It was with excitement and some trepidation that I entered the Ashram's Life Seals workshop this past weekend. Ten of us joined the Yoga for Inspired Living course already underway for the two-day workshop, bringing the total number of students to 20.

My introduction to Life Seals came four years ago (almost to the day) in a workshop led by Swami Radhananda in the ascent magazine office in Montreal. Lives can change a lot in four years, and I found I was itching to update my personal symbology to see where new themes had
emerged and how past themes had evolved.

The most intriguing and challenging aspect of the Life Seals process for me is the pace at which it plays out. The process of drawing and constructing our life pictures occurred in only a couple of hours on Friday night, so quickly that I was literally scribbling down whatever leapt to mind. I found myself questioning how such a rush job could possibly reflect my true nature, but as the weekend progressed and Swamis Jyothiananda and Saradananda led us through a series of simple yet profound questions and spiritual practices, I found myself coming into closer and closer contact with my intuitive wisdom.

I'm familiar enough with Swami Radha's teachings that their depth comes as no surprise. Rather, what surprised and inspired me most were my classmates, many of whom were new to the Ashram. The group as whole brought such an incredible level of authenticity and compassion for one another that by the end of the weekend I felt wrapped in the warmth of their openness. I came away with a deeper feeling of
connectedness to both my inner wisdom and the world around me. Not bad for a couple days work!

By Nikko Snyder