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January 2024 by Aliya Tolliver
Beautiful healing experience. I used to love hiking up the mountain to the cliff side temple area. Beautiful serenity and peace can be found here.
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May 2023 by Sri Sundaralingam
Great place to disconnect, recharge, and begin or advance your yoga practice. The staff do a great job running the ashram and welcoming everyone to work on their spiritual journey.
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May 2023 by Durga Leela
I've been a regular here for 22 years, spring months are particularly beautiful - perfect temperature and lush green grass - wonderful outdoor yoga and delicious meals
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December 2022 by Gregory S.
Om Namah Shivaya! Words do not express the peace and serenity of this ashram. I have learned and grown so much because of this wonderful place. 100% recommend.
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December 2022 by Ashley Brown
I recently stayed at the Yoga Farm for 3 nights during the meditation weekend workshop. Staying at the ashram is a beautiful experience. It helped me reset and ground me in my personal meditation and yoga Asana practice as well as introduce new practices into my routine. I plan to visit the ashram more regularly to incorporate more peace and love into my life.I would recommend to everyone looking for an authentic traditional yoga experience.Thank you so much for hosting me for the meditation weekend!
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December 2022 by Alma Hernandez
Enjoyed a weekend retreat here. Very tranquil. Cabin was clean and comfortable. Lovely yoga hall where meditation and kirtan also held. Knowledgeable yoga instruction. Food was delicious and people were friendly. Would definitely go back.
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December 2022 by J. C.
Got a headache trying to understand their emails. I asked if there's flexibility on the minimum dates, I got a yes but no discounts. Not even sure what discounts they are referring to so I asked for clarification. Response back was no there actually is no flexibility. And if I didn't have time to stay 2 days, I should consider their 9 day program. Bizarre.
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November 2022 by Samantha L.
First ashram experience and it was all I hoped it would be and more! I attended a 3 day yoga for stress relief retreat and everything was fantastic, including our amazing teacher Kevin, the delicious, healthy meals, the daily meditation and yoga sessions and cozy cabin. I left feeling refreshed, strong and relaxed. I am already planning my next visit! If you are interested in an Ashram experience I cannot recommend yoga farm enough!
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September 2022 by Leah M.
The community was warm and welcoming and the property absolutely beautiful and relaxing. The Siva cabin was no frills but was comfortable and had everything I needed. The food was delicious and nutritious. And I had the most amazing Ayurvedic treatment there. Can't wait to go back!
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September 2022 by Erin M.
This was the second time I did a yoga retreat with the Sivananda Center, first was in Kerala over a decade ago and I was really looking forward to diving back in a reviving my yoga practice so signed up for the Beginners Yoga Course at this center in Grass Valley. While I attended unfortunately during the heatwave and wildfire season (and the smoke was no joke) the satsangs, yoga, great food and workshops left my mind much much calmer and body much happier and balanced after my stay. I stayed in the Shanti cabins to make sure I had AC and they did not disappoint, super clean and comfortable. The people are lovely and some of the deepest conversations and connections I've had with strangers in awhile. I appreciated that it was more than just a yoga course and was a holistic yoga/meditation practice that taught me a lot and equipped me with tools to use everyday. I practice Buddhist meditation which focuses on basic breathing and no veneration of gods/guru so I would say I took about 80% of the learnings and didn't implement the rest (e.g. I wasn't fully into the satsang chanting or some of the breathing techniques though appreciated how pretty it was to sing with others and how the chanting and breathing help concentrate the mind). The center is also good about recognizing that there are multiple religions with the same core truth. Finally I do want to say after the retreat I dove more into Swami Vishnudevananda's background (who is now deceased) who brought Swami Sivananda's teachings to the West and similar to the review from Lesley C. found the several allegations of sexual assault. I found it sadly not so surprising. I mean jeez how many religions/leaders have such a seedy past, I did find it a little difficult though some of the chants really still lifted him up as this perfect human and he clearly had flaws. That being said I would still go back, found it much more positive than negative overall and the holistic program really worked for me and again continue to take 80% (aka leave out the chants to the Swami Vishnudevananda, realize that while the teachings are good but the human is imperfect)
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August 2022 by Ryan Baker
