Integral Yoga Centers in USA

• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Florida
• Georgia
• Louisiana
• Missouri
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Washington
• Wisconsin

Arkansas

Ozark Sri Aurobindo Center
P.O. Box 10, Hwy. 43, Ponca, AR 72670

Contact:

870-861-5551

email: olesens@jasper.yournet.com

Features:

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Description:

The Ozark Center is an informal small center that serves as a lending library of Sri Aurobindo's and Mother's works and other books on their Yoga, as well as for small group study of Integral Yoga. It is located in the Ozark Mountains in rural Arkansas near the Buffalo National River. Participants meet four to six times a year (because of geographical distance) to read and discuss selections from major works on the Integral Yoga and collaborate in applying them in their lives. Please contact us for timings of meetings or to visit.

Additional Information:

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California

Center for Integral Education

Contact:

Prapanna Smith or Carla Swan Gerstein 858-268-4828 Fax: 858-268-4828

email: prapanna@earthlink.net or cie@integraleducation.org

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Description:

Founded on April 24, 1998 to create the first integral education school for children in the United States, CIE is making preparations to open its school, the Rainbow Kids Integral School, this year. Since March of 2001, we have been working to lay the foundation for the school in the city of San Diego. We have an excellent team of volunteers that meets twice a month to plan, assign roles and tasks, report on progress, and study integral education philosophy. Solid, well-researched business and marketing plans are in now place, and we have created marketing materials and brochures that are ready for printing. We also have located a possible school site in the education wing of a local Unity Church.

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Cultural Integration Fellowship

Contact:

 

Bina Chaudhuri, (415) 626-2442 (phone or fax)

binac@culturalintegrationfellowship.org

Features:

Book Sales; Cultural Events; Lectures; Meditation Hall; Residential Facility.

Description:

Founded by the late Dr. Haridas Chaudhuri in 1951, CIF draws inspiration from the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother as well as other great prophets of modern India. Basic tenets of CIF are: Universal Religion; Creative Freedom; and Cultural Harmony. Offering lectures, residence facility, musical events, book sales.

Additional Information:

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Events:

The Mother's Birthday Celebrations, February 1996
Sri Aurobindo's Birthday Celebrations, February 1996

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Sri Aurobindo Center of Los Angeles / East-West Cultural Center

Contact:

Debashish Banerji, (310) 375-2966, email: ewcc@earthlink.net
Website: http://www.sriaurobindocenter-la.org

Features:

Book Sales; Cultural Programs; Darshan Gatherings; Educational Programs; Lectures; Library; Reliquary; Study Groups.

Description:

This Sri Aurobindo center in the Los Angeles area was founded in 1953 by Dr. Judith Tyberg, named "Jyotipriya" - Lover of Light -- by Sri Aurobindo. The Center houses the relics of Sri Aurobindo and conducts regular collective studies in the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. It has a book and gift shop, a reference library, a meditation garden utilizing the Mother's flower messages and a meditation hall centered around Sri Aurobindo's relics.

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Events:

Cultural events such as musical concerts, plays, pot-lucks and classes in Indian music and Sanskrit are also conducted. Please see the website for more details. Many projects are underway and the Center aims at an organic growth of its collective life and activities. Donations are always appreciated and welcome. The center prefers that potential donors not make project stipulations unless they have established a direct relationship with the life of the center and its activities.

Official Affiliations:

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Sri Aurobindo Center

Note: The Sri Aurobindo Center located on

Fulton St., Berkeley, CA has closed.

For information about meetings and events in the East Bay and Marin County, CA
please call Kenny Schachat: (510) 845-7960.
E-mail: kennys@netcom.com

Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Peetham

Contact:

Dakshina or Vishnu, Phone: (209)-339-1342, ext. 5
FAX: 209-339-3715
e-mail: sasp@lodinet.com

Features:

Books Sales; Library; Meditation Hall; Residential Facilities; Study Group.

