Author: Divya - Administrator

The recent AHYMSIN-Americas Sangha/Silence Gathering in Minnesota was an enriching time, guided with care by Swami Ritavan Bharati and Swami Radha Bharati. This inspiring event celebrated the lineage, legacies, and teachings of our beloved Himalayan yoga masters, Swami Rama and Swami Veda, and was enhanced by personal reflections from senior leaders, teachers and sadhakas in the Himalayan Yoga Meditation Tradition.

Over the course of four days, participants immersed themselves in a carefully curated program. Sessions included “Re-imagining Our Meditation Communities,” and two sessions where special guests shared their insights on the profound influences of Swami Rama and Swami Veda within their lives. An interactive session, “Building Bridges to New Students,” fostered collaboration and innovative ideas for advancing the Himalayan Tradition into the future.

The agenda was enriched with delicious, authentic vegetarian Indian cuisine, hatha yoga sessions, and spiritually uplifting addresses from Swami Ritavan. His talks, including “Solving Uncertainty through Meditation,” “The Path of Fire and Light as the Himalayan Way,” and “Illuminating the Guru Within,” provided profound insights and helped enrich our meditative practices. The gathering was further uplifted by a lively kirtan led by Shakti and Bhakti one evening, and a sacred fire puja ceremony on the night of the full moon.

Concluding this reflective Sangha Gathering, participants traveled to the serene setting of Dunrovin Retreat Center, in Marine on St. Croix for a five-day period of Silence. This dedicated time allowed attendees to delve into deeper levels of being, highlighted by a 24-hour Akhanda (non-stop) Japa—a transformative observation that revealed the profound depth of Silence and its connection to our tradition.

We experienced guided meditations, subtle body exercises, and ample time for self-reflection, japa, walking and rest. We enjoyed sessions led by our beloved Swamis and leaders where we opened our hearts to the messages shared on our journey of Self discovery.

Together, this gathering was a powerful reminder of the gifts of our masters, fostering community, connection, and a reawakening of spiritual practice within the Himalayan Yoga Meditation tradition.

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Testimonials from the 2025 Sangha Gathering:

“It was such a gift to be able to share space with the compassionate and wonderful members of the Himalayan Yoga and Meditation Tradition” ~ Melanie

“I feel so fortunate and blessed to connect in person with our AHYMSIN-Americas family. What an inspiring group of kalyana mitras (noble friends) on the path.” ~ Lori

Two participants from the  84-Days Intensive Sadhana Retreat held at the Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama from 10 July – 1 October 2025 shared their experiences. Both the participants are initiates within the Himalayan Tradition.

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Experience Sharing by Carter Michaud

84 days is more than just a number — it’s a powerful window of transformation. In that time, you could launch a passion project, build lasting habits of fitness and healthy eating, master a new skill or craft, complete a certification or course, or even save and invest a meaningful sum of money. However, these things are all the results of what you direct your actions toward, and if we do not have the inner strength to follow through with them, we won’t see them come to fruition—how many times have we tried to get ourselves to go to the gym, only to give up after a couple of weeks? With inner strength, we have the ability to accomplish whatever we intend to pursue. We might say, “I want to eat healthy” or “I want to learn a new language,” and instead of giving in when the mind says, “I’m bored of this. I’m going to stop,” we have the strength to choose to continue anyway. This cultivation of inner strength is just a fraction of what I have developed throughout the 84-day retreat.

Through Hatha Yoga, I’ve developed physical discipline—learning how to calm my mind while my body is in discomfort. If I can tell myself to keep pushing despite my mind telling me that this is uncomfortable, then I’ve successfully won the battle with my mind and followed through with the intention to hold the posture or continue with the exercise even when my mind is complaining.

Through Karma Yoga, I’ve learned to break through the idea of doing all of my actions for my own sake. Will I do something for someone else with 100% effort, knowing that I won’t get any benefit or recognition from it? Can I tell myself to do it anyway, even when my mind doesn’t see the reward? This is yet another reason why inner strength is important.

