Our Teachings

Authentic & Relevant

True to the spirit of the traditions of yoga, advaita and tantra, our emphasis is on practice and direct experience more than on theory and intellectual understanding.

While deeply rooted in tradition, our style of teaching, our approach, and our range of courses are uniquely our own, having crystalised out of over 35 years of experience teaching authentic spiritual practices to a modern Western audience.

Our goal is to present an integrated body of teachings that embrace and enhance the full spectrum of human experience which in turn supports the realisation of our essential nature.

The Path Of Union

For many in the West, their yoga practice consists of mainly asana (physical postures) and sometimes some pranayama (breathing practices). Whilst profound practices and essential facets of the Yogic path, these are only parts of a much deeper well of yogic practices.

Yoga is a system which evolved over thousands of years on the Indian subcontinent. It encapsulates the findings of sages and yogis as they explored human potential, the nature of the mind and our place in existence. Most importantly, yoga evolved as a practical science which can awaken us to the realisation of the very depths of our being.

One of the joys of yoga is that different paths and techniques have evolved to make the process of transformation and realisation accessible to all of us regardless of our differing temperaments and personality types – no one is excluded from the possibilities contained within yoga.

In essence, yoga as a spiritual practice offers us a pathway to the discovery and realisation of our fundamental unity with the sacred ground of existence.

This is the Yoga that you will experience here at the Ashram.

Non-Duality

The core of advaita philosophy is radical unity, expressed in the doctrine which says that nothing that exists, or at least appears to, is separate from the one fundamental Reality. The implication of this doctrine is that all sense of individual separateness and the separateness of the things which form the world is illusory –an 'optical delusion of the mind', as Einstein aptly put it.

But Advaita is more than just philosophy. It attempts to describe the potential realisation or insight that lies dormant in all of us - that despite appearances, ‘we’ are never in fact separate from this fundamental reality – ‘we’ and this fundamental Wholeness are not two (a - not, dvaita - two).

But accepting this view intellectually and realising it at the in the very core of our being are two very different things.

Advaita is a core strand of our teachings here at the Ashram. It challenges us to question what we perceive through the 5 senses and what we have been conditioned to believe is ‘reality’. In this challenge lies the potential for the most profound healing – of our understanding of who and what we are and our place in the mystery of Life.

The Path Of Wholeness

The system of tantra is a vast and very practical system which views the whole of existence as irreducibly sacred. It says that no part of life is to be excluded or rejected, but instead everything - absolutely everything- can be experienced as a direct expression of the underlying intelligence playing out in manifest form.

Its focus is on the skilful expansion and fulfilment of our individual capacities, as the means to developing a fundamental realisation of our essential nature and our inseparable unity with the sacred ground of all Being.

In this way, tantra does not seek to transcend the ego or the world of individuality - as yoga has traditionally done - nor label it as mere illusion - as advaita is often, mistakenly, thought to do - but rather to recognise the sacred nature of duality itself and to embrace every aspect of our lives as a potential doorway into the infinite.

In this way the ancient system of tantra goes far beyond the common association with sacred sexuality, encompassing a wide range of practices aimed at developing our full human potential while revealing our innermost essence.

Residential Retreats

Our residential retreats are rare opportunities to go deep into the mysteries of yoga in an environment of great natural beauty and focused spiritual energy. Set in 25 acres of lush gardens and grounds, nestling amidst beautiful, remote hill-country in Southwest Wales, UK, the Ashram has been a hub of spiritual practice for over 38 years. During that time it has been a place of profound learning and transformation for thousands of people from all walks of life. We currently offer fully residential retreat courses of between 2 and 10 days in length, as well as longer sadhana courses combining multiple residential retreats with guided home-study.