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.
Hershji gave a very enlightening and inspiring speech on Ram Ravmi! Click below to listen:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
This past weekend over 20 students participated in a workshop on the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. In addition to learning the great wisdom contained in this yogic scripture, everyone also had the opportunity to learn and practice asanas as well as cleansing techniques, like neti and vaman. Pranayama, mudras, and bandhas, practices less commonly practiced in the U.S., were also discussed and practiced.
Above all, students walked away knowing more about the true purpose of Hatha Yoga, which is preparation for higher consciousness. While yoga is commonly thought to be a practice for the body, we wee reminded that we are not merely seaking the freedom from diseaeses but the freedom from the bondage and the waverings of the mind.
The scripture proved to be full of information, and we will likely be studying it in even more depth during Sunday philosophy classes in the future. Stay tuned!
The Ashram held another enlightening, inspiring, and enjoyable retreat last month! Many helped put together the week of hatha yoga, philosophy, cooking, meditation, and pranayama classes. This year we were especially honored to have Melanie Camp teaching the morning asana classes and Grammy-nominated David Young performing his beautiful melodies! Playing two different recorders at once, he enchanted us with relaxing and peaceful sounds. We introduced new topics this year as well, including an interactive session where participants discussed applications of yoga philosophy in daily life. Stay tuned for next year’s schedule!
We celebrated Vyas Puja last month, and have included some pictures from the day. The highlight was Acharyaji’s short speech on Sunday.
“Dhyana Moolam Guror Murti, Pooja Moolam Guror Padam, Mantra Moolam Guror Vakyam, Moksha Moolam Guror Kripa”
Hershji translated this beautiful mantra for us: I want to meditate on the form of my Guru, pray to the feet my Guru, every word of my Guru is sacred, and moksha comes only from the grace of my Guru “guru kripa”. Simple words but hard to comprehend, Hershji explained that we want to identify with the Godliness of our Guru. This is the real “puja” of the day, not just the rituals.
Finally, Acharyaji spent some time discussing the relationship between the Guru and disciple. It is important to do seva (selfless-service), not because the Guru needs it but it makes us humble, heightens our intellect, and helps us see God in everyone. Seva prepares one to absorb the knowledge from a Guru, but one must actually be in the presence of their Guru to do this. Just like the dialogue between Krishna and Arjun happened in person, we must make the effort to engage in a conversation of questions and answers to progress on the Yogic path.
To find your Guru, look for someone who has knowledge of the scriptures, an ability to explain them to you, nobility of character, and actually experienced what they are teaching.
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.
[paypal-donation]
We hope everyone had a happy and joyful Diwali last weekend! Here are some pictures from the Ashram’s celebration.
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.
