Timeless Teachings: Deepening Commitment -
An Intensive Immersion with Swami Lalitanada & Swami Samayananda// July 7-13
“The teachings don’t live in the air or in a book. They have to be embodied. They have to be brought to life and lived.”
– Swami Radhananda
This retreat is led by Ashram senior teachers, Swami Lalitananda and Swami Samayananda, with Hidden Language Hatha Yoga offered by Swami Matananda and Swami Sukhananda. Take this important opportunity to dive deeply into the present moment, asking Who am I now? How have I changed? Where do I go from here?
Supported by Light, mantra, reflection and asana, participants will enter two timeless workshops—Life Seals and Straight Walk, designed by Swami Radha. These intensive workshops draw on the power of symbol and metaphor to surface underlying patterns and potentials in your life.
Join us in this beautiful way to illuminate your path forward. See our Retreat Daily Schedule; Community Guidelines and Pricing Below.
Who is This Retreat For?
This retreat is for seekers who are ready to step deeply into their own growth and evolution. It is ideal for those who:
- Wish to engage directly with the living teachings of Swami Radha through experienced Ashram teachers.
- Are ready to explore profound questions of self, purpose and presence.
- Desire an opportunity to explore deeper signature Ashram teachings
- Value an immersive, intimate setting where guidance, silence and community support come together.
What Are The signature Workshops?
Life Seals:
In Life Seals you create personal symbols that represent your mind, essence, senses, likes, dislikes and positive and negative characteristics. This process allows the unconscious to come forward, revealing patterns, life lessons and the potential for change. Life Seals can open doors of awareness and help you gain a new perspective on yourself and your direction in life.
Straight Walk:
A walking meditation practice that encourages you to gather facts by observing both your emotional responses and rational thinking in order to gain a new perspective. The Straight Walk is a practice as well as a frame of mind, what Swami Radha referred to as “straight-walk thinking”.
Date: July 7-13
You will be staying in our cozy, well-appointed rooms within walking distance to the Temple of Light and Mandala House and all amenities. Arrive between 2-5pm in time for dinner and program introduction. Depart by 10am after breakfast on the final morning. Your stay includes accommodation, tuition and three meals per day. Enjoy savings and a shared experience by rooming with someone you know.
Reconciliation Fund
Your stay will include a $25 contribution (added to your invoice) toward The Reconciliation Fund initiated January 1, 2022. The collected money will be donated to a First Nations non-profit organization. These contributions, together with offerings from Ashram residents, will be given with the sincere intention to help right past injustices. All who visit or live at Yasodhara Ashram are on the beautiful but unceded territory of First Nations peoples, and we want to take meaningful action and give something back for this privilege.
Indigenous Bursary Program
The bursaries (for three different programs) are open to all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, with a special invitation to the Ktunaxa and Sinixt peoples on whose unceded territory the Ashram is located. To apply, please fill out this form: Bursary Application or for more information, please contact us here.
Swami Lalitananda, President and Spiritual Director
Swami Lalitananda became a student of Swami Radha’s in 1979 and a teacher in this tradition in 1982. She had the privilege of living and working with Swami Radha for eight years and also experienced the mentorship of Swami Radhananda for many years. She has a background in counseling psychology.
Swami Lalitananda loves welcoming people to the teachings that have brought so much joy and meaning to her own life. She is committed to passing this lineage to others who are committed to self-inquiry, spiritual practices and to the challenge of learning to live together in harmony—in community and in the world.
Swami Samayananda
Swami Samayananda manages the teaching schedules and teachers at Yasodhara Ashram. She has been an educator for over 35 years in educational institutions, businesses, private consulting agencies and Yasodhara Ashram and Yasodhara Yoga Centres. While living at the Ottawa Radha Centre, Swami Samayananda worked with a palliative care team and a cancer centre offering yogic tools to support patients.
Swami Matananda
Swami Matananda has been living and teaching at the Ashram since 1990. She first came for the 10 Days of Yoga and she has been on a path of ever-deepening commitment to Swami Radha’s work since that time. She has a background as an elementary school teacher and an artist, with degrees in Education and Fine Art from Alaska University. In addition to teaching and managing at the Ashram she has worked at Yasodhara Yoga Centres and with Timeless publications and videos. She loves the Ashram land and the people.
Swami Sukhananda
Swami Sukhananda first met Swami Radha in 1988 and was deeply moved by her experience. She has been living and teaching yoga at the Ashram and in Europe ever since. Sukhananda was formerly an adviser to governments on sustainability, environmental and organizational issues. She is a historian whose articles about Swami Radha’s work have appeared in British and North American yoga magazines. She enjoys the beauty of the Ashram, and is continually inspired by yoga and by witnessing its transformative effects.