|
|
 |
|
Tremendous
efforts have been
done by karma yogis for progressing in the ashram
renovation work and a lot has been accomplished,
since the summer of 2006. How could all of these
efforts be described sufficiently?! Maybe Bhaivari's
words can at least help imagine what has been going
on:
|
|
|
Here are some of the
high-lights:
- Got three rooms on the 2nd floor of
the house ready for occupancy, and installed a full
bathroom on the 2nd floor of the house
|
|
|
- Got tarpaper on the roof of
some of the outbuildings to protect them for
the winter
- Got the gas heaters in the
downstairs bathroom and the "staff" room
operational
- Set up a private room for Leela
Mata
- Set up a permanent meditation
room
- Got the coal furnace
operational (that heats the first floor of the
house)
- Got some of the third floor
bedroom scraped
- Got the hub rooms completely
cleaned out, primed and painted
|
|
|
|
|
Previous Ashram
News:
|
|
|
Making the
Ashram unfold: Leela
Mata's student Bhaivari describes what has been
accomplished during those busy weeks of starting up
the ashram through July and August 2006. Read below
about the ongoing karma yoga activities and the first
open house, which was attended by more than 75
visitors.
Karma Yogis roll up
the sleeves
Since the closing of the ashram
purchase a lot of karma yoga has been done. During
the karma yoga weekend 17 - 19th August, 2006 at
least one dozen karma yogi's came to help. Most of
them were from a Canton, Ohio, yoga center.
Jaigadesh, a long time disciple of Leela Mata came
from Michigan and spent the weekend doing carpentry
work - he got a lot accomplished.
|
|
|
|
Earlier karma yoga activities
comprised the collection of different
donations, including beds, chairs, lamps,
dishes, a fridge and other items. Many hands
and minds have been of great support during the
first karma yoga weekends in August. Here a
major focus was the preparation of accomodation
for karma yogis and guests. Wooden floors were
brushed up, windows cleaned, ceilings painted,
beds built and made, gardening work was done,
etc. etc. How could words ever sufficiently
describe all the great efforts that have been
done! Therefore, scroll through the photographs
below and get a glimpse of what was and is
going on at Leela Mata Peaceful Valley Ashram
and Retreat:
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Leela Mata
cleaning happily
|
|
|
|
|
Lynne painting
ceilings
|
|
|
|
Yumiko making
beds
|
|
|
First Open
House
The first open house was held on August
18th and 19th, 2006. More than 75 visitors came to
see the new ashram. Without exception they were all
very positive, welcoming and grateful for having been
invited to view the house and grounds. All the karma
yogi's never skipped a beat on working, but also
interacted with the guests and had a lot of lively
conversations.
We are very grateful to Pat at Sage
Meadow Health Food store in Clarion and to Anne at
Michelle's Café for handing out our flyers and
to the Clarion Newspapers for printing our public
service announcement to call attention to the
event.
We met several yogi's like Libby, Gary
and Heidi. Gary and Heidi are also Reiki Masters.
Libby was familiar with Leela from years of reading
about her and was very excited that such a person
would open an ashram right near her home!
There were a lot of responses like that
- people "never thought something like this would
come to Clarion" and "we are so blessed to have an
opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful
community of people." There are about 15 people who
really want to come and help work on the ashram. Some
gifts people are willing to share include, carpentry,
painting, artistic work, gardening, tiling and
more.
We are so happy to meet people in the
community and have been very impressed with their
openness, their helpfulness and acceptance. We are
delighted to be in Sligo/Clarion!!
|
|
|
|
Puja
Friday night Leela Mata gave a
wonderful Puja. It was very moving and was a
wonderful blessing to all who attended. All
went to sleep that night happy and tired from
the day's excitement.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
It was also at the Friday night
open house that we met Arthur. Arthur stayed
for the puja and was led to stay. He has taken
up residence as of Sunday. He even came with a
truck and all his tools. He will be devoting
full time hours to renovation projects. With
such a focus of energy our projects will be
accelerated.
Bhairavi
|
|
|
|
|
"Now, Yoga begins!" -
Closing of ashram purchase was completed June 21,
2006
On Friday, June 21, Bhairavi headed to
the town of Clarion, PA, only 8 miles from the
ashram, to sign the papers in Leela Mata's name for
the closing. She was accompanied by an enthusiastic
team of yogis - Jayadevi, Narada, and Lynne
Stamm:
|
|
|
"We spent time taking flowers
(they were mostly from Narada and Leigh Ann's
garden and mine) here at the house and the four
of us walked around the perimeter close to the
house and dedicated it by singing and saying
mantras and prayers and placing flowers around.
