Karma Yoga (work-service) Positions Available

Add this unique experience to your C.V. whether you just graduated from culinary school or are an experienced cook. By expanding your expertise and expressing your creativity in healthy, nutritious menus you can not only become a part of our community but also have the opportunity to experience and live a healthy and holistic lifestyle.

About Us
The Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas is on a beautiful Paradise Island, a short boat ride from Nassau. We are immersed in a tropical forest on one of the best beaches in the Bahamas. We are a traditional yoga ashram with a mission to teach classical yoga. All are welcome to come to our ashram, we learn from all traditions, and actively promote Unity in Diversity through interfaith and inter-spiritual dialog, including perspectives from science and the arts. We seek to promote outer peace in the world through inner peace, by sharing the wisdom and practices of yoga and contributing to a positive shift in consciousness on the planet. The ashram was founded by Swami Vishnudevananda, named in honor of his teacher, Swami Sivananda, and continues to teach in the lineage of the two great yoga masters.

Karma Yoga
Karma yoga positions are unpaid opportunities to serve as part of, and in support of, a community. Selfless service is considered the highest form of yoga and the Sivananda Ashram in the Bahamas is run solely through the commitment of hundreds of people engaged in Karma Yoga. Come give, learn, practice, and be a part of work with a mission — to bring more peace into the world.

Opportunities
We are seeking:

• An experienced and qualified cook or cook assistant who has experience cooking for large groups, buffet style.
• Graduates from a culinary or Ayurvedic cooking program who are interested in growing and applying their skills in a yoga ashram community and adding this valuable experience to their C.V.

A) Cook Responsibilities/Duties:

• His/her main duty is to prepare and cook a yogic lacto-vegetarian buffet style meal for an average of 200 to 350 people a day during the high season and 50-120 people a day during the summer season.
• He/she also supervises a group of 5 to 10 staff and karma yogis in the preparation, cooking and serving of this meal as well as supervising the cleaning and maintaining of the kitchen equipment and cooking dishes.
• The Kitchen Cook works under the responsibility of the Kitchen Manager.

B) Cook Assistant Responsibilities/Duties:

• His/her main duty is to assist and support the Main Cook in all of the responsibilities listed above.
• The cooks and assistants are expected to be open minded and interested in yoga, the spiritual path and living in a yogic community (i.e. attending meditations and yoga classes, etc.).

A minimum commitment of 3 months is requested for all positions.

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A) Qualifications & skills that we look for in a Cook:

Main Functions of the Cook:

• Plan menus under supervision of Manager
• Prepare and cook a variety of delectable yogic menus
• Adapt to the limited food and produce variety available on an island
• Manage and participate in the clean-up
• Overview stock and storage
• Keep the surroundings clean and tidy at all times
• Manage and support kitchen staff
• Determine division of responsibilities and tasks
• Coordinate and perform kitchen team training periodically
• Personally support and train the cook assistants
• Coordinate various tasks within time frame of meals

Job Skills:

• Experience in creating menus
• Cooking experience for larger groups
• Basic computer skills

Personal/People skills:

• Team management
• Able to create and maintain high team spirit
• Able to give and receive feedback
• Able to work with inexperienced people
• Very adaptable and able to improvise
• Strong organizational skills
• Excellent inter-personal communication
• Planning and foresight
• Decision-making
• Able to multi-task
• Delegation
• High personal hygiene
• Awareness and love of cleanliness
• Maintain a positive and friendly attitude at all times

Experience and Qualifications:

• Culinary arts diploma is recommended
• Experience/knowledge in vegetarian and Ayurveda cooking is a plus
• Physically and mentally strong
• Preferably can lift heavy weight
• Able to work and stand for long hours in a tropical climate
• Must be fluent in English speaking and writing

B) Qualifications & skills that we look for in a Cook Assistant:

All of the above but to a lesser degree as we understand that this is a training position but which presupposes the openness to learn and grow into the areas and responsibilities mentioned above.

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If you might be interested, please email us and let's discuss the possibilities: [email protected].