Deconstructing and Rebuilding Inner and Outer Worlds
The snow capped mountains greet me today, inviting a call to stillness. As I look upwards to the peaks, I have a sense of lifting above the day-to-day of Ashram life—to a place that brings a bigger perspective. A place where I imagine heaven and earth meet. This feeling of stillness follows me into the […]
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 […]