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Ashram Sevite Program

The Siddha Yoga Ashram in Oakland Ashram Sevite program offers Siddha Yoga students an opportunity to live in a Siddha Yoga Ashram while working or studying outside the ashram. Ashram life provides a wonderful opportunity for deepening the experience of grace and transformation in sadhana.

The Siddha Yoga Ashram in Oakland was founded in 1975 by Gurumayi's predecessor, Swami Muktananda, known as Baba. Baba created the ashram to provide a place where sincere seekers of the Truth could come to receive the Siddha Yoga teachings and immerse themselves in the Siddha Yoga practices. Today, the Siddha Yoga Ashram in Oakland serves a large community of Siddha Yoga students in Northern California and frequently welcomes visitors from around the country and the world.

Ashram Sevite Program
The Ashram Sevite Program offers a tangible way to make the Siddha Yoga path a central focus in one's life. Ashram Sevites focus on the practices and keep the company of like-minded seekers. It is a way to reap the rewards of ashram life while continuing to earn one's a livelihood outside of the ashram.

Ashram Sevites directly support the work of the Siddha Yoga path by supporting the ashram operations with their seva, or selfless service. The spiritual practices of Ashram Sevites contribute to the sacred and welcoming atmosphere of the Siddha Yoga Ashram in Oakland.

Seva as a Spiritual Practice
The spiritual practice of seva is an integral part of ashram life. Ashram Sevites join with the ashram staff and community sevites in offering seva to sustain the Siddha Yoga Ashram in Oakland. Whether it is cooking, cleaning, managing a department, or serving meals, all seva contributions act as spokes in a great wheel. Each seva is significant, and each seva offers an opportunity for growth and transformation. This transformation takes place because seva requires us to put the Siddha Yoga teachings into action. Seeing the benefits in our lives, we experience their value.

Is Ashram Sevite Right for Me?

Over the years, the Ashram Sevites who derived the most benefit from their time here created balance between their practices, work and personal commitments, and recreation.

Ashram Sevites offer 12.5 hours of scheduled seva per week, generally, an average of 2 hours of seva a day, in addition to their personal and professional schedule.

The Ashram Sevite Program Requirements:

•  Current, active engagement in the study and practice of the Siddha Yoga teachings, with a minimum of one year of Siddha Yoga sadhana

•  Participation in at least one Siddha Yoga Shaktipat Intensive

•  Regular engagement with one or more of the Siddha Yoga practices-meditation, chanting, svadhyaya, seva, dakshina

•  Ongoing participation in Siddha Yoga teaching and learning events, such as Global Audio satsangs, Home Study Course, etc.

•  Ability to meet the seva requirements of the Ashram Sevite Program

•  Willingness to adhere to the code of conduct consistent with the Siddha Yoga teachings, and to uphold the sacredness of the ashram environment. For example: by showing love, respect, and kindness toward others; treating all the property of the SYDA Foundation and of other people with care.

Housing Options
There are single and dorm rooms available to Ashram Sevites. All accommodations include three vegetarian meals per day. See Accommodations information for rates.

To Learn More
Serving as an Ashram Sevite represents a valuable commitment to your personal spiritual journey. To discuss the Ashram Sevite Program at the Siddha Yoga Ashram in Oakland or to request an application, contact:

Seva Center
Siddha Yoga Ashram in Oakland
1107 Stanford Ave.
Oakland, California 94608
Phone: (510) 898-2700 x2830
Email: sevacenter@syaoakland.org

"The years I spent as an Ashram Sevite are very precious to me - a time when I began to understand the cycle of giving and receiving. I could see how my 'giving' of seva made a real difference at the ashram. How I 'received' was also clear to me: I made lifelong friendships in this great community, and, most importantly, my relationship to Gurumayi and her teachings matured. Ashram life helped me grow into a gentler, happier, and more centered version of myself."

- Ashram Sevite 2002