When Hoa Tran, 50, and Kevin Wicks, 40, came to the ashram as karma yogis, they were already trained as yoga teachers but sought something deeper. “We wanted to do something more profound with our practice, so we came here to learn more,” Hoa says.

In addition to Hoa’s training as a yoga teacher, she was also trained as an Ayurveda Body Treatment Practitioner and an Ayurveda Health Counselor. Kevin also had special training in Thai Yoga Massage, so their deep background in the healing arts drew them to the restorative energy of the ashram.

Though they came for the first time as karma yogis, they returned to the ashram most recently as students of the month-long, immersive Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course (TTC). While they already held yoga certifications from other schools, the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course offered a balanced and well-rounded perspective to connect them more deeply to the Sivananda lineage. “The training helped us feel more involved in the organization,” Hoa says.

Hoa and Kevin said their experience in the TTC was different than their first stay at the ashram as karma yogis because the challenges were different. “The first time I came to the ashram, I dealt with my ego a lot. I had this idea that I already knew better,” Hoa says. Kevin said he dealt with the same inner resistance. But the end of their first stay as karma yogis, they felt their hearts surrender to the ashram’s sacred yogic practices, which prepared them to open-heartedly enroll in the TTC.

“Life is so simple and meaningful here,” Hoa says. “We didn’t want to go home!” Kevin said one of the most valuable lessons he learned is that whether you are a karma yogi or student, your actions are an offering to God. “It’s like offering flowers to an altar,” he says. “Your actions are to serve others. You’re easing their suffering.” Hoa agreed, “This place really shifted me from the inside out. It taught me the meaning of love.”

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Curious? Find out more about Karma Yoga Programs at the ashram.