Podcast #2
Our second podcast is another wonderful conversation hosted by Katie Taher, this time with senior Ashram teacher Swami Satyananda. They discuss Swami Satyananda’s beginnings at the Ashram and her interactions with Swami Radha who she remembers as a fierce yet compassionate teacher who guided her to contemplate her life deeply. The theme of harmony is […]
The Gift of Madness: offering compassion in a crazy world
“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.” -“The Uses of Sorrow” by Mary Oliver It was a dreary June evening in Sudbury, Ontario, and I was fresh out of the psych ward, wearing my street clothes and having brushed […]
Podcast #1
We are excited to launch our new Yasodhara Ashram Podcast for our 60th year! Today we hear from Swami Jyotihananda discuss her time with a great woman – Swami Radha. We have been considering this idea for sometime now but like with all things, the Divine has its own timeline and things fell into place […]
Where Do You Go In A Crisis?
This spring, my wife Molly and I are moving back to the Ashram. It’s been a long timecoming and I feel like I am holding my breath waiting. We plan to go for a year but for me, it’s less about the time and more about reorienting my life in response to my heart. I […]
The Power of Receiving and Offering Light
This winter morning I chant my mantra in darkness lit only by a small altar light reflecting on the image of Tara, bodhisattva of compassion. Her golden body shines in the intricate inner heaven of the shrine. She smiles a little enigmatically. And though She looks meditative and at peace, those extra eyes on her […]
Presidents questions as we enter 2023
At the Ashram we focus on helping people go inward by observing their minds and asking what they want to bring to life now. Reflection and self-inquiry are encouraged. But at the same time, none of us live in a vacuum. We are all living in an interdependent world where the pain of others affects […]
My life has improved on all levels
I wish everyone could have a chance to pause from regular life to step back and ask “How am I using my energy? What is the purpose of my life?” I took the YDC is 2015. I am so grateful that I took this time. After having raised a family it was a wonder to […]
My YDC Story – Swami Lalitananda
It’s been 40 years since I took the Yoga Development Course (YDC). I was 30 years old and had no idea that I would one day be a swami. I had lived an experimental decade in my twenties—seeking freedom through hitchhiking, dropping in and out of jobs, university and relationships. The lifestyle had worn me […]
The YDC provides such a unique arc of experience
A rare mix of time and space and depth, with just the right dose of positive pressure to keep me exploring, letting go, breaking boundaries, reaching out… Being part of the YDC in the midst of a world-wide pandemic made it especially poignant, highlighting the power of community and the unique opportunity available at the […]
The gift that keeps on giving
When I came to Yasodhara Ashram in August 2018, I didn’t know it yet, but I had already begun a journey out of a deep valley that I had, ever so slowly, descended into over the years. I thought: I will do this 10 day course, and then I’ll find my next step, and everything […]