Volunteering in Håå
In karma yoga you don't talk about love, nor do you demand love as an ideal for someone else to live up to.
Karma yoga is an act of love.– Swami Janakananda
The ashram at Håå Retreat Center
Håå Retreat Center is run by a group of yoga teachers, trainee teachers and other volunteers who live here all year round.
This mini-community is called an ashram - a "yoga workshop" - a creative environment that supports your yoga and meditation practice, your sadhana.
If you would like to volunteer with us, the first step is to attend one of our longer retreats (minimum 10 days).
It is important that you have had the experience of being a student on a retreat before volunteering. This will give you a feel for how we work and what the ashram life is all about.
To be behind our month-long Kriya Yoga retreat or three-month Sadhana retreat, you must have participated as a student in one of these.
Your stay in Håå is based on karma yoga, which means that you participate in the various tasks at the retreat centre. This can be on our organic farm, in the kitchen, cleaning, maintaining the houses and much more. Usually we do karma yoga for about 5-7 hours a day.
Just as important as the karma yoga is your own yoga and meditation. We start early in the morning with meditation. Before lunch you have time for Yoga Nidra, or breathing exercises and Shavasana. Sometimes there is also time for yoga in the late afternoon, before dinner.
On some retreats, certain classes are open for volunteers to participate in. This can be things like guided meditation, lectures or Kirtan and Sufi dancing.
Working with yourself is a dynamic process. In Håå you learn to devote yourself to this process, without becoming introverted or self-absorbed. You develop this capacity with the help of our routines, the balance between karma yoga, other activities and your yoga sadhana. As you can probably see, the ashram is more than just a collective.
Realising your potential, that is the very meaning of life, and that is how the karma yogi achieves his freedom.
The more I devote myself to my task, the more I feel part of a greater whole: something that is not just about me, but about all of us - about everything.
– Swami Janakananda
Practical info
- We don't use the phone or internet for personal use unless it's important. Be prepared to hand in your mobile phone and other devices when you arrive.
- It can be helpful to bring your own alarm clock.
- We have work clothes to borrow, but if you want something that fits perfectly, you can bring your own.
- Plan your trip so that you can stay from the beginning to the end of a retreat. On most retreats we ask that you arrive the day before and leave the day after, but check with us for exact dates.
After your arrival, you will get a more detailed introduction to all our daily routines.
Please contact us if you would like to volunteer, or if you have any other questions!
Becoming a yoga teacher
Our yoga and meditation teacher training has the ashram as its foundation.
You can choose to do our training if you want to stay in the ashram for several years, and afterwards be able to share what has become your yoga with others.
