Dear Members and Friends,
Have you visited the Ashram lately? There is a touch of Spring in the air with new blossoms bursting forth all through the garden. How wonderful it looks .....lovingly tended by Chinmaya our house manager, Uwe and other fellow residents.
I often walk through the gardens and grounds filled to overflowing with gratitude for our amazing Ashram......and the dedicated effort of the current Board, Teachers and Residents and for all those who came before us....touched somehow by the Spiritual vision and wisdom of Swami Venkatesananda and his beloved Guru, Swami Sivananda.
We have almost completed a wonderful Winter Program with a special high-light being Sadhana Week (13-20th July) with Swami Uditramananda. So many people took time out of busy lives to soak up the gentle spiritual wisdom of Swamiji, with the Ashram guest rooms full and many of the community attending daily. We even had people coming from the East Coast and rural areas. I was gratefully able to attend for part of the program and so could experience firsthand the joy of shared stories by ‘fellow spiritual seekers’ and Swamiji’s gentle guidance as he answered questions and told stories of his own. The gift of time for ones own spiritual practice. Such a joy.
If you’ve never experienced Sadhana Week before, I encourage you to give yourself this gift of time next year (dates TBA). Our Spiritual journey brings wisdom, guidance, peace, connection to one another and to the Oneness of all of life.
Special thanks to Shobha our Spiritual Co-ordinator for again organising such a wonderful week; to Chandra and Rani for the delicious food, and Chinmaya and her happy band of helpers who prepared the Ashram and gardens with so much love and attention to detail.
I now have a special request to make! Is there anyone out there with the skills and willingness to co-ordinate our Fair Day (25th Nov) for 2018? This very successful day has been beautifully organised over the past 3 years by one of our gifted yoga teachers, Donna Kirkland. We already have eager, previous stall holders ringing for details etc. It truly is a special day enjoyed by so many. Donna, various Board members and Ashram residents will be available to assist as and when needed. This is a wonderful opportunity for some joyful creative Karma yoga. If this feels like something you could offer ......or perhaps a group of friends could co-ordinate, please call the Ashram office, Mon – Fri, 9am to 3pm.
A big welcome to Denise Cooper, our current Board Secretary extraordinaire, who has taken up the job share position in the office with Sherryn McHugh. This will allow Sherryn to spend more time with her family and Denise is very familiar with the role having mentored Sherryn into the position. The shared role is working exceptionally well. A special thankyou to both Office Administrators for all their dedicated effort and flexibility in working together.
We have a wonderful Spring program on offer with another popular Graeme Hodges (15-16 Sept) yoga day and evening, and also Meta Doherty’s special Ayurvedic/Yoga, ‘live in’ weekend (5-7 Oct). Please see our beautiful new web for details of the both these events and for our regular inspirational spiritual activities. So much is on offer. Please note a new ‘Gems of the Gita’ evening with Meredith Forder on Wednesday’s (from 12 Sept) and our exciting library evening, ‘with a twist’, 4th Monday each month.
A special loving greeting to everyone and I hope you’re out enjoying this wonderful Spring (almost) sunshine.
Namaste
Ruth Barrett-Lennard IYA Chair