Thursday 23 - Saturday 25, November 2006

Swami Sivananda Radha

The Yasodhara (ya-sho-dra) Ashram, in Kootenay Bay B.C., is a yoga community founded by the late Swami Sivananda Radha. An ashram is a term from India that refers to a monastic retreat or community, and many are continually appearing in the West. In the 1950's Swami Radha, before she was given this name, went to India to meet her guru Swami Sivananda Saraswati of Rishikesh. After only a short, but profoundly intense time spent with her guru, he insisted that she bring his teachings back to Canada and the United States to spread the knowledge of yoga in the West and help others on the path to spiritual realization. Since then the Radha Yoga Centers have branched out to many cities and the teachings have flourished.

I first found out about the Radha Yoga Centre while I was in Edmonton. I attended a couple of their classes, which had a deep affect on me. I was very intrigued by the teachings of Radha, which centers around the Divine Feminine, or known as Divine Mother. Swami Radha herself was seen by many, if not most who met her acquaintance, as the Divine Mother incarnate. For me, my trip to Edmonton, my birth city, was highly symbolic of Divine Mother and I found myself there surrounded by women whom had a great influence on me spiritually. This experience, although brief, inspired me to visit the ashram on my way home. To leave Canada without visiting the Temple of Divine Light at the ashram, would have seemed to me an affront to my good fortune and time spent in Edmonton.

Visiting the Ashram

The saying, "The greatest joy belongs to the simplest heart" I feel is the unspoken mantra of the ashram. The ashram was certainly a different experience for me. I went there to stay for two nights, which was very short, seeing as many go there for 3 months or more. To get the whole feeling of the place in such a short stay is impossible, but it is at least worthwhile for me to share my experience.

A Secluded Location

The ashram is at the edge of Kootenay Lake near the national forest. The setting is beautiful, in a mountainous region thick with pine trees and wonderful rocky beaches at the edge of the lake. The ashram consists of a dozen or so buildings, some old and cabin-like and others new and modern. The whole area of land is 120 acres with scattered buildings and walkways.

The community strives for self-autonomy so they do as much labor, construction and cultivation they can themselves. They grow much of their own produce and use local materials from the land for building and landscaping. For any specialty skills or items, they rely on the greater community of the region, but otherwise the idea is that every person in the ashram does what they are capable of to help.

Regular, Simple Meals

When I arrived, I immediately had my first taste (literally) of the ashram lifestyle. It was lunch time and the check-in desk was closed. I asked someone walking by where to go and they invited me to eat lunch with them. I had skipped lunch on my drive up, so the timing was perfect. Lunch was served buffet style and with no talking. The sweet yet haunting song of Hari Om, sung by Swami Radha, was on constant loop playing softly in the background at all times, bringing back to me nostalgic memories of my grandmother's singing. This tune became ingrained in my subconscious and I found that it was still playing in my mind long after leaving the ashram. I had to wonder how this affected people after a long period of time. I found myself singing it in my car on the way home, and it took some will to break my mind from it.

Having no introduction, I felt a bit awkward just walking in and helping myself to food, but I simply followed along, watching the others with interest. Everyone looked straight ahead or down at their food, almost entirely ignoring everyone else. It was as though each person was in profound deep thought. The food was simple, mostly vegetarian and practically unseasoned, but good I thought. All the meals of the day were served at regular times, 30 minutes each, and all in the same manner. After lunch, people resumed talking and I checked in and was given a tour.

Dorm Rooms

I was put up in a dorm style house, called the Krishna Kutir, each room having 2 beds. My roommate was another guy (Robin) who had just arrived that day. The beds were very simple with thin mattresses and basic necessities. There was a common bathroom with a shower, which had to be juggled by everyone's schedules. As early as 5 in the morning I could hear the stirrings of people in the dorm. I could here the guys in the other rooms talking, their alarms, and their shuffling about. Each person had their own personal routine, woven around the fixed schedule of the ashram. All was shared and there was little in ways of personal possession.

A Fixed Routine

Each morning everybody meets for one hour of hatha yoga in the main building, called the Mandala House, at 7 am. Many enjoy getting up early so that they may do their prayers and personal practice. Immediately after hatha is breakfast, which is then followed by the first series of daily chores called the Morning Bee. This is an hour of work where certain jobs are announced and volunteers are accepted for them. This is then followed by karma yoga or other activities depending on the individual. At night after dinner, from 8 to 9 is satsang which is a gathering with the guru to sing bhajans and listen to readings and talks.

Karma Yoga

One of the primary purposes of me going to the ashram was to get a feel for karma yoga. This is service, or work, done in the spirit of selfless devotion. Karma yoga is said to be one of the most effective paths towards spiritual liberation. By devoting oneself to the service of others and to God, one simultaneously develops compassion, meaning and works off their karma.

