John Cameron Mitchell

Some people go off to an ashram or they, you know, have a midlife crisis and buy a sports car. For me, I do 'Hedwig,' and I see it's a midlife crisis maybe, and I see what's next. And it's a good trampoline, maybe, into the next part of my life.

American Actor

Maggie Rowe

I continued to suffer from anxiety and obsessive thoughts, although the thoughts stopped centering on hell. I moved into an ashram called the Himalayan Institute after college and studied meditation, which made an enormous difference.

American Comedian

Jaggi Vasudev

At my ashram, people work long hours joyfully because they are inspired. When people are involved and joyfully doing something, they usually turn out ten times more and do more than what they would normally do as a duty.

Indian Author

Jim Sarbh

It occurred to me that actors are selfish, and they think that the world revolves around them. For one year, I quit, and I went to an ashram in Bihar and went to Himalayas backpacking.

Indian Actor

Aisha Tyler

Not only was I the only black kid and the only poor kid, but my parents were transcendental meditation devotees, and I live in an ashram for a good portion of my childhood.

American Actress

Sophie Dahl

I lived on an ashram in India at 12 and later I was a heroine in a Bollywood movie - I'm not telling you the name because I was terrible.

English Model

Naveen Patnaik

The Beatles were here in the 1960s, with their wives, at the Maharshi's ashram. And they wanted my advice on various matters in India.

Indian Politician

Paulo Costanzo

My parents were hippies. They met at an ashram, where they were studying how to be enlightened.

Canadian Actor

I trekked in the Himalayas, walked up to the Gangotri, and lived in an ashram.

In many cultures, an ashram is not just for living but a center for spiritual growth and education.

Cultural Significance

While it may sound exotic, an ashram is typically a place of serious spiritual practice, not leisure.

Not a Vacation Spot

Life in an ashram often includes daily routines like yoga, meditation, and communal work.

Daily Routines

A guru's ashram is led by the spiritual teacher who guides the residents.

Leadership Role

An emphasis on learning from the guru is often a key aspect of life in such an ashram.

Learning Focus

Living in a guru's ashram requires respect and devotion to the teacher.

Respect and Devotion

While religious, some ashrams can be open to secular people seeking spirituality or community.

Beyond Religion

Members often share chores and responsibilities, promoting a sense of unity and purpose.

Shared Responsibilities

Ashrams typically have strict rules governing behavior, dress, and interaction among members.

Rules and Norms

 In retrospect, we left our ropes, which maybe wasn't the smartest thing as we were crossing a lot of crevasses. But we were challenged, it was either tent or ropes. 'What are we gonna do here?' So, we came down and negotiated safely through some of these crevasses and made it back to the safety of this little tiny ashram,

Chasing Rivers, Part 2:...

 of a prisoner teaching a class. These are hundreds of classes. Nine to eleven, every prisoner went into the education program -- the same den in which they thought they would put me behind the bar and things would be forgotten. We converted this into an ashram --