Special EventMay 22 — 26, 2019
Activating a Global Shift
12th Annual Yoga for Peace Symposium
Matthew Fox, Alastair McIntosh, Ruby Nell Sales, Philip M. Hellmich, and Swami Brahmananda
How do we awaken and nurture the seeds of peace and social justice in the world?
In 1969, Swami Vishnudevananda had a vision here at the ashram that catalyzed his focus on peace through yoga for the rest of his life. An activist, an educator, and a visionary, he brought together people from all religions and mystical traditions to share and exchange and he trained yoga teachers, planting seeds of peace for them to bring into the world.
In these tumultuous times, we are honored to welcome four spiritual activists engaged in great movements of peace in the world, each deeply embodying their spirituality and impacting the world in important ways. They will inspire and guide us, and share what they’ve learned over the years and around the world working within themselves and on the ground to create peace.
Now is the time to tend to the seeds of peace within ourselves and each other.
Matthew Fox, PhD, is an internationally acclaimed theologian and spiritual maverick who has spent the last 40 years revolutionizing Christian theology and advocating for a creation-centered spirituality of compassion and justice. He has written more than 30 books, including Original Blessing and Meister Eckhart: A Mystic Warrior for Our Times, and co-wrote, with spiritual activist Adam Bucko, Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation.
Alastair McIntosh has been described by BBC TV as “one of the world’s leading environmental campaigners.” A pioneer of modern land reform in Scotland, he helped bring the Isle of Eigg into community ownership. On the Isle of Harris he negotiated withdrawal of the world’s biggest cement company from a devastating “superquarry” plan, then agreed to serve on that company’s Sustainability Stakeholders Panel for 10 years.
Alastair guest lectures at military staff colleges, most notably the UK Defence Academy, on nonviolence. His books include Soil and Soul: People versus Corporate Power, Hell and High Water: Climate Change, Hope and the Human Condition, Rekindling Community, and Spiritual Activism: Leadership as Service. His most recent major work is Poacher’s Pilgrimage: an Island Journey. He is a fellow of the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh and a visiting professor at the College of Social Sciences, University of Glasgow.
Ruby Nell Sales is an African-American social activist. She attended local segregated schools and was also educated in the community during the 1960s era of the Civil Rights Movement. She has been described as a “legendary civil rights activist” by the PBS program “Religion and Ethics Weekly.”
Sales participated, at the age of 17, in the Selma to Montgomery marches of 1965. That year she was arrested in August with some fellow activists in Fort Deposit in Lowndes County, where they were picketing a whites-only store. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 had prohibited such segregation. They were taken to the county seat of Hayneville and jailed for six days. After being released, she and a few others went to purchase sodas at a nearby store. She was threatened by a shotgun-wielding construction worker, Tom Coleman, who was a special county deputy. One of Sales’ fellow marchers, Jonathan Daniels, a white Episcopal seminarian, pushed her out of the way and took the shot meant for her, dying instantly.
Traumatized by Daniels’ murder, she nearly lost the ability to speak for the next seven months. Despite death threats made to her and her family, Sales resolved to testify at Tom Coleman’s trial. He was acquitted by a jury of 12 white men. The result of the trial led to legal challenges and a reform of the jury selection procedures, which had long excluded blacks, first because they were disenfranchised from voting before 1965, then because of a discriminatory process in developing the jury pool.
Sales went on to attend Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, successor institution to the seminary Daniels had attended. She has worked as a human rights advocate in Washington, D.C. where she founded The SpiritHouse Project, a non-profit organization and inner-city mission dedicated to Daniels.
Philip M. Hellmich is a thought leader in creating a new narrative of peace, from inner peace to international peacebuilding. As the Director of Peace at the Shift Network, Philip is the chief architect of the Summer of Peace, Yoga Day Summit and World Peace Library. He also is the co-lead faculty of the Peace Ambassador Training. These peace programs provide skills training, inspirational stories, and powerful solutions from the world’s top peacebuilders, social change leaders, scientists, Indigenous elders and spiritual mentors.
Philip has dedicated most of his life to global and local peacebuilding initiatives, including 14 years with Search for Common Ground. He also served for four years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone where he lived and worked in small remote bush villages. A published writer, Philip is author of God and Conflict: A Search for Peace in a Time of Crisis with a Foreword by Lama Surya Das.
