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

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Location

  • British Columbia, Canada

Yasodhara Ashram : Yoga Retreat and Study Centre

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
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  • Promoted
  • Events
1 week ago

Healing Love Healing Money: Trust As The Foundation For A New Culture

Money, love and power are among the hardest things any community works with, and many of us carry the same fears into both: not having enough, losing what we have, and the sense that if someone else gets money or love, we won’t. Healing Love, Healing Money: Trust as the Foundation for a New Culture is taught by two intentional communities. Karen McAllister and Duncan Cryle are from Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Center, a Buddhist-lineage community in the BC Rockies. Monika Alleweldt and Benjamin von Mendelssohn from Tamera Healing Biotope, a community of about 160 people in southern Portugal that has spent decades studying love, trust and relationship. Clear Sky has spent years working on its relationship with money, and our two communities found surprising parallels in the fears beneath both. Over four sessions we explore the roots of fear around money and belonging, love, possession and power, trust as infrastructure (community as a container for healing), and ethical livelihood. We use short meditations, body-based practices, reflection and small-group conversation. You do not need to be in a romantic relationship or live in community. When: October 27, Nov 3, 10, 17. All four sessions: 12–2pm Vancouver, 1–3pm Alberta, 7–9pm UK and Portugal, 8–10pm Central Europe. Note: US and some Canadian provinces change clocks on November 1, so the US west coast is 12–2pm on October 27, then 11am–1pm for the remaining sessions, and Eastern is 3–5pm on October 27, then 2–4pm for the rest. Cost: sliding scale Details and registration: https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/healing-love-healing-money-online/  
October 27, 2026 13:00 – November 17, 2026 15:00
  • Promoted
Need
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
4 months ago

Do you feel called to help co-create a small, newly forming eco-spiritual community?

Old structures are crumbling. New ways of living are calling. We are answering that call. Wild Grace is an eco-spiritual community located in the Sierra foothills 30 minutes from Grass Valley, California. We recently completed new homes for those who feel called to our vision. Currently there are four of us living on this sacred 80 acres of land although we are a hub for an expanded neighborhood community. Many join us weekly for potlucks, expressive dance, Qi Gong, monthly musical gatherings, and seasonal celebrations in our temple, as well as tending to our orchard. We are excited to welcome others to join us on the land who are dedicating their lives to spiritual growth and ready to live in a more focused and intimate heart-centered lifestyle. Might that be you or someone you know? The fundamentals are simple. Spirit. We listen personally and collectively together most mornings, usually starting with a musical offering, a prayer, or a short reading, followed by about 40 minutes of what we call “sacred silence.” Heart Circles. About once a week we gather to share and listen. We are informed by authentic and compassionate communication practices. Nature. The land itself—an 80-acre oasis of field and forest perched above the wild and scenic South Yuba River—calls for our stewardship in the gardens, orchard, greenhouses, and general care. In turn, nature feeds us abundantly, both literally and spiritually. Interbeing. We join with others to share inspiration and connection as we host monthly gatherings of song, story and prayer that draws from the larger community in addition to other events we share with our closer neighbors. As we attend to these fundamentals, Grace flows to and through us—often in “Wild” or unexpected ways. Grace catalyzes through us, but is not something we possess. Because we all are connected, we feel that Grace actively transforms n
Offer
Need
  • Communities with Openings
6 hours ago

Seeking Partner/Co-Founder for a Cooperative Community in Western NC

Co-Founder / Project Partner Needed: Coweeta Heritage Center The Coweeta Heritage Center / Talking Rock Farm in Otto, North Carolina, is seeking a dedicated co-founder and long-term project partner to help manage, expand, and transition our community land project. As the primary founder is balancing physical limitations (including a bad back) and a demanding workload, we are looking for a capable partner to share the operational reins and help shape the next phase of this intentional community. What We Are Looking For Organizational & Administrative Skills: Ability to streamline systems, manage outreach, and organize community data. Social Media & Digital Presence: Skills to revitalize our online reach, update public directory listings (such as ic.org), and manage applicant communications. Practical & Technical Capabilities: Hands-on familiarity with or strong interest in sustainable forestry, organic agriculture, and alternative energy infrastructure. Strong Communication: A commitment to Non-Violent Communication (NVC), transparency, and collaborative governance. What We Offer On-Site Housing: Dedicated housing is provided on-site in Otto to facilitate close coordination, daily collaboration, and deep integration into the land. Established Foundation: Step into an active project with existing infrastructure, clear community onboarding frameworks, an established legal LLC structure, and an estate succession blueprint. Strategic Input: Full partnership in vetting future interns, managing the phased onboarding pipeline, and executing land-clearing and sustainable infrastructure projects.

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

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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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