Navayuga is an ashram in Occitanie, France, still taking shape. It is a place devoted to practice, silence, teaching and seva.
It stands within the living tradition of the ashram as a place where practice is lived and teachings are passed on. Alongside this traditional dimension is a particular attention to our relationship with nature. Jayakrishna-ji considers that in our time, when the bond between human beings and the living world has become deeply weakened, rediscovering a more direct and conscious relationship with the earth, water, plants and animals has become especially important. This is also why Navayuga is taking shape within a large natural site rather than in an environment cut off from the living world.
NAVAYUGA TODAY
a living place, still taking shape
The ashram is set on several hectares of land in rural Occitanie, in south-western France, between Albi and Villefranche-de-Rouergue.
The site has been developing gradually for several years. The land has been prepared, access routes and various facilities have been created, trees and food-producing species have been planted, cultivated areas established and several bodies of water created.
Its spiritual heart, the Dhyāna Pīṭha, now exists, and the Śiva liṅga installed there is honoured every day.
Much still remains to be built and developed. Navayuga is therefore both a living ashram and a place that is still taking shape.
THE HEART OF THE ASHRAM
around the Dhyāna Pīṭha
The Dhyāna Pīṭha is the spiritual heart of the ashram. The Śiva liṅga installed there is at the centre of daily worship, and the Pīṭha is a place of practice, silence and meditation.
A Śakti Pīṭha established around the Śrī Yantra is also planned and will complete this spiritual dimension of the ashram.
The history of the Dhyāna Pīṭha, its construction and the place of the Śiva liṅga are presented on a dedicated page.
LIVING AT THE ASHRAM
practise, serve, rediscover silence
Life at Navayuga is deliberately simple. Practice, teaching, silence and seva give rhythm to a stay.
This also concerns the way we inhabit the place: caring for the land, water and living world, limiting certain habits and distractions, and rediscovering a more attentive relationship with what surrounds us and with the people with whom we live.
The aim is not to multiply activities, but to create a setting in which it becomes easier to return to what is essential.
This naturally involves a few guidelines for daily life. They are presented separately for those who are seriously considering coming to the ashram.