Your Bliss Place

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Lokananda renovations continue, yet we already have housing for 16 students, with a beautiful new dining hall and student lounge making it comfortable for all.

Kailasa – Meditation Hall at Lokananda
Deviloka – Student Lounge
Annapurna – Dining Hall
Kitchen
Bedroom
Bedroom
Lokananda
Lokananda
Student Lounge

“LOVE having the retreat in our own dedicated space, surrounded by the world we live in.” – Priya Kenney

“The sense of being in an ashram has been created.” – Matrika Gast

“The food was very good, sweet space to stay, love the lounge.” – Michelle Kamala Gross

“Thanks for the lovely new home.” – Maitreyi Wilsman

IMG_8210We need your support to complete the needed work, so we are continuing our Capital Campaign to fund all that will make this a yogic home for all.

Donate online, phone us at 610.644.7555  or email donate@svaroopayoga.org. Every donation makes a difference. We deeply appreciate your support.

 

False Alarm – by Swami Nirmalananda

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Lokananda, January 10 2016, 5:00 am

Students were awakened by carbon monoxide detectors sounding off.  They evacuated into the early morning rain, saw smoke coming out of the street and called 911.  The fire engines came.  It took them a few hours to figure out that it was caused by an underground fire in the PECO utility lines.

20160110_060511A student phoned us, so Kusuma, Heather and I went right over.  They were holed up in the coffeshop across across the street.  They ended up camping there for almost 3 hours, drinking way too much coffee, which didn’t improve their state.

Once the Fire Chief determined that it seemed to be caused by the underground fire, they got PECO on the way, and had the ambulance crew test all the yogis for carbon monoxide poisoning.  They were all clear, hooray!  Another reason I love technology – carbon monoxide alarms.

 

Ashram meditation hall 3

 

As soon as they were declared clean, we took them to the Ashram. and had their breakfast delivered there.  We led them through a yoga class and then assembled in the meditation hall for debriefing.  It took them only a few minutes to uncover the fear of death, so appropriate after the discourse on the kleshas the day before.  We did an amazing 90 minutes on this invaluable line of inquiry.  Then we did japa and meditated.

Due to the efforts of our admin staff, along with the Fire Dept, PECO, and our heating contractor, the building was cleared of carbon monoxide and opened up again by noon!  Amazing.   The yogis went back there for lunch and the rest of the teaching day.  Kusuma went with them to seal the building energetically.

What does all this mean?

First – being spiritual doesn’t free you from surprises.  Events still transpire, but you deal with them differently because you are different inside.

Secondly – even though it was our carbon monoxide detectors that went off, it was not our building that was emitting the carbon monoxide.  In fact, our Grand Old Dame of a campus did exactly what she should have done, which was to keep everyone safe by kicking them out.  It wasn’t a false alarm, but it was, sort of…

And most importantly – life isn’t about what happens, but it is about who you are while you are handling it.  DSC_0054I was first surprised by the wide range of yogis’ reactions.  They were all going through the same events, but they had very different experiences of them.  Thus, the vichara was so important – not only for them to sort out their feelings but for me to learn from them about the majesty of individuality.  Shiva has become so many fascinating selves – even you.

In our various campus locations over the decades, we were burglarized twice, flooded out, burnt to the ground and now there’s been a poisoning attempt!  It’s not easy bringing these teachings into the world.  But it is essential.

A Secular Christmas? – By Swami Nirmalananda

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nativity in christmas lightsChristmas is turning into a secular holiday in America.  I’ve watched the light displays on peoples’ lawns change in the last decade.  The stables and mangers are gone.  There are no crosses made out of lights.  Now the suburban lawns feature Santa, tall spirals of lights representing trees, oversize stockings, snowmen and even the Grinch. GrinchThe focus is on families and gift giving.  Even Thanksgiving is no longer about giving thanks but it’s a time to gather with loved ones and to indulge yourself in every sensory pleasure possible.  What happened?

In the last 7 years, Christian denominations have lost a total of 10% of their faithful, with non-Christian faiths and the “unaffiliated” growing by 37%.1  Yet it is the Millennials who are moving the most; 40-50% of them affiliate with a religion than young adults in prior generations.2

The Millennials were born in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and included lots of yoga bhrashtas who took advantage of an astrological configuration that only comes every 250 years.  A yoga bhrashta is one who did a lot of yoga practice in previous lifetimes but did not attain enlightenment.  Their prior practices have given them a wealth of good karma so they are born in a country that is peaceful and prosperous.  They pick up on their yoga saadhana (process) where they left off at the end of their last lifetime.

