On the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima (21^st July), with the blessings and guidance of the Guru Lineage, we welcomed the third batch of Gurukulam with three Indian students – Arun, Manisha and Prudhvi (left to right in the photo below).

The one-year residential program for the Gurukulam has been carefully designed and planned to encompass the teachings of the Himalayan Tradition as taught by Swami Rama and Swami Veda. The focus is to support and nurture self-observation, self-examination, self-purification, and self-pacification that leads to Self-transformation.

The daily schedule for the Gurukulam students begins at 5 am with the Yajna of the Ganpati Mantra, followed by the ashram prayers, joints & glands practice, pranayama, and guided meditation classes. They have special classes thrice each day at 10 am, 3 pm, and 8 pm. While, the afternoon breathing class and evening hatha yoga practice are shared with our visiting sadhakas. Every week, Thursdays are devoted to the practice of silence, fostering inner stillness, while Sundays are dedicated to the practice of Karma Yoga, wherein they contribute towards the ashram in some way.

With Swami Ritavan’s guidance, the Gurukulam curriculum has been designed to be essentially very dynamic in nature, thus can be adapted to the students’ needs and requirements. This year the Gurukulam students are all new to the teachings of the Himalayan Tradition. Therefore, our focus will remain on setting a solid foundation of yoga meditation practices for all of them.

In the past two months, the students have been learning about proper sitting, proper breathing, relaxation, and understanding the foundations of meditation and its practice, along with Sanskrit. All the subjects are taught in an immersive, in-depth manner.

We began with a study of the most foundational and important text of our beloved Swami Veda Bharati—Night Birds—with Gurukulam Acharya, Rabindra Sahu. This was followed by a study of one of his most beautiful books—Mind – The Playground of Gods.

In the coming months, they would be studying the teachings of Gurudeva Swami Rama through his video lectures and books, beginning with the Conscious Living. Swami Veda’s writings—You & Your emotions and Path to Successful Relationship—will also be studied. The focus will be on not just a reading or theoretical study of these books, but practical applications of the teachings in our everyday life. In the meantime, they will also continue to learn and practice the sacred art of Vedic chanting.

Swami Veda held the Gurukulam program very dear in his heart and emphasized the importance of passing down the teachings of the Tradition through long-term in-depth studies at the ashram. As we begin another year of Gurukulam, we feel both humbled and thankful to uphold his vision.

We continually seek the blessings of the Lineage and pray for our own self-purification, so that we may succeed in this endeavour. We hope and pray that the Gurukulam will offer a nurturing space to all the students for learning, practicing, and embodying the teachings of the Tradition.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to our DMT trustees, AHYMSIN family members, all the teachers, ashram sahayakas, and our well-wishers who have continued to support this vision.