243 Greenwood Brook Rd, Industry, ME, USA
Up to 8 in group
January 23 - 25, 2026
About this Retreat
Jaya Yogini was 10 years old when she moved to Sat Manav Yoga Ashram, a traditional Yogic community in Maine’s western mountains. She joined the traditional Guru/shishya (student) lineage of Sat Manav Yoga in 1999.
Driven by so many questions that conventional society leaves unanswered, Jaya found solace and solutions, beyond her wildest dreams, in the classical teachings of Yoga. Leaving a “normal life” far behind, she immersed herself in Yoga, striving for its highest attainment — to change the world by living our true purpose as human beings.
Home-schooled following the Yogic model, Jaya has intensively studied all aspects of Yoga from a very young age, including the formal Yogic practices of asanas and meditation, along with Sanskrit, chanting, and dance, and continues to do so. As the primary teacher and coordinator for the Ashram's Gurukul (school), she designed and ran Yoga programs for children at the Ashram, offsite and in public schools for over a decade.
For the past 5 years, Jaya has been head of Sat Manav's Yoga retreat and outreach event programs. She teaches group and private classes, and speaks throughout New England on the life-changing teachings of classical Yoga.
For the past 23 her ever-growing passion for sharing her extensive knowledge and excitement for Yoga is surpassed only by her passion for living it daily at Sat Manav Yoga Ashram with her Gurus and fellow Yogis.
Details of this retreat
In India, Vasant Panchami marks the turn toward spring, honoring Saraswati—the goddess of wisdom, creativity, and learning. Here in Maine, we are still deep in winter, yet this festival reminds us that even in the cold and quiet, growth is stirring beneath the surface. Saraswati is that force—the wisdom of true nature itself, the clarity that cuts through confusion, and the spark of inspiration that carries us into what is possible.
At Sat Manav Yoga Ashram, Saraswati Puja is not only observed but lived. It is a festival that draws us into motion. Through fire, sound, food, and teaching, we align ourselves with Saraswati’s current—the energy that turns silence into song, chaos into clarity, and waiting into growth.
🌸 Saraswati Puja — an ancient ritual invoking wisdom and clarity for the path ahead
🔥 Fire & Offering — releasing obstacles and calling in light through agni (fire) ceremony
🎶 Sacred Sound — live chanting and music to awaken energy and focus
🍲 Ashram Feast — nourishing vegan food to strengthen and uplift in the heart of winter
✨ Discourse & Reflection — teachings on how Saraswati’s wisdom applies to our modern lives
Yoga teaches that when we change ourselves, we change the world. Every being in nature already lives in harmony with its true nature—trees grow, rivers flow, birds migrate. Only humans have stepped away, forgetting the wisdom that guides life itself. Saraswati represents that wisdom. Through the practices of Yoga—disciplines that purify the body, steady the mind, and awaken clarity—we return to our true nature. And when we do, our lives, and the world around us, begin to realign.
This is more than a celebration—it is a chance to reorient your life at midwinter, to connect with the depth of a living yogic tradition, and to kindle the inner spark that carries you into the year ahead.
Kids welcome! We have sitters available for the morning Yoga Intensive and the afternoon Philosophy Teaching.
For questions, text or call Jaya at 207-578-8227.
Your donation supports our nonprofit work of benefiting all beings through Yoga and meditation. Thank you!