Introduction to
Anukampā
Birthday
Bliss—Anukampā
Gurumayi's birthday wish was to celebrate her birthday with all the Siddha Yogis and new seekers
around the world. For this initiative, Gurumayi chose the word Anukampā. Gurumayi shared that
she loves this Sanskrit word, which means benevolence, grace, and compassion. Anukampā also
refers to the compassionate vibrations of the heart.
Gurumayi gave inspiration for the themes of each video chapter in Birthday
Bliss—Anukampā, and gave the Sanskrit titles that represent the Siddha Yoga teachings
and practices.
Shiva-Shakti Movement
In each chapter of Birthday Bliss—Anukampā, graceful and beautiful movements are
expressed. Gurumayi’s wish was for the images and videos to portray the continuous rhythm, the
natural dance that is inherent throughout the universe.
In 2013 Gurumayi gave "Shiva-Shakti Movement" as the title for all the exercise
sessions—such as hatha yoga, tai chi, creative dance, and so on—held by the SYDA
Foundation Hatha Yoga Department in Shree Muktananda Ashram and as part of Siddha Yoga teaching and
learning events sponsored by the SYDA Foundation. Shiva-Shakti Movement refers to a physical
expression of the awakened divine energy that moves within the body. It invokes the boundless,
creative power of Shakti and the ever-present stillness of Shiva.
The purpose of Shiva-Shakti Movement is to increase one's awareness of the natural impulse of
the body to move freely in space, while still being grounded and connected to the earth. It also
develops one's spatial awareness in relation to the world around them.
In Shiva-Shakti Movement, Siddha Yogis develop the awareness that each part of the body is connected.
All parts must be aligned and working together in harmony, to bring about the optimal experience of
living. As Siddha Yogis offer seva and go about their daily
lives, they discover that the movements of their physical body need not be mechanical or
constricted. As living beings, they are able to enjoy freedom in every action. In Shiva-Shakti
Movement, Siddha Yogis come to realize that every movement, every gesture, is a beautiful expression
of Shakti.
Chapter 1:
Āvāhana—Invocation
The mantras of the Invocation are from Shri
Guru Gita, verse 67.
Dance filmed at Rexhame Beach in Marshfield, Massachusetts
Chapter 2: Shrī
Ganesha Vandanā—Adoration of Lord Ganesha
Prayer to Lord Ganesha
Author and Reader: Maitreya Larios
Bharatanatyam
The introductory dance is in the style of bharatanatyam. One of the oldest documented
classical dance forms in the world, bharatanatyam dates back to 1500 BC in the South Indian
state of Tamil Nadu. Bharatanatyam was originally performed in temples as a form of worship.
Each movement conveys part of a prayer or story.
Click here to read more
about Lord Ganesha.
Chapter 3:
Sevārpana—Offering of Seva
Sevites:
- Jason
Lester
- Nikki
Costello
- Shane
Butler
- Dominique
Jacques
- Ryan
Thompson
- Jaime
Castaneda
- Luisa
Viviani-Ganin
- Raymundo
Rubiralta
- Johann Zurner
- Luella
Strattner
Music: Nacho Re
Mero Mana, a devotional song written by the fifteenth-century poet-saint Kabir.
Gurumayi composed music for this bhajan in 1998, for the
Siddha Yoga Winter Retreat in Santa Clara, California. The music in this chapter is an instrumental
version of Gurumayi’s composition.
Teaching by Gurumayi Chidvilasananda from her book Enthusiasm
(South Fallsburg, NY: SYDA Foundation, 1997), pg. 162
Chapter 4:
Abhivādana—Welcome
Chapter 5: Shrī
Guru Namana—Salutations to Shri Guru
Gurumayi begins the celebration of her birthday with Shrī Guru Namana, “Salutations to Shri
Guru.” On the Siddha Yoga path, Shrī Guru Namana is a daily practice. When namana is
offered on auspicious occasions and before new undertakings, its significance is even greater and
more profound. In the practice of namana, the hands are brought together in namaskar,
prayers are recited mentally or aloud, and offerings of flowers and other auspicious items are made.
The spiritual bhāva (attitude) and offering of salutations express devotion, respect, and
gratitude for the Guru’s abiding grace. When heartfelt namana is offered, it invokes the
blessings of Shri Guru.
Chapter 6: Shrī
Guru Stuti—Glorification of Shri Guru
Chanting is one of the core practices on the Siddha Yoga path. Om Bhagavān
Muktānanda Bhagavān, the Siddha Yoga namasankirtana
chanted in Shrī Guru Stuti, is in praise of Swami Muktananda, Gurumayi’s Guru.
Om Bhagavān Muktānanda Bhagavān means:
Om.
Salutations to Muktananda,
who embodies the qualities of the Divine.
The Sanskrit word
bhaga refers to six divine qualities:
- Aishvarya: divine power, sovereignty, and divinity
- Dharma: righteousness, duty, and virtue
- Yashas: glory and splendor
- Shrī: beauty, radiance, auspiciousness, majesty, and abundance
- Jnāna: knowledge
- Vairāgya: detachment, dispassion, and freedom from worldly desires
Bhagavān denotes one who embodies these six inner qualities and bestows them upon others.
