WHY KAILASH ASHRAM?
Traditional Yoga for Modern Times.
We’ve spent decades helping our students heal, grow and flourish through workshops, retreats and online programs.
Our proven process brings together ancient yogic practice and wisdom with personal guidance and modern resources to help you live a life of inner-peace.
BEHIND KAILASH ASHRAM
What is an Ashram?
Traditional Yoga is a holistic system of self-cultivation with practices for mind, body and Soul with the aim to liberate oneself from suffering.
Many students first encounter yoga in a more westernised manner such as an exercise class in their local gym or studio. This is a great start, but is not the end!
As an Ashram we prioritise the most important goal of Yoga which is to support your connection with your Soul, and we do this through a variety of traditional meditative practices.
Yoga has been shared for thousands of years in dedicated retreat centres in remote settings referred to as Ashram.
In Sanskrit, Ashram means “a place to toil / work” and whilst you stay with us on retreat you will be away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, immersed in practice and teachings.
The work at an Ashram refers to the ‘inner work’ of reconnecting to oneself as a Soul and letting go of the troubles of mind and body and self-limiting belief.
As a secluded spiritual hermitage in the Grampians in Western Victoria, Kailash Ashram proudly continues thousands of years of tradition by sharing authentic practices under accomplished guides.
Behind every peaceful Soul
is a peaceful Guide
Yoga is a multi faith friendly tradition where the focus is on your practice rather than belief. It has been traditionally shared between a teacher and student.
In ancient times, the guide was called a ‘Guru’ and the student a ‘Shishya’.
In more modern times, the name and convention is less important, though what is important is that your guide on the path of Yoga has themselves ‘walked-the-talk.’
David and Rajni Wegman are the Founders and Directors of Kailash Ashram, and have practiced and taught Yoga and Meditation for many years.
They are here to support you in each phase of your growth and bow with respect to the traditions to which they belong.
KAILASH ASHRAM
Our Approach
We’ve helped hundreds of students create a peaceful life through adopting simple yoga and meditation practices – and we have continually improved our process along the way. This path brings you into alignment with your true inner nature.
We are devoted to your wellbeing.
Kailash Ashram is more than a dedicated retreat centre; we are a spiritual home and community.
David and Rajni and their family are householders which means they live a yogic life whilst retaining engagement with the world. This is as opposed to being ordained monks / renunciates.
Yoga has both monastic and householder traditions, and the benefit of a householder tradition is that it is suitable to meet the unique demands of our busy modern life.
David and Rajni live and breathe Yoga, and have undergone extensive training and initiation under some of the worlds greatest living masters including Himalayan Meditation under Swami Shivkrupanand of ‘Gurutattva’ in India, and Hatha Yoga under Sundernath, the director of the ‘Shadow Yoga’ school.
About Our Ashram's Teachers & Guides
“A Guru isn’t just a person, it’s an element, a gateway through which true seekers can access universal consciousness and reach the state of enlightenment.”
His Holiness Shree Shivkrupanand Swami
Inspirer of Kailash Ashram
His Holiness Shree Shivkrupanand (Swamiji) is an enlightened Yogi, meditation master and living Himalayan Saint who has been sharing the practice of meditation for free since 1994.
Swamiji was taken on a 16 year journey in the Himalayan Mountains where he received insight, guidance and initiation from numerous Gurus, many of whom were revered mountain ascetics in extremely remote and tribal areas.
Through the platform of Samarpan Dhyanyog and now Guru Tattva (Guru Element,) Swamiji shares meditation and spiritual insight through His teachings and divine embodiment. As a family man and householder, Swamiji shares that “Your Soul is Your Guru.”
In 2021 Kailash Ashram received the blessings from Swamiji to share meditation and teachings in alignment with His vision that the practice of meditation be available to all, free of cost, without discrimination of race, religion, cast or creed.
David Wegman
Co-Founder and Ashram Director
The path of Hatha Yoga found David at 19 years old. In 2005 he connected to a wandering Yogin on a deserted beach in Cambodia; this first connection to the practice of Yoga brought alive a curiosity and positive inner feeling which led him to begin his own practice which he has maintained since.
After travels through India, David studied Iyengar yoga which gave him a good foundation in physical alignment, and in 2007 he became a student of Shadow Yoga school under Louise Goodvach at Yoga Moves in Caulfield.
David went on (and continues) to study directly under the Shadow Yoga founder, one of the world’s most foremost contemporary Hatha Yogins, Sundernath (Shandor Remete) where he practices the pure dance of Lord Shiva (Nrtta Sadhana) and internal tantrik Hatha Yoga.
The practice of Hatha Yoga carried David on a powerful life journey through his service within the Australian Special Forces as a Sniper, where it provided the antidote to the extreme physical and psychological demands of the job.
David balanced his yoga practice, work, travel, studies and teaching of Architecture at a tertiary level and small-business.