With my stay I signed up for a full 8 hour karma yoga program. This means that between the meals I was mostly working. Every day there were many jobs that needed doing. These are constantly on rotation. Most of the karma yogis are youths (age 18-30) that are staying at the ashram for an extended time. I was taken under their wing and trained in various jobs. Mostly the jobs I had were cleaning and required basic instruction. I swept and vacuumed floors, washed dishes, cleaned and even helped carry and lay rocks for a landscaping project. All the work was enjoyable and I particularly enjoyed the company of everyone.

I found myself often questioning whether I was doing things the right way. It seemed that everyone knew what they were doing and sometimes forgot that I knew nothing of the procedures. Almost constantly I was half expecting to be reprimanded for one thing or another, but it never came. In fact, I never heard harsh words exchanged or anyone demanding anything of anyone. When there were questions, there was always someone to help. I suppose that I expected strictness and discipline, but the disciplinarian was within and not without. There was no apparent hierarchy, other than recognizing the wisdom of the elder swamis. In every other respect, everyone was equal.

Good Yogis

I was most affected by the quality of people at the ashram. From the moment I walked in I began making friends. I felt immediately accepted and was in a short time on a first name basis with many people. In total there were around 30 people at the ashram. There was no special dress code and everyone wore average street clothes, though of course with consideration for modesty. I did not feel out of place at all and felt included in the group.

In my stay of just a couple of nights I felt that I had developed relationships with people that in other places may have taken a week or more. Working together and having common goals in the context of selfless devotion creates an atmosphere of camaraderie which is contagious. I really sensed that this community lived as a large family where no single person was left out, alienated or judged.

Teaching by Inner Guidance

It is impossible for me to do justice in summary of the teachings of Swami Radha and her spiritual heir, Swami Radhananda who currently resides at the ashram. However there are some points which I feel are particularly interesting and valuable.

First, their style of teaching is non-dogmatic and non-denominational. In fact, all world religions are welcomed into the ashram. The Temple of Divine Light, which is the heart of the ashram, is built with 8 doors in a circular building, each representing one of the 8 major religions in the world. The idea is not to create an amalgam of the world religions, but to honor each one and respect its individuality.

There is a strong emphasis on inner realization, as opposed to accepting a particular teaching at face value. One of the most used and effective techniques incorporates the power of chant, reflection and journaling within small groups. The process starts by a particular question being posed by the teacher or group leader. This could be anything, such as "What does compassion mean to you?". This is followed by chanting a prayer and then each person writes down what comes to them. The idea is to use one's inner guidance and intuition to come to answers rather than thinking it through intellectually.

After reflections on a topic are written, they are shared with the group. The guide, which is an experienced teacher, may then probe further asking more questions and offering suggestions. This is an open discussion where the yogi is encouraged to think deeply about themselves and their actions, thoughts and feelings. There is no argument, debate or persuasion. It is so natural, so easy and yet so powerful at coming to deep realizations. Sharing in a group improves communication and develops compassion and bonds between one another. As humans we all struggle with similar problems. The process of writing creates a wonderful history of challenge, thought and insight which helps the yogi to continue to progress forward.

From My Perspective

Overall I am very happy that I went to the ashram. I have always been curious of the monastic life and this was a unique example of it. While I did enjoy my visit, I also noticed within myself a resistance to it. I understand that recognizing resistance is the same as seeing a doorway to self-improvement, but I do not feel the need (or am ready) for that particular challenge at this stage in my life. I am such a free-bird that I felt that if I were to stay there longer I would feel caged in.

While I agree with their ideals of regular hours, simple meals and devotional work, I feel that I am not prepared to accept it on a whole for myself. I enjoy my solitude, my freedom to schedule my own routine, to experiment with my personal development and to work in my specialized profession. Austerities and discipline I believe must come from the heart and through my own self-realized convictions rather than adopting another's.

In contrast to the yogis of the ashram, I see myself as having uncontrolled passions and still many attachments to the world, which I am not ready to give up. I was actually very happy to be in my car once again driving away. However, I do not wish for my own feelings to interfere with those who have chosen to be at the ashram. My heart fully goes out to them and I wish them the best.

What I see in myself at this point is that my spiritual inspiration is not focused on devotion nor service. While I do not wish to exclude myself from those activities, I do not see living in an ashram to be on my path at this stage. I have read that there are different forms of yoga for different personality types, and I think that my personality type is not oriented toward the devotional, or at least I have not found what it is I wish to be devoted to. As for now, I wish to continue to live in my own way, to always be a seeker and to learn from life what I can.

Namaste