Australia
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We are a not-for-profit, volunteer based retreat centre located at the foot of the Royal National Park (one of the oldest natural reserves in the world), providing the service and facilities for groups to host their own unique retreats, while immersing themselves in the spectacular natural surroundings.
We are a yogic community aspiring to live a simple, healthy, clean and spiritually fulfilled lifestyle, role modelling a practical balance between material and spiritual life. Our foundations are built on the Bhakti yoga tradition - the yoga of love and service - which is the essence that runs through the heart and soul of everything we do.
For us, volunteering is not considered work, but the practise of Karma Yoga (Yoga of action), where together we share our service with the community with an open mind and generous heart and spirit and together experience the beautiful exchange of giving and receiving.
Volunteering with us is a perfect combination of karma yoga, private retreat time, sharing in community life and enjoying the enriching benefits of our personal development program, which consists of yoga and various kinds of workshops and activities.
We welcome people from all stages of life, practises and backgrounds to join our community and experience our way of life for the precious time they are with us.
We are looking for serious and enthusiastic people, who are ready to support our community, respect our values and share our lifestyle and project.
Before you send us an enquiry please make sure you read thoroughly our profile page and agree with all.
Gardening
Building
General Maintenance
Cooking / shopping
Help with Eco project
Help in the house
Charity work
Art project
Help with Computers / internet
Teaching
What we offer
- Secure and comfortable share accommodation
- Opportunity to live in our beautiful retreat environment and amongst the wild life
- 3 vegan meals
- Daily kirtans (singing meditation)
- Two yoga classes per day (5.15am & 4.30pm + 10.30am on your days off)
- Opportunity to experience life in a community and deeper connections for life
Volunteers have the opportunity to learn about Bhakti Yoga and what it can add to their quality of everyday experience; through service, singing and dancing, healthy vegeterian food, early nights, yoga asana practice, and being part of community life.
Areas of help include such things as:
• House keeping
• Grounds maintenance
• Building and construction
• Landscaping
• Gardening
• Social Media
• Website design
While we will always endeavour to place you in a service area for which you are best suited and most happy we ask your co-operation in helping to cover the daily project requirements which include cooking, cleaning, housekeeping and grounds maintenance. We are especially interested in people with specific skills in gardening, landscape design, building and construction, website development and social media.
We need people who speak good English.
There are separate living sections for females and males, mixing is not allowed. The rooms are basic and can fit from two to four people.
It is very important to keep the rooms clean and tidy especially when sharing the space with others.
What you will need to bring
• Good solid working shoes for the garden
• Suitable clothes for weather conditions
• A positive attitude and a smile is a must :)
What we expect
As a project based on the principles of yoga we expect – for the time you are with us – that you will share in our spiritual ethos and observe the following standards with respect to diet, dress, behaviour, etc.
• No eating meat, fish or egg
• No intoxication (including Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes or other addictive substances)*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️, no pets
• Modest and appropriate dress (e.g. yoga pants and tights are only for doing yoga not for working)
• A good work ethic under the direction of our regular staff
• Being always conscious of the comfort and convenience of other staff, guests or volunteers (no unreasonably late nights, no excessive noise, respect for each other’s space and privacy, etc)
- - As a spiritual community we go to bed early and get up very early, so we expect you to understand and be conscious of not making noise after 8.30pm. - -
Once you are booked in to volunteer with us you are responsible to come and stay until the agreed date. In case your plans change you HAVE TO let us know 1-2 weeks earlier, so we can book other people in.
Please note: When it comes to any illegal or illicit activities such as substance abuse, sexual harassment, bullying, etc, we have a zero tolerance policy. Any infractions in this regard will result in your immediate departure from our project. There will be no negotiation on this point.
How long can you stay here?
We prefer that people stay 4 weeks or longer if we are both happy with the arrangement. Having said that we are happy to accommodate people for a shorter time (if we have space).
After first week we will review your situation. Assuming we are happy with you and you are happy with us you may be invited to stay longer. There is no real limit on how long you may be allowed to stay but we will review things periodically to see how things are working out. As in any relationship, it will ultimately depend on our mutual experience and on the degree to which we share certain values, visions and ideals.
All this said, we are very accepting of all kinds of people and we welcome you to be yourself and add your own flavour to our community. We believe this is a wonderful project combining a materially healthy business with a process of spiritual upliftment. We believe that through the practice of yoga and the transformative power of volunteer service we can not only find personal fulfilment but contribute greatly to a much needed general improvement in the social and environmental spheres of life. We aim especially to provide and facilitate the younger generations in taking up a leadership role, not only in this project but in society as a whole. We are confident your time here with us will not only be enjoyable, it will be a truly wonderful adventure and an extraordinary learning experience.
Transport
The Centre is a 10min walk to the Otford train station. It is 1 hour to get to Sydney Central and you can reach places all along the coast (e.g. Wollongong).
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
More than two
25h per week
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(4.9)
Communication:
(5.0)