Through Bhakti Yoga, I learned surrender. As someone who has historically been uncomfortable with any mention of God, chanting the morning and evening prayers was difficult for me at the start of the retreat. Day by day, prayer by prayer, I slowly eased up to the idea. I reminded myself that immediately rejecting Bhakti Yoga simply because I didn’t understand what people were praying for would only have prevented me from learning what “that” is for myself. I exercised inner strength by not listening to my mind saying, “This is ridiculous, what’s the point?” Without any of the teachers imposing their beliefs on me or requiring me to change mine, I changed my beliefs—not because of what I’d heard from others, but because once I stopped resisting and trusted what I was learning, the direct experience of seeing the universe respond to the prayers was enough to show me what I hadn’t previously understood.

In the philosophy classes, we learn something new every day that gives us ample opportunities to reflect on our own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. I’ve been repeatedly referring to inner strength, but depending on the individual, what needs to be worked on may not be discipline—it may be breath, relaxation, surrender, or ego. We are often unaware of many of our own problems. By being exposed to different concepts, we expand our capacity to recognize what we don’t realize we’re doing wrong and to accept new ways of thinking for our own benefit. The classes were the perfect avenue to understand how what you’re learning fits into the bigger picture. Whatever you’re currently struggling with, there is always at least one thing in every lesson you can take away to help with it.

As far as meditation goes, I’ve learned that it is simply a byproduct of living the practices mentioned above. As I have become more selfless, more relaxed, and more disciplined by sticking with these practices, the mental restlessness and frequency of thoughts and emotions gradually decreased. This, in addition to improving my posture through the Hatha Yoga classes, allowed me to sit in meditation for longer, with fewer disturbances, and in a deeper state of mind.

I’ve personally found that what can change in 84 days is much more significant than what can happen in two weeks. Two weeks into the retreat, I was more relaxed, and my mood was much lighter, but it didn’t feel as if that would bring lasting change after I left. It was only after a couple of months passed by—when I was used to the routine and the novelty had worn off—that the real growth began. It is at this point that many people decide to give up their pursuits, but if we understand this and push through anyway, that is where the lasting change lies. This is what has worked for me. I’ve found that when I pushed through this phase of boredom and complacency, I started to develop more confidence and discipline than I’ve ever had in my life (and really feel as if the change is not temporary).

The connections I’ve made at SRSG have been among the most life-changing aspects of this retreat. Being surrounded by a community where everyone shares the same goal of self-transformation, where compassion and selflessness are practiced daily—that kind of love is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. From teachers to friends, it is the presence of these beautiful souls within the ashram that truly makes it feel like home. Living alongside the other sadhakas for three months—attending classes, conversing at meals, and exploring the city together—allowed my relationships to grow far deeper than I had expected. These connections have profoundly influenced my spiritual growth. I’ve been constantly inspired to do more good.

Whenever someone did something kind for me or encouraged me to help someone else, they opened my eyes to new ways of being selfless. They helped me expand my mind and think not only for myself but for others, showing me how and when to look for opportunities to give. The friends I’ve made at SRSG have made me a better person.

So while 84 days in the ashram might seem like a long time (and it is), it is enough time to build resilience, establish connections, change your perspective on reality, show you how to become selfless (and enjoy it), and allow yourself to let go, surrender, and relax. If you show up with sincerity and determination, the ashram—no, you—will bring change to every facet of your life.

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Experience Sharing by Radha Bhojraj

Writing about the 84-day retreat feels almost impossible. The experience can only truly be lived, as for each person it reveals itself differently—shaped by what is most needed at that moment in their lives. I hope to be able to put in words reflections of my time here.

I had come in with certain expectations and a picture in my mind of how I wanted the retreat to be. I thought I knew how I should conduct myself and imagined the journey would follow that script. But as the days unfolded, it became clear that the retreat had its own way of working on me, often in ways I could not have anticipated.

My introduction to this path has been gradual, with lessons scattered over the years. Yet, there was a certain naivety in how I had approached these teachings. Over these months, something shifted more deeply. The rigid ideas I had carried began to loosen, and an inner restructuring quietly unfolded.

One of the clearest realisations was the deep interconnection of body, breath, and mind. In the beginning, yoga and meditation were both limited to the physical alone. Here, they began to take on a new meaning. They were no longer about discipline and correctness, but slowly became tools to observe, to become aware, and to understand my state of being in a more holistic way.

The retreat slowly shifted my perspective. I had once asked myself: What more can I add? What else should I do or practice to become better? That list grew so long that it became impossible to keep up with it. Over time, the question itself changed—from “What should I do?” to “How should I be?” How could I make these teachings and tools my own? How could I live a life fulfilling my duties, yet with more inclusiveness, more centeredness, and a steadier way of showing up each day?

