ANS Fundraising initiative: Help Children Live in their Excellence

Dear yogis and friends, and to all of you that feel connected to the teachings of Yogi Bhajan and to Amrit Nam Sarovar,

Amrit Nam Sarovar (ANS) is growing as a school. As we are entering the consciousness of committed sangat, we’re also opening the door to new ways of participation. With this letter we’d like to inspire another level of giving amongst the ANS community. We plan to set up a dedicated ANS Dasvandh program that initiates a culture of donations. Our intention is that the ANS Dasvandh monies will provide a constant stream of funding to initiatives that help build a better future and strengthen our community. The first project we invite you to support is the ANS children and youth program.

Giving back to the source is a fundamental principle of spiritual living. The act of giving is not only an expression of trusting and honoring the unlimited flow of the Divine, it is also an acknowledgement of our spiritual nature; that we all are one in the face of Divine creation. So that we can come together in spirit and start a life fueled by the sincere longing to live for each other.

In the tradition of Yogi Bhajan there is a dedicated practice to fill the role of social contribution called Dasvandh which is one-tenth of one's earnings: ‘das’ means ten and ‘vandh’ means to give. It represents seed money which nourishes the Dharma, our collective spirit. It is a way to move into a practice of giving beyond any personal claims and start contributing to life from a larger perspective: the common good of all.

We have identified one area as crucial - and that is the work with children and young adults.  Amrit Nam Generations, the people within ANS who are dedicated to delivering great programs for children, teens and the whole family,  keep putting all their love, knowledge and time into improving and expanding that field of activities. Most of the work is done as seva. Next to the kids camp that has been running for four years now, in 2010 they also started hosting a teens camp.

During the ANS board meeting, which was held in February in London, their report about that week touched all of us deeply. A handful of young people had gathered last August at Le Martinet for an adventure they were not sure they wanted to be in. Most of them had been sent by their parents and most of them were completely new to yoga and living in nature. They were taken through a challenging process to access their own excellence - by facing their negativity, dealing with the consequences of their actions, coming to terms with their physical limits and having to make it work as a group. We also saw pictures of the different stages of their journey. What an amazing transformation we could see looking into their faces from beginning to end. It would seem that all of them expanded their self-limiting beliefs about who they are and what they can achieve. The one that had the most resistance after a strenuous mountain walk even called his parents from the top to tell them how grateful he was for this experience.

The team around Gur Suraj Singh has many more ideas about how to build on that week which has been so empowering for all of the young participants. Over time they plan to set up local centers of excellence where young people will learn to enter life with a purpose and a perspective. They will do so in the context of daily life, and with the guidance of a mentor. To be able to continue and broaden the scope of the wonderful work of AMRITNAM GENERATIONS additional funding will be needed. In total we’re looking at an amount of 4000 EURO.

Donating is easy and rewarding. All contributions great and small are appreciated. On the ANS website there will be updates of the amount collected. Also, under the heading ‘ANS for life’ we are currently preparing a dedicated section on the site to feature all activities for children, young kids and families.

If you have any questions or feel inspired to support the team, you can contact Gur Suraj Singh directly.

Thank you for your consideration.

Guru Deva Kaur
on behalf of Amrit Nam Sarovar