My journey into the arms of Sat Yoga Institute was almost as telling as the experience itself, for I never could have guessed all that would unfold from a few tiny clicks into an internet search engine. The art of yoga found its way into my life at a most pivotal point between up and down. Thankfully through the intelligence of asanas, and some glimpses of that beyond I walked strongly determined to learn more about the peace living inside the theory of yoga. Deciding to take time away from the frantic reality that is modern society, I spent evening after evening researching on the internet for a facility that would fit my need for balance between the science of yoga, and the quiet of yoga. I stumbled upon Sat Yoga Institute, and within moments knew without doubt this was the Institute that I was seeking. I wrote to them immediately, and asked if they would take on an intern; Within 10 weeks, I arrived in Costa Rica, at the centers doors.

From the moment I entered I could feel the ultimate essence floating around me, but even to this day I find it impossible to describe in words. There was an overwhelming sense of comfort, peace and community, like nothing I’d ever felt before. The meditation sittings radiated through me, and the proceeding lectures opened my mind into a vast new understanding, of not only who I am, but also, what is the world around me. The Sat Yoga theological approach provided a harmonious balance between study and practice, with enough ebb and flow to walk a million metaphorical miles, in just a few short weeks.

I believe that a true teacher lives what they offer to their students and selflessly draws you into the wonder of their subject with their enthusiasm and mastery of the material. Shunyamurti’s embodiment of Sat Yoga gave insight and depth to my study beyond that which I ever could have imagined- and there was a true sense of connectedness from the very first moment. Beyond Shunyamurti, everyone in the Sat Yoga Community was a teacher, and the simple pleasure and calm they projected was received by my heart with joy. Each soul was able to help me in my journey and their memories remain embedded in my heart. I feel as though the guidance I was afforded at Sat Yoga Institute was some of the most pure and unselfish than that in my entire life.

I will be returning to Sat Yoga Institute, for I know it’s the beginning to one of the most brilliant ends. I recommend to anyone interested in Sat Yoga Institute: Seize the opportunity. It will undoubtedly change your life forever.

Lindsey Holy

Dear Friends of Sat Yoga, 

As you may know from the previous newsletter, a meeting was held Thursday evening to discuss progress towards creating a Sat Yoga transformational community. The feedback and general response has been amazing – both from those present and others who subsequently communicated with us from abroad. The Sat Yoga ashram/retreat center/eco-village and spiritual community is rapidly becoming a reality!

We are confident that we’ll be able to acquire the land that we’d set our sights on. Indeed, we will be proceeding with the negotiations for a magnificent fifth parcel that we’d once thought beyond our reach. This last property possesses flowing water in abundance, seclusion, silence, and unusual mystique. In Radha’s words during a site inspection, “Standing here is like being transported to another world.”

Confident in the need for this community and the level of enthusiasm backing this vision, we have altered our approach. Rather than seeking investors who are only looking for a fixed rate of return (though that is still an option), SYI is offering a limited number of prime house lots to those involved with the Sat Yoga process.

Those who purchase a long-term lease on their home site early will have first pick in choosing where they’d like to live. Lots are first being offered to those currently involved with Sat Yoga. In the coming weeks, the remaining lots will be offered on the open market through a variety of venues. We believe that these lots will sell quickly. We will only offer a limited number of home sites, in order to keep as much of the land as possible available for agricultural development and re-forestation. The total number of home sites will be kept limited, so that we will be able to meet our goal of growing enough food on the property to sustain the whole community perpetually, should the need for that option ever arise.

The community will be built to the highest ecological, aesthetic and engineering standards. It will offer most of the amenities found in conventional developments – restaurant, tennis courts, horseback riding, pool, spa, etc. – in an unusually serene and beautiful location. Most importantly though, one’s neighbors will all be intent on achieving their highest potential as human beings through regular meditation and inner work towards the transformation and transcendence of ego.

Different lifestyle choices are being offered for people of various levels of spiritual development, means, state in life, and personal intention. The core of the community as a whole will be the ashram, although probably relatively few will choose to apply to live there, adopting the simple contemplative lifestyle of traditional monks. But the community will support those who, from the highest motivation, choose to do so.

Those who wish to live near the ashram and participate in the daily meditation sittings, spiritual classes, and seminars that will be offered there, but who do not wish to take monastic vows, will want a home site near the ashram, where serenity and silence will be emphasized. The ashram will have a large library, and we will invite visiting spiritual teachers and scholars to spend time in residence and offer seminars to community members.

Others, including those with children, who are more inclined toward a life of action, may choose to live in one of the participant resident neighborhoods. We will encourage residents to take active part in co-operative communal projects, including business ventures and many forms of voluntary social service.

Short-term visitors will be hosted at the retreat center. Those who would like to partake in the community but can only stay a few weeks or months of the year will be able to purchase timeshares in a limited number of apartments that we plan to build for that purpose.

Finally, dormitories will be available for young people coming as volunteers, willing to work in our many projects, ranging from trail-building and reforestation to administrative assistance, in exchange for room, board and spiritual study.

Once the basic infrastructure for the ashram and community is completed, Shunyamurti, Radha, and the center’s staff will be residing permanently there. While meditations, study groups, and regular classes will continue to be conducted by students of Sat Yoga in the central valley, Shunyamurti’s satsangs, private sessions, seminars, pranic healing circles, and retreats, and Radha’s cooking classes, as well as other Sat Yoga-related activities, will be conducted almost entirely at the ashram.

This vision is about creating real community, in harmony with nature. Life in our community will offer security, fresh air and wildness, and all the amenities one could wish for. But it is not about that. The purpose behind this community is the development of our human potential, the expansion of our consciousness, the realization of our unity with the creative power that is manifesting all that is. Everyone who chooses to live in this community will be making a commitment to ongoing psycho-spiritual self-development and productive social engagement. Everyone will be in agreement on fundamental values and ways of resolving conflicts. The Sat Yoga approach to Self-realization is universal and inclusive, not sectarian or dogmatic. People of all ethnic and religious backgrounds are welcome, and all religions are recognized as pointing to the same ultimate reality.

But to make this dream of a transformational community a reality, we need people from every walk of life to participate. We hope to attract agriculturists, veterinarians, and ecologists to live here to help develop our gardens, farm facilities, and forests. We seek holistic doctors and nutritionists, massage therapists, and other practitioners of healing arts to participate at the Wellness Wing that will be part of the spiritual retreat center. We will need teachers for the schools we set up. We are seeking artists, artisans, cheese makers, interior designers, bee keepers, mechanics and technicians of all kinds, as well as people willing to learn new skills, who wish to be part of this vibrant new experiment in harmonious living. This is a grand project, a unique proposal, one that requires people with joie de vivre, a healthy sense of humor, and grand faith in the potential of humanity. This is the adventure and opportunity of a lifetime…embarking on the exploration of one’s own soul and the forging of a renaissance of mankind.

Namaste,

Joris A. Brinckerhoff