Description:

"The Ashram is a place for those who wish to serve the Divine," said the Mother.
Sri Aurobindo has said, "This Ashram was created with another object than that ordinarily common to such institutions, not for the renunciation of the world but as a centre and a field of practice for the evolution of another kind and form of life which would in the final end be moved by a higher spiritual consciousness and embody a greater life of the spirit."

With these ideals as a basis, collective residential facilities are provided for concentrated sadhana in an ashram-like atmosphere. The Lodi Ashram sits on 3 acres in an agricultural area surrounded by fields and vineyards. There is a main house and a few outbuildings. The community is self-supporting through sales of books, incense and Ayurvedic products. Karma-yoga work exchange programs are offered, and visitors are welcome, though please call in advance to arrange your visit. We host monthly collective yoga retreats, Darshan gatherings, daily meditations, and a weekly study group. We also have an extensive library, host speakers from India, and collaborate with other centers in the region. Though our primary purpose is to maintain a residential community for intensive sadhana of the members, we have an extended family of friends and visitors, especially those who come each month to the retreats, and this aspect of our collective life has become equally important in our work here. Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Peetham is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.

See also separate listing for Auromere Books and Imports, the Ashram-owned business that supports our activities.

Additional Information:

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Events:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday:
Evening meditation from 8:30-9:00 with devotional music/chanting and a reading from the works of Sri Aurobindo or Mother.
Thursday: Evening meditation from 8:30-9:00 with devotional music/chanting and tape of Nolini-da's recitation of "Words of Sri Aurobindo".
Saturday (except 3rd Saturday of the month):
Study Group based on a weekly theme of concentration on various aspects of the yoga. 8:30-9:30 or 10:00 PM
Sunday: Evening meditation with Mother's music and recording of Her reading.
Monthly: On the 3rd Saturday of the month we have a Collective Yoga retreat
from 10:00am to 9:00pm. The day's activities include collective chanting, meditation, karma yoga, pot-luck meals, volley ball, and study group. There is generally a particular theme or focus of the activities on an aspect of the yoga such as: devotion, sincerity, the psychic being, Savitri, silence, aspiration, etc. Children are welcome; often there are special activities for them.
Darshans and other special days:
We always have a special meditation on the following days:
New Year's Eve (midnight--starting at 10:00pm)
February 21st (Mother's Birthday) 8:30 PM
February 29th (Golden Day of Supramental Descent) 8:30 PM
April 24th (Mother's final Arrival in Pondy) 8:30 PM
August 15th (Sri Aurobindo's Birthday) 6:00 am
November 17th (Mother's Mahasamadhi Day) 8:30 PM
November 24th (Siddhi Day) 8:30 PM
December 5th (Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi Day) 8:30 PM
Future plans: There are plans to expand the main building with a large hall on the ground floor that will double as a library and also be used as a dining hall during retreats and large gatherings. A guestroom will also be added on the groundfloor for visitors that have trouble climbing the stairs. Above the hall we plan to add more rooms for resident members. In the far future we plan to replace the old barn with a separate guest facility that will include a large hall, studios, and kitchen on the ground floor and guest rooms above. We also have plans to create a campground and eventually to build a reliquary.
How you can help: We can always use helping hands and there are ample karma yoga opportunities for short and long-term visitors. Substantial funds are also needed for major building projects. Especially at the moment we require an architect who can help design the main house extension.

Official Affiliations:

Auromere Ayurvedic Imports
Auromere Books

AuroSeva Trust, Pondicherry, India

Colorado

Sri Aurobindo Learning Center

Contact:

Seyril Schochen, (719) 256-4917, email:rodhemsell@yahoo.com

Features:

Book Sales; Conferences; Cultural Programs; Darshan Gatherings; Educational Services Lectures; Library; Meditation Hall; Retreats; Study Groups.

