Meeting a Monk Who Made Spirituality Feel Like Coming Home, Not Another Chore.

For the longest time, I thought that doing deep inner work meant I had to be serious. Like, monk-on-a-mountain serious. I believed I had to let go of everything fun—no joy, no snacks, no coffee, no dancing—just sit in stillness, meditate, and reflect all day long. That's what it looked like in spiritual books, or those visuals of monks meditating in silence in deep forests and mountains.

And honestly, every time life got messy or people got too overwhelming, I'd think:
"I wish I were a monk. Just me, the trees, and peace. Maybe I'll move to the Indian Himalayas and disappear into a cave until I find my inner peace and elightenment."
(Himalayas, by the way, are sacred in Indian vedic spirituality and considered the home of sages and deep seekers.)

And yes, I was seriously considering becoming some kind of hermit woman at some point of my life, troubled by humanity and the direction we are going.

Now, personally—I've been on my own healing journey for more than a decade.
I've worked with coaches, done somatic therapy, explored energy healing, sat with traditional and indigenous spiritual practices, attended vipassana and have years of meditation practice and various spiritual practices since my late teens. Over the years, I've grown a lot and so I feel comfortable supporting others and facilitating. But deep down, I felt I was ready for someone who could help guide the next layer of that growth—someone who really embodied it.
And honestly? I hadn't met that person yet.

Until last year—when life did its thing. While traveling, I met Swami Yatidharmananda, and everything shifted.

 He's been a monk for over 25 years, and not casually—he comes from a highly respected lineage of the yogic world, where monkhood is earned over years of intense discipline and service and spiritual practices. Basically, he is the real deal. 

 Now, I've always been a little intimidated by monks as they feel super serious. Most I had met in my past were super strict, dogmatic, distant and not relatable. I'm a free-spirited woman who loves to sing, laugh, hug trees, dance, drum, and question the rules.

But  Then life, in its perfectly-timed cosmic humor, introduced me to Swami Yatidharmananda while I was traveling in India last year. So imagine my surprise when...

I came across a lively monk over a drum jamming session in a meditation space..
Yes—an Indian monk, playing an African djembe, a monk from Indian Himalayas, deep in South India, and me travelling from US and witnessing this. This felt like a serendipitous moment. One can't make this up.
We connected instantly—and turns out, he LOVES coffee. Not some fancy ceremonial brew. Just coffee. I was like, Okay, this guy's my kind of monk.

We got talking, and I told him, “Sometimes I just feel like becoming a hermit and moving to the Himalayas.”
And he goes, “Trust me, it's very crowded up there. The Oregon Cascades are quieter.”
That totally cracked me up—and made me realize maybe you don't have to go that far to find your peace.

Later, I confessed something else: “I struggle with waking up early to meditate. I plan it, then don't wake up, and then feel guilty and skip it entirely, what do I do.”

And he asked:
“Do you want to meditate in the morning? Or do you want to meditate?”
I was like, “Uhhh… meditate?”
“Then meditate,” he said. “Morning, afternoon, evening—whenever you're present. Don't make your guilt more important than your practice. Make your practice the priority.”

Lightbulb moment.

I realized I'd been stuck in this guilt loop—telling myself, “If I didn't wake up early, I failed.” But that's not the point. The point is: show up whenever you can—with awareness. That's what counts.

Simple wisdom. So grounding.

One of the things I admire most about him is that he never shies away from speaking about his own wounds, the places where he has struggled, and the ways he continues to grow. So often, teachers are placed on a pedestal, yet he reminds me that vulnerability isn't a weakness—it is part of being deeply human.

He showed me that our shadows aren't something to bury or hide. They are places to meet with honesty, compassion, and awareness. Watching the way he practices, serves, and holds others with such humility and egolessness has completely transformed my understanding of what true service can look like.

The small conversations and getting to watch him being around others teaches me so much. During conversations, a single sentence from him has a way of completely shifting my perspective and staying with me for weeks. Those simple moments have quietly shaped my own growth, helping me move through both life and practice with a little more ease, a little more trust, and a lot more compassion.

I feel incredibly grateful that I get to call him my spiritual mentor.

That's why I decided that if meeting him has given me so much, then my community deserves the opportunity to experience his presence too.With immense gratitude and excitement, I invited him to join us this September, and I couldn't be happier that he said yes. It brings me so much joy to know that all of us will have the chance to learn, practice, ask questions, and simply be in the presence of someone who embodies wisdom with such humility and humanity.

Swami Yatidharmananda is an amazing facilitator of Yoga Nidra, meditation and yogic practices like mantra chanting, pranayama. He's filled with wisdom and his energy is very grounding yet vibrant. He is humble, friendly, non-dogmatic, deeply compassionate and full of stories from his monk life—like your favorite wise grandpa who is a great story-teller, just happens to wear orange robe and play the drum and sing. Bring your questions from life where you fill stuck or would like to grow!