What is the Ashram?


Yogasri Svami Yogananda Giri founded the Svami Gitananda Ashram in 1984. The name of the Ashram, “Svami Gitananda Ashram,” is dedicated to the Master of Svami Yogananda, Puja Paramahamsa Maharaj Yogashiromani Purnacarya dr. Svami Gitananda Giri, who did his best to propagate yoga and Hindu culture by teaching students coming from every part of the world.

ASHRAMA = Sanskrit term referring to the hermitage of a master, a rishi. Also referring, according to Hinduism, to each of the four phases in which life is traditionally divided.

The Ashram is an ideal place to get back in touch with nature and to revitalize one’s energies. It is a spiritual place created with the aim to facilitate and help human beings on their inner search journey.

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Meditation, inner tranquility, mental perspicacity, respect for each individual, animal, thing, and service are the essence of dharma in the Ashram.

Anyone here - an ashramite, a devotee, a random visitor, a scholar or a seeker of knowledge – has the duty to understand the tradition, the principles and the discipline of the Ashram, by practicing, reflecting and respecting its principles with honesty and without prejudices.

It is important to understand that God is everywhere, but that the Divine expresses Itself more in specific places. Holy places, pilgrimage sites, temples, Ashrams etc., are permeated and sustained by the divine power developed by meditation, holy mantra, by the presence of siddha yogi and muni.

Those who live permanently in such places, or those who stay there even for short periods, with a devoted mind, respectful and receptive, are enveloped and nourished by such spiritual power. The character of every place is constantly shaped by its inhabitants and, through interaction, the place and its inhabitants adjust to each other for a mutual influence.

 

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In the Ashram people talk about God, think of God, and act according to His divine will: every action, thought and word are, and must be, directed to the sadhana and the ideal principles that support it.

An Ashram is always a place where a yogi, a siddha or a sage live; there is no difference between the Master who lives in the Ashram and the Ashram itself. Students and disciples live, even for an instant, beside a Master, in order to live a yogic life, to purify themselves both physically and mentally, to discipline themselves and to develop awareness. That happens in a place purposely conceived with the intent to create ideal conditions that are favorable to the progress of those who aim to realize their true nature.

The Ashram, as a matter of fact, is a structure where the true Hindu tradition lives but, above all, it is a place rich with the power and energy coming from the presence of a Master and his tradition.

Anyone who is interested in a spiritual search, in yoga or in the different disciplines of Indian culture, can visit or stay in the Ashram.

Even for the people who have only recently started practicing yoga or who would simply like to spend a period of time away from the usual routine, the Ashram offers its complete availability to teach the various aspects of spiritual disciplines. Beauty, joy, awareness are the true spiritual nature of every creature, beyond any religion and belief.

An Ashram is a place where one’s freedom can be searched and found. The Divine is the great real Guru who compassionately manifests Himself through the line of the Masters.
Its roots go deep into the purest and deepest traditions, taught by the ancient Rishis.