Unique modern architectural building with flowing white curves in a natural setting.

Yasodhara Ashram : Yoga Retreat and Study Centre

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Spiritual
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 1956

What we do

Etablished in 1963 by Swami Radha, a female disciple of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, Yasodhara Ashram is an enduring Yoga Retreat and Study Centre and vibrant spiritual community. Set in the beautiful mountains of southeastern British Columbia, the Ashram invites people of all ages, faiths and backgrounds to pursue their self-development and discover the promise of yoga. Our aim is to instill quality, care and awareness in all that we do, so that Yasodhara can truly be a spiritual home to all who come.

Yasodhara Ashram is a residential community, with a number of full-time residents who make our home here. We welcome others to help with this work of being stewards of Swami Radha’s teachings and the caretakers of this sacred space. We are grateful to be joined in our efforts by many long and short-term Karma Yoga (Selfless Service) practitioners, as well as teachers-in-training, course participants, and retreat guests.

There are pathways to becoming a long-term resident at the Ashram. The first step is to become familiar with the Ashram by taking a longer program such as the Two-month Karma Yoga Introduction, a Learning Residency, or the Yoga Development Course. After completion of a program, long-term residential options can be explored.

Our Mission

As a Canadian charity and active learning centre, the Ashram helps people bring quality into their lives through yogic tools and experiential learning. Spiritually we offer a focus on Light and the Divine Feminine, much-needed in our world right now. We offer a wide range of yoga programs year round – from a three-month intensive, to private restorative retreats, teacher certifications and introductions to yoga. Our popular Service and Study programs are for those interested in learning about Karma Yoga, or the yoga of selfless service, our main spiritual practice.

Living with awareness in both the inner and outer worlds, Yasodhara Ashram is deeply committed to participating in sustainable environmental practices. We consider environmental action an important part of our social responsibility and ecological integrity, a practice of the Ashram’s yogic principle of non-violence.

With a lineage of leadership guided by women, our spiritual tradition emphasizes the nurturing and devotional qualities of the Divine Feminine. We are also home to the Temple of Light, which recognizes the Light in all traditions and the divine spark in each person. It symbolizes peace, hope and unity – and is open to all.

  • Purpose
  • Spiritual
  • Community type
  • Spiritual Retreat Centers

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1956
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1963
  • Started living together

Gallery

  • 20 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
20

How to join

The first step would be to become familiar with the Ashram by taking a course or offering Karma Yoga. See all our offerings on https://www.yasodhara.org.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

We offer a 3-month intensive course every Winter, guided retreats, self-led restorative retreats, as well as online offerings. There are also opportunities to come to the Ashram to offer Karma Yoga, the Yoga of Selfless Service.

Visit https://www.yasodhara.org for all the ways you can join us.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Single Leader or Founding Couple

One person or partnership has ultimate authority.

Decision-making process

  • Leadership Decides

A single person, couple, or small group makes most major decisions.

Governance structure

  • Founder/Leader-led

Primary authority rests with the community’s founder(s) or designated leader(s).

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Labor: Yes

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Recreational vehicles, Waterfront access, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • Approximately all meals

Substance use culture

  • Substance use is prohibited in the community

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Community type

  • Spiritual Retreat Centers

    Residential communities focused on providing space for meditation, spiritual practice, and personal growth retreats.

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar
  • Hydro

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Greenhouse / aquaponics
  • Land area size
    115 acres

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • British Columbia, Canada

Yasodhara Ashram : Yoga Retreat and Study Centre

Needs and Offers

Offer
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Need
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  • Promoted
Offer
Offer
  • Housing For Rent + Shared
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Hi everyone! Our founding group of queer women is transitioning ownership of our rural Minnesota homestead, and we’re looking for new stewards to keep it running as an intentional community! Let me give you a tiny window into what to expect: Picture yourself stepping out of the overwhelming corporate chaos of the city, into an idyllic little slice of a slower life – there’s a certain look of relief we tend to see on our visitors’ faces. When you enter, the path is surrounded by vibrant flowers in every color that come back every year. To your left is a stone path to the organic gardens, growing easily without much effort. Straight ahead are the barns and pathways to the fields – you might pass by the occasional honeybee or butterfly. To the right is a large farmhouse, behind which there is a mossy forested area where you’ll find a conversation circle fashioned out of old logs and stones, and a small sitting platform up in the trees.    The Highlights: 30 Acres: Forest, pond, creek, permaculture gardens (Hügelkultur), native plants, perennial flowers and future fruit trees, and ~1 acre dry-farmed. 9-Bedroom Farmhouse: ~4,000 sq ft across 3 levels. Solid heating, great bones, in good shape, quiet layout. Outbuildings: Garage, woodshop barn, event barn, quonset storage, a silo, plus honeybees & resident farm cat! Location: Quiet and peaceful. Remote with off-the-grid features like a well and pending solar installation, yet under 10 mins to hospital/town. Zero flood/fire risk, and a wonderfully welcoming, queer-friendly local network.   Ideal for an established group of 2+ people ready to take on a relatively large farmhouse and property. We are open to an outright purchase or a gradual transition/shared-ownership arrangements with existing members. -> Full details, photos, and contact info here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ONZk-TUYQg3Xzh5Q7yl14PPeuwl5NYXu9ZDTgFGT4sY/edit?usp=sharing   Feel free to message me or share with anyone looking for land!  

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Communities

A residential project: people live here as their primary home.

Organizations

An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).

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