Philip serves as a board member of the Rasur Foundation International and adviser to The Global Peace Initiative of Women, The Gaiafield Project, American Museum of Peace and The Oracle Institute.
Swami Brahmananda is Manager of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat and senior staff of the Sivananda organization. A long-time practitioner of yoga, he regularly teaches yoga philosophy and meditation for the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Courses as well as meditation immersion courses. He is a much-loved, inspiring, and knowledgeable teacher.
Cost
This Yoga Vacation program is included in our all-inclusive accommodation rates, which include meals, yoga classes, satsangs, and daily Yoga Vacation workshops, as well as access to our beautiful beach and the ashram grounds and amenities.
Accommodations
Our housing options are designed for a range of budgets and personal needs and vary from self-pitched tents to luxurious beachfront suites to comfortable cabins. All of our accommodations are welcoming and simple, and the diverse spectrum allows you to relax and enjoy your time with us at the ashram.
Please note
- Accommodation rates include our Yoga Vacation Programs and Special Events.
- Course, cleanse, and training tuitions are additional.
- Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course rates are all-inclusive.
- Minimum 2-night stay year-round.
Payments We accept Visa and MasterCard. We do not accept American Express, Discover, personal checks, or travelers checks. All deposits and payments in US dollars only.
Deposits To guarantee your reservation, a $300 deposit is required. The balance is due at least 14 days before your arrival; we will send you an email reminder a week before we process the balance.
Our rates are seasonal
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- Winter/Spring Season: November 1 – June 30
- Summer/Fall Season: July 1 – October 31
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The rates below are per person, per night, and are listed in US dollars. A Bahamian VAT tax of 12% will be added.
Beachfront Deluxe
Delight in breathtaking, wide-open views of the sparkling ocean from your own beachfront private balcony. Our Beachfront Deluxe Rooms are simple and spacious, furnished with two double beds and include a private bathroom with shower and tub. You will have a miniature refrigerator, kitchen sink, tea kettle, and tableware. These rooms are air-conditioned and available for reservations of at least two adults.
| Beachfront Deluxe (per-person, shared) |
Winter | Summer |
| $190 | $160 |
Oceanview Deluxe
Relax into gorgeous views of the turquoise ocean from your balcony, and be within a stone’s throw distance from our beachfront yoga platform. Choose from either one king bed or two extra-long twin beds, and enjoy your own private bathroom with shower and tub. These spacious rooms also have a rocking chair, desk, and kitchen area with a small refrigerator, kitchen sink, tea kettle, and tableware. Fully air-conditioned, these rooms are available for reservations of at least two adults.
| Oceanview Deluxe (per-person, shared) |
Winter | Summer |
| $180 | $150 |
Garden Room with Bath (private or shared)
Our Garden Rooms with Bath have two single beds and a private bathroom with shower and tub. Within a short distance of the bay, these rooms include simple furnishings, a small refrigerator, tea kettle, and air conditioning.
| Garden Room with Bath (per-person, shared) | Winter | Summer |
| $160 | $135 |
Private or shared:
- To book this room privately for yourself alone, the price will be double the per-person rate.
- To share with a friend, please book this room privately for two people to ensure you are staying together.
- If you are a solo traveler and would like to share this room, you can expect to be assigned a roommate of the same gender.
Garden Room Double
The Garden Room Doubles allow for single or couples occupancy. They feature one double bed, simple furnishings, and air conditioning. Situated in various locations throughout the ashram, shared bathrooms are always close by. The prices below are for one person, single occupancy. For couples occupancy, the prices per person are the same as those for the Garden Room (shared); see above
| Garden Room Double (per-person, shared) | Winter | Summer |
| $167 | $138 |
Garden Room Single
Ideal for solo travelers, our Garden Room Singles offer a comfortable space with one bed, simple furnishings, and air conditioning. Single rooms are situated in various locations throughout the ashram, including within our main building. Depending on the location of your room, various shared bathrooms are available within a few seconds walking distance.
| Garden Room Single |
Winter | Summer |
| $157 | $128 |
Beach Hut (private or shared)
Fall asleep to the relaxing sounds of ocean waves. Our Beach Huts are comfortable, simple, and seconds from the beach. These shared rooms feature two single beds, simple furnishings, and air-conditioning. Full bathrooms are located within one minute’s walk from your room.
| Beach Hut (per-person, shared) | Winter | Summer |
| $150 | $120 |
Private or shared:
- To book this room privately for yourself alone, the price will be double the per-person rate.