Description:

This nonprofit educational foundation was founded in 1986 by Seyril Schochen, a playwright, teacher, and longtime resident of Auroville, in the small mountain community of Crestone, home to a number of religious groups and spiritual traditions. The center hosts regular conferences and events with the purpose of becoming a collaborative center of research for a "living embodiment of an actual human unity." The Savitri House Library is the only source of information on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in the southern part of Colorado. The Learning Center also hosts the Annual Global Village Network Conferences near August 15th, cultural, artistic and educational events, Darshan gatherings, meditations, lectures, book sales, and retreats.
The extent to which sadhana can be collective is very limited in Crestone at present, but it is an ideal environment for small groups that undertake an intensive practice periodically. Our workshops often include study, meditation, dance, theatre, nature walks, and interacting with other centers in the area, during periods of several days at a time, and there are also fairly regular weekly readings and guest speakers.
Future plans: Savitri House and the Savitri Solar Meditation Dome are the first structures in the proposed campus for a "New Education for a New World." An important new project is completion of the Solar Bridge -- using alternative design, construction techniques, and solar energy -- to be used for "hands on" retreats and meeting space. We also aim to develop a retreat center in the mountains for individuals and groups to use for meditation, quiet study of Sri Aurobindo's and Mother's works, and hiking surrounded by nature.

Additional Information:

How you can help: Assistance in completing the Solar Bridge in the form of donations, materials, and physical labor would be gratefully accepted. The Learning Center would like to encourage groups to use the Solar Dome for sacred music and sacred dance performances.
There is an opening for someone to come to Savitri House, live with Seyril, and eventually be in charge of the center in Crestone. Seyril would like for this person to be a woman, and she would need to have independent financial means. The board of trustees wants to see the mission of SALC, which is primarily educational, in support of Auroville and communicating the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, to continue and for the center to eventually offer the possibility of retreats and seminars on a more regular basis. The nature of Crestone - remote, high altitude retreat-type environment- requires that the resident caretaker also be to a considerable extent self-sufficient not only financially but psychologically and socially as well. For more information, please contact Rod at 719-227-0784 or Seyril at 719-256-4917.

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Florida

Integral Knowledge Study Center

Contact:

Rand Hicks, (850) 433-3435
fax: (850) 433-4661

email: randhicks@aol.com
website: www.iksc.org

Features:

Book Sales; Karma Yoga, Lectures; Library; Meditation Hall; Newsletter; Publishing; Residence Facilities; Study Groups.

Description:

The Integral Knowledge Study Center was formed in 1979, when a visit from India by M. P. Pandit and Vasanti Rao brought together a number of seekers into a collective endeavor of study, meditation, and inner growth. The overarching goal of the Center, in harmony with the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, has since been to aid in the discovery of the secret soul of delight that dwells within each person, and to promote the integral perfection of life that can flow from this discovery of authentic being.
A number of activities are sponsored that support this spiritual search, but the core of the Center's collective life is a weekly study group that meets on Sunday evenings. Appropriate books drawn from the extensive literature of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother serve as the focus of these meetings, where probing, positive discussions among the participants enhance clarity and lead into a concluding group meditation. On Wednesday evenings, other collective studies which build up yogic practice are offered to the public. The Center holds two collective meditations each day, one in the morning at 6, the other in the afternoon at 5:30. The four Darshans are marked by special gatherings and programmes in which people from around the country participate.
Among other public offerings are weekend seminars and workshops covering a wide variety of themes relating to spiritual life, the viewing of significant films dealing with the growth of consciousness, and the occasional sponsorship of guest speakers. Private counselling and instruction in meditation are also available for individuals through the Center without charge.
On August 15, 1983, Sri Aurobindo's relics were inaugurated at the Center. It marked the first time that the relics had ever left India for another country. For many seekers in America the relics offer profound significance and continuing inspiration.
The Center also edits and publishes books and newsletters.

Additional Information:

Future plans: Publication of more books, and sponsorship of yoga seminars, etc.
We welcome seekers to our guest house, which has an ample library of
literature and music.

Events:

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Georgia

Aur-ientation Integral Healing Center and Center for Cellular Evolution

Contact:

Call Ariel Browne (770) 662-6881 or (404) 728-9807.