The transformation wasn’t so much about adding or achieving, but about softening. It was less about the external and more about the internal—shifting from the restless urge to catch up, to a more mindful way of moving through each moment. What I carry out of the retreat is not an ending, but a foundation—an opening into living with greater balance, awareness, and trust in the path ahead.

Three participants from the Silence Retreat in the Netherlands held at the Beukenhof (former) Monastery, The Netherlands from 19- 26 September 2025 shared their experiences. All the participants are initiates within the Himalayan Tradition.

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Experience Sharing by Dirk Gysels – It was an experiment….but it was needed.

In our hectic lives, 4 or 5 days of silence was too brief. Our bodies and minds need more.

So the bold decision was made to extent the silence to a full week.

And it was such a relief to allow oneself to go inside, to shut down the outward senses of cognition and action for an extended period. We all have our stories why it felt so good. Mine is not the most inspiring. I booked the week at a time not knowing that my karma would visit me at the end of June with a full-blown infarct. I am well again, but the scars are there, not in the least on an emotional and energetic level.

But the deep healing happened. It seemed that all the poses, the relaxations, the meditations, akhanda japa, Yoga Nidra… were the things my body-mind needed right now.

It felt that my body ‘knew’ that it had a full week to go into deeper healing. So a lot came up: sadness, fear, anger, loneliness, behavioral traits that do not serve my awakening into what I really am, insights… I tried to talk to my mind in a friendly way when things became too confronting….

By the end of the week, I felt a new light, a deeper strength shining through….The turning point was the akhanda japa and the long yoga nidra right before the start.
And magic happened. So grateful to all who made it happen!

I was also asked to share an anecdote i told in the closing circle in the end of the retreat:

I shared the following memory:

In the spring of 2003, Swami Veda came to Holland for a retreat of about 5 days. On a certain day he introduced silence. But after the silence of the first day and Swamiji’s evening-satsang, a few of us stayed on. Then the joking began. We had great fun. After about half an hour, footsteps could be heard on the staircase. In came Swami Veda in his pyjama’s, followed by Pandit Ananta (Swami Ritavan).

Swamiji was not angry but his words cut like a knife. ‘I cannot be angry at the new ones here, they do not know better. But you (Swamiji pointing at someone who later became a well-known Swami in the tradition), you should know better!….

This was the end of the fun.

I will be back…

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Experience Sharing by Jane Cox

Jane Cox read in the closing circle from her journal writings: Confession

I’ve never been able to retain song lyrics; even my eight-syllable mantra took nearly a year to settle into memory. However hard I try, I’m terrible at learning mantra. Maybe it’s my age, but what emerges is more word salad than sacred chant—a jumble of good intentions hopelessly out of order.

So, after an early morning session of Akhanda Japa, I neither felt inclined – nor, to be honest, wanted – to do another.

Instead, I took a contemplative walk, then a long one, then a brisk one, before retreating to the safety of my bedroom. And, as often happens when a holiday draws to a close, my mind drifted toward home: train times and the inevitable empty fridge.

I decided to check in our flights and–oops–like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, I found myself on a magical mystery tour of social media.

The evening japa became an alarming combination of the scrambled mantra colliding with a thought explosion of algorithms: Gaza, ginger root recipes, Trump blaming pregnant women for autism–and, layered on top, an inner debate with Pierre about the moral and ethical dilemma of remaining silent, of accepting this seemingly unjust world as purnam.

It reminded me of the experiment of giving different drugs–marijuana, speed, coke–to spiders and seeing the effect of their web-making skills. It was messy.

So I apologise if, energetically, there was a noisy mosquito buzzing in the japa room last night.

And yet, it was a valuable experiment. I’m deeply grateful to the wise and wonderful tutors and the compassionate, gentle group who have created this special, playful space. I learnt that mantra is an anchor the minefield of my distracted thoughts.

And thank you, Ma Tripura. Your beautiful meditation this morning brought me back to stillness.

It’s only when you lose it that you realise how precious it truly is.

