The photo below and the following quote are from Swami Nirmalananda’s recent Facebook post: “Hasta Padasana – arms up in the air – brings up joy. It’s reliable. You don’t have to wait for spring. You can do it anytime. I planted these forsythia and now they’re bigger than me. That’s what I want all… Read More You Don’t Have to Wait for the Sun to Shine for You to Shine

Why is April called April? According to www.dictionary.com, one theory is that the name is rooted in the Latin Aprilis, which is derived from the Latin aperire meaning “to open”— which could refer to the opening or blossoming of flowers and trees.   Another theory is that it derives from the Greek Apphodite, the Greek goddess of love.  … Read More You Are Blossoming

I can feel it. I can see it. The earth, once frozen and dormant, is beginning to breathe again. Trees, left barren and ghostlike under the icy grip of winter, are starting to pulse with life again. Their sap is already flowing, and an aura of energy graces their crowns like glimmering garlands.   Seedlings… Read More Springing Up

Happy belated Valentine’s Day! And here’s a happy belated February newsletter to you as well!   The good news is, to paraphrase Mark Twain, we have made it through some of the worst winter storms that never happened. That’s nature’s Valentine to all of us. And, we have passed the midpoint of winter. The sun… Read More Stay Free

Greetings! “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” ~ Karen Lamb So, let’s turn that around: may today be the day you start what you wish, and at the end of the year—and every day between — may you be glad! And if what you start has anything to do with… Read More May You Be Glad!

One night, a 5 year old child looked up at the stars and exclaimed, “God’s home! All God’s lights are on!” Yoga teaches us to see God’s Light in one another. Look into the eyes (the window to the soul) and see the Divine Light shining through. Yes, you are seeing that God is home.… Read More Peace and Joy

Hello One and All!   First of all, thank you! Thank you for your continuing support. Thank you for your continuing interest in what we are offering. It gives us great delight to be able to serve you. It’s an honor. And speaking of honor, we honor those who have served our country. We thank… Read More Giving Thanks

Swami Nirmalananda (Gurudevi) always begins a talk with this benediction: OM svaroopa svasvabhavah namo namah It means: “I bow to your own inherent Divinity, your Self. I bow to my own inherent Divinity, my Self. I bow to the inherent Divinity of all beings, the One Divine Reality being you, being me and being all.” And… Read More Bow to the Self Masquerading on Halloween, and to Barbie!

One of the highlights the past few weeks, for each of us, was getting time to read a good book. Mine was Sometimes Brilliant, by Larry Brilliant, one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and winner of the TEDPrize. He really is brilliant. So are you, by the way, but more on that later.… Read More You are brilliant

Well July seemed to fly by. Can we slow down August? I like the depiction of August as “the Sunday of Summer.” Sunday is the end of the week, and August is the end of summer (almost). But there is a much deeper correlation than that. Sunday is a time for slowing down, for rest… Read More Savoring the Remaining Days of Summer

Soon after her brother was born, little Sachi began to ask her parents to leave her alone with the new baby. They worried that like most four-year-olds, she might feel jealous and want to hit or shake him, so they said no. But she showed no signs of jealousy. She treated the baby with kindness… Read More What does God feel like?

A Sunday school teacher asked her class, “Where is God?” No one seemed to have an answer except Danny. “I know where God is!” he said excitedly.   “And where is that?” the teacher asked.   Danny responded: “In the bathroom at my house.”   “Very interesting, Danny. How are you so sure God is… Read More Where is God?

A minister was giving the offertory for church services. He raised his arms, looked up to the heavens with a look of rapture on his face. “Dear Lord,” he exclaimed. “Without you, we are but dust!”   He would have continued, but at that moment one little girl leaned over to her mother and asked… Read More Good news all around

Our world is rife with disconnection. I am not referring to power grid outages. I am referring to outages affecting the human grid of love.   Most people spend more time peering into their screens than into the eyes of another human being. They spend more time in their head than in their heart. They… Read More From Disconnect to Connect

Who Amongst Us?   This particular story tells of a mysterious stranger who showed up at the door of a rundown monastery operated by several old monks who had become “spiritually parched.”   The monks noticed that the mysterious stranger had a glow about him. So they were eager to get to know him and… Read More It Could Be You (It Is!) ~ A Parable