Thank you to everyone who organized and supported the Appreciation Dinner! Pictures have been posted on Facebook: Click here!

We have some beautiful pictures from the retreat to share! They’ve been uploaded on Facebook and can be viewed by clicking here.

We are excited to be offering a workshop on the Hatha Yoga Pradipika on May 21st-May 22nd! Please click here for more info and registration.

धर्म                 अर्थ           काम          मोक्ष
DHARAM     ARTH       KAAM      MOKSH

These are the four fruits of human life. Just as a gardner works hard to till the ground. He plants a bush, waters the plant, takes the weeds out and watches it grow. He expects flowers to bloom and then produce fruits. The fruit is the ultimate success of his efforts. Same way, a human life can be successful if it can result in the above four fruits, Dharam, Arth, Kaam and Moksh.
DHARAM: If a person fulfills all his duties, he does his Dharam. These include his personal, social, societal and religious duties. One has to be a good person and citizen.
ARTH: If one is financially successful, where he is able to acquire all his basic needs with his own efforts, he is considered to be successful and has achieved this fruit of life.
KAAM: If one fulfills his desires (kaamnaayen), that is another fruit of success. These desires could be the high achievements as a professional, social leader, or a family member.
MOKSH: The ultimate goal and achievemnt of human life is Moksha (liberation, mukti, nirvana, kaivalya). If one can attaion this in the present human life, he has achieved the fourth and the most important fruit of life.

Please note that when it is snowing and there is more than 2 inches expect to fall (or there is already 2 inches on the ground unplowed), the Ashram cancels its classes for the safety of everyone. If you have any questions about whether classes are being held, please call 630-293-9554.

Please also note a schedule change this Sunday: Advanced yoga class on Sunday, February 6, will begin at 8 am instead of 7:30 am. The regular schedule will resume on Sunday, February 13. Please come with an empty stomach!

मैत्री           करुणा         मुदिता         उपेक्षा
maitree     karuna        mudita       upeksha

These words refer to conditioning of mind for a purified living. They also are a guide to deal with the world and the people around you.

Maitree: Treat everybody as your friend. Form friendship with all around you. Behave as if they are your close friends. You will find them treating you the same way.

Karuna: Have compassion for the helpless or the less blessed. Feel sorry for them. Do the best you can to help.

Mudita: Join other peoples happiness. If you see something good happening, feel good and join them in their celebrations. Do not be jealous.

Upeksha: Sometime there are circumstances beyond your control and sometime there are bad things happening in the word, like wars, atrocities that are beyond your control and they are not your doing, simply ignore them.

Join us for a week of Hatha and Raja Yoga training amidst the Ashram’s peaceful acreage of rolling hills and majestic trees. Acharya Hersh Khetarpal, along with other senior teachers at the Ashram, will provide in-depth teachings of Yoga philosophy and the practices of asana, pranayama, meditation.

Click to view the sessions and schedule for the retreat!

We have a special guest teacher, Melanie Camp (RYT), coming from Florida to teach the Asana classes each morning. Melanie has attended the Ashram’s retreats in the past and we are thrilled that she has volunteered to teach classes for the week! For those who don’t know Melanie, she became a certified yoga teacher in 2003, and teaches at Barkan Method Studio, Yoga Connection, and the Mind, Body, Spirit Theme Crystal Cruise Line Trips 2010-2011. . She is also a Duke Integrative Medicine Yoga Therapist, a certified Yoga for Seniors Instructor, and a Kids Yoga Associate Teacher for Yoga Kids International. Melanie is also well known for her classes overseas, including in SE Asia  as part of the CARE International delegation following the Tsunami of 2004, aboard the 2005 Caribbean 1500 sailboat rally, beaches in the British Virgin Islands, yoga retreats in Costa Rica, Brazil, and Greece. To top it off,  she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2006 and practiced yoga with her crew while ascending. Melanie is currently writing a book of yoga tips from her world travels featuring her original oil paintings. You can view her artwork at www.artfulyoga.com.

The Ashram is proud to be hosting a gathering of the Chicagoland Yoga Community on June 27th, 2010 at 5pm! Many Yoga teachers in the community, including Karen Weber, Mitchell Manz, and Marina Lisjonok, have come together to organize a vegetarian potluck & drum circle to be held at the Ashram. Come join the group to meet like-minded individuals and enjoy the serene Ashram atmosphere. Please see the flyer below for more information!