Email: drarielbrowne@hotmail.com

Features:

Study groups, healing, counseling

Description:

The Center represents the Integral Yoga of Mother and Sri Aurobindo in the Atlanta area. For devotees and those who are interested in both the Integral and Cellular Yoga, we have a lending library, hold regular darshan gatherings and special events to explore the teachings and yogic life practice of Mother and Sri Aurobindo. Aur-ientation is a center for non-traditional or complementary healing and research: cellular psychotherapy; clairvoyant sessions with aura-subtle insight; Usui Reiki groups; and pastoral counseling with CELL-TALK--a healing system developed by Dr. Browne as a result of ongoing research into Mother's incredible work with the cells of all matter. Aur-ientation holds workshops and support groups, classes, research seminars in cellular evolution, publishes a newsletter, and holds open-house gatherings.

Additional Information:

Future plans and how you can help: We are focusing on establishing a Sacred Cell Way Center on land near Atlanta, GA where the Integral Yoga is explored and practiced and where every single cell is honored as divine. We pray for guidance to fruition of this vision and help to bring it about. Help is also needed to get a website up and running.
To request a newsletter or visit, contact us via email, telephone or mail. Please, no drop-ins.

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Louisiana

Center for Integral Education

1772 McQuaid Dr.
Baton Rouge, LA 70810

Contact:

Marjorie Kass, 225-768-7116, email: joyline@att.net

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Description:

This is a non-profit organization founded to promote the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and Mother and incorporate them in all levels of our humanity -- spiritual, mental, vital and physical. We welcome visitors to our Saturday morning sessions. Please call for information.
We are endeavoring to form a strong center of consciousness that will attract others.

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Missouri

Integral Life Center

12151 Andrew Sapp Rd.
Ashland, MO 65010

Contact:

Kate Walker

Phone: 573-657-9277
email integrallife1976@yahoo.com

Description:

The Integral Life Center was founded in the 1970s by Madhav Pandit, Sri Aurobindo's and Mother's personal secretary for over 40 years. We hold meetings every Monday at 7:00 pm and take up various works of Sri Aurobindo for study. We also gather on Darshan days, have a library, and sell books and incense. One member of the group does Reiki and healing work, and another occasionally teaches Hatha Yoga and gives talks and provides services to people interested in learning more about the Integral Yoga. Please call for directions and information.

New Hampshire

Merriam Hill Education Center

Contact:

Call (603) 878-1818 for information.

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Description:

A nonprofit organization established for the study of wisdom and community, providing opportunities for adults to increase their sense of interconnectedness with others and the environment through education. Located on 54 acres in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire, MHC offers comfortable accommodations in a renovated farmhouse and barn surrounded by woods. Facility available for use by other educational organizations and individuals.

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New Jersey

Sri Aurobindo Center

Contact:

Dushyant Desai, (201) 748-0639

Features:

Darshan Gatherings; Library; Meditation Hall.

Description:

Works closely with groups in New York; provides an opportunity for the local community to gather for discussion, fellowship, and devotion in the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Often hosts guests from the Pondicherry Ashram.

Additional Information:

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Sri Aurobindo Yoga Foundation of North America

Contact:

Jagdish Vyas, 732-772-0864, email: viveksinha@aol.com

Features:

Darshan Gatherings; Library; Meditation Hall.

Description:

The aim of the Sri Aurobindo Yoga Foundation is to be a place for individual and collective transformation through Integral Yoga, as well as to disseminate knowledge of the work and teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, their Ashram in Pondicherry, India and Auroville. We have been active in the Tri-State Area of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania since 1999. We share books and artifacts from the Ashram, Auroville and other centers, and arrange for gatherings, lectures, and celebration of Darshan and other significant days. We also participate in activities of other Sri Aurobindo groups, and aspire to develop an Integral Yoga Center with residential facilities, library and meditation hall.

