Return to "About Sivananda-Valentina."

The First Time I Met Sri Sivananda-Valentina - Jack

On February 12, 1966, I had just bought some moulding to make a frame and as I left the lumber yard, I remember looking at the yellow receipt and noticed the date. It somehow impressed itself in my mind and it later turned out to be the most significant days in my life. After leaving the lumber yard, I was walking toward the shopping area and happened to notice, in the window of a health food store, a sign with the photo of a woman in a striped bikini and it said something about Yoga classes being given by a lady named Sivananda-Valentina. I wasn't very impressed by the photo which was very poor in quality and distorted. But, since I was having a little problem with my back, I thought that I would get the address from the owner of the store and check it out, even though I didn't have any particular interest in Yoga. The only thing I knew about Yoga, at that time, was mostly what I had read in the popular magazines about hippies taking LSD to help them meditate and other nonsensical things. However, I figured that it wouldn't hurt to try a few exercises and see what happened. I went there expecting to find a shabby place with a bunch of equally shabby people lounging around. To my surprise, I was given the address of a very well-kept house in a nice neighborhood. I was told that Valentina lived in a little cottage in the back and I walked behind the house to see a small cottage with a spacious lawn and in one corner, near the back of the big house, were three or four well dressed and attractive women seated on small lawn chairs and, apparently, deeply absorbed in something they were discussing. Almost as soon as I appeared, one of them got up and went into the back of the big house. She was dressed in the same striped bikini I had seen in the photo, and She wore, over it, a white blouse which was tied in the front. She walked quickly, but with such grace and beauty that I was awed. I said to myself, "This is a yogi?!" Then one of the other women came over to me and introduced herself as Gladys, a student of Sivananda-Valentina, and said without any preliminaries, "Valentina will give you a short interview in a few minutes. Would you like to come in and sit down?" She had a perplexed look on her face and added, "You know, it is very unusual that She gives interviews to new people." I wasn't particularly impressed and followed her to the back of the house, where there was a little "reading room," which was actually a converted kitchen. As I walked in, I noticed on my left there was a little sofa and on my right there was a table with a phonograph on it. Between the table and the sofa, there was about four feet of space to walk through. At the other end of the little room was a door, which Gladys, explained led to their Sanctuary. I sat down on the sofa to wait for the lady named Valentina. At this point, I had absolutely not the slightest idea that this would be an unusual day for me, to say the least. As far as I can remember, I did not feel the slightest inspiration at being there nor was I aware of anything unusual about the atmosphere.

(Before I go any further, it might be a good idea to explain that, at this point in my life, I considered myself an atheist, even though I liked to read some of the popular books by Aldous Huxley and other writers. One of my favorite pastimes was to cut down people's religious beliefs and call them all a bunch of hypocrites.)

So, I sat there on the couch, idly waiting, my mind just drifting. After a few moments, out of the Sanctuary came this lady named Valentina. I don't remember much of what She said at that time, but I was struck by Her huge and deep eyes. Her face had an unusually intense expression on it. She introduced Herself and gracefully and naturally sat down on the floor, in the lotus position, a few feet in front of me. She asked me a few questions, which I don't remember and then, at one point, She closed Her eyes and started to breathe very slowly. I just idly watched Her, not knowing what She was doing, but I began to feel that something strange was going on and the thought came into my mind, "She must be reading my soul." This was in spite of the fact that I didn't even believe there was such a thing as a soul.

When the lady opened Her eyes, She invited me into the Sanctuary and explained to me that the various photos on the wall were of great saints and were lovingly given by various students. I remember that She pointed to one of the photos of Her Guru, Swami Sivananda and explained who he was. There was another photo of Sri Ramakrishna. Then She showed me a picture of Michelangelo's sculpture of Moses and explained to me that the little gold pieces of paper which partly covered the top of the head were to hide the horns which were placed on Moses' head because of the mistaken interpretation, in the Scriptures, of the Hebrew word for "rays" as "horns." At this point, since I am an artist, I began to get interested, as She spoke more about Michelangelo. I felt, at that point, that I was learning things that I could never have learned in art school or in professional art. I also began to feel a power emanating from Her that made me feel a little nervous and I felt rather subdued, whereas I was usually an arrogant and outspoken person.

