Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat — Local services in New Providence

Yoga Teachers Training Review

Sivananda Bahamas

Eighteen years ago I stepped upon the spiritual path under my father, a renunciate of the Advaita school. So I thought I was prepared for an intensive spiritual tapasarya. Although his teachings, the adversities of my life and the Army equipped me for this Teachers Training Course (TTC), nothing could prepare me for the results.

The school warned me that its students would engage in a rigorous program. sixteen hour days, selfless service, meditation and Yoga. I figured, “Hey, I’m a soldier who has conquered some of the most brutal challenges in the world including losing family members to drugs and alcohol, how hard could it be?” I found out.

The morning started with a 0530 bell gonging us awake. From here on out we donned our minimalist Sadhaka’s uniform of white cotton scrub pants and a cotton yellow t-shirt. It might not have been dashing, but it did represent the mental focus and purification our journey represented as we approached the Sivananda lineage from Sankaracharya.

After a two hour session of silent meditation, Kirtan or chanting, and a spiritual message we quickly changed into respectful yoga outfits to do our first two hours of physical asana with pranayama. Next we ran to a sattvic vegetarian brunch mild in flavor and quality. These sessions cover the five aspects of Vishnudevananda’s five part yogic path:

Proper exercise, or Asana Proper breathing or Pranayama Proper relaxation or Savasana Proper diet: Sattvic lacto-vegetarian Proper thinking: Vedanta and Meditation

This fifth aspect however required further elaboration in two afternoon sessions of the Bhagavad Gita and Yogic Philosophy. In these courses the Sivananda Organization took my studies of twenty years and condensed them into Sivananda’s Yoga of Synthesis.

Karma Yoga for the active souls - Selfless Service Bhakti Yoga for the emotional souls - Kirtan and Prayer Raja Yoga for the scientific or rational - Mind Control Jnana Yoga for the philosophical - Nature of reality

What makes Sivananda’s path so special is that rather than prescribing one path for each core soul type, his eponymous system shows how each of us can share part of the path at a given time. To decrease selfishness or “mala,” we do selfless service or Karma Yoga. This teaches the grabby little three-year-old inside of each of us to let go of that cookie and to share.

To reduce the agitations of the mind, or “viksheppa,” we do chanting and devotionals to divine images or representations of the ultimate examples of good such as deities and saints. For most of my life, the was a joke to me. “Only the foolish pray about floating beings in the sky expecting it to help the starving children or stop murderous suicide-bombers.”

But I was the fool. This part has been the most transformative to my body, mind, and intellect. It has calmed an agitation that no doctor, philosophy, or substance could ever reduce. No matter how hard we climb or how fast we run, we will never reach the pinnacle of development. For the final ascension leads to a door that only opens from the inside. Not only do we have to stop pushing, but we have to take a step back.

After running for who knows how long, it is beyond difficult to let go of the challenge and accept that the flower opens when it is time - never before. Faith is knowing that you will smell its fragrance. The buds of my life finally begin to stir. This alone reveals a fragrance sweeter than any I had known before. Through Bhakti I can taste love.

Which leads me to the last part of the review. Many of my classmates felt the program was too strict, too rigorous, too fierce. While I do not dispute that it might have caused more pain than any of us wanted, I do not believe that any of us would have reached the peaks that we did without...

In September 2018 I was recruited by Swami Shambudevananda for a chef position for the ashram. Prior to our meeting, I read about the karma yoga program on their website and noticed the 7 day work week - when I asked Swami S about the schedule, he assured me that the chef position is only 5 days a week. We discussed other details including payment for my plane ticket from Israel (which he mentioned would be paid for after my 3 month commitment). I was really excited to come to the ashram and spend a special, meaningful 3 months there, and hoping I would want to return in the future. When I arrived to the ashram I was surprised to hear I will be working 7 days a week. When I asked Swami S about it, he once again assured me that I will only be working 5 days a week, and that he is still looking for another chef. After 2 weeks of working every day in the kitchen, plus a few more hours per week for meetings with the kitchen staff and working on menus (which totalled at more than 45 hours per week, when I agreed to a 30 hour work week), I brought it up again, and mentioned that i am in need of rest. Nothing changed. I turned to talk to Swami Brahmananda, who said to me there was a misunderstanding, that I misunderstood, that everyone works 7 days a week and that I need to change my attitude, and since I am already there I should stay and make it work. I bought a plane ticket out of my own pocket (nearly $2000 Canadian) and was told if I chose not to stay (as they changed the terms of our agreement) they won't pay back for my ticket as promised. I was shocked, I was lied to and manipulated to come. The chef position is a hard one to fill, and I was happy to share my skills and offer my services to the ashram, but in reality I found a place that is run with dishonesty and disrespect. I spent a lot of time in India, and visited some ashrams, as well as visiting intentional and spiritual communities around the world, and it makes me very sad to see how this place is not fulfilling its potential to offer a true spiritual experience. I met many wonderful volunteers from around the world while I was there, and many of them shared a similar experience to mine (not the same story of course, but a general feeling of disappointment of the gap between what the ashram claims to offer and what happens in reality). some of the staff members treat the volunteers in very rude and mean ways, yelling and speaking in very condescending ways. The staff response for most complaints is "this is your experience, it is not the reality", however if so many people are having such a similar experience I think it is time they look inwards and ask themselves what can be changed? I decided to leave after 3 weeks, and after filing an official complaint to the head office in Canada, I received my money back. With that, I am writing this message because my experience did happen. and it happens to other people. I think this place can actually offer so much to people's journey, but at the moment it is not happening, and I hope with more people sharing their stories this can change in the future. The reason I am giving 2 stars and not 1 is that this place is a)beautiful, b)has an amazing community, and c) has a potential to change. I hope that can...

This is a great place to discover more about the philosophy behind yoga, and to understand yoga in its several practices (not just physical stretching but service, breathing, positive thoughts etc etc) and the real goal of yoga (a calm mind). They are genuine and deeply committed but with an easy humour and warmth. They teach (and practise) their beliefs (rooted in dharmic principles) but I didn't pick up any preachyness or pushiness, indeed tolerant people of all religions (and none) should be comfortable here. The yoga (as in stretching) is very good, and contrary to some of the (fake?) reviews the yoga is for all levels and you won't be pushed to do anything you can't manage. The setting is really lovely - but that is a (big) bonus: you shouldn't come here for the beach and gardens but for the yoga experience. Similarly, the accommodation and food are more than adequate, if you've come for the right reasons you will enjoy them. Much of the work is done by volunteers, and they work hard and seem to have a great team spirit. I liked the community feel.. but don't expect hotel-style hospitality (it has much more character than that: if you want "service" not character, this isn't the place for you). It is sad to read reviews complaining about staff, their service deserves understanding and respect. I was there in October, it was great - few people and good weather and few bugs (but do bring bug spray). They still had lots going on: various courses and an amazing music group (mayapuris). Apparently the ashram gets very busy from November to July. Further along the beach is Atlantis - casinos and themed water park, bling and fake lagoons. If you like that kind of thing then go there... but if you want the opposite go to Sivananda. If it is right for you it will be a...