Kashi Ashram

In 1976 Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, an American-born guru, founded Kashi Ashram, teaching in the tradition of her own guru, Neem Karoli Baba. His core instruction was to love everyone, serve everyone and feed everyone. The ashram sits at 11155 Roseland Road in Sebastian, Florida, and takes its name from Varanasi, also called Kashi, the city of light.

At the center of the grounds is a body of water called the Ganga, ringed by temples and shrines devoted to Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Sikh and Buddhist faiths. The ashram holds that all paths, followed with a sincere heart, lead to one's own God within, and it honors the divine feminine. Ma Jaya took MahaSamadhi in 2012. Her teachings continue through her swamis, monks and chelas, and the nonprofit is led by a Swami governing body, a board of directors and an administrative team.

The practice most closely tied to the place is Kali Natha Yoga, which the ashram says was handed down by Ma Jaya. It is a series of kundalini tantric yoga movements that weave together mantra, mudra, breathwork and storytelling. Kashi offers Yoga Alliance certified 200- and 300-hour teacher trainings, plus a 50/100-hour program, held on weekends on site and online. The coursework includes Fire Puja, an introduction to Ayurveda, trauma awareness and the 11 Karmic Spaces. Service is treated as part of the curriculum.

Day to day, classes are offered by donation on the grounds. Acharya Swami Krishnabai leads meditation on the Lion Kuti Deck on Saturdays at 8 AM, and community kirtan is held monthly with no experience required. The calendar also carries pujas and a Fall 40 Day Sadhana, and an online studio streams classes, audio darshan and satsang. The swamis and monks pray daily for visitors and for the intentions sent to them.