In 2017 David received the Himalayan Meditation practice directly from Swamiji which led to a life changing series of events, including a rapid discharge from the Army and a reorientation of His whole life towards the practice of yoga, meditation and self cultivation.
In 2018 David began sharing professional development and personal empowerment activities to corporate groups, based upon insight from his Yoga practice, life experience and service in the army.
Shortly thereafter, destiny guided David to the land of Kailash Ashram where he felt a strong inner call to share full-time the practices that had transformed his life.
Under the direction of Swamiji, David was asked to deepen his meditation studies in India, where at a meditation workshop in 2018 he met his wife and the co-founder of Kailash Ashram, Rajni.
Together they founded Kailash; a retreat and spiritual community that shared meditation, yoga, retreats and experiences to a wide demographic of people.
Recognising the need to bring a more formal and structured environment for the practices of yoga and meditation to be shared, in 2021 Kailash received the blessings of Swamiji to became an authorised Ashram.
Kailash is committed to sharing yoga and meditation to a growing community of everyday people.
David directs the Ashram and instructs on retreats, drawing upon a rich and varied life experience, both positive and challenging. He shares activities, experiences and practices that bring a positive outlook and deeper connection to self.
“Inside each and every one of us is a gateway to truth. This is a felt reality of purpose, meaning and knowing transcendent of intellect or cognition. That truth is beyond form and the causal ground for being itself. I humbly live in service of life and offer myself as a medium for the higher needs of humanity. Sometimes you have to bow down, sometimes you have to stand up. Somewhere in the middle, you will be found.”
Deojanee (Rajni) Wegman
Co-Founder and Ashram Manager
Rajni was born in Northern France to parents of Indian and Mauritian ancestry where she was exposed to traditional devotional practice at an early age by her mother, a devotee of the great Indian Saint, Shirdi Sai Baba.
In her youth Rajni studied at a Catholic school where she developed a multi-faith approach to her spirituality, finding resonance and refuge in the teachings of Christ and St Theresa of Lisieux (the regional town in which she grew up.)
In her early adulthood after moving to the UK, Rajni found connection to the devotional practices and community with the modern Saint Satya Sai Baba.
Upon feeling an inner call to learn to meditate, Swamiji and the path of Himalayan Meditation came upon her path. In 2007, shortly after learning the meditation practice, Rajni decided to offer back to the community and established a meditation centre in outside of London, sharing meditation and Swamiji’s teachings with people of a diverse background.
In 2013 Rajni led the development of an online meditation community, JCO, that has provided a free platform for meditators from around the world to connect and to meditate together in community.
As a long time devotee of Swamiji, meditation is Her passion and joy. Upon meeting David in India, she has given herself fully into supporting the practice of meditation by managing Kailash Ashram and guiding hundreds of people in an approachable and accessible way to connect to the practice of meditation.
Together She and David live with their daughter Tara at the Ashram where they continue to provide instruction, guidance and teachings on meditation in everyday life.
LEARN MORE ABOUT
The Kailash Ashram Story
Read our story to understand how a force greater than the mind wove David and Rajni together. We call this guiding principle, the Soul.
The Inner Journey: A clear path to a life of health, happiness and peace.
The heart of our approach is an ancient yogic framework that is based upon bringing you into alignment with the Elements of nature.
Yoga is not ‘fuffy’ and ‘new-age;’ it is a practical, applied path that brings you fully home in mind, body and Soul.
The Elements of Nature (Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space, Mind, Soul) are the ingredients that make up our experience of life.
The study and cultivation of each element can unlock physical, psychological and spiritual health and wellbeing.
Living in this natural state (Sahaja) is a life of inner peace. We believe this is the deepe\st most desire of all Souls and call this your ‘dream life.’
Once you are on stable ground, you will have the reserves to support those who depend on you, without burning out.
Our teachings are shared on multi-night retreats, through online trainings, group coaching and personal mentoring programs.
Facilities
Set on 50 Acres of sacred Gariwerd land, we are adjacent to the iconic Grampians National Park in western Victoria.
Our facilities are modern, comfortable and natural and are the ideal location for personal and group retreats.
All members of the public irrespective of experience levels are welcome to join us for a retreat.
If you wish to be actively involved in our Ashram, we invite you to become a Friend of Kailash.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kailash Ashram is an independent, non-religious but deeply spiritual organisation.
We follow the ‘Samarpan Dhyan Sanskar’ tradition and teachings of Shree Shivkrupanand Swami (Swamiji) who is based in Gujarat, India.
Swamiji’s mission is to share meditation to humanity, for free, independent of culture, cast or creed. The Ashram is proud to share the Himalayan Meditation practice that was given to us, from the perspective of our own journey through life.
Our Ashram Director, David, is a close student of Sundernath of the Shadow Yoga School. Sundernath is an initiate in the Nath Sampradaya of Nepal and David shares Hatha Yoga from his personal practice.
