Yasodhara Ashram is a yoga retreat and study centre founded by Swami Sivananda Radha in 1963, in Kootenay Bay, British Columbia, Canada.

Today, 60 years after it was established, Yasodhara Ashram is an enduring and vibrant spiritual community. Set in the beautiful mountains of southeastern British Columbia, we invite people of all ages and backgrounds to pursue their self-development and discover the promise of yoga.

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.

Yasodhara Ashram is also a residential community, with a number of full-time residents who make our home here. Our doors are open to welcome others’ 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 Yogis, as well as teachers-in-training, course participants, guest teachers and retreat guests. Although some years we have seen 1500-2000 people pass through the Ashram in a year, since the pandemic this number is much reduced. The number of people living, working and studying at Yasodhara at any given time ranges from 35-65.

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.

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 the hub of a network of urban teaching centres known as Yasodhara Yoga Centres, and the home of Timeless Books, our publishing company.