Published in American Word Magazine’s Spring 2016 print issue. All accompanying photos shot by me.
With new yoga centers popping up throughout D.C. and the rise of yoga-exercise fusion gyms catering to fitness-focused, spandex-wearing young people, it seems that many have neglected the core of what yoga is really about: spiritual development.
The School of Life Ashram, a yoga-centered spiritual community in Bethesda, is a sanctuary for individuals seeking spiritual rejuvenation and a quiet space to refocus on the self. Although it’s located in the heart of the city, by stepping into the School of Life, students and visitors are transported miles away from D.C.’s constant pressure and stress.
“It’s so much a part of our culture that you go and say, ‘What do you do?’ And then that is supposedly what defines a person or what defines a place. And really that gets at the heart of what the ashram is about. It’s about personal transformation,” said Durga, an AU alum who has been living there for 17 years.
Lindsay Maizland 
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