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Retreat with us
The ashram is highly renowned for its yoga skills (asanas postures) in all of South Asia, notably thanks to its yogini children. They participate in various national and international yoga competitions and win numerous prizes.
Here at Sri Aurobindo Yoga Mandir, yoga is a permanent discipline, at all times, based on the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother
“All life is yoga.”
This is the moto of the ashram and integral yoga, of which postures are only a very small part.
We have two main understandings of retreat at the Ashram: one is the general retreat from wherever you were to experience our community. This retreat includes the daily yoga and evening talks, meditation and chanting open to any and all who visit our community. The second is guided immersive retreat into deepened spiritual progress.
These immersive retreats are one of the most powerful ways to learn how to deepen spiritual practice. Our retreats combine physical postures and breathing (hatha yoga) and deepened spiritual intellect (rajayoga) in applied spirituality contributing to our ashram family (karmayoga.) Each of these pieces are essential to Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga, which is a synthesis of thousands of years of Hindu philosophy and practice. We have outlined the key pieces of our retreats below for any who are interested. See our retreat calendar below and contact us for any questions or preferences!
Hatha yoga – Hatha yoga allows us to still our bodies and mind to allow us to offer our works to the Divine. The ancient asanas (yoga postures) and pranayamic practices (breathing techniques) are an essential part of developing mastery over the body and stilling the mind. By starting each day with movement, we ease the physical body and soothe the soul. Our teachers have trained for years in India and returned to offer daily lessons in how to feel more at peace in our bodies.
Eating prayer – In eating, we partake in larger energetic cycles and nourish our body. Our common saying is “eat to live, don’t live to eat.” By eating we nourish our physical body. In eating we imbibe the five elements of earth sustain our spiritual fires. We begin each meal with prayer and contemplation of gratitude to the land, the farmers and the Divine for our nourishing food.
Karmayoga – In Karmayoga, we offer ourselves to the Divine through the community we live in. Karmayoga means karma (work/activity) as yoga (spiritual practice.) This is the anchor of our practice. Meditating on a cushion, perfecting postures on a mat, and even enlightenment are useless if we are unable to contribute to the communities which surround us. Karmayoga is how we surrender to the Divine through intentional service. Choose an area of the ashram, and each day contribute your energy to supporting our surrounding community.
Dharma talk – Our talks promote deep contemplation of Hindu Truths to deepen our Spiritual Intellect. Each day enjoy a talk by Swami Ramchandra Das on the Dharma (teachings in Sanskrit) of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, Vedic Sages, the Upanishads and other ancient Hindu truths. In balance with postures, work and meditation, these talks deepen our understanding of the philosophical context of the Ashram and our place in it.
Yoga Nidra – Yoga Nidra allows us to ground our energy. Retreats can be an intense experience, which we address by creating space for grounding. Through this “spiritual slumber,” we cultivate deep states of conscious relaxation. We use guided visualizations and mantra to provide an anchor for you to extend your spiritual depth and send taproots into the grounding energy of the Divine.
Kirtan – Kirtan are joyful, musical expressions of reverence for the divine. Kirtan are chants which we sing in call and response with accompaniment of harmonium, traditional Nepali madel (two-sided drums), guitar and abundant clapping. The sounds of mantra and instruments create a vibrational environment meant to activate key chakras for spiritual deepening. Both playful and deeply spiritual, kirtan are powerful means of touching the Divine.
Dhyan – Dhyan, or seated meditation, is the most powerful tool to still the mind. Sri Aurobindo instructs us to imagine the mind as a lake where all things settle. Through this reality, we notice we notice what touches the mind, how the impulses and behaviors which arise in fact come from outside. We notice the origins of cravings and aversions and in this way develop a means navigating the dangerous world of our volatile, vital emotions. This practice is combined with karmayoga to ensure that our deepened stillness remains joined to contributing to and shaping our material world.
Cost: $50/person/day ($40 if 20+ people)
Recommended duration: ltivate deep states of conscious relaxation
Sample day:
06:00 – Wake up
06:15 – Optional dhyan
07:00 – Hatha yoga (pranayama and asanas)
08:00 – Breakfast
09:00 – Karmayoga on chosen trade
10:00 – Talk and meditation with Swami Ramchandra Das
11:00 – Free time
13:00 – Lunch
15:00 – Yoga Nidra
16:00 – Karmayoga
17:00 – Hatha Yoga
Book a treatment with us
Naturopathy and Ayurvedic medicine center nutrition and elemental balance as core to spiritual progress. All life is yoga and, in ayurveda, all life is medicine: from nutrition, to yogic practices, to treatments for imbalance.
Our treatments include mud therapy, air therapy, fire/sun therapy, ether/emptiness therapy and other herbal treatments as well.
Be treated by people who have received information from generations of elders and modern ayurvedic schooling. Touch ancient traditions known to treat conditions from high blood pressure, gastrointestinal issues, brain fog and general imblances
Trek with us
Explore the wonders of the Himalayas with our certified trekking guides. Sages have retreated in the Himalayas for millennia. Continue that tradition by exploring the scenic beauty of the Annapurnas, Langtang, Gaurishankar and beyond!
Our guides combine nature exploration with spirituality and ecological awareness. Entreat conversations about Sri Aurobindo, Nepali history, medicinal herbs or noble silence.
Our most popular excursions are the Annapurna Circuit (7-14 days), Annapurna Base Camp (7 days) and Mardi Himal Trek (3 days.)
Volunteer with us
From the farm, to the school, to the cowshed, to the workshop, there are ample opportunities for those looking to get to work. All volunteers are encouraged to stay longer than one month to develop comfort with our work environment and familiarity with those they work with.
Learn about democratic education, Nepali permaculture and any other trade through participation! We welcome volunteers at all stages of life and we can work with you to talk about a cost that works with your needs.
Karmayoga centers work as spiritual practice, and learn how we apply that to our daily sewa (service) by participating in our operations.