Mission Statement:
We aspire to live the teachings of Haidakhan Baba, to hold this Ashram as
His home, to serve humanity, and to be stewards and caretakers of this land.

Dear Friends of the Ashram,

For the last three months, we have been busily at work finishing the new edition of I Am Harmony - A Book About Babaji, by Radhe Shyam. All of the copies of the first edition of the book were exhausted several months ago. Radhe Shyam had been diligently working on this new edition until he no longer had the strength to carry on. We, at the Ashram with the expert help of Kailash, took it over for him.

We are happy to announce that the manuscript is at the printers and we hope to have the new copies available in four to six weeks. The cover of the new edition will have this photo of Babaji and the book will also include a 16 page color insert of photos of Babaji. Other changes include shortening the first chapter and moving it to the end of the book. The book will now begin with the wonderful story of how Radhe Shyam first met Babaji. The cost of the new book is $19.95.

We have had many wonderful gatherings here at the Ashram in the last month as you can read below. We also have many great programs planned. Read on and mark your calendars so that you may join us here at this beautiful Ashram in the mountains of Colorado.

Remember that our daily schedule includes morning and evening aarati (chanting) at 7am and 7pm and a large fire ceremony on new moon (Friday, May 26) and full-moon (Saturday, June 11) at 10am followed by a bhandara. We have a small fire ceremony at 6:30am on every day except full and new-moon. If you would like to sponsor a fire ceremony ($108) or bhandara (feast) ($108) you may make the donation on line by just clicking here or call at 719-256-4108 or e-mail the Ashram at info@BabajiAshram.org

In truth and love, Ramloti

Vamadeva will be leading an evening of kirtan at the Ashram on Saturday, May 27 from 5pm - 7pm. Here is an excerpt about his kirtan evenings.

”Vamadeva plays the guitar, then singing so sweetly, gently encourages us to slowly feel and integrate into the song...then building gradually faster and stronger until the music and singing is vibrating deeper and fuller into every cell of our being. As I’m dancing and spinning, I feel that my body will burst through the roof into the infinite vibration of the universe...and then the music unwinds itself back down into the moderate pulse of the heartbeat to eventually rest in silence for a few moments. We return to the room, and then are entertained by stories of deities whom we will sing the next song to. There is a comprehension of the connection to the spiritual assistance of the divine. Throughout the evening, I feel the devotion of Vamadeva to his spiritual guru, Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati by the joy and compassion that emanates from him.

”What is this love affair singing to the Divine? Vamadeva says that in Kirtan, we are vibrated to the core of our being. The energy lifts us, way above the thoughts of the mind where they can’t seem to reach us. Things fall away, the worries and stresses slide off. We touch the divine within us and sit with it for awhile. It takes us. Holds us in its arms for awhile.... Please come and celebrate the divine with Vamadeva and friends in Sacred Space at our unique and special Haidakhandi Universal Ashram Kirtan Hall. It is a heart fulfilling experience that can touch us deeply when we surrender in joyful expression. No experience necessary.“

Admission to the kirtan is by donation, which will go to both Vamadeva's travel costs and supporting the Ashram. For more information about the evening, call the Ashram at 719-256-4108, or e-mail us at info@babajiashram.org.

Kirtan Workshop with Emam
July 24 through July 28

Between 1978 and 1984 (Babaji's Maha Samadhi), Emam visited Haidakhan several times and spent much close time with Babaji. This is when he began his singing and playing Kirtan.

Over the years, Emam has traveled to and spent much time in India studying and living the music and the culture. Emam has been trained in North Indian Classical drumming by the grand masters of tabla: Ustad Alla Rakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain. In 1991, Emam was awarded a scholarship for study of music in India by the American Institute of Indian Studies with funding from the Smithsonian Institute.

Over the past twenty five years, Emam has performed with great artists from around the world and has recorded and released many albums. You can find out more about Emam at http://emam.us/

We are excited and grateful that he will lead the Ashram's first Kirtan Workshop. This workshop introduces the participants to Sacred Chants and rhythms used in India. Kirtan (chanting) is a very important aspect of spiritual life. Devotional songs are used to tune one self to the divine through singing. In this workshop these traditions are explored and experienced. This class does not require any previous musical training. Emam and others will share some of their personal experiences with Babaji.

His wife, Yashoda, will also be joining us. Originally from Poland, Yashoda has been singing and leading Kirtans for almost twenty years. In 1986 Yashoda visited Babaji's Ashram in the Himalayan foothills. After she came back to Poland, regular Aarati and Kirtans were held at her house. Yashoda is one of the founders of the Babaji Movement (1987) and Ashram (1997) in Poland. For many years she was a General Secretary and in 2000 the President of Polish Haidakhan Samaj. She has travelled around Europe visiting Babaji's Ashrams and performing kirtan with Emam.

