I wish everyone could have a chance to pause from regular life to step back and ask “How am I using my energy? What is the purpose of my life?”

I took the YDC is 2015. I am so grateful that I took this time. After having raised a family it was a wonder to have 3 months where all the planning was taken care of. This allowed me to start to practice resting in the moment. The beauty of the Ashram and the high quality of the food were also very nourishing.

This set the stage for inner work, which can very challenging at times. It is so powerful to reflect day after day for 3 months with the same people.

I have noticed an increase in health and strength and more calmness in my nervous system as I stay committed to the practices I learned from these teachings. I can speak to large groups with ease. I have returned to playing guitar and singing. I now have a group of like-minded individuals that I continue to reflect with. With deep gratitude I see my life has improved in all ways since doing the YDC.

Marcia Bamber

It’s been 40 years since I took the Yoga Development Course (YDC).
I was 30 years old and had no idea that I would one day be a swami.

I had lived an experimental decade in my twenties—seeking freedom through hitchhiking, dropping in and out of jobs, university and relationships. The lifestyle had worn me out and my bravado was cracking.

I was looking for direction, meaning, purpose—freedom in a less erratic way. Was there such a thing?

Although I had been strongly attracted to yoga as a teenager—learning asanas, breath practices and “OM” from books—it wasn’t until I connected with others who had been to Yasodhara Ashram that I had my first in-person Hatha class and introduction to the kundalini system.

Swami Radha was travelling and offering workshops back in the 1980s and her frequent presence in our city inspired me to think deeper. I felt almost magnetically drawn to the YDC.

When I entered the course, I was intimidated by others who were highly educated or seemed “spiritually advanced.” I was afraid of criticism.

In the Life Seals workshop I drew a dramatic picture of myself on a stage with an audience pointing sharp knives toward me.

Over the three month course I gained courage to say what I felt, to ask questions, to open tender feelings. I was not cut down but met with kindness and encouragement.

At the end of the YDC, the feeling in my body was of fluidity and ease. And what had happened to my mind?

When I re-entered life outside the Ashram, I discovered I had lost a burden of fear and gained a healthy boost to confidence.

I became bold, curious and questioning as I completed my university degrees. The kundalini system was a secret ingredient that made symbolism transparent in English classes and offered a holistic perspective to the counselling psychology I was studying.

I had gained a foundation in myself and access to my inner world. And I knew that above all, I loved Swami Radha, the Ashram and these teachings. They had broken down my self-protective walls, my flimsy facade of courage and opened a door to real freedom.

The YDC was a life-changer for me. Could it be for you, as well?

Swami Lalitananda

A rare mix of time and space and depth, with just the right dose of positive pressure to keep me exploring, letting go, breaking boundaries, reaching out… Being part of the YDC in the midst of a world-wide pandemic made it especially poignant, highlighting the power of community and the unique opportunity available at the Ashram, in this beautiful, remarkable little corner of the world.”

Andrea Rollefson

When I came to Yasodhara Ashram in August 2018, I didn’t know it yet, but I had already begun a journey out of a deep valley that I had, ever so slowly, descended into over the years. I thought: I will do this 10 day course, and then I’ll find my next step, and everything will be better.
Turns out, my next step was to immerse myself in the teachings, the practices and the community offered at the ashram even deeper. The YDC was only the first step, and I like to compare it to a gift that keeps unpacking. Even now, after ending up living and working at the ashram for 3.5 years, there are still moments when I suddenly realize something, or am reminded of something that came up during the three month course and think “Oh yeah, that’s different now!” (or not – and acknowledging that that’s okay too is maybe one of the most precious gifts I’ve been able to unwrap within myself).
This is a gift that I will always carry with me, no matter what else happens.

Jess Schroeter

After a community class with one of the long-time resident swamis who had become a wise and trusted friend, we walked together to Siva parking lot. I had spoken of a deep yearning, a desire to change. “If you really mean it,” she said, “then take the YDC. This is something that changes lives.” Life conspired to open the opportunity to do this. My concepts about what it meant to make changes were soon irrelevant. Ideas about what I wanted or how I thought my life should be were so much less and incomplete in the context of what this course opened for me. One of repeated statements in my writing throughout the course was, “This is not what I thought.” The tools and practices, the integrity of these teachings and those who have committed to passing them on – these are of inestimable value in revealing what lies within. What was given, what emerged through the practices, was so very much more than I could have known from the level of my thinking mind. This is a gift that indeed changes a life.

Alanda Greene