News from the Centre (June 2014)
Hello everyone,
May was a busy month here, and June is looking busier yet. Thanks to our regular resident community and off-land community members, we are ready for the summer season, including YSSI (Yoga Service and Study Immersion) which will be beginning very soon (or will have just begun when this newsletter is posted) and YTT which begins in a month.
I’d like to welcome all the folks joining us for the YSSI program. There will be 8 new people working in the kitchen, 4 in housekeeping, 3 in maintenance & landscaping, 2 in the garden and 1 in the office.
Uplifting AGM 2014
Dharma Sara Satsang Society held its AGM in May. Although annual general meetings sometimes have a reputation of being long and rather dry, this one was uplifting. We began the day with a work party in the morning, with people helping in the kitchen, housekeeping and garden and cutting firewood for next winter – in the rain!
After a fabulous lunch made by Sid, Kalpana and Rajani (Sid’s Wild Tofu Surprise), we gathered for the meeting and election of the DS Board.
New Board Members!
We have three new board members this year, two of them under the age of 40! The Board members are Lakshmi, Om Prakash, Chandra, Divakar, Rajesh (Jeramiah) and Saraswati.
ACYR Registration is Open!
Registration for the 2014 ACYR (Annual Community Yoga Retreat) is now open! It’s a big one this year – our 40th annual retreat! Piet, our enthusiastic retreat coordinator says:
“We are aiming to make this year extra special, reinvigorating the original spirit. It is a time for connection and community, continued by the efforts of an amazing collection of people from all over the world who have been inspired by the life and teachings of Baba Hari Dass. This year we look forward to seeing familiar faces as well as bright, shining new ones, coming together in the spirit of karma yoga. Jai Sita Ram! Jai Hanuman!”
In this Month’s Newsletter
A few of our resident karma yogis have agreed to share some of their thoughts about life at the Centre. I asked them three questions: What work are you doing at the Centre? What are you working on within yourself? What inspires you? Here are some reflections by Tana, Raven, Jeff and Kris.
This month’s “Our Satsang Community” story is by Sudha Soleil (aka Theota Makortoff). She first met Babaji when she came to the 1976 yoga retreat in Oyama, in the Okanagan. Over the years, her life has gone through big changes, but her devotion to Babaji has remained steadfast.
In this issue, Pratibha again shares her wisdom in the article, “The Yogic, Sattvic Diet” Why do yogis eat certain foods and not others? In this article Pratibha addresses that question and explains the distinction between Ayurveda, with its emphasis on health and well-being, and Yoga, with its emphasis on purity on all levels.
I invite you to read “What should I do? What’s my duty?” This is a familiar theme in many people’s lives. So many of us, amidst the many choices life offers us, still wonder, “What should I be doing with my life?” Timeless teachings from the Bhagavad Gita and Babaji’s writings address this question.
The Salt Spring Centre School will be winding up another school year later this month. The school’s play this year was “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, every student in the school taking part, a long-standing tradition at the Centre School. Enrollment for the next school year is higher than it’s ever been at this time of year, and will likely be higher yet as enrollment continues for several months.
As the Centre School year starts to wind down, the Centre residential community grows. We’re excited that our community is beginning its annual summer expansion, and look forward to you being part of life here at the Centre.
Love,
Sharada