Baxter Bell Yoga
February 2026 Newsletter
Special Retreat Issue:
Another Chance for You to Join Me at an Actual Ashram in April! |
 About one year ago, I penned the special newsletter below to all of you about my impending first visit to the Sivananda Ashram in the Bahamas. (Definitely take a read over it, as it contains lots of interesting and useful info.)
I am writing you again, as I am fortunate to be returning to the Ashram on Paradise Island from April 24-26, 2026. And this time, I can share with you my personal experiences from that initial visit in 2025.
Just a short boat ride across an ocean channel between Nassau and Paradise Island is a thin slice of jungley land that is home to this special place. Arriving by boat, as I stepped onto the dock, it felt as if I was passing through a peaceful portal, even with views of a large cruise ship over my shoulder. The property is forested with local trees and vegetation that adds to the quiet, serene feel of the ashram, and small paths lead you through to open air yoga decks, the large meeting hall and the outdoor dining areas near the kitchen, where the smells of delicious vegetarian food wafts through the air near meal times. The ocean-facing yoga deck looks out onto the vast turquoise waters of the Caribbean Ocean, and gentle ocean breezes kept me cool on the days I joined the yoga classes led by the Ashram’s teachers.
 Days began and ended with a community gathering for Satsang, with yoga chanting and talks by the Ashram’s senior teachers and visiting teachers such as me. Particularly special were the 2 mornings when the Satsang was held on the beach. After a quiet walk along the island’s shoreline to a special spot, we settled into the sand, chanting as the sun came up, with a little violin backup from my violin.
The vegetarian food was tasty, flavorful and filling. The community of devotees were welcoming and helpful to both me and the other visitors I observed them interacting with. My lodgings were simple, clean and perfect for a few days of dropping into the yogic lifestyle.
My theme for my evening talk and my 2 mid-day workshop classes this year will be the Newest News in Yoga for Healthy Aging, with some exciting new findings on the impact of our yogic practices on longevity. And those interested in the Ashram’s yoga teacher training program will also have 4 sessions with me looking at anatomy and modern yoga.
Even though my official program is just a few days long, if you decide to join me, I strongly encourage you to consider arriving a few days early and or adding a few days after my program to give yourself the time to really settle in to the unique experience that is this special place!
Namaste,
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From 2025:
What’s an Ashram? Why Join Me at One?
Earlier this year, I got an email from a colleague of mine who started helping an ashram located in the Bahamas bring teachers in for workshops. She wondered if I’d be willing to travel across the country and head out into the Caribbean to Paradise Island, home of the Sivananda Ashram. It was her opinion that my work around Yoga for Healthy Aging would fit in nicely with people who travel from around the world to this idyllic spot to spend a few days actually living a yogic lifestyle.
My only previous experience with an “ashram” occurred during a yoga adventure trip l led to India in 2015. It was during a visit to the famous spiritual city of Rishikesh in India, nestled on the banks of the Ganges River a
My only previous experience with an “ashram”
occurred during a yoga adventure trip l led to India in 2015. It was
during a visit to the famous spiritual city of Rishikesh in India,
nestled on the banks of the Ganges River as it pours out of the
Himalayan Mountains. We visited an ashram for the afternoon, enjoying the peaceful grounds and an enlightening
talk by the guru about many things yogic. It was a short visit, but
memorable, and it left me with the impression of a place where I’d like
to spend more time.
So, what, you may be wondering, is an ashram?
The Oxford Language Dictionary defines it as
“a hermitage, monastic
community, or other place of religious retreat.” The Merriam-Webster
Dictionary adds “a secluded dwelling of a Hindu sage”. Originating in
India thousands of years ago, in addition to Hindu spiritual groups,
there have been other traditions that have established similar spiritual
retreats, such as Buddhism and Christianity. Historically, they have
been in more secluded locations removed from the rest of society, and
often in natural settings, such as forests, mountains, or as in my March
retreat, near the ocean!
According to Yogapedia “Usually representing a return to a simpler
way of living with a focus on awakening and finding meaning in life,”
modern ashrams in the
West can be found around the US and Canada, and often focus on the
practices of the Yoga tradition. The founder of yoga lineage of this
Caribbean ashram was
Swami Sivananada, who lived and taught in India, but sent his disciple
Swami Vishnudevananda in 1957 to the US to share his teachings on yoga
with the West. Turns out my wife Melina did her first yoga teacher
training in 1995 at a Sivananda ashram in Uruguay! And there is a longstanding Sivananda Center in San
Francisco a short distance from my home in Oakland, as well as a
Sivananda ashram about 2 hours east in the town of Grass Valley.
So that brings us back to the question:
“Why join me at the Sivananda Ashram in the Bahamas?”
According to my colleague, it is a magical location, not only rich
in natural beauty, but also with a unique calming, peaceful energy
that
seems to pervade the ashram.
The settings for yoga and group gatherings are open air, often with
stunning views of the turquoise waters of the ocean. In addition to my
daytime yoga sessions and evening talks, you will have access to
morning
and late afternoon yoga sessions taught by the ashram’s teachers, 2 vegetarian meals a day, an evening gathering called Satsang, for meditation, kirtan and more. And of course, the ashram is on the beach where you can enjoy the calm warm ocean for swimming and relaxing!
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OTHER RETREAT UPDATES:
Nature, Yoga, Creativity
May 3-6, 2026
We only have 4 spots left for this unique adventure to one of the most stunning areas of natural beauty on the planet!
Sept.27-Oct 3, 2026
Join me and Melina for yet another unforgettable yoga adventure this Fall. Don’t wait to register, as these unique trips sell out fast (we had to turn folks away for our 2025 Dolomites trip). We were sold out, but managed to get 2 more rooms for this special Yoga adventure on the lovely Sicilian coast. Grab one before they are gone!
• For upcoming workshops and classes, visit my website! • Interested in a one-on-one yoga therapy session, In Person or via Zoom?
Email me at baxter@baxterbell.com for more details! (or simply reply to this email) • Special treat for you, for making it all the way to the end of this newsletter!
Enjoy this archived Yoga for Back Health & Conditioning Class recording through March 1st, 2026! Watch and practice here. |
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Serenity & Adventure in Sicily Yoga Adventure
