Ashram Atlas

Ashrams in the USA: Where You Can Stay, Visit or Volunteer (Checked 2026-10-23)

In short: Yes, there are traditional ashrams in the US. Well-known ones include the Sivananda Yoga Farm (California) and Yoga Ranch (New York), Ananda Ashram (New York), Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville (Virginia), Isha Institute (Tennessee) and Shoshoni (Colorado). Most take overnight guests or volunteers; book only through the ashram’s own website.

Last checked 2026-10-23, from each official site.

Ashrams in the USA at a glance

From each official site, checked 2026-10-23
PlaceStateStay or visitOfficial site
Sivananda Ashram Yoga FarmCAGuest stays · Day visits · Karma yogaofficial site
Ananda Meditation Retreats – The Expanding LightCAPersonal retreat · Karma yogaofficial site
MA Center San Ramon (Amma)CAKarma yoga · Short guest staysofficial site
Mount Madonna CenterCAPersonal retreat · Day visitsofficial site
Sivananda Ashram Yoga RanchNYYoga vacation · Work-studyofficial site
Ananda Ashram (Yoga Society of New York)NYOvernight stays · Work & studyofficial site
Shree Muktananda Ashram (SYDA Foundation)NYSeva stays for Siddha Yoga studentsofficial site
Shoshoni Yoga RetreatCOWeekend retreats · Day retreats · Volunteerofficial site
Satchidananda Ashram–YogavilleVAProgrammes · Live, work & serveofficial site
Isha Institute of Inner-sciencesTNRooms · Day visits · Volunteerofficial site

10 well-known ashrams in the US

10 places shown

Ashrams in California

All four are in northern California.

  • Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm

    Grass Valley, California

    • Guest stays
    • Day visits
    • Karma yoga

    Open year-round. It has guest accommodation for a minimum of two nights, or you can visit as a day guest; call or register ahead. A Karma Yoga / Seva Study programme is listed.

    Official site

  • Ananda Meditation Retreats – The Expanding Light

    Nevada City, California

    • Personal retreat
    • Karma yoga

    In the Yogananda lineage. A Personal Retreat is available anytime with flexible dates, alongside a Karma Yoga programme and a Seclusion Retreat for silence.

    Official site

  • MA Center San Ramon (Amma)

    San Ramon, California

    • Karma yoga
    • Short guest stays

    Karma Yoga here means six hours of seva a day, five days a week, with a two-week trial and then usually up to two months; an application doesn't guarantee a place. Guest stays of up to two weeks are sometimes possible, depending on space ([email protected]).

    Official siteKarma Yoga programme

  • Mount Madonna Center

    Watsonville area, California

    • Personal retreat
    • Day visits

    A yoga retreat center (its own description) offering a Personal Retreat – an overnight or extended, self-guided stay – and day visits. The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple is on site.

    Official site

Ashrams in New York

All three are in upstate New York, in or near the Catskills.

  • Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch

    Woodbourne, New York (Catskills)

    • Yoga vacation
    • Work-study

    Offers Yoga Vacation, a Karma Yoga/Work Study Residential Program and teacher training. Its guest information page gives the bus route from New York City via Monticello.

    Official siteGuest information

  • Ananda Ashram (Yoga Society of New York)

    Monroe, New York

    • Overnight stays
    • Work & study

    Offers overnight stays and retreats, a Work & Study programme, vegetarian meals and daily yoga and meditation.

    Official site

  • Shree Muktananda Ashram (SYDA Foundation)

    Catskills, New York

    • Seva stays for Siddha Yoga students

    A place for Siddha Yoga students to perform seva, with short- or long-term seva stays. It is not a general guest retreat.

    Official site

More US ashrams: Colorado, Virginia and Tennessee

  • Shoshoni Yoga Retreat

    Rocky Mountains above Boulder, Colorado

    • Weekend retreats
    • Day retreats
    • Volunteer

    Describes itself as a residential ashram and spiritual retreat center. You can visit for a yoga retreat any weekend (two-night minimum) or a day retreat, and there is a volunteer programme.