Saad-hana is the practice and the process that leads you toward “saat,” Truth with a capital-T:  the Truth of your own Beingness.  Since Beingness is a description of who and what you are, no single religion owns it, though all explain it (in different ways).  The ultimate goal of yoga is that you abide in your own Beingness, which Patanjali calls “svaroopa” in his Yoga Sutras.  The mystics of all religions through all the ages shared the same goal as the yogis.  It’s not a religious goal, nor even a yogic goal.  It’s a human goal.  It’s the purpose of your life.  You were born for the purpose of knowing the Divinity of your own Self.

Yoga gives you a methodology that reveals your Self as pure Beingness, the One Beingness that is being all that exists.  And extends beyond all that exists.  We call this Shiva.  Beyond the poses and breathing, yoga offers you the experiential knowing of your own svaroopa. You are THAT which yogis call Shiva.

The glory of Christmas, as a religious festival, is that it helps you reach outward to find God.  When you use the songs, the decorations, the pageants and church services to find God, where do you experience God?  No matter where you are physically located, your experience of God is an inner experience.  You are changed.  Think of it this way – when you bump into God (accidentally or intentionally), which one of you is going to be changed?

The glory of Christmas, as a secular holiday, is that it helps you experience your Divine Essence.  When you give the perfect gift to a person that you care about, and you get to see them light up when they open it up, what happens inside you?  It’s the same inner experience.  You are changed.  This inner experience is the same as when you sing along with the choir in Handel’s Hallelujah.  The receiver of the gift got all lit up, and so did you.  You are aglow with the light of Consciousness, which is your own Beingness, which is your own Self.  The same thing happens in the moment of reunion with your loved ones.  The same thing happens in those special moments of true connection that are sprinkled through the weekend.

This means that Christmas is spiritual, whether you’re religious or not.  Why?  Because it’s all about you experiencing your own “spirit” (built into the word “spiritual”).  Your spirit is Divine.  You are Shiva.  You are that Beingness that is being all and beyond all.  You merely need to know your own svaroopa, to know who you are.  This is the goal of yoga.  This is the goal of life.

And, if you are reading this, you are a yoga bhrashta.

Merry Christmas!

OM svaroopa svasvabhava namo nama.h

 

Photo FUN-raising by Karuna (Carolyn) Beaver

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carolyn_beaverI’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.

FUN-raiser: “Yoga in Life” Photo Contest

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Yoga in Life_logoDoing yoga in your everyday life is both a survival technique and more. It’s a way to hit your reset button so your inner light shines into the world. Show us how you weave yoga into your life by posting a photo in our Fall FUN-raiser, the “Yoga in Life” Photo Contest.

Inspire others with how you do yoga while juggling family, career and everyday tasks. Snap a picture while reading a book in Sukhasana, doing Konasana while fixing a leaky sink, or keep it seasonal while baking a pumpkin pie in Vrkshasana. Maybe your cat lays on your sacrum when you’re in Half Frog? Or your dog does Downward Facing Dog with you? Click here to post your photo as well as to vote on your favorite.

As soon as your shot posted, share it with family and friends and have them vote. Votes are $1 each, with a minimum of $5, all of which are tax deductible donations. This will raise funds for the Ashram as well as FUN for our whole yoga family, while leading up to our annual Thanksgiving donation campaign. Help us build a library of yogis sharing their love and gratitude for yoga.

Winners will be announced on December 10th and featured in our communications in 2015 & 2016. We’ll share their yoga stories with the world! Join in sharing the bliss and the profound healing power that Svaroopa® yoga provides. Support Svaroopa® yoga and meditation as well as the Ashram with the gift of you doing yoga.

Being a Meditation Teacher

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By Rudrani (Rosemary) Nogue

Rudrani_GaneshpuriIt has been a significant growth process for me. With the original “syllabus course,” the training was challenging. Even so, it felt like a blissful reunion with inner knowing, which I hadn’t given the opportunity to bloom.  Once I allowed it to emerge, I understood that teaching meditation is an integral part of the journey on the path of the Svaroopa® Sciences.