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Experience Sharing by Riemke de Groot

During our retreat last week, I was asked this question by Pierre Lefebvre, and given the microphone, to share my experience with the group. The question came unexpected, but the words that came out of the mouth for an answer surprised me even more. When I wanted to tell about many years of yoga retreats, I suddenly realized something different. And this was my answer:

I practiced silence from a very early age, every Sunday for a minute or so, in the church services I was attending with my parents and siblings. After chanting the first hymn, the reverend would say: “Let us become silent before the Lord, our God.” And we stood… still… eyes closed, hands folded. I somehow felt that the moment was sacred. It was also mysterious, exciting, weird. And sometimes hilarious when someone coughed, a hymnbook fell to the floor or someone came in late, and all turned to see what happened. But most of all I remember the sacredness of the spoken formula and the following silence, that seemed always too short to my taste. And in the moment I gave this answer, I realized that these early silence practice is the fundament of all silence retreats that followed.

In the retreat, during the meditations afterwards, I let this realization sink deep into my mind and started every meditation by inviting my mind: “Let’s become silent for the Lord, our God.” And a reservoir of silence, hidden deep inside, seemed to open up, The word ksetrikavat from the Yoga Sutras (4.3) came to my mind. The verse of the farmer who does nothing new or different, but just breakes the dyke so the water that is already there can flow free. In this way I felt a flood of silence flowing through me. My meditation got to a new depth.

Then I also remembered the words that were always spoken in church after the silence, holding just as much sacredness as the silence:
“Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 124: 8)
Who remains faithful forever, (Psalm 146: 6)
And does not abandon the work of His hands.” (Psalm 138: 8)

Different Tradition, different words, different symbolism – but the Bhava, the sentiment is the same: Our lives are held by THAT, by Guru’s grace, full of fullness, always and everywhere, beyond place and time. Amen. AUM.

The Yoga Studies Program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles has become one of the top programs in the United States for gaining a broad understanding of yoga, through its Yoga Philosophy Certificate program and its Master of Arts degree in Yoga Studies. For the past several years, teachers from the Himalayan Tradition have been invited to conduct workshops for LMU Yoga Studies students. Charles and Carol Crenshaw—longtime disciples and teachers of the Tradition— were the latest to share the teachings of the Himalayan Tradition on Saturday, September 27, 2025.  

According to Dr. Christopher Chapple, the founder and Director of the Yoga Studies program, “It was a superb event…About 25 students showed up for the daylong workshop. It covered everything: Samkhya, the Kosas, Astanga (Patanjali, not Patabhi), and more. The afternoon came to a close with wonderful group chanting of the Devi Mantra, with Charles as song leader, also playing the harmonium.” 

Dr. Chapple spent time with Swami Veda Bharati both in India and in the USA. He has visited Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama. 

Rabindra ji shared what he had learned about the spiritual significance and esoteric meanings on the occasion of the festival of Dusshera –

Lord Shri Rama is the Paramatma—the supreme soul, divine spirit—the true embodiment of the light, absolute purity, righteousness, and boundless love within. He is the eternal king of the city of Ayodhya (the city without conflicts)—a heart untouched by desires and fears.

Mother Sita is the jivatma, the individual soul, though radiant and virtuous, has now been abducted in the realm of worldly experiences (Lanka) by Ravana (the ten-headed demon king).

Ravana holds her captive, alienating her from her true source of bliss—Lord Rama. He is not just a ten-headed demon, but is a manifestation of our own ego and inner distortions. The five senses of cognition (jnana-indriyas) and the five senses of action (karma-indriyas), which when dominated by the ego, can become our greatest obstacle. His ten heads represent the ten vices that tempt and command our thoughts, emotions, and actions.

This Ravana resides not in the golden Lanka, but in the inaccessible fortress of our own minds, built by the insatiable desires and deep-rooted conditionings (vasanas and samskaras) of countless lifetimes.

The construction of the bridge (Rama-setu) by the devoted monkey army to Lanka is a concentrated, patient effort to cultivate sadhana with wisdom. Each stone laid in the bridge is a mark of immense courage and fearlessness to cross the ocean of illusion and to reach the fortress of our own ego.

The final battle is a fierce and concentrated effort to re-cognise our own Ravana within—to see the head of anger rise and to fell it with the arrow of selfless love, to see the head of greed appear and to cut it off with the sword of contentment.

