Ashrams in India: Finding

Spirituality

By: Swami Jayananda

Hello. I am thrilled with joy that you are considering coming to India to share a part of your spiritual life
with our rich heritage and culture. But before you come visit our spiritual nation, please make sure you
find a location that will fulfill your needs and also give you a chance to discover your spiritual center.
This article I have written is an attempt to guide western students towards a suitable ashram where they
can obtain the proper training in our Spiritual Traditions.

HARI OM. YOU ARE THE GREAT UNIVERSAL SPIRIT.

Swami Jayananda
Tradition of Yoga Practiced

Decide whether or not you wish to practice a form of yoga you are familiar with.
Here are some of the different types of Yoga that are available in India, and you may
want to click on one of the links to learn more about the different categories if you
are not familiar with them:

1. Kriya Yoga: click here for webpage on kriya yoga

2. Tantra Yoga: webpage for tantra yoga

3. Yoga Psychology: click here to get more information

4. Yoga Therapy: click here for the yoga therapy website

 5. Karma Yoga: karma yoga and the body

6. Kundalini Yoga: article by swami sivananda and kundalini yoga

7. Hatha Yoga: (The development through asanas, pranayama, and

other practices)

8. Bhakti Yoga: link to article on bhakti yoga

9. Raja Yoga: swami vivekananda talks about raja yoga

10.Jnana Yoga: article about yoga philosophy or jnana (wisdom) yoga

11.And of course there are many other forms you may be able to
find online.

Location, location, location

Location is everything for some people, and there are a variety of ashrams that are
situated in all the different social and environmental climates throughout India.
These are just some of the different types of climates you will find:

1. Environmental Climates:
 i. Beach-side ashrams (i.e. Ragaswaram, Goa, Chennai, Bombay
(Mambai), Calcutta, Mysore.)

ii. Mountains/Hills (Kodaikanal (more details), Rishikesha, Ranchi,

Trinavelli, Dharmasala.)

iii. Plains (Madurai, Tirchi, Bihar, etc)

iv. River Side (main river of spiritual is the Ganga or Ganges and
the ancient spiritual center is Varanasi although things have
changed there.)

2. Social Climates:

i. Southern India VS. Northern India (Andra Pradesh (State of India)

as divider between Tamil and Hindi Nationality)

ii. Religious Dominance (High north in Himalayas is mostly

Buddhist along the Nepali boarder while the south is very rich in
the Hindu and Tantric traditions.)

3. Political Climate:

i. In some states there are much more political disturbances than

other states. Some of the most dangerous locations for
foreigners to visit are Bihar, Jammu Kashmere, and most of the
north eastern part of India due to social and political uprisings.

ii. Some states provide more protection to foreign travelers than

others, and Tamil Nadu is host of the strongest and most
effective police forces in India, keeping violence and social
disturbances to a minimum.
Student Teacher Relationship:

Some Ashrams are known for their one-on-one relationship with students
which many people find beneficial to growth and spiritual transformation. A great
example of this is the Tureya Institute (http://www.tureya.org) where students are
given much attention and care to ensure their spiritual growth. Other Ashrams are
meant to accommodate large amounts of people and usually satisfy those who wish
to use the ashram as a hotel as opposed to a spiritual retreat.

In the recent years many Ashrams throughout India have become

commercialized and turned into business in order to make a profit. They use yoga as
a service or commodity just like any other business, and many students walk away
empty handed. To avoid this there are some major red flags which will indicate the
nature of an Ashram:

1. “We only cater to foreigners.” If people of Indian nationality are not

allowed to study at the Ashram then it is likely that they want to make as
much money as possible. You may want to look into this before you make
your decision.
 2. Look out for extravagant costs. If you have to pay more than 60 dollars a
night just to occupy a room then you are in the wrong place. Some
ashrams will charge only 1,000-2,000 dollars for a whole month of study
and travel throughout India (http://www.indiashram.com)

3. Yoga Retreats. Some schools offer ‘retreats.’ In many cases the retreats do
not actually have facilities of their own and will rent out space from hotels
or other ashrams. This may be a situation where a foreign teacher is
teaching foreign students and there is no tradition involved, i.e. no people
from India are involved sharing the spiritual teachings.

These are some basic things to consider before traveling to India and finding an
Ashram from which you can study the spiritual traditions of India. If you have any
additional questions, please feel free to contact Swami Jayananda at:

yoga_psychologist@yahoo.com