That original MTT was hard yet amazing for me all at the same time. While the intensity of the experience was surprising, it was also amazing to hear about the unique experiences of each teacher-in-training as she or he shared.  The shakti within the group and Swamiji’s teachings opened each of us to a deep internal experience. In the very first course I taught at home, I had 14 participants. My students were completely ready for the “More.” Over the years, classes continued to fill, and I have been glad to be able to serve my students so well.

Then after Swamiji took sannyas, she offered the MTT Upgrade. My response was “I need to take it!”  The Empowered Mantra takes people immediately into the Self. When I teach meditation now, Grace abounds, flowing to us so directly with Swamiji as our conduit of Grace embodied in our lineage. Students are propelled immediately into Self in their first class. Our Svaroopa® yoga community has grown larger as Consciousness has expanded within us.  In November we’re once again hosting Foundations, with 22 already registered.

If you are certified to teach the original syllabus course, you are already experiencing the wonders of introducing your students to the “More.” If you have focused on teaching our marvelous Svaroopa® yoga asana protocols, you have doubtless given your students access to bliss within. Yet, with the Empowered Mantra MTT, you can count on so easily propelling yourself and them into profoundly greater depths.

Let Swamiji do for you and your students what a recent MTT grad experienced: “Swamiji is a generous Master Teacher. She reaches inside you and brings forth that knowingness beyond knowing. Makes it accessible and useful.”

Making the Dream a Reality, By Amala (Lynn) Cattafi, SVA Board President

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IMG_8210Your donations have put us on our way to making the dream of Lokananda, our own bliss place, into a reality. I have to admit, the prospect of renovating our “new” 130-year old building, replacing old wiring and plumbing and all the other interior changes, was daunting.  In the beginning, turning Lokananda into our full service retreat center seemed like a Board of Directors daydream.

Thanks to the generosity of 36 Svaroopis, who have already contributed and pledged $36,389. to our Capital Campaign, we are on our way to a sacred Svaroopa® yoga and meditation hub. Lokananda is about 40% complete, gloriously welcoming local yogis and meditators, as well as our Yogimmersion participants for a full-spectrum experience.

I have watched this building transform from a grand old lady, one in need of serious attention, into a place of bliss. Without your loving support, this would still be a daydream. Of course, we still have a long way to go to reach our funding goal and meet our construction needs.  With the holidays looming, we’re dialing down on our Capital Campaign, but will return to this outreach in early 2016; this is how Capital Campaigns work – a gradual process of recruiting donors who can build the fund and build the building.   Yet, this week we enjoyed a breakthrough!  We welcomed our first group of yogis into our full-service sacred space for a training.

amala-photoAs I write this thank you note, tears of gratitude are beginning to flow, for the great generosity of some very special yogis, for the dedication that you all have for the Svaroopa® practices and their goal, and always for Swamiji, who is the heart of our hearts.

Om Svaroopa Svasvabhava Namo Namah

What’s in Your Wallet? – by Peter Gallagher, Board Member

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By Peter Gallagher

PeterGAs a SVA Board Member I find things happen to me without my even wishing for them — things that continue to open me effortlessly to the knowing of my Self. Being a part of the Ashram seems to take the pressure off of my spine just as doing the Magic Four daily takes the pressure off my spine. That’s why I contribute time and money to our Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram; our donations take the pressure off the organization that effortlessly opens us to the knowing of our own Self.

Lokananda, our new “bliss place,” is slated to bring us together as a community in a new way. We can think of it as a wonderful prop. Just as our plaid blankets and blocks support us in releasing our spine from tail to top, having our own space for Svaroopa® yoga and meditation teacher training, for public yoga classes and satsangs, for deep retreats will change us in new ways. I don’t know specifically how Lokananda will change us, but I’ve got a good sense it will be in a good way. Making a financial contribution now to our Capital Campaign for the renovations will directly enrich the lives of others in your community that you know and like!

I have only seen our newly renovated 130-year-old Lokananda in photos. Even so I am amazed to see how what was a this less-than-optimal building is now our sweet, fresh comprehensive home for the teaching and practices of the Svaroopa® Sciences . I can equate it to how our own less-than-optimal bodies and minds are transformed to health and well-being when renovated by the shakti!

So what are you carrying in your wallet?  Are you carrying this building in your wallet?  Will you carry this building in your wallet? I know that Lokananda gives me as well as our whole community a place that will pull all of us closer to the Self. For me, a reverberating principle is to support this Place of Bliss for current yogis and for those who will come later.

