Joining the YDC in 2007, I was a confused 24 year old with little direction in life. I happened to find out about Yasodhara doing an online search and a voice inside told me I needed to go. Not only did Yasodhara not meet my expectations (I thought we were going to do hot yoga!?), it opened me up to parts of myself that had long been silenced and repressed. I hadn’t cried in years, hadn’t danced since I was a young boy, certainly did not sing in front of anyone. The ashram provided me with space to lovingly confront the beliefs and expectations that no longer served me. It set me on a path of reclaiming my freedom and empowerment.
It was also where I experienced my first men’s group. 15 years later, I am running men’s groups and working as a men’s therapist, bringing the same compassion and loving clarity I found in Swami Radha’s teachings.
I am grateful to the ashram and the long term residents for their commitment to the work, for sharing it with the world, and being a beacon on Light.
Michael McCarthy