Dear readers,

Happy holidays!

On the Siddha Yoga path, we’ve learned from Gurumayi that one of the main ways to convey respect for others is through acknowledgments. Acknowledging others and expressing our appreciation are of such importance that they have become a natural part of our daily interactions. And they are especially important when someone has made an outstanding contribution that has had a far-reaching impact.

Gurumayi’s Message for the year 2018 is Satsang. In engaging with the Message, Siddha Yoga students and new seekers alike have benefited immensely from the contribution of one of the young adult staff members in the SYDA Foundation. She is someone you have gotten to know well. Her name is Eesha Sardesai. Eesha has been the author of all twelve of the letters introducing each month on the Siddha Yoga path website this year. When we think of these monthly letters, the saying “Good things come in small packages” immediately springs to mind. Each letter has been a valuable guidepost for the Siddha Yoga sadhana of so many people.

It has been our great delight to read your shares posted under Eesha’s letter every month. As you describe all the understanding you gained from the letter and how it sparked your own inquiry, your appreciation is palpable. We have been impressed to see how, through the support of Eesha’s words and knowledge, you went deeper into your sadhana and were able to access your inner wisdom.

We also want to say how touched we’ve been that, month after month, many of you have spoken and written to us about Eesha’s letters, sharing how they’ve provided inspiration, insights, and practical ways to study and apply Gurumayi’s Message Satsang. We are so happy for all of you who have benefited from them.

Yet another remarkable outcome of Eesha’s letters has been the way they have brought together the global Siddha Yoga sangham––in Siddha Yoga meditation centers, chanting and meditation groups, and sadhana circles. We’ve heard from numerous Siddha Yogis—both visiting sevites in Shree Muktananda Ashram and those we’ve spoken with in our travels around the world—that one of the highlights of participating in satsang has been reading Eesha’s letters aloud and studying them together.

We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to Eesha for the seva she has offered in service to Gurumayi, as the writer of the monthly letters for 2018. On behalf of everyone in the SYDA Foundation and each one of you in the global Siddha Yoga sangham, we want to take this opportunity to say, “Thank you, Eesha!”

At this bright threshold, when the year 2018 is coming to a triumphant conclusion and the year 2019 is on the brink of unfolding before us, we are happy to share with you two of the promises that 2019 holds.

• Eesha will be receiving a new writing assignment for the Siddha Yoga path website.
• And, Garima Borwankar has gratefully accepted the baton from Eesha to write the monthly letters for 2019.

Garima, who has been following the Siddha Yoga path for forty-nine years, is also an SYDA Foundation staff member. She lives in Northern California with her wonderful husband, Nitin, and their German shepherd, Leo (who, according to them, is very smart!).

Please join us in warmly thanking Eesha once again, and in welcoming Garima to her new seva assignment as the writer of the monthly letters.

Sincerely,

Swami Apoorvananda Swami ShantanandaSwami Akhandananda