Friday, July 17, 2009

Yoga Retreats With Chores Attract the Weary and Unemployed - NYTimes.com

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    • Hard Times Are Jamming the Ashrams
    • SLICE OF HEAVEN Lunch preparations at the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, Pa.
    • By SARA ECKEL
    • The Himalayan Institute is one of many retreats where cash-strapped spiritual seekers can participate in work-study programs in which they pay typically $300 to $900 a month in exchange for a few hours a day of service, like washing dishes, cleaning rooms or weeding gardens.

      As the unemployment rate has risen and people have sought refuge from the harsh economy, these work-exchanges have become a hot commodity.

    • Yoga retreat programs can be as short as an overnight visit to Ananda Ashram in Monroe, N.Y., or can last for months or even years.
    • he says he feels satisfied that his work, however indirectly, is helping the Himalayan Institute’s mission of providing humanitarian aid to poor communities in Africa and India.

      “At Intel, I was helping the owner get a new yacht,” he said. “Here. I’m part of something that actually makes a difference.”