Volunteer at Shoshoni

Morning Meditation (6:00-7:30am)*

*Guru Gita – The Guru Gita is a beautiful hour-long chanting meditation that draws on the power and vibration of the Sanskrit language to purify the mind. Sing aloud alongside the harmonium as it plays out the meditative melody of the verses, or follow along quietly. Attendees receive a chanting book that includes the Sanskrit text, transliteration, and full translation of the practice.

*Yajna Fire Ceremony – Yajna is the ancient yogic practice of offering mantras and masala (a special rice mixture) into a sacred fire. This practice has been used for thousands of years as a catalyst for change and growth; it helps purify emotions, burns up unresolved conflict and worries, and leaves us feeling lighter and more free inside.

Seva (8:30-12pm, 1-4pm, and 5:30-6pm) – Selfless service is an immensely powerful practice of giving back to the community. Seva is used to focus the mind on the task at hand while cultivating an attitude of generosity and gratitude. Seva tasks could include washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, laundry, weeding the gardens and flower beds, or chopping and stacking wood as just a few examples. Volunteers are expected to be flexible and have a “yes” attitude.

Yoga (4-5pm) – Asana practice is a time to connect within through a focused awareness of breath and the physical body. Yoga classes are optional, and are offered from 4-5pm several times per week with a variety of instructors, allowing you to experience different expressions of ShambhavAnanda Yoga in practice.

Evening Meditation (6:30-7:30pm) – Evening meditation classes offer a variety of approaches to meditation in the ShambhavAnanda Yoga tradition, including guided and silent meditation techniques, kirtan and arati (chanting and dancing), mantra repetition, and more. By learning different methods to quiet the mind and connect inside, you become empowered to use the tools necessary to stay open and grounded within the ever-evolving arena of your life.

Meals – Enjoy three meals per day. While there are guests at Shoshoni, we encourage staff and volunteers to sit and eat with them, in order to cultivate a sense of community and shared experience. 

• Housing – dorm-style staff accommodations or camping
• Linens, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash
• Laundry facilities, including detergent
• Three vegetarian meals per day
• Daily meditation classes
• Weekly Volunteer Study class, specific to volunteers for learning meditation techniques in detail
• Weekly satsang (questions and answers with a senior teacher)
• Optional hatha yoga classes

At Shoshoni, we believe that meditation is an experiential experience. You will learn different meditation techniques from the ShambhavAnanda Yoga tradition that we hope will create a strong foundation in staying present and developing conscious awareness both on and off the meditation cushion. 

In addition to the required daily morning and evening meditations, volunteers have:

– Volunteer Study class once per week. Volunteers take an in-depth exploration of one meditation technique each week, with a chance to ask questions after. Questions can be specific to the technique, but can also be more general questions about one’s own experience with meditation, Shoshoni, or the ShambhavAnanda Yoga tradition. 

– Satsang once per week. Satsang is a traditional practice of being in the company of good, or true, people. Every Monday, our sangha gathers online and in-person to meditate and have sating with our teacher and founder, Sri Shambhavananda, or one of his senior teachers. 

Shoshoni sits on about 250 acres of forested mountain terrain with a beautiful valley.

Anytime:

• “Rec room” – a play space with pool table, ping pong, foosball, and dar board, as well as a weight bench for lifting 
• hot tub
• sauna
• pottery studio
• art cabin with art supplies for staff
• small library of spiritual texts
• play music! Drums and piano available, many staff and volunteers have instruments

Summer:

• Four hiking trails on property ranging from easy to more difficult
• Small pond with kayaks, canoes, and a SUP board
• hammock forest close to the pond

Winter:

• Snow shoes available for walks in the woods
• Ice skates available for the pond when thoroughly frozen

Shoshoni is about a 15 minutes from the town of Nederland, a small mountain town with fun shops, cafes, restaurants, walking paths, a park and a reservoir.

From Nederland, there is public transportation available “down the mountain” to Boulder, Denver, and the surrounding area.

There are many hikes in the area, including James Peak Wilderness and Indian Peaks Wilderness areas.

Rocky Mountain National Park is about an hour from Shoshoni.

Shoshoni is more remote, so volunteers without a car are more likely to stay on the property.

If other volunteers or staff have cars and are willing, then carpools are commonly set up for activities in the surrounding area.

On your days off, we can offer a shuttle to and from Nederland once per day. From Nederland, there is public transport to Boulder, Denver, and the surrounding area.

Shoshoni’s kitchen offers three wholesome, vegetarian meals each day, including cultural dishes from around the world.

When there are guests (weekends and during yoga trainings), meals are made fresh and served cafeteria-style in our community dining space.

When there are not guests, volunteers have access to leftovers and/or raw ingredients to prepare their own meals.

Our kitchen happily accommodates gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan diets, as well as certain food allergies. We are a dedicated meat-free facility but not a certified allergen-free facility, and do cook with gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, and other potential allergens. We may not be able to fulfill all dietary requests.

We also have a tea bar with herbal and caffeinated teas, and offer coffee daily.