Together they have developed the Kirtan Mala which literally means "Garland of Chants". Here is what they say on their web site, http://kirtanmala.com/. ”Our intention is to bring traditional and original "KIRTAN" and other forms of Sacred Music to the people all around the world. We learned our Kirtan at Babaji's Ashram in the foothills of the Himalayas. There is a slight difference in the way we do kirtan and that is: we all sing together. There is no call and response.“

We hope that you can join us for this joyful week of music and satsang. We are asking a donation of $108 for the workshop. There are some scholarships available. There will also be separate afternoon harmonium and tabla classes, if there is enough interest. Please call the Ashram at 719-256-4108 for more information and reservations or e-mail us at info@babajiashram.org.

We have had a great response to our Annual Family Week at the Ashram. At this point, we have a waiting list for dorm rooms with a little space left in the yurt and camping areas and possibly devotees' homes in the area. Family week will run from Monday, July 24 through Friday, July 28. As I said in the last newsletter, it is a great opportunity for families to have an Ashram experience with special kid-friendly activities, karma yoga, and learning. During the morning hours, while the children are involved in the kids' camp, the adults may participate in the Kirtan Workshop (see article above) or join in the karma yoga. A parent or guardian must be on the Ashram premises at all times during the kid's camp. In the afternoons, parents organize field trips to the swimming pool, hiking, horseback riding, or other places for the children. Please call the Ashram at 719-256-4108 for more information and reservations or e-mail us at info@babajiashram.org. as soon as possible. The suggested donation to stay at the Ashram for a week is $135 per adult and includes all meals. Children stay for free. The Children's Camp is a gift from the Ashram, so there is no charge to attend that program.

From Aug. 28 - Sept. 1, the Ashram will sponsor a Raw Food Week. In the photo are some of the great raw recipes we will be teaching such as: nori rolls, cabbage rolls, miso dip, nut spread, flax crackers, marinated-dried vegetables, and pumkin-seaweed salad. We have a lot of information to share with folks that are interested in experiencing or living with a raw food diet. Some of us at the Ashram have been raw (100% and 90%) for a few years now and and have many, many delicious recipes and techniques that we are continually passing on to others.

At this time of the summer, our large organic garden and greenhouse are full of vibrantly delicious vegetables and herbs, so picking the produce, juicing and preparing them for meals, and learning a bit about organic gardening will be part of the week. We are asking a donation of $108 for the workshop. There are some scholarships available. Please call the Ashram at 719-256-4108 for more information and reservations or e-mail us at info@babajiashram.org. The suggested donation to stay at the Ashram for a week is $135 per adult and includes all meals.

Several times a year we have groups of students from Colorado College visit the Ashram for ceremonies, tours, karma yoga, and sometimes longer stays. It is not uncommon to see some of these students after they graduate from college. This was the case with Todd.

He came to the Ashram last fall and was a great help and karma yogi. He was just here for a week and is pictured here with Jonathan after an afternoon of moving logs down to the havan for fire ceremonies. Here is the e-mail he sent us.

”I've been feeling light as a feather since my visit, and I can only thank Baba's teaching of Karma Yoga and everyone at HUA for creating, maintaining, and pouring love into the ashram and its guests.... I am already excited to return from Africa to learn more.“

Todd has volunteered in the Peace Corps the next two years and leaves for Togo, West Africa in June. Please keep him in your prayers.

If this last month has been any indication of the summer, we are going to be very busy with guests. The full-moon fire ceremony and bhandara last Saturday brought about 80 people to the Ashram. It is always inspiring for me to sit at the fire and see people of many nationalities, many religious backgrounds, and from many parts of the country. One time I asked Shri Muniraji why he named this place The Haidakhandi Universal Ashram. He said it was because people would come here from all over the world. How correct he was.

It is also very inspiring to see the devotion and generosity of the many people who come to the Ashram. About fifteen people left their homes in Denver by 5:30am to arrive at the 10am fire ceremony on time. They came laden with gifts for the Ashram; fruit, rice, flowers, and nuts.

Another family came on Friday night for the weekend. This is one of the families that has come to the Ashram the last five years on the Fourth of July to cook food to sell at the fair. Each year they have brought all of the food, spent hours preparing it and serving it, and raising between $1200 - $1400 for the Ashram.

This year they will not be able to attend, as they will be in India, so they wanted to come to the Ashram before they left. They offered to bring food and prepare a meal for us on Saturday. When I told them their help would certainly be welcomed since we would have a fire ceremony that day followed by a bhandara for 75 or so people, they e-mailed back and said this: ”We are lucky that our timing is very good. We get to serve our friends there.“ So they arrived with boxes of food to prepare for the bhandara and spent the whole morning cooking delicious Indian delicacies for the feast. It was really a special occasion for all as we gathered together on the lawn on this beautiful May afternoon.

May 27 - Kirtan with Vamadeva from Boulder from 5pm until 7pm.
July 10 - Guru Purnima, the day we honor our teacher, Paduka Puja and Fire Ceremony at 10am
July 23 - Annual American Samaj Meeting
July 24 - Fire Ceremony at 10am followed by bhandara
July 24 - 28 - Family Week and Kirtan Workshop with Emam
Aug. 28 - Sept. 1 - Raw Food Week; work with, eat, and learn about raw foods
Sept. 23 - Oct. 1 - Fall Navratri, nine days honoring the Divine Mother
October 21 - Diwali, festival of lights