Ashram Guidelines
The following is the complete text of the Ashram Guidelines. It’s not meant to be read all at once but is provided here as a reference for your stay. Feel free to revisit any section that pertains to a question or clarification you may have.
Aloha & Namaste!
We are so excited to be living, practicing, and working alongside you during your work-study opportunity at Konalani Yoga Ashram. Like you, we were once unfamiliar with both the practices of Shambhavananda Yoga and the ashram setting as a whole. And like you, we came with open hearts and an eagerness to learn and grow in this unique atmosphere.
Over the years, as we have guided many participants in the work-study program, we’ve noticed the same questions tend to arise year after year. We developed these guidelines as a way to accelerate the process of harmonizing within the ashram atmosphere. No one comes into this environment fully understanding all of these guidelines, and it’s not expected that anyone would have them memorized before arrival. However, we believe that by taking the time to read through these guidelines, you will gain a sense of the level of respect and integrity necessary to make your stay at the ashram uplifting both for yourself and the community as a whole.
These guidelines are broken down into a few main sections. The **Community Living Guidelines** cover basic information related to living together in a household. Some of this information may be very obvious, while other aspects might not be so apparent. The second section describes **Seva or Selfless Service Guidelines**. Seva is a major part of your experience at the ashram and represents a significant portion of your time here. We hope these guidelines will clarify the expectations for individuals working at the ashram. The third section revolves around **Ashram Meals, Dietary Considerations, and Kitchen Guidelines**. The food at the ashram is always homemade and cooked with love, but we also have to balance our expenses and dietary needs. This section aims to help you understand this balance more clearly. Finally, the last section covers the **Shrine and Meditation Guidelines**, outlining expectations within the shrine atmosphere and introducing broader concepts within the yogic tradition that may be new to you.
The guidelines themselves are divided into three parts. Part A is a bullet-point list of the basic points that everyone needs to be aware of in each section. Part B provides a more detailed explanation of each of those bullet points. And Part C consists of review questions based on those points. Review Questions?! Yeah, bare with us, they really help! The questions are not designed as a test with right or wrong answers, but rather to help you re-engage with the material so that you truly grasp it. Simply reading through a list of guidelines, or even detailed explanations, can sometimes go in one ear and out the other. By reframing the material through review questions, you begin to truly understand it. This process also shows us that you’ve taken the time to prepare for your stay and that you are committed to being a respectful participant at the ashram.
Please email Abhaya with your answers to the questions as you complete them. It’s ok to send one section at a time, as again, we realize this is a lot of information and we want to take your time with it.
Namaste,
Satyam & Abhaya