January 1, 2025A Gift of Grace
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.
—John O’Donohue
Greetings!
I am profoundly grateful for the grace-filled gift of my sabbatical year, which will begin following our New Year Retreat and Sunday Satsang on Sunday, January 5th. It started with the question: what do you really want? What would nurture your soul? Once my heart clearly replied, “A yearlong sabbatical,” an unfolding soul adventure began.
I found the proposition daunting, even though I was keenly aware of the importance of arranging deep time for prayer, renewal, contemplation, and opening to a vision of possibility for my service in the years ahead. It was daunting for several reasons—among them that in forty-two years of ministry, I had never done it. I was stepping into unfamiliar terrain with only God’s grace to guide me. It requires a radical openness that I have experienced before and frequently counseled students about. Yet, here it was again for me. Sometimes, we fear what Spirit may ask of us or call us to, even though this call comes from the soul itself!
Besides not knowing what the personal implications of such a radical step might be for me, I also considered the ministry—the teachers and students I mentor, the well-being of the community, and the Center itself. How would it be to let go of my decade’s old role for a time? What would it be like for our ministers and staff to take on many of my responsibilities in my absence? How would the community respond? To be open to divine guidance, I would need to proceed without an agenda, project plan, or any temptation or commitment to produce something during my time away. If you genuinely want to be open to inspiration, take nothing for your journey. What would it be like to go into a cave of silence and let go of being in touch with the community I hold so dear? For an entire year?
In my decades of ministry service, I have witnessed that divine guidance follows soul inspiration, albeit one incremental step at a time. Take one step, and the next appears. Hold back, and nothing comes. When soul guidance comes to me, it is often holistic—like a gestalt, not “here’s what to do next” advice. What came to me in my soul-searching about how stepping away on sabbatical would affect my relationship with the community was the insight (or instruction): take everyone with you. That was a sabbatical oxymoron! But I trusted what came, contemplated its implications, and prayed for guidance.
What emerged was the understanding that what I am seeking on sabbatical is what most of us want and need—a deeper connection to the soul, our spiritual tradition that guides us, and God. In short, attunement—to experience the inner harmony that opens the way for superconscious living. Then I knew. I would share the focus and practices of my sabbatical with you, and we could make the spiritual journey together, each receiving the insight and divine support that is right for us. With the support of Acharya Sundari and Rev. Sandhya, we have put together a dynamic “Power of Attunement” program available online that has far exceeded my imagination and expectation of what could be possible.
Many dear ones in the community have offered good wishes and asked what they might do to support my sabbatical. Thank you! It is my deep desire that our community, the teachings of Kriya Yoga, and the beauty and serviceability of our ashram will thrive, prosper, and grow even stronger during the year I am away. Here are some of the ways you can support that.
- The first way is to “go with me” on sabbatical by engaging with others in the community in the Power of Attunement program. Sign up for the online program and plan to be present in community for the attunement program Satsangs on the first Sunday of each month.
- Second, continue to participate in weekly Sunday Satsangs, retreats, and special programs as you already do (or more frequently if so inspired) as if I were there. Be part of lighting up this dynamic spiritual path and community.
- The third way you can support the sabbatical year is to contribute to the sabbatical fund. The Board generously (and unhesitatingly) resolved that I will receive my regular salary while I am away. This often happens with a ministry sabbatical, but not always. It takes a leap of faith to trust that donations ordinarily received during retreats, satsangs, and other programs I lead will be provided in different ways. A sabbatical fund has been established to support that promise and possibility for the ministry.
Some have said they are happy I am taking this sabbatical because I deserve it after so many years of service. While there may be some truth in that, I am humbly aware that this sabbatical is a gift. First, it is a spiritual gift, a grace-filled gift from God. And it is also a gift from the leaders of our Center, who will inspire and support the ministry while I am away. And it is a gift from you. Thank you from my heart.
As someone who values productivity and is grateful for the amazing opportunity to serve by sharing this transformative path in many ways, the idea of not needing to produce anything for a year is revolutionary. Don’t even think about doing! Just be. Breathe. Rest. Renew. Listen deeply. All will be well. Truly, a gift.
I am calling this time my radical sabbatical because it is that for me. A time to return to the deep roots of what nourishes me. A time to disengage from so much doing and focus on simply being present. Whenever I visited my Guru, Roy Eugene Davis, at his retreat center in Georgia, I would receive the blessing of a private meeting with him. I gave him updates on the ministry and my sadhana. Then, I would ask if he had any advice for me. Was there anything he saw that I should change or do differently? Year after year, his reply was consistent. “No, he would say, just keep doing what you are doing.” That is, until one year, not so long ago, he said softly as if he were treading on some tender ground, “maybe you could do a little less.” I knew what he meant. It has just taken me a while to slow down, and now, stop.
What will the radical sabbatical bring? I have no idea.
My sankalpa, my spiritual vow, is for it to be a time of deepest attunement to divine inspiration, grace, and will. And a profound experience of attunement and grace for our beloved community as we continue to walk this spiritual path together.
I look forward to being with you as I begin this sabbatical on Sunday, January 5th, and once again when I return in January 2026.
With infinite love,
Yogacharya
P.S. Click here for Yogacharya’s Sabbatical FAQ
November 3, 2024An Introduction to The Power of Attunement
September 5, 2024Soul Inspiration from Yogacharya
Dear Ones,
Times are urgent; let us slow down. When I first heard this African proverb, I resonated deeply with its call. Over the years, this need has only grown stronger, and I suspect I am not the only one who feels this. When I listen to others, I hear the call as soul-searching questions about how to live a deeply meaningful life today. Singular among the questions is this: how can we faithfully tend to what matters most in life while meeting the responsibilities and demands before us? How can we possibly slow down when it seems that everything around us is speeding up?
For many of us, the requirements for our time and attention are more than are humanly possible. As spiritual practitioners, we sometimes turn to spiritual teachings to try to become ever more efficient. Surely, we can become more skillful at what we do. But what if what we really need is to slow down and learn how to simply be?
This question is worth asking, and I am inspired by what will come from it. I know this soul quest is different for each of us according to our inclinations, stage of life, and responsibilities. But one thing is clear: we all must slow down, make space, and claim time for the soul to stretch out. It is there that we find the resilience, clarity, wisdom, and compassion to meet needs before us.
Many of the world’s religions and wisdom traditions have a Sabbath practice of some kind—a way to unplug from worldly demands to do more, and instead tune into the spiritual call to be. Be with yourself. Be with family. Be with friends. Be in nature. Be. Just be.
This call has inspired me personally to take a sabbatical year—like a kid with a gap year, taking time to explore, learn, and listen deeply for divine direction. I will make space to attune with my soul, my teachers, our tradition of Kriya Yoga, and the presence and power of Spirit calling me to take this step. A Year of Attunement! And it will bring me great joy to share it with you.
As I embark on this sabbatical, I will use this sacred time to reflect on and open to the vision for the Center for the next ten years. My guru, Roy Eugene Davis, much like his guru Paramahansa Yogananda, taught us the importance of setting aside time to reflect on possibilities for the future and envision our role in it—what we must do or become to participate in it.
Where do you see yourself in ten years? How do you envision your divine life unfolding? In November, along with our CSE Ministers, I will share with you some of the inspiration and resources that will become available as part of the Year of Attunement—your 2025 guide to slowing down, tuning in to your soul’s call, and tuning up your life to what matters most deeply.
I invite you to mark these important dates so that together we can explore this unfolding vision and be part of something truly transformative.
Stay tuned, and prepare to embark on this journey of deep attunement together.
With infinite love and blessings,
Yogacharya O’Brian
