Jaya Kula is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. In each annual report, we reflect on the year past and fulfill our commitment to financial transparency.
Dear Mandala and Friends,
Collectively, we’ve had a lot to digest this past year. In the midst of it all, we gathered for some beautiful practice retreats and learned to support each other in ways that stretched our capacity and showed us realities that might have remained hidden during more peaceful times.
It’s still pandemic time
The pandemic lumbered and lurched on with a major surge in the middle of the year that impacted many Jaya Kula community members.
I’m still grappling with the pandemic-inspired changes to how teachings are delivered. But I’m so proud of our community for continuing to provide a caring space where people with chronic illness can be relatively protected and all of us can remain healthier.
Life and death
In early September, a beloved community member suffered a major seizure. Many of you rallied to support her and her family while she was in the hospital and then at home with her partner. For now, she’s receiving care and recovering with her mum and siblings. We miss her dearly!
Right on the heels of that, October 7th happened. The profound and ongoing impact of the war on Gaza cannot be overstated. In uncountable ways, life on our planet has changed irrevocably, and Jaya Kula is a microcosm of that change. We have cried together, grieved together, argued, protested, shared, written poems, opened our hearts wider, and learned so much. We have lost and gained friends and deepened friendships with each other.
In November, the Board of Jaya Kula issued this statement in support of Palestine. We continue to stand with Palestine and for the end of colonialism and any form of oppression worldwide.
Nourishing retreats
Maha Shivaratri 2023 found us learning nourishing healing and protection practices. Our purpose was to experience healing and make peace with ourselves, others, circumstances, and our ancestors. During our 2024 Maha Shivaratri retreat, we moved definitively outward to focus on healing practices for others and our world.
Ananta Satsanga, our annual Guru Purnima summer retreat, was our first-ever gathering centered on the teachings and kirtan of Anandamayi Ma. So sweet!
In the fall of 2023, we held a traditional seated meditation retreat. We practiced in one and a half hour blocks several times a day. Some people found this to be a bit grueling, of course. But getting out of our comfort zone is part of the fun, right? 😉
Happy Stats
For the numbers geek in you!
The Jaya Kula podcast, Satsang with Shambhavi, was downloaded 42,628 times in 2023.
The median is about half that. So we’re doing great for such a niche subject and grassroots effort.
Our podcast is truly a community collaboration with many students pitching in to record, edit, and create transcripts for each week’s broadcast. The podcast is the number one way that people are finding Jaya Kula these days. Thank you, thank you to all of you who have shown up for this seva!
We have gathered for nearly 300 live-streamed Morning Heart Worship practices since December 2020.
Morning Heart Worship started on December 8, 2020 as an experiment, and it’s still thriving. We chant mantras, sing kirtan, meditate, breathe, connect, and heal. If you want to try it out, we gather every Tuesday via livestream at 7:30am Pacific on my Facebook page and Jaya Kula’s YouTube.Â
Finances
I’m happy to report that Jaya Kula is slowly pulling out of the financial slump we and other nonprofits have experienced during the pandemic. We received several unexpected larger donations toward the end of 2023, finished slightly in the black, and are continuing to improve our financial health in 2024 at a slow but steady pace.
Thanks to everyone near and far who participates in creating and sustaining our mandala of practitioners! Nothing is possible without you and the connection to wisdom that we all share.
With love and deep appreciation,
Shambhavi