After about twenty minutes, Valentina told me that She had an appointment and led me back into the garden. She invited me to come to Her classes and started to walk away, but before doing so, She slightly bowed, folded Her palms together and said, "God bless you, Jack." Those four words seemed to explode in my heart and suddenly a very bright and vivid light blazed in my heart and I felt a joy that I had never before experienced in my life. And Her words! "God bless you, Jack." Never before had I ever heard anyone say "God bless you" with such authority. It was as if She had the direct authority from God. When She was gone and I was walking home, that phrase kept going through my mind, "She has the Authority behind Her." Then I began to pray for the first time in my  adult life and I felt so much joy that day that there is no description for it. I kept telling myself, "Boy, I like to pray!"

So, that day, on February 12, 1966, less than one week before my birthday, I awoke in the morning an atheist and went to bed a man who loved to pray and had a new Ideal in life. It was like I received a new birthday and a new life to go with it. "Unless you be born again..." I also received a new Mother, who gave me birth into that new life. Each day became filled with more Beauty than I could ever have dreamed existed.

Glory to Sat Guru, Sivananda-Valentina!

Return to "About Sivananda-Valentina."

My Story - by Phil

To give one specific moment when I "met" Sivananda-Valentina, would be to short circuit the process, as my initial "meetings" with her were spread out over the space of a couple of weeks. In June of 1974, I was your typical arrogant, intellectually superior high school senior waiting to go to college and start my life.

Everything was pretty well planned: I was going to be a journalist since that is where my talent was.

And then... I met Stuart. He was teaching a college level class at Beach High and I decided to take it. I was awful to him; talked back, smart-alecked him etc.

In any case, one day in class he used the phrase "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." Suddenly, EVERYTHING he had been saying started to make sense.

And so I started reading books. Huxley, Plato, Baba Ram Dass etc. But he never mentioned Valentina.

I went away to college and was there about two weeks when my girlfriend at the time came up; Stuart had introduced her to the Guru at the old Youth Center classes and now she came to see me. I remember clearly I was in my dorm room and there was loud rock music playing, people were screaming and carrying on as college kids are wont to do. And then Laurie (the girl) walked in and pulled from her backpack the pamphlet that the Ashram used to give to newcomers to Valentina. The photo was the same one that is used in the last Guru Purnima card only it was black and white. When my eyes fell on that picture, when I saw the hands clasped in prayer and blessing...EVERYTHING stopped. I was enveloped in a cocoon of silence and nothing, no one, could break in. It seemed I was "there" for hours but it was only seconds; I heard Laurie's voice say "Stuart says she is God." And to be honest, in those days, whatever Stuart said, was gospel to me... he had yet to take those backward steps. But that photo seemed to enter my heart and all I wanted to do was see Her.

That came later on my Christmas vacation... It was December 16, 1974.

I went with a friend to the Youth Center and suddenly in walks Valentina, wearing ridiculous pants with large flowered prints on them and frankly she looked a little overweight. I remember thinking... "THIS is God?!"

To say I was confused is an understatement.

And then, Anna introduced us. Anna introduced me as "Phil" and my friend as "Robert". The Guru turned to us and clasping her hands in blessing said "Philip and Robert... ahhh, this is good." And so, at that point She baptized me with a new name (I had NEVER been Philip before) and my new life began.

But, not before my final "initial" meeting with Valentina. During that same class, a young disciple of the Guru's, as She was leaving, prostrated before her and she placed a rose at his feet. I thought how free he was to do that and how beautiful a gesture She had committed. I was determined to do that next time she walked by me.

