Established in 1916, the mission of Yog Sadhan Ashram is to provide all individuals, regardless of income or religious background, the traditional and complete teachings of Yoga philosophy and practice free of charge.
Over 100 students and supporters of the Ashram gathered at Ashyana Banquet Hall on April 25th to show their appreciation for all that Yog Sadhan Ashram and Acharya Hersh Khetarpal have done for their lives. Below are some pictures of this inspiring event. We will also be posting some testimonials given at the dinner over the next few months.
For those of you unable to attend the dinner, please consider making a donation to the Ashram to help us continue our mission of Yoga for All.
The Ashram holds a philosophy class every Sunday at 10am. Over the past few years, we’ve studied the Bhagavad Gita, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and just recently completed Vivek Chudamani. It took us roughly 2 years to get through it, but it was definitely worth taking the time to fully absorb such a deep scripture.
Beginning October 11th, we began studying Yoga Vasisth. While the original work is 32,000 verses of dialogue between Sage Vasisth and Lord Rama, overtime it has been condensed considerably. Anyone is welcome to attend the classes if they’re interested in learning about Yoga from one of the original sources.
Below are some pictures of our last day studying Vivek Chudamani, where we each offered flowers to the scripture.
Last week the Ashram held its 5th Annual Hatha & Raja Yoga Retreat…and I’m sure if you asked any of the participants who have attended all 5, they’ll tell you this was the best yet! We started each day with a rejuvenating asana class in the peaceful outdoor setting. Lunchtime was not only about eating the delicious sattvic Indian food, but also learning how to cook it! Each afternoon was spent learning about various lesser discussed yogic practices (cleansings, pranayama, chakras, mudras, bandhas, dhyana) as well as Acharyaji’s Upanishad class. The pictures below give you an idea of how much fun we all had! See you next year!
The annual children’s camp was held July 27th – 31st. Over 20 children attended each day, and many didn’t want to leave on the last day! In addition to the Ashram’s focus on yoga practice and philosophy, adult volunteers organized several fun and educational activities, including Rangoli art, Kathak dancing, Mehndi, Rakhi celebration and outdoor sports. We look forward to next year’s camp!
On July 12th, about 100 people gathered at Yog Sadhan Ashram to celebrate Vyas Puja. For those unfamiliar with this special occasion, it is the day to celebrate one’s Guru. At the Ashram, we honored our Satguru Chaman Lal Kapur Ji, as well as Swami Mulkh Raj Ji (Guruji’s own Guru) and Prabhu Ram Lal Ji (Swamiji’s Guru).
In addition to reading from the scriptures, singing beautiful bhajans, demonstrating yoga asanas and cleansings and eating delicious sattvic food, Acharya Hersh Khetarpal delivered a sermon on the importance of a guru in one’s life. As always, her speech was illuminating as well as inspiring, and it covered the deep questions we all have about why it’s necessary to have a guru, what a guru provides in our life that cannot be found anywhere else, and what to look for in a guru. You can watch the 14 minute lecture as well as view pictures from the event below.
