Karma yoga is one of the four classical paths, alongside devotion, meditation and self-enquiry. The practice is simple to describe and hard to do: serve without wanting anything back. Done that way, ordinary work stops being ordinary and becomes its own meditation.
Serving the world with love and cooperation, you will find your own true Self.
— Amma
The programme at MA Center San Ramon
The Amrita Karma Yoga Program is a chance to live at the ashram for a while and give your days to it. MA Center San Ramon sits on 140 acres of hillside about 45 minutes from San Francisco, and it is where Amma has spent more time than anywhere outside Amritapuri. Karma yogis support the work of Embracing the World from here.
What you would be doing
Seva falls into three areas. The GreenFriends farm and orchard has close to a thousand fruit trees to plant, prune and harvest. Maintenance and construction covers carpentry, electrical work, plumbing and grounds. And everyone helps keep the shared parts of the ashram in order.
The rhythm of the day
- 5:15 am — morning archana
- 6:15 to 7:00 am — meditation and IAM practice
- 7:00 to 8:00 am — breakfast
- 1:00 to 2:00 pm — lunch
- 6:30 to 7:30 pm — dinner
- 7:30 to 9:00 pm — bhajans and classes
- 10:00 pm — lights out
What is asked of you
Six hours of seva a day, five days a week. You begin with a two-week trial, after which you meet the Karma Yoga Committee to talk about whether it suits you and whether to extend, usually up to two months.
No alcohol, drugs or marijuana, on the property or off it. Celibacy is expected while you are living here. The days are full enough that holding down a job or a course of study alongside is not realistic.
Living here
Accommodation is dormitory style with shared bathrooms. Meals are vegetarian, eggs included, and eaten together.
Beyond the seva
Saturdays bring the wider community in for seva, lunch and an evening of chanting and bhajans. Through the year there are festivals, retreats with a full day of practice, satsangs on Amma’s teachings and Vedanta, yoga classes, film evenings, and fortnightly meetings with the monastic teachers. You can also learn the IAM meditation technique during your stay.
The community
The MA Center community reaches across the Bay Area through its satellite satsangs. Residents here have given themselves to the work, and karma yogis join that rhythm — learning as much from the people around them as from the seva itself.
Worth knowing before you apply
The programme is entirely voluntary. You may leave at any time, and MA Center may equally bring a stay to an end. Sending an application does not guarantee a place.
Coming for a shorter stay
Guest stays of up to two weeks are sometimes possible, depending on space. Write to guestvisit@amma.org to ask.
In their words
I came here with the intention to perform selfless service for Amma. I feel it’s helped me to maintain the right attitude.
— Stevie
The karma yoga program in San Ramon ashram was a very nice and deep experience. My work days at the orchard were very rewarding — I felt closer to Amma.
— Adriana
Karma Yoga at the M.A. Center has been positively life changing for me. Service is purifying to my mind and helps me feel more selfless and expansive.
— Kalpita
Questions about the programme go to karmayoga-macsr@macenters.org.
