Yoga Sadhana for Self-Healing Retreat

Yoga Sadhana for Self-Healing Retreat is a healing retreat at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, California, built around sadhana, the conscious, systematic spiritual practice that the Sivananda tradition uses to steady the mind and look toward the Self. It suits anyone who wants a personal, restorative stretch of yoga in an ashram setting, whether they are new to the Sivananda approach or already know it.

What to Expect

The self-healing retreat is personalized, so the shape of your stay is yours to adjust. It sits alongside the ashram's basic yoga vacation, and a calendar of optional programs can be added to either. These run from weekend gatherings to week-long courses, and you can take part for a weekend only or for whichever days fit your schedule.

The practice rests on the classical Sivananda yoga system, which is built on five aspects of a healthy, balanced life: proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet and positive thinking. Days at the ashram center on asana and pranayama, and the ashram's evening satsang brings silent meditation, chanting and a lecture.

Add-on programs that fit a self-healing stay include the Hatha Yoga Sadhana Retreat with Swami Adiparashaktiananda, which explores the balance of sun and moon energy and of the active and passive sides of the practice. Others are Meditation in Daily Life, Stress Relief and Relaxation, Ayurveda for a Good Life, and the Ayurvedic Massage Rejuvenation Retreat. That last one offers body treatments, consultations and daily workshops with Nitya (Hoa Tran) and specialists trained in Ayurveda, the ancient science of healthy living.

About the Teachers

Swami Adiparashaktiananda leads the Hatha Yoga Sadhana Retreat and appears across the ashram's teaching, including the Thanksgiving retreat and the onsite Yoga Teachers Training Course. Nitya (Hoa Tran) and Omkara co-lead several of the week-long programs, among them Ayurveda for a Good Life and Stress Relief and Relaxation. Nitya also guides the Ayurvedic massage weekends.

The Setting

Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm sits in the countryside around Grass Valley, in Northern California. The ashram describes itself as an ideal place to relax, rejuvenate and detoxify from daily life. Meals are organic and vegetarian, and the ashram also offers a guided Ashram Sacred Tour on selected Sunday afternoons. It is a good introduction if you want to see the grounds before committing to a longer stay.

Before You Go

You do not need prior experience to begin; the programs are described as open to everyone, wherever they are on their path. Because your stay can be tailored, it helps to contact the ashram before arriving to talk through which days and add-on programs suit you.