Yasodhara Ashram
527 Walkers Landing Road V0B 1X0 Riondel, BC, Canada

Human Rights Day Thursday Dec 10, 7:30-9:15pm MST We have joined the Nelson Interfaith Climate Action Collaborative by creating a video of our commitment to implementing practices to support the land and future generations. This online event will include practices of peace and reconciliation, videos, music, sharing & reflection. We invite you to bring a candle to light and offer. Click on Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84131762747#success 10 minutes before gathering for this Interfaith event. For more info, email [email protected].

Amnesty International Write for Rights Letter Writing Drive Thurs. Dec 10, 2-3 pm Join us as we Write for Rights at Yasodhara Ashram via Zoom call: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87658992351 where you can say hello and share a cup of tea as we all write to support the rights of folks worldwide. Or you can just let us know that you'll be writing too, as part of our extended Yasodhara community. RSVP us at https://act.writeathon.ca//write-for-rights-yasodhara-ashr if you would like to attend. For more info about how you can participate from home, visit Amnesty International https://writeathon.ca/

2020 was a year we will all remember for the disruption of the pandemic and the changes it demanded on just about every aspect of our lives. We hope in this time that you, your family and friends have been safe and healthy and that you have found ways to find connections and support. Key messages for us at the Ashram have been "letting go" and "opening to possibilities." We have had difficult moments like when we had to lay off all but essential staff and say goodbye to loyal... friends; and cutting back our departmental budgets to bare bones. Safety of everyone in our community has been a priority and, like you, we have had the challenge of limiting our contact with others outside our bubble. Dramatic events like COVID also give us the opportunity to stop and clarify what truly gives our lives meaning and to open to new possibilities. Swamis Samayananda, Matananda and Lalitananda share some of their experiences of this time in this video.

Water is known to have a calming effect on people. So, despite rising seas, people will pay a premium to live right on the water. Thankfully here we are on a lake, and it has such a calming effect, even from afar. The thing that I think is underestimated is the effect of being immersed in a fresh body of water. It really cleanses the soul in addition to having scientifically proven health benefits, like reducing inflammation. When the water gets a little colder, it also caus...es the release of all of these endorphins inside of you. It’s even prescribed in some countries now as an answer to depression. I just love it. I swim here every day, though for increasingly shorter periods of time as it gets cooler! But the water is accessible all year round. So many people right now are going through big changes in their careers because of the pandemic, but it can also be an opportunity. Much of what is taught here is that we already have the solutions inside of us, all of the information is there, and I feel like the environment really helps that prosper. The best ideas won’t come if there’s no space for them to emerge. Here there are fewer distractions about the things that don’t really matter. Part of that is the setting, with fewer personal distractions within the space. Also choosing to leave social media and some of those things aside so it’s possible to really be immersed in this environment. In my first month, I felt like I was just soaking in the creativity of this place--of the environment and the people and the Saraswati lineage of the teachings--and writing lots. During my second month, I began to have so many creative insights come to me, I knew it would be time to leave soon, to begin to work on all the ideas that surfaced. Humans of the Ashram Ava // Vancouver, Canada

Giving our greetings, thanks, and gratitude to Pahan Pte San Win and the Sundance of Women, for this stunning quilt and our deep, ongoing relationship

The morning of Swami Radha’s Bandhara - view across the lake taken from just in front of the summer kitchen - view of the garden & greenhouse (still at work!) seen from the road to the barn Now the veil drops and our physical eyes do not see each other. Do not grieve. Rather, turn to the greater reality that will bring you to a new relationship, a greater closeness, and will allow you to step into a new dimension. Remember, each step sets you free. ... Swami Radha See more