OUR DREAM: EVERY SOUL LIVING IN LOVE

About Us

Join our proven path and learn authentic, traditional Yoga and Meditation practices in person on a life-changing retreat, with supporting online programs. 

Learn more about our Ashram, Founders and facilities.

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We are here to guide you
- every step of the way.

JOIN US ON RETREAT

Rediscover your Soul on the 4 night Soul Retreat

RECEIVE ONLINE TEACHINGS

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Welcome to Kailash

The Home Of Traditional Yoga

Kailash Ashram is a traditional yoga and meditation retreat centre (Ashram) and  community that offers teachings and retreats that focus on a traditional Yoga practice.

We are located in the Grampians (Gariwerd country) in Western Victoria, 3.5 hours from Melbourne.  

We live to serve the Divine through enhancing human wellbeing and flourishing across the physical, mental and spiritual domains. 

We operate as a social enterprise with profits supporting the dissemination of meditation and yoga free of charge across the globe.  

As an independent organisation, we have received authorisation and permission from the lineage holders to which we belong in order for us to share the practices of traditional meditation and yoga.     

Our Teachers

“A Guru isn’t just a person, it’s an element, a gateway through which true seekers can access universal consciousness and reach the state of enlightenment.”

His Holiness Shree Shivkrupanand Swami

Inspirer and Guide of Kailash Ashram

His Holiness Shree Shivkrupanand (Swamiji) is an enlightened Yogi, meditation master and living Himalayan Saint who has been sharing the practice of meditation for free since 1994.

Swamiji was taken on a 16 year journey in the Himalayan Mountains where he received insight, guidance and initiation from numerous Gurus, many of whom were revered mountain ascetics in extremely remote and tribal areas.

Through the platform of Samarpan Dhyanyog and now Guru Tattva (Guru Element,) Swamiji shares meditation and spiritual insight through His teachings and divine embodiment. As a family man and householder, Swamiji shares that “Your Soul is Your Guru.”

 

In 2021 Kailash Ashram received the blessings from Swamiji to share meditation and teachings in alignment with His vision that the practice of meditation be available to all, free of cost, without discrimination of race, religion, cast or creed. 

David Wegman

Co-Founder and Ashram Director

The path of Hatha Yoga found David at 19 years old. In 2005 he connected to a wandering Yogin on a deserted beach in Cambodia; this first connection to the practice of Yoga brought alive a curiosity and positive inner feeling which led him to begin his own practice which he has maintained since.

After travels through India, David studied Iyengar yoga which gave him a good foundation in physical alignment, and in 2007 he became a student of Shadow Yoga school under Louise Goodvach at Yoga Moves in Caulfield.

David went on (and continues) to study directly under the Shadow Yoga founder, one of the world’s most foremost contemporary Hatha Yogins, Sundernath (Shandor Remete) where he practices the pure dance of Lord Shiva (Nrtta Sadhana) and internal tantrik Hatha Yoga.  

The practice of Hatha Yoga carried David on a powerful life journey through his service within the Australian Special Forces as a Sniper, where it provided the antidote to the extreme physical and psychological demands of the job. 

David balanced his yoga practice, work, travel, studies and teaching of Architecture at a tertiary level and small-business. 

In 2017 David received the Himalayan Meditation practice directly from Swamiji which led to a life changing series of events, including a rapid discharge from the Army and a reorientation of His whole life towards the practice of yoga, meditation and self cultivation.

In 2018 David began sharing professional development and personal empowerment activities to corporate groups, based upon insight from his Yoga practice, life experience and service in the army. 

Shortly thereafter, destiny guided David to the land of Kailash Ashram where he felt a strong inner call to share full-time the practices that had transformed his life.

Under the direction of Swamiji, David was asked to deepen his meditation studies in India, where at a meditation workshop in 2018 he met his wife and the co-founder of Kailash Ashram, Rajni.  

Together they founded Kailash; a retreat and spiritual community that shared meditation, yoga, retreats and experiences to a wide demographic of people.

Recognising the need to bring a more formal and structured environment for the practices of yoga and meditation to be shared, in 2021 Kailash received the blessings of Swamiji to became an authorised Ashram. 

Kailash is committed to sharing yoga and meditation to a growing community of everyday people. 

David directs the Ashram and instructs on retreats, drawing upon a rich and varied life experience, both positive and challenging. He shares activities, experiences and practices that bring a positive outlook and deeper connection to self. 

“Inside each and every one of us is a gateway to truth. This is a felt reality of purpose, meaning and knowing transcendent of intellect or cognition. That truth is beyond form and the causal ground for being itself. I humbly live in service of life and offer myself as a medium for the higher needs of humanity. Sometimes you have to bow down, sometimes you have to stand up. Somewhere in the middle, you will be found.” 

Kailash Ashram

Deojanee (Rajni) Wegman

Co-Founder and Ashram Manager

Rajni was born in Northern France to parents of Indian and Mauritian ancestry where she was exposed to traditional devotional practice at an early age by her mother, a devotee of the great Indian Saint, Shirdi Sai Baba.

