Our Vision & Mission

Yoga Maya Rising is a vibrant, non-denominational kirtan and bhakti yoga community rooted in interfaith perspectives. We are dedicated to the practice and sharing education about Kirtan, Universal Spirituality, and sacred, selfless service.

 

Our mission is to provide programming for “Modern Mystics with Mission Hearts, to Love and Serve All, for the Healing of the World." Guided by the timeless ideal of Unity in Diversity modeled by the teachings and culture of the Sri Ramakrishna/Sarada Universal Temple in Ganges, Michigan- who inspired and blessed our organization - we celebrate the ultimate oneness of all religious and spiritual paths through community gatherings, devotional song, and outreach.

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Our History & Spiritual Lineage

The roots of Yoga Maya Rising, as a non-profit, trace their background to the spiritual guidance of Mataji Gauri Brata and Baba Swami Atmalokananda of the Mothers Trust Universal Ashram (Ramakrishna Sarada Universal Temple) in Ganges, Michigan.  Our work is further elevated by the foundational blessings of Sri Sri Bandana Puri Devi (Sri Sri Saradeswari Ashram in Kolkata, India) and blessings and teachings from Acharya Dr. Sripada Raju of the Hindu Temple of Lansing (find Dr. Raju's talks here) 

Today, the connection to Mothers Trust and the shared Interfaith values remains living and active within our organization; we are profoundly blessed to have Shakti Brata Puri Devi, a sanayas disciple of Sri Sri Bandana Puri Devi and disciple of Swami Bhasyandnada. She has lived in Ganges MI for decades and was in service to her teacher, Swami Bhasyananda, where she was very involved at the Vivekananda Monastery in Ganges, MI, and a key founding member of Mothers Trust. 

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Meet Our Founder

Rev. Trevor Chaitanya Eller is the spiritual caretaker whose seva is to tend the flame of Yoga Maya Rising.  Before anchoring this community, Trevor traveled extensively as a touring and studio guitarist for prominent kirtan leaders within the 3HO Kundalini Yoga Sikh community, including Gurunam Singh, Sirit Kaur, and Satkirin Kaur (learn more about Trevor’s kirtan work in the Sikhi and Kundalini community here).

In 2011, drawing from this background in kirtan, supported by a growing local community, Trevor launched what would become our foundational offering: the Full Moon Kirtan gatherings.

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The Divine Spark: How the Non-Profit Was Born

The formal connection between Trevor’s work to grow grassroots Kirtan community and the historic Mothers Trust lineage was born out of divine synchronicity and alignment:

• The Unexpected Encounter (2014): While on a weekend trip to celebrate his then-girlfriend (now wife) Miriam's birthday, Trevor was determined not to visit an ashram or yoga event, as most all events and festivals he would bring Miriam to were yoga-based. However, after getting lost in West Michigan while trying to find a place to stay the night, they divinely stumbled upon the Mothers Trust Ashram. A profound spiritual relationship quickly flourished between Trevor and Mataji Gauri Brata and the other sanyasis at Mothers Trust. 

• The Calling (2015): By late 2014, Mataji began outlining her vision for an "Ann Arbor Center." On January 1st, 2015, a significant holiday in the life of Sri Ramakrishan, Kalpataru Day. Mataji informed Trevor that Sri Sri Bandana Puri Devi in Kolkata’s Hrishikesha Shila Shaligram had bestowed upon Trevor the spiritual name and title Chaitanya Prabhu, with the Consciousness of Navadweep. This was a major step, tasking him to lead a spiritually connected, yet legally independent, branch center.

• The Arrival of the Murtis (2016–2017): On Maha Shivaratri 2015, the sacred Murtis of Lord Jagannath and Durga Devi were transferred from the home of Indra and Jogi Makhija - founders and key supporters of Mothers Trust - to Trevor’s home in Ypsilanti to anchor the energy of the new center. They blessed the community until November 2017, when they returned to Indra and Jogi in the Chicago area.

