What a productive and enjoyable way to spend time at Sivananda Ashram! The experience allowed the kids to engage with all four paths of Yoga: Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Karma Yoga.

This year is our first kid’s residential retreat; kids made history at Yoga Bharati by participating!

A picture speaks a thousand words, so we have written this report with more pictures than words!

Children and adult volunteers drove early morning to the Ashram, in Grass Valley, California on Saturday, July 20th, and reached by the brunch time at 10 am. On the way, we learned a few mantras like “Shanno Mitra Sham Varunaha”… and learned about the Ashram life and discipline. We ate healthy sandwiches on the way and took one bio break.

Sivananda Ashram at Grass Valley was established by Swami Vishudevananda 40 years ago. Swami Sita is the current Swamiji who heads the Ashram and Swami Dharmananda handles many day-to-day activities.

After brunch, the Children settled in their rooms and explored the area around them. They liked the play area, with swings and hammocks. They learned aspects of Karma yoga by helping with cleaning and gardening at the Ashram.

We made Malas of 108 beads for meditation with materials provided by the Ashram.

Our next activity was Swimming in the pond with fish and frogs. :) The Children helped each other overcome their fear of water and the water habitats. Although the water was 13” deep, they swam around and learned group dynamics and leadership skills, while having fun.

After the kids showered, we made our way to Durga temple and lavender fields, which were on the way. The Durga temple hike was about 20 min. We saw Lamas, who have been part of the Ashram for many years now on the way. We ate fresh, super sweet, organic blueberries and apricots grown at the farm trees.

At the temple, the children chanted mantras they knew and felt comfortable with: Sahana Vavatu.., Viduraneeti…, Sakshepa Ramayana.., Ekatmata mantra, Sarve Bhavantu, Ganesha mantra, and many more. Children bowed down to Maa Durga to seek her blessings, and we headed back. On the way back, we walked through the inviting lavender fields, which appealed to our visual and taste senses. We took many pictures and ate some more fresh berries from around. Children were tired due to the Summer heat and the walk. They were also thirsty and wanted to go back soon. Some wanted to join us for a Labyrinth walk, and we headed there. The labyrinth walk took about 20-25 min to have a walking meditation experience.

We had dinner at 6 pm and played games in our free time. In the evening, we experienced the Satsang, which had Sivananda Ashram Kirtans; that was our Bhakti Yoga experience. Ashram lights were out by 10.30 pm, but we fell asleep at 10 pm as both the kids and adults were tired. We stayed in cabins with bunk beds, which had bathrooms nearby.

The wake-up time was at 5.30 am, with another bell at 5.45 am. The ashram had a very nice way of waking the ashram dwellers. They came with traditional bells and the “Om Namah Shivaya” mantra and woke us up with a beautiful sattvic way on Sunday, July 21st. Kids woke up early and had fruits and oatmeal for breakfast. The food at the ashram was fully organic, made with Himalayan pink salt. There were some vegan options also.

Our group had a Raja yoga experience led by Kalaila, a counselor from the Ashram kids camp, who stayed on for an extra 10 days after the camp ended. The children enjoyed their time with Kalaila, and some of them even fell asleep during the deep relaxation session. They mentioned that her voice was very soothing!

Brunch was at 10 am, and the kids had more karma yoga experience while helping the kitchen cleaning team. They helped wipe the dishes and put them away. The children played for some more time. Then was the time for the Jnana yoga experience with Swami Dharamandaji. Swami Dharmananda discussed the meaning and significance of Guru and Guru Poornima. The kids were very interactive and told Swamiji about their thoughts on Guru. Some children said their experiences, mistakes, parents, teachers, and friends were like their gurus. Swamiji gave them the Ashram lineage stories of Swami Sivananda. Guru Poornima was in July, even then, vibes from that day were still fresh and alive in the Ashram air. After receiving blessings from Swami Dharmanandaji, we left the Ashram to head back to the Bay area. The kids did not want to go home as they enjoyed it very much. They were asking about the next year’s trip since they wouldn’t want to miss it.

Ashram packed us some more food and fruits for our way back. We like to invite you all for this fun and experiential learning Retreat next year. Stay tuned for the dates and don’t miss them.

For Ashram information, please visit https://sivanandayogafarm.org/

For information about kids classes and camps at yoga bharati, please contact kids@yogabharati.org or call 408 341 YOGA (9642)