Holiday Retreat: Finding Inner Strength in a World of Constant Change

This holiday yoga retreat at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, California, is a stretch of days built around the Sivananda tradition: daily yoga, silent meditation, chanting and satsang, with workshops that touch on Ayurveda, bhakti and reflection for the new year. Titled "Finding Inner Strength in a World of Constant Change," it is led by the Yoga Farm staff, including Swami Adiparashaktiananda, Swami Sivasankariananda, Swami Divyananda and a team of yoga teachers, Ayurveda practitioners and a Vedic astrologer. Guests choose their own dates within the retreat window.

What to Expect

The days follow the ashram's rhythm. Morning satsang runs from 6 to 8am with silent meditation, chanting and a lecture, followed by a yoga class from 8 to 10am. Brunch is at 10am, then karma yoga (selfless service) at 11am and a temple meditation walk from 12 to 1pm. A workshop fills the early afternoon, from 2 to 3:30pm, and an open yoga class runs from 4 to 6pm. Dinner is at 6pm, there is free time from 6:45 to 7:30pm, and the day closes with a second satsang from 7:30 to 9pm.

Workshop topics this year include Prasad: The sweetness of devotion, Ayurveda self care, emotional intelligence, removing blockages with yoga and massage, yantra painting, selfless love, a positive thinking circle, Self as Satchitananda, the 12 areas of karma, forgive for good, bhakti and music, spiritual diary, and new year resolves.

On the first day, check-in begins at 2pm. Guests are encouraged to arrive by 4pm for the asana class. Dinner is at 6pm, followed by a welcoming orientation at 7pm and satsang at 7:30pm.

Who Leads It

Swami Adiparashaktiananda is a Sivananda yoga teacher and trainer who has taught in international teacher training courses in the USA, Vietnam, Japan and China for more than 16 years. He mainly serves as assistant to Acharya Swami Sitaramananda at the Yoga Farm.

Swami Sivasankariananda directs the Los Angeles Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center. She completed her teacher training at the Yoga Farm in 1997 and the advanced course there in 2008, and has travelled on yatra in north and south India and to Mount Kailas.

Swami Divyananda comes from Vietnam and is a sannyasin in the Sivananda tradition. She began yoga at 20, completed teacher training in 2016, the health educator training in 2020 and the advanced course in 2022, and has taken five Sadhana Intensive courses.

Bill Sinclair (Ramdas) has studied Vedic astrology since 2002, first under Ronnie Dreyer and now under Komilla Sutton. He holds a Level 1 Jyotish Certification from the American College of Vedic Astrology and the Jyotish Shastri Diploma from Komilla Academy.

Nitya (Hoa Tran) is a Sivananda yoga teacher, Ayurvedic Health Counselor and Ayurveda body treatment therapist. She directs the Ayurvedic Therapy Training Course and the Ayurveda Panchakarma Program at the Sivananda Ashram in Vietnam.

Omkara has taught Sivananda yoga since 2012 and is a therapist and healer. He is training toward accreditation as an 800-hour Sivananda Yoga Health Educator with the International Association of Yoga Therapists.

Pundit Bhima, originally from South India, joined the Yoga Farm in 2023. He was raised in a Vedic Hindu family.

Atmajyoti Chaitanya graduated from the Sivananda teacher training in 2017, the advanced course in 2019 and the Yoga Health Educator Training. A devoted Hatha yogini, she teaches the classical yoga teachings.

Karuna Chaitanya, originally from Vietnam, has taught yoga for over five years. She completed the Sivananda teacher training in 2021 and the Yoga Health Educator Training.

Maha Lakshmi, C-IAYT, RYT 500 has taught classical yoga for many years and graduated from the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training in 2020. She is a student of Ayurveda, a practitioner of the Four Paths of Yoga, and a student of Swami Sitaramananda.

The Setting

The retreat takes place at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, California. Accommodation ranges from a bring-your-own tent site for male guests to Om, Siva and Krishna cabins with two twin beds, offered as private, shared or booked with a friend. Deluxe Shanti units, with two or three twin beds, suit friends or family. Meals are vegetarian: brunch and dinner. The ashram's Siva Wellness Center offers wellness services, and books and materials can be ordered from its online boutique.

Before You Go

No skill level is stated, and the daily program centers on yoga classes, meditation and satsang. Every room option includes vegetarian meals, yoga classes and satsangs. Check-out is at noon, and guests are welcome to stay on the grounds for the rest of the afternoon.

Bring slip-on shoes, loose comfortable clothing, writing materials, a meditation shawl or blanket, a yoga mat, a sitting cushion, a water bottle and a flashlight.