It was very nice to pray over the property.
Jayadevi brought some things from home and set
up a small altar on a window sill in the West
Wing. Everyone was delighted to be a part of
this and can envision the place in its glory.
All agreed that it is a place with incredible
potential and felt very blessed to be a part of
such a wonderful and divine project." Leela
Mata, who was teaching in Germany at this time,
was happy about the successful closing and
smiled "now, yoga begins!"
|
|
|
|
|
The property has
unlimited potential and possibilities:
It sits on 12 acres, with a main
house, two large "hub" rooms in the center with
cathedral ceilings and a fireplace, two large wings
with lots of bedrooms (at least 30 bedrooms overall)
and large rooms for programming and 7 outbuildings
including a huge, huge, bank barn, ideal for big
events. A lot of maintenance and renovation work will
have to be done to bring all these facilities up to
its full potential. You are invited to be part of the
project. Please look at the sections "Karma Yoga
Days", "Ashram Opportunities" and "Ashram Wish List"
for more information.
|
|
|
Leela Mata's student
Bhairavi tells the story how the place was
found:
Before Leela Mata came to Ohio to give
a retreat in March, she found the listing for
Peaceful Valley Farm in Pennsylvania on a website.
She asked me, (Bhairavi) to check into it. I did and
the owner said that he was not showing it at the time
because he had a contract. We were disappointed
because it looked to have great potential for an
ashram and it was only 2 hours from where the retreat
was being held.
|
|
|
It was on April 10th
that I received an email that the Peaceful
Valley Farm was back on the market. I contacted
Leela Mata and told her right away, but she was
in Europe and couldn't come. She asked that I
check it out and see if it was as good as it
looked, so on April 15th another
yogi, Leigh Ann and I and my grandson, Miles
(Leigh Ann did the driving, bless her) went
over to see the "farm". We spent a couple hours
touring the place with Kirk and Liz, the very
gracious owners. Kirk spent time telling us
everything that he had planned to do to the
place and about what it would take to do it. We
also went into town to check out the
surrounding area of Clarion, home to Clarion
University of Pennsylvania, and were very
pleased with the availability of goods and
services and the quaintness and beauty of the
area. Leigh Ann and I both went away with a
strong feeling that Peaceful Valley Farm needed
to be an ashram.
|
|
|
|
|
When we got back I emailed Leela Mata
and told her I would highly recommend that she come
and see the Peaceful Valley. Miraculously her trip
got cut short and she was able to find a hole in her
schedule to see the property. Narada (Leigh Ann's
husband) drove her over and the two of them looked at
the place for several hours. Narada is an engineer so
he was able to look at foundation issues and check
out electrical and other things for Leela Mata. Kirk
and Liz were again, very accommodating in taking time
to show the place and answer all questions. They were
very forthcoming and pleasant to work with. Narada
and Leela went into Clarion for lunch and saw the
town, then back to Ohio just in time for satsang that
night.
That evening we talked
a lot about all the possibilities that Peaceful
Valley Farm offered as an ashram. Leela's flight
back to Ft. Lauderdale was to leave the next morning,
so she called the owners and told them she would call
when she got home and make them an offer. That is
exactly what she did and they accepted her offer very
quickly. By Wednesday she was back in Ohio and I
drove her over to sign the contract on Peaceful
Valley Farm, which is now Leela Mata's Peaceful
Valley Ashram. After the
signing we went for lunch in Clarion and took some
pictures of the town, then came back to the property
and performed a very deliberate walk through making
plans for all the rooms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 4,
2006:
Leela Mata
happily signs the contract for the ashram at
Peaceful Valley Farm, Sligo, near Clarion,
Pennsylvania.
|
|
|
|
We are very grateful for the generosity
of Leela Mata in purchasing this ashram home for us
all. The ashram life that she envisions will be a
peaceful, loving and abundant abode for us all where
we can learn and grow in sadhana practice and
expression of our divinity.
Everyone here in the Ohio yoga sangha
is very excited about the ashram especially since it
is only two hours away! We have great plans and
welcome everyone to come soon to Leela Mata's
Peaceful Valley Ashram/Retreat Center.
Om Shanti and blessings and good health
to Leela Mata on this new journey,
Bhairavi
|
|