 

In her youth Rajni studied at a Catholic school where she developed a multi-faith approach to her spirituality, finding resonance and refuge in the teachings of Christ and St Theresa of Lisieux (the regional town in which she grew up.)

 

In her early adulthood after moving to the UK, Rajni found connection to the devotional practices and community with the modern Saint Satya Sai Baba.

 

Upon feeling an inner call to learn to meditate, Swamiji and the path of Himalayan Meditation came upon her path. In 2007, shortly after learning the meditation practice, Rajni decided to offer back to the community and established a meditation centre in outside of London, sharing meditation and Swamiji’s teachings with people of a diverse background.

 

In 2013 Rajni led the development of an online meditation community, JCO, that has provided a free platform for meditators from around the world to connect and to meditate together in community.

 

As a long time devotee of Swamiji, meditation is Her passion and joy. Upon meeting David in India, she has given herself fully into supporting the practice of meditation by managing Kailash Ashram and guiding hundreds of people in an approachable and accessible way to connect to the practice of meditation.

 

Together She and David live with their daughter Tara at the Ashram where they continue to provide instruction, guidance and teachings on meditation in everyday life. 

Facilities

Set on 50 Acres of sacred Gariwerd land, we are adjacent to the iconic Grampians National Park in western Victoria.

Our facilities are modern, comfortable and natural and are the ideal location for personal and group retreats.

All members of the public (no matter how much experience) are welcome to join us for a retreat

Past retreat students are welcome to join us as an ashram member which provides vital support to the Ashram.

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The Lodge

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Bedrooms

Twin Share
Single
Single
Twin Share
Triple
Single + Bunk
Triple
Single + Bunk
Bunk
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Kitchen / Dining

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Bathrooms

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The Yurt

Spacious, Light and Beautiful

Our hand-crafted space for personal and group practice. Minimalist interior with polished hardwood floors and comforts of a reverse cycle air-conditioning and a wood combustion stove. 

Capacity

Yoga – 15 with comfort

Meditation – 40 max

 

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The Land

Ancient, Wise & Loving 

With powerful mountain vistas on all sides, as well as iconic Australian bush, 400 million year old granite boulders, there is divinity in the very soil of Kailash.

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yoga retreat victoria

Welcome To Kailash Ashram

Victoria's Most Soulful Meditation and Yoga Retreat Centre

Kailash Ashram is a traditional yoga and meditation retreat centre (an Ashram) set in the pristine nature of the Grampians in Western Victoria, just a few short hours from Melbourne and Adelaide.

We invite you to join us on one of our life-changing meditation and yoga retreats where you will receive authentic teachings on traditional meditation and yoga. 

Relax the body, quieten the mind and reconnect to your Soul as you learn traditional practices in an intimate group setting.  

Retreats are our gift, our passion and our calling

We share these for the benefit of your health, peace and inner wellbeing.

say yes to you

yoga and meditation retreat centre in victoria, grampians

Kailash Ashram F.A.Q.

What is a Yoga and Meditation Ashram?

Ashram is a Sanskrit word that comes from ‘śram’ meaning ‘to toil (or work).’ 

This refers to ‘the inner work’ in cultivating health in mind and body. When you do this you allow your  awareness to rest in its natural state; one of inner peace and equanimity. 

Then you are free to live a full, rich and engaged life without fear and worry! 

Our Ashram is a dedicated facility for both the sharing and practice of meditation and yoga techniques. 

We have found that these are best shared on retreat. 

What tradition does Kailash Ashram belong to, and what is shared on our Yoga and Meditation retreats?

Kailash Ashram is an independent, non-religious but deeply spiritual organisation.

We follow the ‘Samarpan Dhyan Sanskar’ tradition and teachings of Shree Shivkrupanand Swami (Swamiji) who is based in Gujarat, India.

Swamiji’s mission is to share meditation to humanity, for free, independent of culture, cast or creed. The Ashram is proud to share the Himalayan Meditation practice that was given to us, from the perspective of our own journey through life.

Our Ashram Director, David, is a close student of Sundernath of the Shadow Yoga School. Sundernath is an initiate in the Nath Sampradaya of Nepal and David shares Hatha Yoga from his personal practice.

 

Our guiding principle is that Your Soul is Your Guru.

 

Should a yoga and meditation retreat be a priority for me (ie is it worth spending money to learn these practices?)

We believe that your mental, physical and spiritual health and wellbeing are the most important aspects of your life. 

If you cultivate genuine health and wellbeing, we have found everything else falls into place. You will find stability, prosperity and satisfaction right through to unique spiritual insight.

 

All dimensions of life are enhanced by the practices we share.

 

We invite you to consider that the retreat is an investment in a set of tools that will be with you for life, and hopefully the start of a life-long friendship with the Ashram.

 

What we have personally received from these practices is truly priceless, though pragmatically in modern times we must charge fees that reflect the cost of running the Ashram and events.

 

 

 

Where is the Ashram & Yoga Retreat Located?

Kailash Ashram is approximately half-way between Melbourne and Adelaide. We are nestled in the pristine nature of the Grampians National Park.