Opening my wallet to help fund the renovations that have already brought this building to a new life is an opportunity. It gives me a chance to express my gratitude for what has already been accomplished. It is the letting go of fear and the trusting of Grace. In this one place, we will all gather as a community of yogis grounded in bliss. As our Lokananda absorbs more and more bliss program after program, when we enter Lokananda for training and teachings, the bliss-saturated structure will serve as a force to propel us inward to the knowing of our own eternal bliss within.

Please take a look into your wallet now. Is it holding a place for all of us to gather, to learn, to transform? Can you find a much-needed contribution to support Lokananda as a place of bliss for yourself — your Self — and our whole community? How great to join our voices in an affirmative “yes” chant in answer.

Tapping into Eternal Bliss by Kristine Freeman, SVA Board Member

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IMG_8137Not yet having become enlightened, I live in a bliss-deficit. I need places like the Ashram, and now Lokananda, to boost my bliss. I know that the yogic goal is that the bliss of our own spiritual essence will fill us at all times and in all locations, but I’m not there yet. And that is why it is so important to me to support the creation of these sacred spaces. We who live in a bliss-deficit need to be embraced by these sacred spaces so that we can tap into our bliss within.

Ashrams exist for this purpose. Continuously since ancient times, ashrams have enabled seekers to turn inward to the bliss of beingness. Their sacred space creates a spiritual setting that gives us easy access to our own Self, so we can take our Self home with us when we leave. When I’m in our Ashram’s physical space, the environment inevitably supports my own opening inward.

I had such an experience during a recent visit to the Ashram. Walking into the meditation hall, straight from the airport, I unexpectedly felt pulled to the floor. Tears streaming down my face, I was suddenly and acutely aware of my bliss deficit, and of my absolute need to be in this physical space saturated with the Shakti of deep practice. It was as though I had been walking through a desert and suddenly found water. Walking into the sacred space of the meditation hall triggered a deep inner opening for me, first into the awareness of the startling depth of my bliss deficit and then into waves of gratitude for the existence of such a spiritually nourishing space and the privilege of being in it. Writing about it now brings me right back into that powerful spiritual space, into that experience of reconnecting with my Self. Priceless.

Yes, that experience is priceless. Yet physical structures do not exist in the world without costs!

So please join me in supporting our Capital Campaign: Lokananda – Place of Bliss in whatever way you are able. As each of us yogis donate in accordance with our individual budgets and in alignment with our hearts’ yearning to open to our own eternal bliss, we pave the way for ourselves and others to receive the same sacred transformation. Together we support the building that will house trainings, programs and retreats going forward. We support it, so it will support us now and others to come in the future.

Click here to support the Capital Campaign today.

Choosing to Grow? – by Swami Nirmalananda

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You sculpt time by your choices.  This is obvious when you miss your turnoff, especially when the next one is 20 miles ahead.  It will take 45 minutes longer to get there.  While you might not say you made that choice, you had been choosing to pay attention to something else or simply to be unfocused while cruising along.

Yoga is the science of consciousness.  You spend time doing practices which make you more and more conscious until you go beyond merely conscious and become Consciousness-Itself.  No amount of thinking can get you there, yet you must not abandon your mind along the way, so beautifully described by yogis in the personal stories they share in this issue.

Becoming conscious is not always easy.  You begin to notice things you didn’t notice before, including tensions or pains in your body, your mind, your heart or your life.  You’ve got work to do and it’s all inner work.  I’ll compare it to the remodeling we’ve undertaken in our “new” 130-year old building, Lokananda.

Fortunately the structure is sound.  Our town required structural testing, which the grand old dame passed with flying colors.  But her plumbing was leaky and her nadis (energy currents = electrical systems) needed some work, plus her roof will need some TLC soon.  But she’s coming along well.

Even more heartening, response to our Capital Campaign is building.  Yogis have already given and pledged almost $30,000.  On October 10, we will house our first immersion at the Ashram’s new campus!  Not only will you will enjoy reduced Housing & Meals costs, you will stay in a dedicated spiritual environment.

In the same way, the remodeling you’re currently undergoing absolutely leads to where you want to go.  There’s some debris to clear, new ways to see and be — yoga makes you all new.  Do more yoga.

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

OM svaroopa svasvabhavah namo namah