And so it came that the next day, after the class,even with all my calculations as to what I would do, I couldn't bring myself to prostrate in front of her... As she walked by, I had no choice, I fell in front of Her...

I felt her walk by me and suddenly, without warning, I could feel the intensest, most powerful, audible SOUNDS of OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI right in the middle of my heart. I wasn't scared because it was so true and real and my heart was weeping; it was truly like a thousand cannons going off in my heart repeating that blessed sound.

When I "awoke", the Guru was long gone, but a single red rose was at my feet.

And that, brother Jack is how I met the Guru in this life.

Om Namo Bhagavate, Sivananda-Valentinaya!

Return to "About Sivananda-Valentina."

Here’s my story - Brian Stokes

When I was a freshman at the University of Florida, I met Phil Sarmiento. For a short time, before Phil dropped out of the university to return to his “studies” at the Ashram, we were roommates.

On the wall next to his bed, Phil had posted some pictures of Valentina. Seeing them, I asked him who She was. He briefly explained about Valentina and the Ashram. Not quite accepting his explanation, I asked him if She believed in Jesus. His affirmative answer satisfied whatever curiosity I had regarding Valentina and the Ashram at that time.

As I already mentioned, Phil left school shortly after I met him. We spent very little time together and were not friends. Now, anyone who has met me knows that I hardly fit the profile of a warm, outgoing, people person. Cold and aloof would be the more likely terms used to describe me. Yet for some reason, whenever I saw a friend or acquaintance of Phil, I made it a point to ask about him and how he was doing.

A little more than a year later, Phil returned to school. He and two friends of his were planning to rent a house to live in, but needed a fourth roommate. They chose me, for no special reason, and, in the same spirit, I accepted their invitation. That was the beginning of what was and is, by anyone’s standards, a most remarkable friendship between Phil and myself. And one of the fruits of that friendship was that Phil decided to share the most precious thing he had—his relationship with and love for Valentina—with me.

Slowly, our conversations turned from school, music, and girls to the metaphysical and to Valentina and the Ashram. I never really questioned any of what Phil
read or told me; it all just seemed right, reawakening the feelings for God that I had turned from, thinking them childish, and replaced with cynicism.

I remember one specific incident which I believe accurately portrays what happened at that time. It was a cold (for Florida) winter’s night, and I had just finished taking a shower. Phil called me into his room to read a passage from Wings to me. Dressed only in my shorts, I sat down and listened.

One of our roommates walked by and mentioned I should put some clothes on before I caught a cold. I couldn’t feel the cold. Besides that, I couldn’t get up from where I was sitting, because if I did, everyone would have seen the tears streaming down my face. It was only much later that I read in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna how crying while listening to the Truth was one sign of bhakti. At that time I was only embarrassed and never mentioned the tears to anyone, not even Phil, trying only to hide them.

Finally, Phil asked me to visit the Ashram with him. We drove down to Miami from school one weekend. Only it wasn’t just any weekend, it was Sivaratri. So my first night at the Ashram was an observance, and one that lasted all night.

I didn’t quite make it to the end of the vigil. When She noticed I had left, Valentina remarked that I wouldn’t return. But then She paused and added, “Maybe not, maybe this will be his baptism.”

The next night in the Garden, I remember Valentina speaking about how if one felt something, no matter how small, during the Observance, that was very positive, and that one had thus received the benefit of the Observance. Now sometime in the early morning of Sivaratri, I had for a second felt something within me. I can only describe it as door being opened very quickly, just long enough to glimpse the light that dwelt behind it, and then just as quickly closing.

I had been baptized.

Brian Stokes

Return to "About Sivananda-Valentina."

How I met Sivananda-Valentina - John B.

