true transformation. By deeply looking within one can alter everything about their existence.

Being on the administrative staff at SVA is a challenge. Each staff member gets stretched to their limits. I have been in operational management for a couple decades, yet being the SVA Business Manager is certainly the most challenging position I have held. However, through the day-to-day flurry of activity, deadlines, staff issues, technical issues and the like, a gentle light keeps peeking through the chaos exposing the underlying current of Grace that flows through all we do. Many times it is hard to see that gentle light amidst the activity. Nevertheless, it is always there.

I personally feel very fortunate to spend my working hours at SVA. I came on board almost a half year ago. At that time I could have easily followed the money trail but I chose instead to jump on board here. Or it may be more appropriate to say that I was guided here and I simply allowed it to happen. If you are still and really look, usually you can see that what has brought you to the current moment has had meaning, no matter how it looked when it was actually happening!

The last thing I would like to mention is potential. The staff and DYMC now operate out of the beautiful first floor of the Lokanada building. I am amazed at how the efforts and generosity of so many have made this a reality, from nothing to reality in such a short time. As I look at the rest of this structure, the other levels of this building, all I see is potential. We do so much at SVA with the local community and with the Svaroopa® community at large. This building has the potential to serve the needs of students and teachers in so many ways. The rallying cry has gone out to realize the full potential of this building. I look forward to guiding the logistics and mechanics of the process. I look forward to helping realize the potential here.

So I join my voice to that of the SVA Board.  Please give generously to our Capital Campaign to support the costs of refurbishing the building and to complete the renovations of the upper floors. You will be an instrument of Grace in creating comprehensive sacred space for so many others as well as for yourself as you participate in trainings, programs and retreats going forward. Donate as guided by your heartfelt desire to spread the transformative teachings and practices of Svaroopa® Sciences and the Grace they carry worldwide.

Click for more information or to offer your donation now.