Yogendra Ashram is a school created and founded by Syam Vallabhi Devi Dasi (Samantha Carla Miller) in 2013 who is currently its director. This beautiful oasis is located in Colombia in the mountains west of Cali, 15 minutes from the urban area.
Syam is an international teacher, yoga and Ayurveda therapist, she organizes international teacher trainings in Colombia, Peru and India.
Yogendra Ashram is a space focused on spiritual development, where contact with nature and silence allows you to connect to the purpose of life through activities that promote this well-being.
The Bhakti Yoga school (Before Inbound School of Yoga) was inspired by Yoga Inbound, a school that was founded by and Gurudeva Atulananda Maharaj in India, as an offshoot of the Asana Yoga mission of Vrnda. In 2000, Chaitanya began studying Ashtanga Yoga in Miami Beach with Reed Taylor – her friend and first Ashtanga Yoga teacher.
In 2004 Reed’s studio became Chaitanya’s and became Yoga Inbound Miami. After teaching a couple of years in Miami, Chaitanya moved to Cusco.
Since 2004, Chaitanya, with friends and teachers, has directed more than 70 Yoga teacher training courses and certified more than 1,0000 yoga students from different parts of the world.
When we practice yoga we have a variety of goals that vary from the physical, personal, emotional and spiritual. One of the most important goals in our yoga practice is to align ourselves with the Supreme Divinity: to cooperate and be part of the universal order. Our yoga practice is based on the idea that we are eternal spiritual beings with a physical/emotional body. This body is an energetic vibration of our consciousness and serves as an instrument by which we can awaken to true identity using the incredible gift of free will. This body is considered a divine gift with which we have the opportunity to become enlightened and awaken our inner divinity, our true self, and serve the whole.
With this gift we can cooperate with the universal plan and make our life, as well as that of others, more beautiful and fulfilling. That is why we do not reject our own body, but honor it as a temple where the soul and the super soul reside.
When we see others we honor and recognize an inherent divine beauty and goodness in them. Even if we don't see that goodness, we see the potential for that goodness. The Vedas speak of this age as the age of Kali Yuga: the cloudy age where virtues are set aside for material gain and self-gratification. This is why many may experience the world as horrible. But even living in this age, one can raise their consciousness and with a higher consciousness one is no longer affected in the same way by the effects of this age. If you decide to close your heart and mind to the beauty of life you will lead to suffering. Many people are suffering and you can bring a little light to the hearts of others and share your love with them.
Buddha said that we all suffer. Suffering arises from separation and lack of understanding of our true nature. Our teachers say that when we are not aligned with the natural order of things, we create pain and struggle. Actually, pain is a sign that we are moving against the natural order. Instead of fighting with the pain or considering it negative, we should try to align ourselves with the whole. The more we align them with ourselves, the more freedom we will experience. True compassion is helping others realize their true nature and the divine gift that we all possess.
It is easy to criticize others, but having the ability to inspire them is a great virtue. In Rajanic philosophy it is said that we are, in essence, a manifestation of the supreme divine consciousness. Divine consciousness is one of sat(eternity), cit(awareness), and ananda(bliss). Inherent in this also are love (prema) and peace (shanti). As humans we possess these same qualities. If we see these qualities in each person, we automatically feel good and honor to be in his presence. If people feel this emanating from us, they will naturally raise their consciousness.