Lord Shri Rama’s victory over Ravana is the dawn of self-realization. This is the moment when the ego is subdued, the senses are mastered, and the individual soul (Sita) is reunited with the absolute Supreme Being (Lord Rama). It is the return to Ayodhya—a state of inner peace and harmony.

This Dussehra, may we dare to light the pyre of the Ravana within us. May we offer its ten heads to the sacred fire of knowledge (jnana-agni). May the light emanating from this fire reveal the eternal Rama, the divine King, seated in a tranquil splendour within our hearts.

May our minds become a true Ayodhya—the abode of divine order, love, and unwavering light. May the victory of your inner light be ever-lasting and absolute, enabling us to LOVE, SERVE, REMEMBER.

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Editor’s Note:

The festival of Dusshera is celebrated annually, on the tenth day of the fall Navaratri and 20 days before the festival of light – Deepawali or Diwali. In 2025, it was celebrated on 2 October 2025.

We are members in the spiritual body of the Gurus. Their life-force, their grace flows through us. Our own minds grow in this grace only when we remember that in all our work we are serving as members, as organs, of that Spirit. – Swami Veda Bharati

As constituents of this Sangha, this body of the Guru, we aspire to come together regularly for the pursuit of our spiritual goals, to take stock of our progress, as well as chart the way ahead to prepare ourselves for a deeper commitment to our sadhana, and to the Mission.

Swami Ritavan Bharati has announced that the theme for AHYMSIN Sangha for 2026-29 will be “vasudeva sarvam”—That indwelling One is All. There is no other in relation-to, or conditioned-by. “I would like to extend again the invitation to continue living in the vasudeva principle, the principle of the in-dweller, the single in-dwelling deity, the in-dwelling force.”  – Swami Veda Bharati

The upcoming AHYMSIN Sangha Gathering from 1-10 March 2026 will mark the beginning of our sangha practice based on this theme of “vasudeva sarvam”.

As we prepare for the Sangha Gathering, we are happy to share details on the various activities:

• Yajna (fire offering) and Purnahuti (conclusion of the practice) of the current AHYMSIN Sangha Mantra—akhandamandalakaram mantra.
• Swami Ritavan will guide the AHYMSIN Sangha into the new practices for the next 3 years.
• Yajna and Japa with the new AHYMSIN Sangha Mantra.
• Receive many blessings and a beautiful meditation shawl from Swami Ritavan and the Guru Lineage.
• Special Sessions on our theme – “vasudeva sarvam—That indwelling One is All” with Swami Ritavan and other senior teachers.
• Guided Meditations with Swami Ritavan and members of the AHYMSIN Spiritual Committee in the Initiation Room
• Opportunity for silence practice and guidance on deepening one’s personal practices.
• Advanced classes on Hatha yoga, Pranayama, Contemplative Walking with senior teachers.
• Group Discussions on the Mission of AHYMSIN
• AHYMSIN Executive Committee Elections
• An excursion and pilgrimage to an ancient temple.
• Cultural Programmes
• Celebration of the Festival of Colors – Holi!!

We also take this opportunity to express our encouragement to participants who would like to arrive a couple of days prior to, and/or to stay beyond, the gathering to deepen their practice.

Registration for the gathering is open (only for initiates). As many of our family members have already confirmed their presence for the gathering, only limited spots are now remaining. If you would like to join the gathering, kindly reach out to us soon at ahymsin@gmail.com

We lovingly await for the pleasure of your divine presence at the gathering.

In service of the Guru Lineage,

Divya, AHYMSIN Office,

Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama

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Update about the 2026 AHYMSIN Sangha Gathering: Dated 1 November, 2025

We’re delighted to share that the ashram is fully booked for the AHYMSIN Sangha Gathering, and a waiting list has been started. For those on the waiting list, we are trying to arrange comfortable accommodation outside the ashram, so that everyone can still participate in the event and enjoy all the activities together.

We’re deeply grateful for the overwhelming response and enthusiasm from our global family. This gathering is a very special opportunity for us to come together in practice, reflection, and joyful connection—to renew our inspiration and strengthen our shared commitment to the teachings of the Himalayan Masters.

We are working with great care to ensure a smooth and meaningful experience for all our international family members joining us at SRSG. We eagerly look forward to welcoming you soon and to sharing this sacred time together in the presence of Swami Ritavan Bharati and the entire AHYMSIN global sangha.