It was at the beginning of Asana Class that Bella introduced me to Guru. I was about to stand up when Guru said, God bless you, John. For many classes, I had trouble understanding what was being spoken about and it was Bella that invited me to the Ashram. There I was given a Spiritual Message to read and as I sat in the front garden and read it the tears rolled down my cheeks. For so many years I had ignored the Catholic dogma but here was the Spirit. Here was the Beauty I had found in Benediction. I didn't know I was searching but look what I found... I was found out. God does exist. I began attending Satsangs in the beautiful Sanctuary and would find myself repeating Sivananda-Valentina all the way home feeling joy and love beyond compare. Once, in the Sanctuary, there was no candle lit at the altar I was near, L'herue Bleu it was. Guru came and lit the candle and said, "Light the light for Her Light."

Om The Light of Sivananda~Valentina

John

Return to "About Sivananda-Valentina."

How I met Sivananda Valentina - Michelle

I should first mention that I never physically met Sivananda Valentina. My husband brought me to the Ashram when we were dating. At first I thought it was my love for him that kept me interested in going there. Then I realized that I was a lighter, better person when I was consistently visiting the Ashram. I also realized that the difficult road of being human was easier with the thought of Valentina in my mind. Fifteen years later, I have come to realize that it was more than just romantic love that brought me to my husband, it was the Divine Force bringing me to Valentina through my love for him. One time I had a vivid dream of walking with my husband through an extremely dreary landscape. There were no trees, it was dusty and hot and there was human suffering all about us. We were both on the verge of collapse when Valentina appeared to us as an angel and gently lifted our heads and gave us hope. I often think about that dream when times are tough.

Six years ago I decided to become a high school English teacher. I decided to work as a substitute teacher at Miami Beach Senior High to eventually wiggle my way in there. Everybody told me to give up trying to work there because there would be no openings in the English department. I had been given the opportunity to work in a very good school in another county associated with Nova Southeastern University but I turned it down because my dream was to live and work near the Ashram. I was persistent and prayed about it. After beginning another school year as a sub and wondering if I was doing the right thing, the position opened up and I had so much confidence in the Divine Sakti that I went into the principal's office and basically told him he really needed to hire me! Well, something like that.

That year was tough but I knew I was doing the right thing. The next year I was given a horrible schedule and a lot of added responsibilities. On top of that I was given a room with no windows and a faulty air conditioning system. The only window was an emergency escape door that was supposed to remain closed. One day, I felt particularly tried and I walked over to the emergency escape door and opened it. I said my mantra and looked in the direction of the Ashram. My heart longed to be there and I thought, "Am I doing the right thing to be in here?" At that moment, the room was filled with the fragrance of the Ashram. My heart felt light and I knew that Valentina's spirit had come to me to bless me in my work. Since then I have been very happy in my job. That stuffy old room full of undisciplined teenagers became a blessed spot! Om Valentina!

Now I am the happiest person at work because when I am doing things right, I can wake up just a little earlier and I can make a quick stop on my way to work and breath the air of the Ashram and say a prayer of dedication before I go in to work. That would never have been able to happen if I had taken that job in the other county.

Valentina's spirit is alive and well. I once told Jack that I never imagined that it would be possible to love a person that I had never met before. When I go to the Ashram and am pretty clear, I can feel her love emanate through me.

***

Return to "About Sivananda-Valentina."

My first contact with Valentina - Peter

I came in contact with Valentina in the following way. I was spending a few days at a vegetarian resort in 1961 and met Shirley, who was Valentina's secretary at the time. She told me about Valentina and gave me her address. At the time I was living in Jacksonville, Fl. and shortly afterwards I was transferred to New York. In 1966 I was transferred to West Palm Beach, wrote to Valentina and she invited me to a Satsang.

Valentina inspired us all by living what she preached. She lived a yogic disciplined life and expected us to do our best to do the same. If you were in the presence of Valentina you were inspired. Even if you were in a down mood, immediately, before being in her presence your mood changed to one of inspiration. In the Satsangs and meditation periods with Valentina the vibration of love was tangible. Peter

***

Return to "About Sivananda-Valentina."