    Official site

  • Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville

    Buckingham, Virginia

    • Programmes
    • Live, work & serve

    Runs programmes, and its “Work and Play in Yogaville” option combines living, work and service at the ashram.

    Official site

  • Isha Institute of Inner-sciences

    McMinnville, Tennessee

    • Rooms
    • Day visits
    • Volunteer

    Open 365 days a year to visitors from all walks of life, with private studios and deluxe rooms. Studios book up on weekends, so advance notice is needed. Day visits and volunteer opportunities are offered.

    Official site

Can you live or volunteer at an ashram in the USA?

Several US ashrams and retreat centres give volunteers free room and meals in exchange for work, usually 20–40 hours a week. Each asks you to apply, and most set a minimum stay: three weeks at Ati Ling, one month at Ananda Ashram and three months at Shoshoni. It isn’t free travel: you work real hours and pay your own way there. Our guide compares 13 free programmes, part-paid options and one paid programme.

Volunteer at ashrams in the USA →

More seva stays in India: volunteer and seva ashrams.

Are there free ashrams in the USA?

None of the ten places above advertises free guest stays on its official site. Volunteer and work-study programmes are a different arrangement: you work in return for room and meals. See the volunteer guide, and ask the ashram directly about anything its site doesn’t state.

US ashrams with roots in India

Booking safely

Book or apply only through the ashram’s own website, linked on each card above. Retreat marketplaces are third parties, not the ashrams themselves.

Planning your stay

Questions people ask

Are there ashrams in the US?

Yes. Well-known ones include the Sivananda Yoga Farm in California and the Sivananda Yoga Ranch in New York, Ananda Ashram in New York, Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville in Virginia, the Isha Institute in Tennessee and Shoshoni in Colorado.

What are the best ashrams in the USA?

We don’t rank them. The ten on this page are well-known places that take guests, volunteers or seva students, each linked to its official site so you can compare what they offer.

Are there yoga ashrams in the US?

Yes: the Sivananda Yoga Farm (California) and Yoga Ranch (New York), Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville (Virginia), Shoshoni Yoga Retreat (Colorado) and Ananda’s Expanding Light (California).

Are there Hindu ashrams in the USA?

Several US ashrams belong to Indian spiritual lineages: the Isha Institute in Tennessee (Sadhguru), MA Center San Ramon (Amma), the two Sivananda ashrams and Shree Muktananda Ashram (Siddha Yoga) in New York.

Are there free ashrams in the USA?

None of the ten places listed here advertises free guest stays. Volunteer programmes are a different arrangement, where you work in exchange for room and meals; ask the ashram directly.

Can you live in an ashram in the USA?

Some run residential karma yoga or work-study programmes. At MA Center San Ramon, Karma Yoga is six hours of seva a day, five days a week, with a two-week trial and then usually up to two months; an application doesn’t guarantee a place.

Is there a Sivananda ashram in the USA?

Yes, two: the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, California, and the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch in Woodbourne, New York.

Can you stay at the Isha Institute in Tennessee?

Yes. Its official page says it is open 365 days a year, with private studios and deluxe rooms; studios book up on weekends, so advance notice is needed.

Is there an Amma ashram in the USA?

MA Center San Ramon in California. Guest stays of up to two weeks are sometimes possible, depending on space; write to [email protected].

What ashrams are in northern California?

Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm (Grass Valley), Ananda’s Expanding Light (Nevada City), MA Center San Ramon and Mount Madonna Center, which calls itself a yoga retreat center.

What ashrams are in upstate New York and the Catskills?

Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch (Woodbourne), Ananda Ashram (Monroe) and Shree Muktananda Ashram, which is for Siddha Yoga students doing seva.

Where is the Yogananda ashram in the USA?

Ananda’s Expanding Light retreat in Nevada City, California, is in the Yogananda lineage and offers personal retreats.

Sources

Official sites only. Last checked 2026-10-23.