Chapter 7: Shrī
Guru Archanā—Worship of Shri Guru
Chapter 8:
Kalārpana—Offering of Art
- Praise
Chandrali, age 7
- Chaitanya, age
10
- Liam, age 9
- Aidan Sunil,
age 9
- Byron, age 7
- Lorea Prema, age
6
- Ainoa Sarikha,
age 9
- Jasmine, age 9
- Kesari, age 7
- Clara Priya,
age 11
- Sophia
Sindhu, age 7
Teaching by Gurumayi Chidvilasananda from her book Sadhana
of the Heart (South Fallsburg, NY: SYDA Foundation, 2006), pg. 92
Reader: Ainoa
Sarikha, age 9
Chapter
9: Ānandarasa—Elixir of Bliss
Filmed in the courtyard in front of Atma Nidhi in Shree Muktananda Ashram.
Chapter 10:
Naivedya—Offering of Food
"A Song of Jubilation—Happy Birthday, Beloved," composed and sung for Gurumayi's
Birthday in 2000 by Ann Hampton Callaway and Walker Jones. Since that time, this joyful song has
become a part of the yearly celebration of Gurumayi's Birthday.
Naivedya Mantras
These traditional Vedic mantras have been set to music especially for this Siddha Yoga
naivedya, the offering of the exquisite and delicious birthday cake to Gurumayi on behalf
of the global Siddha Yoga sangham.
Chapter 11: Shrī
Gurumayi Āshīrvāda—Shri Gurumayi’s Blessings
Poem: “Travel Deep Inside,” by Gurumayi Chidvilasananda
Birthday Bliss—Anukampa. © 2014 SYDA
Foundation®
Flutist: Stefan Ragnar
Hoskuldsson
About Viju Kulkarni
Viju Kulkarni is trained in Indian classical music as a harmonium player and vocalist, and has
offered seva as a Siddha Yoga musician for over forty years. Viju has been following the Siddha
Yoga path since 1971 and has served on staff in Gurudev Siddha Peeth and Shree Muktananda Ashram
since 1973. Viju is from Dharwar, Karnataka, India, and lives in Shree Muktananda Ashram, in
South Fallsburg, New York.
About Johann Zurner
Johann Zurner has been a professional stage actor for ten years, performing in theaters
throughout Germany.
He has been following the Siddha Yoga path since 2003 and currently serves on staff in the SYDA
Foundation. Johann is from Landshut, Germany, and studied acting at the University of Performing
Arts in Stuttgart. He lives at Shree Muktananda Ashram in South Fallsburg, New York.
About Julian Elfer
Julian Elfer is a professional actor and a founding member of a theater company in Manhattan. He
privately coaches Shakespearian actors and is a teaching artist in the New York City public
school system. Julian has been practicing the Siddha Yoga teachings since 1995 and offers seva
as a visiting sevite in the SYDA Foundation. He previously served on staff in the PRASAD
Project.
Julian studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Art and at the Schreiber Studios in New
York City. He is originally from Ascot, England, and lives in Manhattan with his wife, Susan.
About Harriette Cole
Harriette Cole began following the Siddha Yoga path in 1990. Since 1993 she has offered
seva in the SYDA Foundation as a speaker and host in Siddha Yoga teaching and learning
events, including Shaktipat Intensives.
Professionally, Harriette is an author, motivational speaker, and leadership coach. She lives in
New York City with her husband, George, and daughter, Carrie Madhavi.
About Swami Ishwarananda
Swami Ishwarananda has been following the Siddha Yoga path for almost forty years. He received
shaktipat initiation in 1972 while living and teaching English in Japan. Shortly
afterwards, Swamiji began his Siddha Yoga practice, and in 1980 he took monastic vows to become
a Siddha Yoga Swami. Swamiji has served Gurumayi as a Siddha Yoga meditation teacher, traveling
extensively throughout the world to teach in Siddha Yoga courses, Sadhana Retreats, and
Shaktipat Intensives.
About Joel Kushnick
Joel Kushnick is a professional musician who has studied jazz and classical guitar with
well-known guitarists Ted Dunbar and Sal Salvador, as well as the sitar with renowned
sitar player Daisy Paradis. He has studied both instruments for a total of 19 years.
Joel began following the Siddha Yoga path in 1995. He served on staff in the SYDA Foundation from
1998 – 2007. While on staff he participated in two Premotsava Music Retreats, as well as
the Music Study Sessions in 2004. Joel currently lives in Vermont with his wife Rajashri.
About Ami Bansal
Ami Bansal is a Sanskrit research scholar with a master’s degree in Sanskrit from the
University of Mumbai.
She serves as a Siddha Yoga meditation teacher and a trainer of Siddha Yoga meditation teachers
for Pilgrimage to the Heart retreats in Gurudev Siddha Peeth.
Ami has been following the Siddha Yoga path since 1976 and offering full-time seva in the
SYDA Foundation since 1992, in both Gurudev Siddha Peeth and Shree Muktananda Ashram. Ami lives
in Mumbai with her husband, Ruchir.
