How It Began

I first visited Yogaville in 1995. My Babcia (Polish for grandmother), Aurelie Knapik was a devotee of Swami Satchidananda and lived at Yogaville from the late 1980s through mid 2000s. When I was an infant my mother took me to be blessed by Swami Satchidananda.

Over the years we took many trips to visit my Babcia. I used to play on the playground at the Vidyalayam (school). I remember visiting Kailash temple overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains and being in awe of the deities. The murtis of Lord Krishna, Parashakti, Lord Ganesh, and Lord Siva seemed so big.

The Journey to Yogaville

After my Babcia left her body in 2018, I felt called to return to Yogaville. In July of 2019 I attended a Bhakti Yoga Retreat with my late friend Natalie. The weekend immersion was led by Seán Johnson & The Wild Lotus Band. This was my introduction to Bhakti, the yoga of devotion. I could feel the spiritual radiating energy of the ashram and every moment full of presence.

I felt so at home waking up to Mataji playing the violin every morning. The vegetarian food cooked by the kitchen karma yogis was delicious and I loved sitting on the floor for meals just like when I was a child visiting my Babcia.

During Satsang that evening Swami Satchidanada said “if you are thinking of going to California, don’t go, stay where you are and stay focused on the present moment.” Natalie looked at me and said “he’s speaking to you!” I had been planning on moving to California and this was my confirmation to stay where I was. The weekend retreat was everything I dreamed of and I eagerly waited to return.

Serving at Yogaville in 2023

The LYT program flew by and before I knew it my days of waking up at 5am for meditation, daily hatha, weekly classes on Jnana Yoga, The Bhagavad Gita, and The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali were coming to an end. I didn’t want to say goodbye to sunset kirtans at Kailash, or chanting Nirvana Shatakam every Tuesday. I was in bliss working on the organic farm, helping cook vegetarian meals in the kitchen, and spending Saturday evenings together with my sangha for Satsang.

Three of my friends in my LYT program were planning on staying and I started to consider what that would look like for me. Within a week, a beautiful house opened up that I would soon call my home. I had inquired about working for The Academy at Yogaville and just days later I was auspiciously invited to staff an 8-day silent retreat.

In August I purchased a harmonium, one of the most expensive instruments I’ve ever bought, but I knew I wanted to continue my Bhakti yoga practices with kirtan and chanting. The next month, it was as if all of my prayers to Swami Satchidananda were coming true. I applied for an opening as the Program Development Coordinator at Yogaville and interviewed shortly after.

It had always been my dream to work for a Yoga Retreat Center and the job description was just that. I accepted the role and started helping book presenters, plan for upcoming retreats, took over the weekly email newsletter, and started updating the graphic design flyers for Yogaville. I felt like I was living a dream that I didn’t know could play out so quickly into reality.

Serving at Yogaville in 2024

Fast forward 11 months later and I was sitting next to Krishna Das at a private lunch with my boss and it truly felt like it couldn’t get any better. For the past year I dove deeply into my kirtan practice learning numerous Krishna Das chants.

My Babcia loved Krishna Das and had gifted me CD’s that I grew up listening to. It felt surreal to be sitting next to the person who had such a deep impact on me and my Babcia.

During my time at Yogaville I chanted almost daily and was leading kirtans as if it was second nature. I had the gift of leading Satsang Kirtan countless times and created Mahā-mantra Monday’s where we would chant to Krishna at noon every week. I was invited to participate and lead Pujas, and felt like my Sadhana (spiritual practices) were at the forefront.

My heart bursts thinking about my time at Yogaville. It truly was a once in a lifetime experience I will cherish forever. I am so grateful for every moment, the people I met, and the year of service I was able to offer.

The Path Forward

Yogaville was a dream and I felt like I needed to expand into a new phase of life. The next part of my Dharma is moving my focus to teaching and sharing what I have learned as well as continuing to serve my digital marketing clients.

In January of 2022 prior to moving to Yogaville I filed my LLC for Hawk Intuitive, a digital marketing company focused on serving through my 7+ years of experience in the field. As honored as I was to serve at Yogaville, it was difficult to put energy towards my own business while working full time.

I am excited to see what the future holds as I continue to serve my current clients and expand my portfolio. I also yearn to and put more energy towards my love languages: Bhakti & Kirtan, Astrology, and teaching Yoga.

Living Yoga Training at Yogaville

After visiting Yogaville with Natalie I knew I wanted to spend more time at the ashram. I applied for the 28-day Living Yoga Training in March of 2020. Unfortunately Yogaville shut down for COVID and was not accepting applicants.

In 2022 after a year of traveling on the road working for ENO hammocks, I visited Yogaville again for a day visit with my friend Allison. We climbed the 400 steps to Kailash, enjoyed Hatha Yoga, meditation, and both soaked in the spiritual presence of the ashram.

On the drive back home we both decided we would apply for the LYT program that summer.

Becoming Aramati

During my time at Yogaville I was given a spiritual name in Sanskrit. Mataji, Swami Gurucharananda, is the eldest swami at Yogaville. She was dear friends with my Babcia and it felt appropriate to have her give me a name that would reflect my intentions and help me deepen my spiritual practice by remembering the divine.

In September I was given the name Aramati. Written on a small piece of paper, Mataji explained that this name was very rare and that it’s meaning is “protector of the worshippers.” Aramati is also the Goddess of Devotion.

I feel incredibly honored to carry this name, and it felt very auspicious given I was leading Kirtans with fellow devotees. I still embody my spiritual name and feel the presence of Aramati within my heart.