I spent three months working at the ashram as a karma yogi in 2022. I love this place and the people that care for it deeply.The land is wild and beautiful. And you will see lots of wildlife here. The pond offers refuge on hot days, and all of the temples offer spiritual refuge.The people are strange and beautiful. You will meet lots of colorful characters- all of whom are devoted to the ashram and a path of peaceful living.The teachings and practices are exquisite. And if you are open to receiving these teachings, you will definitely transform. I had a significant physical transformation from the yogic diet and practicing classical hatha yoga twice daily.I would HIGHLY recommend doing a teacher training and/or karma yoga program here.Om Namah Sivaya
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July 2022 by Google Deer
Religious institutions are turning inward using Covid pandemic as an excuse.Haidikand Mahalakshmi Babaji temple in Crestone.Mahalakshmi temple has a sign in front of its main entrance saying to the effect of “ The temple is closed to visitors, and only allowed in by appointment only.A number to call is included on the notice. Permission by phone is required in order to enter.Need karoli Hanuman templeThe main entrance is closed by a horse gate and a notice says temple is closedThese temples, though non profit organizations are built and run solely by the donations from the public.But they have become private enterprises in disguise, looking inward.A few hand picked Caucasian individuals are allowed in to participate within its power structure and the rest are kept at arms length or totally excluded.Fundraising to create building structures etc are advertised and received from the public solely to create individual comfortable accommodations for the selected few who are handpicked.In effect these religious institutions once built using the Indian Gurus are now run by Caucasian Americans and have become more like a profit making inward looking enterprise benefiting the selected fewPeople dont come to visit these temples looking for free food. Most individuals are professionals and people of means who are successful in their own professions with the sole intention to do “Seva” or selfless service. It is not for recognition or for freebies. It’s for the individual fulfillment that comes out of selfless service.These temples never has been designed to and never should be meant for the exclusive fiefdom of a few. But it’s doors needs to be thrown wide open and not just to exploit the name of Indian gurus to form a private enterprise in disguise.This is tantamount to saying “ You know, we Love Yoga, Indian food, Indian clothing, Indian temples, Indian gurus …. Ummm but we would like to exclude Indians as much as we can from the temple”.Sivananda Ashram, Grass Valley, CaliforniaSame story as above.
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August 2021 by Lesley C.
I took a short retreat here. It was enjoyable and healthy, and I cannot praise the staff enough. I have difficulty rating them down because the staff and volunteers are just so lovely and hard-working. I've had to think for a while about this review. Let's start with the positive: The ashram is lovely and a picturesque oasis. The people working and living there are kind, giving, and astute. I had a lovely retreat and enjoyed the food, ascetic schedule, and meditation. Truly an excellent way to gather one's health and contemplate bigger things. Such a picture of nature and peace. However, it must be said that like most women who read, I am extremely aware of the multiple, extremely distressing sexual assault allegations from multiple parties raised several years ago that the now-deceased founder of this ashram. There has been little public closure, and I very naively thought that this would be addressed head-on by the time I visited in 2021. What I found was starkly different. Yes, they have a harassment policy posted on their boards. However, their founder is not only constantly recognized, he is deified and venerated constantly - in icons, kirtan, and lecture. I recognize that he also accomplished good things and deserves recognition, but at the same time he was raised up as a paragon in almost every class I attended. It was a very, very difficult juxtaposition. More so for somebody who has experienced trauma. Human beings are inherently flawed. No human is perfect, and we all strive to fight our demons. The swamis and staff at the Yoga Farm are astute, insightful, and kind. I can't say enough nice things about them. However, they all seem to have a total blind spot for the truly flawed person who they venerate. It honestly raised some trauma for me, even though I had overall a very nice time and felt safe there. I certainly didn't feel comfortable saying anything. However, how am I to learn to fight my demons from people who refuse to acknowledge their own? As much as I enjoy the writings and teachings of Sivananda, I have not found a home here.
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August 2021 by Gopinath Durairaj
Took the weeklong beginners yoga program. It was a good, practical and easy to follow introduction to different paths of yoga (Bhakti, Raja, Gnana and Karma). The place is peaceful and staff are caring. Overall it was a great experience to get away from daily routine and get a perspective.
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April 2021 by Melinda V.
"Permaculture and Vedic Wisdom" taught by Spencer Nielsen is a wonderful class. Spencer weaves together Vedic principles with garden design and practical permaculture concepts and skills that we can all use to create an ecologically healthy garden. We learned a lot about restorative design, and the relationships between soil health, water harvesting and conservation, dealing with "predators," and growing food, all in harmony with Vedic principles. The range and depth of his knowledge is quite astonishing, yet he is very engaging and approachable. I'm so glad I took this class.