About Stefan Ragnar Hoskuldsson
Stefan Ragnar Hoskuldsson is the principal flutist at the Metropolitan Opera. He studied at the
Reykjavik School of Music and the Royal College of Music in Manchester, UK, under renowned
flutists Bernhard Wilkinson and Peter Lloyd.
Stefan started his Siddha Yoga practice in 2004. He has been serving as a visiting sevite in
Shree Muktananda Ashram since 2006. Stefan is originally from Neskaupstadur, Iceland, and he
currently lives in Manhattan with his wife, Natalie.
About Maitreya Larios
Maitreya Larios is a Sanskrit scholar and a research fellow at the Heidelberg University in
Germany, where he earned a PhD in classical Indology. He began practicing Siddha Yoga in 1990
and served on staff at Shree Muktananda Ashram during summers from 1996 to 1998. Maitreya lives
in Heidelberg, Germany, with his wife, Anuradha, and one-year-old son, Kabir.
About Ojas Adhiya
Ojas Adhiya is a renowned tabla player trained in Indian classical music and ghazals, an
Urdu style of poetry and song. At the age of five, he began studying tabla formally under the
guidance of Shri Mrdangraj. That same year he was recognized by the Limca Book of Records as the
“youngest tabla player of India.” He has accompanied legendary Indian musicians such as
santoor master Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and flutist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.
Ojas began following the Siddha Yoga path in 1988. He has offered seva in Gurudev Siddha
Peeth since 1991 and has also served in Shree Muktananda Ashram. He currently lives in Mumbai,
India.
About Dianne McIntyre
Dianne McIntyre is a professional modern and contemporary dance choreographer and performer. From
the 1970s to the present, Dianne has toured the United States and Europe with her dance company
and other ensembles. She has choreographed theater productions for prominent dance companies
such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and for film and television productions,
including Oprah Winfrey's Beloved and Miss Evers' Boys, for which she
earned an Emmy Award nomination.
Dianne has been honored with numerous awards for dance and choreography, including a John S.
Guggenheim Fellowship, three Bessie Awards, the Helen Hayes Award for Theatre Choreography, and
two honorary doctor of fine arts degrees from the State University of New York at Purchase and
Cleveland State University.
She began her Siddha Yoga practice in 1985 in New York City. Dianne has offered seva dancing for
Gurumayi’s birthday celebrations, Shaktipat Intensives, and Siddha Yoga satsangs.
Dianne earned a bachelor of fine arts in dance from Ohio State University. She lives in
Cleveland, Ohio, where she cares for her 97-year-old mother.
About Deborah Abel
Deborah Abel is a modern dancer, choreographer, and the founder of a dance company and school of
modern dance. Since 1987 she has toured the United States and India with her dance company. In
2010, she received the Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowship for her choreography.
She teaches modern dance and street funk.
Deborah began following the Siddha Yoga path in 1986. She has a bachelor of arts in dance from
Connecticut College and a certificate of dance from the Laban School in London. She lives in
Carlisle, Massachusetts, with her husband and son.
About Hersha Bhagwan
Hersha Bhagwan is a dancer and choreographer in the classical Indian style of
Bharatanatyam. She has performed at events for the Darji Cultural Society and the
Gujarati Society of British Columbia. She studied Bharatanatyam at Peali Arpana Academy
of Dance.
Hersha began following the Siddha Yoga path in 1985. She is currently serving on staff in Shree
Muktananda Ashram.
About Sonya Gotz
Sonya Gotz has worked as a professional dancer in the styles of ballet, lyrical modern dance, and
contemporary modern dance. She has danced in Carnegie Hall, as a soloist in Ernesta
Corvino's Dance Circle Company, and in the production of Alice in Wonderland at
Lincoln Center in New York City.
Sonya has been following the Siddha Yoga path since 1991. She has a bachelor of arts from Hofstra
University. Sonya lives in Livingston, New Jersey, with her husband and three children.
About Justin Leaf
Justin Leaf is a dancer and choreographer in the styles of ballet and modern dance. He has danced
with the James Sewell Ballet Company and the Minnesota Dance Theatre. In 2009, he received a
McKnight Fellowship for Dancers. He is a graduate of Juilliard School, where he received a
bachelor of fine arts in dance performance.
Justin began following the Siddha Yoga path in 1998 in New York City. He lives in Minneapolis,
Minnesota.
About Yusef Miller
Yusef Miller has studied modern, jazz, and South African dance. In fall 2014, he will be
performing in an Off-Broadway theater production.
He began following the Siddha Yoga path in 1995 and offers seva as a visiting sevite in the SYDA
Foundation.
Yusef has a master of fine arts in theatre and dance from the University of California, San
Diego. He lives in New York City.
About Satya Celeste Stainton
Satya Celeste Stainton is a choreographer and dancer who has studied ballet, jazz, modern dance,
belly dancing, and bhangra.
Satya was introduced to the Siddha Yoga path by her parents when she was born in 1984. Since 1995
she has offered seva in the SYDA Foundation both as a staff member—from January 2007
through July 2011—and as a visiting sevite.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in dance history, performance, and choreography from
Cornell University. Satya lives in New York City.
