Yasodhara Ashram Blog & Podcast

Life of a Yogini: Swami Sivananda Radha’s Spiritual Legacy
When Swami Sivananda Radha first came to the land where Yasodhara Ashram now stands, she saw gemstones shimmering along the beach on Kootenay Lake. Sapphires, rubies, emeralds – the ordinary beach rocks revealed themselves as something precious and extraordinary, their

Meeting Myself with Awareness: Reflections on a 3-Month Yoga Intensive
I often think about what Swami Sivananda Radha writes in Mantras: Words of Power, how during chanting an aspirant may feel an overwhelming sense of emotions: “Tears may come that you have been holding back for many years… Sometimes the

Can Work Set You Free? Lessons from Karma Yoga
Like most people, I have spent much of my adult life working. Coming to the Ashram in July 2025 as part of the 2-month Karma Yoga Program was a brilliant opportunity to make space for witnessing my habitual ways at

Finding Divine Mother Through Gardening and Yoga
I was running down a forest lined country road in the fall of 1980 when I first met God. There was a strong feeling of a supportive Presence, a spiritual connection to something far greater than anything I had ever

Holding Grief with Grace and Compassion
In this episode of Ask a Swami, Swami Padmananda reflects on the lessons of grief and how spiritual practice can help us meet sorrow with compassion, presence and courage. Whether you’re navigating a recent loss or carrying grief from years

Awareness Through the Seven Cakras: Reflections on Kundalini Yoga
When I first read Swami Radha’s Kundalini Yoga for the West, a foundational text within the Ashram teachings, I became fascinated by a quote introduced in the very first pages of the book: “From being a sleepwalker, a hypnotized or