- To share with a friend, please book this room privately for two people to ensure you are staying together.
- If you are a solo traveler and would like to share this room, you can expect to be assigned a roommate of the same gender.
Garden Room (private or shared)
These Garden Rooms are shared rooms, situated within various locations of the ashram. Featuring two single beds and air conditioning, these rooms are simply furnished with shared bathrooms nearby. If you choose this room as a solo traveler, you can expect to share it with a roommate of the same gender.
| Garden Room (per-person, shared) | Winter | Summer |
| $135 | $105 |
Private or shared:
- To book this room privately for yourself alone, the price will be double the per-person rate.
- To share with a friend, please book this room privately for two people to ensure you are staying together.
- If you are a solo traveler and would like to share this room, you can expect to be assigned a roommate of the same gender.
Tent Hut Double
Perfect for couples and close friends, our Tent Hut Doubles feature one double bed and allow you to sleep in the Bahamas breeze. Sized for two people, these Tent Huts are comfortably furnished with a simple closet, nightstand with bedside lamp and fan, and electrical outlets. Towels and bedding are provided for you, and shared bathrooms are a short walk away. Tent Huts are available from November through June.
| Tent Hut Double (per-person, shared) |
Winter | Summer |
| $119 | not available |
Tent Hut Single
Sleep in the fresh, tropical air while still enjoying indoor comforts — including a single bed, electrical outlet, simple furnishings, and a nightstand with bedside lamp and fan. It’s the easiest camping you’ll ever do, while you’re safely surrounded by your Tent Hut neighbors. Towels and bedding are provided for you, and shared bathrooms are a short walk away. Tent Huts are available from November through June.
| Tent Hut Single |
Winter | Summer |
| $109 | not available |
Dormitory
Make friends with interesting people from around the world! Our single-gender Dormitory accommodations are simple and comfortable, furnished with 3-4 single beds. They are located in various parts of the ashram, and shared bathrooms are nearby. Bedding and towels are provided.
| Dormitory | Winter | Summer |
| $107 | not available |
Tent Space
Many of our guests are nature lovers. Set up your tent near the beach, bay, or amongst the palm trees. Create your own sacred space within in the ashram to reconnect with nature and sleep close to the earth. And you won’t be completely alone — get ready to meet “tent neighbors” from around the world! Bring your own tent (sized up to 8’x8’), camping gear, mattress, bedding, and towels. Tent Spaces are available from November through May.
Are you new to the idea but want to give it a try? View our blog for some good tenting tips.
| Tent Space | Winter | Summer |
| $89 | not available |
Guest Information
Arrival and Departure
All Courses (including the Yoga Teacher Training Course): Plan to arrive the day before the course begins and depart the day after it ends.
Yoga Vacation Programs: You choose your arrival and departure dates and can attend all or part of a particular program or special event.
Room check-in time: 3 pm
Room check-out time: 11 am
Getting Here
Fly directly to Nassau International Airport. Please note: the Bahamas is an independent country and you will need a passport to travel here. Most citizens from the US, Canada, and European countries do not need a visa to visit the Bahamas (you can verify whether you require a visa to enter the Bahamas at Bahamas.com or by contacting your local Bahamian Consulate).
Please note Visitors from some countries are required to have vaccinations before they can enter the Bahamas. Please check with your travel agent or local consulate to find out if you are required to have any vaccinations before your trip.
After collecting your luggage and passing through customs, Call us from a courtesy phone or airport pay phone (they take US coins) at 363-2902 or use WhatsApp (+1-242-559-3642) — let us know you are on your way and we will send our boat to meet you at our dock in Nassau. Then take a taxi to our dock at Elizabeth on Bay Marketplace and Marina in downtown Nassau. You can pay for the taxi with American or Bahamian dollars (you can use either currency throughout the Bahamas and at the ashram).
Our boat will pick you up from the dock and bring you to the ashram (an easy five-minute boat ride).
Please visit the Planning & Pre-Arrival Information for more details about your stay at the ashram, including What to Bring, Internet, Money, etc.
About Us
- Awards and Recognition
- Winner of a Trip Advisor certificate of Excellence for 7 years running, 2012 — 2018.
Member of the
International
Sivananda Yoga
Vedanta Centres
