Swami Matananda has been living and teaching at Yasodhara Ashram since 1990. She is actively involved in tending the Ashram land.
From childhood I have felt a connection to the Divine through nature. Growing up in California, I would wander into the apricot orchard and rock quarry behind our home and experience this connection and sense of knowing myself. Today every visit to the Ashram forest, fields or beach brings anticipation – my senses are on alert to new discoveries, my sight becomes instinctive, my curiosity is alive. Each visit I choose a new path, sometimes chanting or doing the Divine Light Invocation among the cedar trees.
As an Ashram resident I embrace stewardship of the land. Living harmoniously with nature brings great respect for whatever I encounter – from the Great Horned Owl to the deer that hiss and stomp their warnings, to the cave in the rock that I’m sure is a bear’s den. And of course, there are also edible discoveries – like the wild chanterelles and lobster mushrooms that the culinary team uses to make delicious soup.
The beauty of the Ashram land lies at our doorstep – nourishing and providing for each of us!
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