I have visited the HYA ashram three times, over the course of three summers. Each time that I have visited, I have learned many practical things, and more importantly, grown spiritually.

Summarizing my experience there succinctly is difficult, but I would put it like this: through various lessons, practices, and conversations, HYA has given me tools to live a life with less fear and more love. Much, much, more love. This has helped me become a better friend to my friends, a better son to my parents, and a more useful member of society. The pathways that have been opened to me at HYA are incredibly valuable, and I intend to continue fostering them for the rest of my life.

On the labor side of things: so many of the skills that I learned there, I probably would have never picked up anywhere else. I have been able to engage in work in the garden, and in the construction of physical structures, among other fun opportunities. Working in both areas (among others) has given me useful tools and information that I look forward very much to developing and using towards practical ends in my own life. Work on the ashram can be challenging sometimes, but in a way that is geared towards personal growth, and the work is never overwhelming. People communicate together to figure out what can suit an individual best, and there is plenty of downtime for leisure, learning, and play.

Collaborating with others in these types of work has been a huge bonding experience that I hold very dearly. Being able to get to know others through meaningful and useful work is very powerful, and creates beautiful friendships. Additionally, through these work experiences and other spiritual practices, my ability to communicate effectively and meaningfully has increased very dramatically. This has been especially valuable in the complicated or conflictual moments that inevitably arrive in families and in life. I've learned conflict can often be usefully resolved in harmony and mutual growth.

Everybody there is concerned with their own growth and collective growth, not just of the Ashram community, but of all beings. It has been very neat for me to see how a community can go about effectively organizing a space and its resources to create the greatest possible benefit for the most number of people, and have so much fun in the process. The space is very large with a nice kitchen, cabins, plenty of room for tents, and vast vast areas for walking and meditating.

On the spiritual side of things, I have learned so much about myself and the universe, and feel that I have been given keys to continually develop in my time away from HYA. Through teachings, mantras, meditation, and prayer, my outlook on life has changed dramatically. I believe that anyone from any type of spiritual or even non-spiritual background, if they are open enough, can have a beautiful experience of the divine at HYA.

While I was there, I participated in 3 hours a day of spiritual class, led by master level students who are extremely patient, thorough, and understanding of the volunteers and beings that they work with. I am continuing to keep up on a daily basis with the practices that I learned there. I am very grateful to everybody I have met there, and everybody who has made this experience possible. Ultimately HYA provides a wonderful example for how we all can live together, and it is proof that a different type of world is possible.