• Trusting Divine Timing: Although Mataji originally envisioned an immediate nonprofit formation,  when the murits arrived in Ypsilanti, Trevor Chaitanya did not feel ready to begin running a nonprofit. The passing of both Mataji Gauri Brata and Dr. Raju brought a long season of reflection.  Over the years, the persistent spiritual call to formalize the mission kept arising until the time was finally right to establish the independent nonprofit we are today. Yoga Maya Rising! 

 

The Evolution of Our Name

Our community has blossomed through several seasons, each name reflecting a different expression:

• Jagat Puri Nivasa: Founded as a sacred dwelling place for the Mothers Trust lineage deities, celebrating universal spirituality. This name was short-lived while Jagannath and Durga lived in Ypsilanti at our first location in Trevor’s and Miriam’s home Yoga space on Washtenaw Ave. 

• Yoga Maya Center: the 2015/2016 Yoga Teacher training expanded our offerings to need a larger location. During this time, Mataji gave blessings on the new name - which was her bramachari name before she took sanyas - Yoga Maya. The Yoga Maya Center was in the basement on the corner of Washington and Pearl Street in Ypsilanti, diagonally from the bus stop and the Hare Krishna Center, the Harmony Collective. 

• Yoga Maya Kirtan Church and Interfaith Center: In 2025, we formalized our legal structure with the name focusing on our key components of kirtan and interfaith spirituality. While Trevor continues with his Hatha Yoga teachings (which were highly encouraged by Mataji), they are currently separate from the non-profit. 

• Yoga Maya Rising: Our board and primary advisors unanimously and joyfully updated the umbrella name of the non-profit's outward-facing mission to Yoga Maya Rising for our public-facing identity today—symbolizing a collective awakening, rising in love, sacred chant music, and work as worship. We felt it important to continue using the Yoga Maya name, whose spiritual teachings deeply inform the non-profit’s work. 

 

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What Does the Name "Yoga Maya Rising" Mean?

The name Yoga Maya holds rich layers of meaning and spiritual context. Within the Bhakti tradition, Yoga Maya is one of the many sacred names of Shakti, the Divine Mother. In the great epic Srimad Bhagavatam, Yoga Maya manifests as a protective expression of Durga Devi, acting as the divine shield that safeguards the infant Shri Krishna.

While the word Yoga refers to spiritual union, Maya is often simply translated as "illusion." However, its true meaning is far vaster. Maya is the very fabric of our transactional reality—the theater where all cosmic appearance plays out. It is the divine magic.

Within conditioned reality, our actions are influenced by two distinct forces:

• Maha Maya: The power of worldly delusion. It binds us to fear, anger, greed, and ultimately, the painful sense of separateness from the Divine.

• Yoga Maya: The conscious play of duality moving us toward divine action and spiritual understanding. Yoga Maya brings the Divine Power directly into the world. It is the force that awakens us, transforming the illusion of the material world into a direct, experiential knowing of our Truest Self.

By choosing Yoga Maya Rising, our community honors the evolutionary movement from the delusion of separation into a collective awakening—rising together in love, music, and sacred devotion.

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What We Do

Currently, Yoga Maya Rising nonprofit is focused on building sustainable roots to support our foundational gathering: the monthly Full Moon Kirtan event in Michigan.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and vibrant community interest, we have joyfully expanded our offerings to include a second monthly gathering: The New Moon Bhakti Circle. This intimate space is dedicated to community reflection, discussions on classical yoga philosophy, and the study of sacred Sanskrit texts. Our new offerings aim to provide educational material to support all aims of yogic lifestyle, particularly bhakti yoga, chanting, and kirtan. 

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Our ultimate hope and prayer is that the work of Yoga Maya Rising helps awaken a deeper consciousness within us all - empowering each soul to better serve others and bringing healing to all beings everywhere, across all times, places, and dimensions.

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