Traditionally, meditation and yoga were shared in mountain hermitages for thousands of years. A remote location provides a quiet, peaceful environment conducive to your learning.

 With earthy and grounding accommodation in our hand pressed mud brick lode, you will be cosy in our refined yet rustic space. 

We are set on sacred land in ‘Gariwerd Country’ and we invite you to form a deep connection to the land and traditional culture of the region.

 We are here to support you on your lifelong personal inner journey towards a meaningful and purpose driven life; consider this your spiritual home!

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Kailash Ashram Infrequently Asked Questions!

"Yoga retreat? But I'm not flexible... also, I'm a little scared of this 'spiritual' and 'traditional' stuff"

Perhaps you are feeling that this is all quite a lot (don’t worry, we get it!)

If your body is a little stiff and you are are new to yoga and meditation, you will actually benefit the most from a retreat at the Ashram!

Maybe you googled ‘What is an Ashram?’ and haven’t come across a traditionally oriented yoga ashram in your search…

No worries at all! We are glad you found us 🙂

Yoga is about connecting to what is here and now, without judgement. 

We have shared meditation and yoga with every sort of body, mind and soul, irrespective of age and cultural background.

All sizes, shapes and abilities are welcome and will benefit from the practices we share.

We live and breathe yoga and still consider ourselves as little children compared to the great Masters.

We are humble, authentic, raw and real and trust that the traditional and Soulful energy we share helps to inform your understanding of yoga beyond what is shared on ‘instagram’ and many of the modern, western studios.

I'm A Yoga Teacher or have done Yoga Teacher Training 200 Hr YTT... Am I Beyond This And
(Are Your Retreats Too Basic For Me?)

We have hosted many yoga teachers and facilitators on our retreats (check out Kate’s testimonial above) who have benefited from the mindset and traditional practices that we have shared.

All guests are invited to come with an open mind, regardless of their experience levels. Much of the modern accreditation system (200Hr YTT) is a distraction from the essence of a yoga practice; your connection to yourself!

For those sincere students who have been considering doing Yoga Teacher Training YTT 200 Hr course, we encourage you to connect to the Ashram and experience one of our retreats; we are developing a training progression which is more akin to an apprenticeship program and closer to the way that yoga was originally shared.

We share traditional, authentic practices, that are thousands of years old. Without the fuss, but with a whole lot of love.

What is a Guru?

Many students we encounter have only connected to yoga through a commercial yoga studio, a gym or online.

The historic origins of yoga are as an applied spiritual practice (sadhana) with a progression from physical body activities to the subtle realms of mind and beyond (the Soul.)

It is not a religious system. Through practice it will reveal what it must to each student (a student is called a sadhak.)

For many in India, yoga includes devotional practice where the teacher is held in very high regard.

In ancient and modern India alike, many students consider themselves a ‘devotee’ of a particular practice, tradition or living master. This is what we refer to as the Guru-Shishya tradition.

Kailash Ashram is focused on sharing the practices of meditation and yoga, free from any requirement for our guests or students to be connected by way of devotion to a living Master (or Guru.) 

As the Ashram Managers, we have a deep reverence for the Masters in our Traditions, and we respect our Gurus the way that many Buddhists would venerate the Dalai Lama.

We do not impose this on you or any guest, but similarly we do not hide the source of the practices that we share and our love for them.

For those who feel called to explore the more ‘devotional’ side of a yoga practice, we are able to guide you when the time is right.

The first step for all guests and students is becoming regular with their personal yoga and meditation practice, the devotional aspect will flower if it is right for you.  

Is Kailash Ashram a 'Cult?'

No! Please read on for an honest note take for those cynical about ‘Ashrams’ & ‘Gurus’

 

Over the years there have been infrequent scandals that gathered negative attention towards a few ‘Ashrams’ and spiritual teachers in the West.

 

As is often the case, the minority grabs more attention and distracts from the overwhelming good work many spiritual teachers and Ashrams share. 

Let us reassure you that we are not connected to any of the traditions that have been embroiled in scandal, whatsoever.

 

There are several thousand Ashrams in India and around the world. 

These range in size of a single teacher through to communities of thousands. 99.99% of these run without issue and provide a great benefit to humanity. 

Ours is one of those.

 

 Kailash Ashram is a boutique facility run by a small family (David, Rajni and their children.) We are compassionate householders who lead a full and normal life. 

We share practices that do not require us to touch you and we will never ask you to do anything that you are not 100% comfortable with.   

 

We hope this puts the minds at ease of those Souls who may have seen certain netflix series, news articles about other so-called ‘ashrams’ or if you may have just been afraid of offending us if you asked!   

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"I've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time. For the first time I feel like I'm... ME!"
HELEN MOORSE, MUM, EXPLORER, SOUL

Request a free
Self-Discovery call

Take the first step today.

Our team is here to help you understand what is holding you back from living your dream life. 

A Self-Discovery call is an opportunity for you to gain clarity on where you are ‘getting stuck,’ and to develop a practical wellbeing strategy. 

We can also share with you how the Ashram’s retreat and online programs may support you living a life of peace. 

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