Additional Information:

Future plans: We plan to hold study groups in Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's works on a regular basis, and it is proposed to hold diferent monthly forums for special interest groups and to arrange presentations by specialists in different areas of our interests. Classes will also be conducted in Indian and Western music and dance. It is also proposed to set-up a sales center for books, incense and other items produced by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry and Auroville. We also have plans to open a kid's corner for children and a Youth Forum for the young.
How you can help: We solicit your co-operation and help in building such an institution which requires its own premises that can house all the necessary facilities. We wish to raise as seed money for this project an amount of $1 million by initially collecting a contribution of $10,000 from 100 of our well wishers in the U.S. Smaller contributions will also be most gratefully received.

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New York

Matagiri

Contact:

Sam or Eric, (845) 679-8322, email: matagiri@aol.com
Julian or Wendy, (845) 679-5358, email: jhl@aol.com

Features:

Book Sales; Guest Facilities; Library; Meditation Hall.

Description:

Matagiri was founded in 1968 as a center dedicated to the spiritual work and vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Nestled in the Catskills, it consists of a main house where founders Sam Spanier and Eric Hughes live clustered with other small buildings: a meditation room, a recently renovated library, a gallery and a bookstore with many used and out-of-print editions.
A weekly meditation open to the public is held Thursday evenings at 7 pm. Anyone calling Sam or Eric between 8 am and 5 pm in advance is welcome to use the library and meditation room. There are also a number of special Darshan days which are observed throughout the year as well as special lectures and cultural events and karma yoga days.
Trustees, Julian and Wendy Lines, live across the street where Wendy teaches Hatha Yoga at Matagiri Studio. They own a shop in the village of Woodstock called "Pondicherry" (845-679-2926) and import from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville. Julian is also on the Board of Auroville International USA and runs the Auroville Information Office, an East Coast branch of AVIUSA (www.aviusa.org).
While there are presently limited overnight accommodations at Matagiri, we can provide a list of local motels and B&Bs.

Additional Information:

On-going and future plans: The Matagiri nonprofit organization is in the process of taking title to the property, currently under the stewardship of the Foundation for World Education. We are establishing a Maintenance Fund of $75,000 to yield an income to pay for the running expenses and repairs to the existing facilities. This fund will also provide additional landscaping to further beautify the land. Once the land is secure, we have plans to expand the facilities including a new meditation room, a community center and guest rooms and cabins. We hope more devotees will be eventually be able to visit Mother's Mountain for longer stays.
How you can help: We are in need of an additional $10,000 to complete our funding.

Events:

Please see the Matagiri events page

Official Affiliations:

Foundation for World Education

Pennsylvania

Auroville/American Research for Yogic Action (AARYA)

2401 Ionoff Rd.
Harrisburg, PA 17110

Contact:

Hema and Naren Bhatt, 717-652-7750, email: aarya1@juno.com

Features:

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Description:

Started in 1969 as one of the first Friends of Auroville in India, our center merged with Sri Aurobindo's Action, and has flourished in America as a Sri Aurobindo yoga circle for study, research and action in collaboration with Auroville, Sri Aurobindo Ashram and other Sri Aurobindo centers around the world. We provide a good library and help members visit Auroville, the Ashram, and other centers in India and the U.S. We also help to support the construction of Matrimandir and other projects at Auroville, including purchase of land, solar energy development, water resources, etc.

Additional Information:

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South Carolina

Sri Aurobindo Center South East, Inc.

Contact:

Raman (R.P.) Rama, CHA
Phone 864-232-9944 Ext.201
Fax 864-232-3627
Email: rprama@jhmhotels.com

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Description:

This non-profit organization was founded in 1993 to provide an opportunity for group meditations and Darshan gatherings, to learn and exchange knowledge and experiences of Sri Aurobindo and Mother's grace and powers, and to establish a permanent study group so as to be a part of Mother's extended family of centers. Other purposes include promotion of religious and cultural understanding based on peace, love, justice, truth and harmony and to promote friendship and goodwill among people of all religions. The center offers Darshan services, regular meditation, residence facilities, book sales, and publication of a newsletter. The center plans to acquire land and construct a larger building with meditation hall, library, and accommodations with dining hall and conference room.