Our guiding principle is that Your Soul is Your Guru.
We believe that your mental, physical and spiritual health and wellbeing are the most important aspects of your life.
If you cultivate genuine health and wellbeing, we have found everything else falls into place. You will find stability, prosperity and satisfaction right through to unique spiritual insight.
All dimensions of life are enhanced by the practices we share.
We invite you to consider that the retreat is an investment in a set of tools that will be with you for life, and hopefully the start of a life-long friendship with the Ashram.
What we have personally received from these practices is truly priceless, though pragmatically in modern times we must charge fees that reflect the cost of running the Ashram and events.
Kailash Ashram is approximately half-way between Melbourne and Adelaide. We are nestled in the pristine nature of the Grampians National Park.
Traditionally, meditation and yoga were shared in mountain hermitages for thousands of years. A remote location provides a quiet, peaceful environment conducive to your learning.
With earthy and grounding accommodation in our hand pressed mud brick lode, you will be cosy in our refined yet rustic space.
We are set on sacred land in ‘Gariwerd Country’ and we invite you to form a deep connection to the land and traditional culture of the region.
We are here to support you on your lifelong personal inner journey towards a meaningful and purpose driven life; consider this your spiritual home!
Perhaps you are feeling that this is all quite a lot (don’t worry, we get it!)
If your body is a little stiff and you are are new to yoga and meditation, you will actually benefit the most from a retreat at the Ashram!
Maybe you googled ‘What is an Ashram?’ and haven’t come across a traditionally oriented yoga ashram in your search…
No worries at all! We are glad you found us 🙂
Yoga is about connecting to what is here and now, without judgement.
We have shared meditation and yoga with every sort of body, mind and soul, irrespective of age and cultural background.
All sizes, shapes and abilities are welcome and will benefit from the practices we share.
We live and breathe yoga and still consider ourselves as little children compared to the great Masters.
We are humble, authentic, raw and real and trust that the traditional and Soulful energy we share helps to inform your understanding of yoga beyond what is shared on ‘instagram’ and many of the modern, western studios.
We have hosted many yoga teachers and facilitators on our retreats (check out Kate’s testimonial above) who have benefited from the mindset and traditional practices that we have shared.
All guests are invited to come with an open mind, regardless of their experience levels. Much of the modern accreditation system (200Hr YTT) is a distraction from the essence of a yoga practice; your connection to yourself!
For those sincere students who have been considering doing Yoga Teacher Training YTT 200 Hr course, we encourage you to connect to the Ashram and experience one of our retreats; we are developing a training progression which is more akin to an apprenticeship program and closer to the way that yoga was originally shared.
We share traditional, authentic practices, that are thousands of years old. Without the fuss, but with a whole lot of love.
Many students we encounter have only connected to yoga through a commercial yoga studio, a gym or online.
The historic origins of yoga are as an applied spiritual practice (sadhana) with a progression from physical body activities to the subtle realms of mind and beyond (the Soul.)
It is not a religious system. Through practice it will reveal what it must to each student (a student is called a sadhak.)
For many in India, yoga includes devotional practice where the teacher is held in very high regard.
In ancient and modern India alike, many students consider themselves a ‘devotee’ of a particular practice, tradition or living master. This is what we refer to as the Guru-Shishya tradition.
Kailash Ashram is focused on sharing the practices of meditation and yoga, free from any requirement for our guests or students to be connected by way of devotion to a living Master (or Guru.)
As the Ashram Managers, we have a deep reverence for the Masters in our Traditions, and we respect our Gurus the way that many Buddhists would venerate the Dalai Lama.
We do not impose this on you or any guest, but similarly we do not hide the source of the practices that we share and our love for them.
For those who feel called to explore the more ‘devotional’ side of a yoga practice, we are able to guide you when the time is right.
The first step for all guests and students is becoming regular with their personal yoga and meditation practice, the devotional aspect will flower if it is right for you.
No! Please read on for an honest note take for those cynical about ‘Ashrams’ & ‘Gurus’
Over the years there have been infrequent scandals that gathered negative attention towards a few ‘Ashrams’ and spiritual teachers in the West.
As is often the case, the minority grabs more attention and distracts from the overwhelming good work many spiritual teachers and Ashrams share.
Let us reassure you that we are not connected to any of the traditions that have been embroiled in scandal, whatsoever.
There are several thousand Ashrams in India and around the world.
These range in size of a single teacher through to communities of thousands. 99.99% of these run without issue and provide a great benefit to humanity.
Ours is one of those.
Kailash Ashram is a boutique facility run by a small family (David, Rajni and their children.) We are compassionate householders who lead a full and normal life.
We share practices that do not require us to touch you and we will never ask you to do anything that you are not 100% comfortable with.
We hope this puts the minds at ease of those Souls who may have seen certain netflix series, news articles about other so-called ‘ashrams’ or if you may have just been afraid of offending us if you asked!