Additional Information:

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Texas

Center of Harmonies

3308 Norwich Dr.
Richardson, TX 75082
972-235-1515

Contact:

Arun, Bharati, Pavitra, or Vaishali Amin
email: arun_amin@hotmail.com

Features:

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Description:

The center offers meditations on Darshan days and when out-of-town devotees visit.
Activities include: 1) Talks on Sri Aurobindo's yoga; 2) Satsangs, yoga and meditation seminars conducted at the center and other institutions by Arun & Bharati Amin; 3) Publishing related books, audios, and videos with Om Music and Yoga-Bharati.
The center continues to contribute funds to Matrimandir, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, and Dipti Trust in Pondicherry. We also sponsor free distribution of the books of Sri Aurobindo and Mother to libraries, universities and other institutions.

Additional Information:

Future plans: We plan to start a non-profit trust in India.
How you can help: We would appreciate help in setting-up a website. Also we would value advice on how to export books, CD's, and videos to Pondicherry.

Events:

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Washington

Lotus Center

Contact:

Ron Jorgenson, (360) 825-3413

Features:

Book Sales; Darshan Services; Lectures; Library; Meditation Hall; Musical and Cultural Events; Retreats; Workshops.

Description:

Founded in 1979 by the visit of Sri M.P. Pandit, the group has continued to meet once a week on Sundays. Our purpose is to further the development of yoga in all members and to nourish the spiritual aspiration of visitors toward a first radiant goal of individual realization of the Divine and then a group realization or a group soul. The center offers regular meditation, lectures by occasional visiting speakers and home-grown informal talks on Darsan days. The center has a meditation hall, library, workshops, retreats, musical and cultural events. We welcome communication and help anyone is moved to offer. And of course visitors are most welcome.

Additional Information:

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Wisconsin

Wilmot Center/Institute for Wholistic Education

3425 Patzke Lane
Racine, WI 53405
262 619 1798
USA

Contact:

Santosh Krinsky, 262 619 1798
FAX: 262-889-8591
email: santosh@lotuspress.com
http://www.lotuspress.com

Features:

Darshan Services; Book Sales; Educational Programs; Library; Meditation Hall.

Description:

First organized in 1981, the center maintains a meditation hall and is a gathering place for devotees and sadhaks of the yoga. Offering Darshan services, meditations, an extensive library of the world's wisdom literature, book & other sales and educational programs. Wilmot Center operates through several departments to carry out its varying activities. Primary among these:
The Institute for Wholistic Education, a not for profit corporation. The Institute maintains an extensive library of more than 6000 volumes as well as sponsors various correspondence courses, with particular emphasis on Ayurveda and alternative health. The Institute also helps provide funding to various projects related to the work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and provides a tax-deductible opportunity for donors who seek to aid in these projects while having a tax savings. The Institute provides its operative functioning on a volunteer basis, thus enabling a full 100% of all donations to be channeled to the projects earmarked by the donor, with no money withheld by the Institute for its own operations whatsoever.
Wilmot Center hosts visitors from around the world frequently and has limited guest facilities. Meditation and study readings are part of the activities, as well as "one on one" meetings with interested individuals. The library remains a major attraction for visitors as well. The Institute is currently focusing on developing systematic "study guides" to the major writings of Sri Aurobindo.
The Institute publishes and distributes books by Sri Aurobindo and other authors, and imports and distributes incense and thousands of products in the field of alternative health, wellness and spirituality.

Additional Information:

Future plans: We are working on developing extensive information about the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother to be posted as PDF files for free dissemination or download on the internet. This will also eventually include the study guides and outlines currently in preparation.
How you can help:
1. Donations (fully tax deductible 501(c)3 organization)
2. Database work to complete computerization of the Institute Library
3. Writing Study Guides and outlines
4. Website development assistance

Events:

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Official Affiliations:

Institute for Wholistic Education

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Last modified on 23 Oct 2005