Order your copy of The Hridaya Cookbook! Explore this collection of plant-based recipes from our centers, and bring presence and intention to every meal.
Order your copy of The Hridaya Cookbook! Explore this collection of plant-based recipes from our centers, and bring presence and intention to every meal.
“Of what use would it be to know everything else except about the subject to whom all knowledge relates?”
–Ramana Maharshi
“Of what use would it be to know everything else except about the subject to whom all knowledge relates?”
–Ramana Maharshi
Hridaya was born from a deep yearning to share the message of the Heart with the world. At our centers, we offer non-dual teachings through silent meditation retreats, yoga modules, workshops, and a vibrant community dedicated to living with an open heart. We aim to help you connect with the inner Self and embrace a life of love, freedom, and joy.
As a non-profit organization, we share these teachings in the spirit of selfless service. While certain costs are necessary to sustain our centers, we’re committed to accessibility through scholarships, donation-based courses, volunteer programs, and free events, ensuring that financial circumstances are not a barrier.
The main founder of Hridaya Yoga, Sahajananda is a meditation and Hatha Yoga teacher with over 40 years of experience. His message conveys the non-dual Tantric teachings. An engineer in electronics by education, Sahajananda started practicing yoga and meditation in 1981, the year in which yoga was banned in Communist Romania.
1998
While in a solitary cave retreat in Romania, Sahajananda experiences the profound shift in consciousness that will later inspire him to share the Hridaya teachings.
2001
After stabilizing in non-dual awareness, Sahaja begins leading silent meditation retreats for Self-revelation with large groups in Romania.
2007
Sahaja leads the first Retreat for the Revelation of the Spiritual Heart in Thailand, bringing the teachings to an international audience.
He also begins sharing the Retreat at Kamala Center (founded in 1995; now Hridaya Romania), where they have continued regularly ever since.
2008
After years of sharing retreats and refining the vision, Sahaja (supported by Simona Trandafir) synthesizes the teachings as Hridaya Yoga, defining the core principles, practices, and approach.
Hridaya Yoga courses begin at Kamala Center (Hridaya Romania), where this shift blossoms naturally.
2011
Sahaja (supported by Antoaneta Gotea) designs and shares the first Hridaya Teacher Training Course (HTTC) in Thailand. This 500-hour program invites participants to open to a lifetime of spiritual exploration and prepares them to teach meditation and Hatha Yoga following the Hridaya Vision.
2012
The yearning for a full-time home for the growing Hridaya Community is fulfilled when Maribel González Tato, a participant in the first HTTC, invites us to take over her oceanside yoga center in Mazunte, Oaxaca, Mexico. An inspired group of teachers and Karma Yogis work to prepare the center, and, in February, Sahaja leads his first 10-Day Hridaya Silent Meditation Retreat in Mexico. A vibrant community life develops in Mazunte, and an ongoing program of retreats, courses, and workshops is offered.
2013
After doing multiple 10- and 17-Day Retreats, many students share a longing to go deeper in silence and seclusion, just as Sahaja experienced in his cave retreats. This inspiration leads us to launch the 49-Day Pratyabhijna Retreat, our annual long-term retreat in solitude.
2014
In March, our signature Hatha Yoga retreat, the Module 1 Intensive, debuts. This 3-week course is an artful blend of practice, theory, and philosophy, offering a holistic experience of authentic yoga.
Module 1 is the foundation of the Hridaya Yoga Retreats, a comprehensive system that guides students from yogic fundamentals to advanced esoteric practices. This journey currently includes eight modules, introduced over several years: Module 2 (2014), Module 3 (2015), Module 4 (2015), Module 5 (2016), Module 6 (2017), Module 7 (2021), and Module 8 (2023).
2015
Delighting their many long-term students, Kamala Center (Hridaya Romania) shares the first 200-hour Hridaya Teacher Training Course in Romanian. A 300-hour course follows in 2022.
2017
After a yearslong search for another home in Europe, we purchase the Château de Longeval, a castle on 7 hectares of land in the beautiful Beaujolais countryside. A successful crowdfunding campaign yields almost €50,000, and we begin a loving restoration, supported by many dedicated Karma Yogis.
2018
On July 5, Longeval’s doors open, welcoming all with a full calendar of courses and community events. Both new and old students appreciate the serene, ashram-like environment nestled in the forest.
With the opening of Hridaya France comes the debut of a new core program, the Yoga and Meditation Discovery Weekend. Offered in French, this course is a short but immersive taste of the Hridaya approach to meditation, Hatha Yoga, and mindful living.
2020
The pandemic lockdowns of 2020 present the unexpected opportunity to take our offerings online, and we debut the first At-Home Hridaya Silent Meditation Retreats, sharing the teachings in events in English, Spanish, French, and Italian.
The year also sees us expanding our audience for the Hridaya Yoga Retreats, with the Module 1 Intensive debuting in French in June and in Spanish in August. We add Module 2 in Spanish in 2023 and in French in 2024.
2021
After renting it for many years, we are able to purchase Einstein, our secondary location in Mazunte. Currently housing our team of Karma Yogis, this center, once fully developed, will allow us to offer more students a residential retreat experience.
This year also sees the debut of the Yoga and Meditation Discovery Weekend in Spanish, sharing the teachings with the Mexican community.
2022
Hridaya France purchases:
Both centers will support more students’ journeys back to the Heart.
Hridaya Mexico is in the middle of a construction project when Hurricane Agatha hits at the end of June. Generous donors provide over $60,000 USD to repair the center and support local community development projects.
2024
Designed to help students seamlessly weave everyday life into the deep wisdom and transformative insights they experience during silent meditation retreats, a new core offering, From Retreat to Daily Life, debuts in November.
2025
Awakening Love Within, a 5-day silent meditation retreat, debuts, inviting everyone to reveal their heart’s True Nature through Love and Compassion.
Hridaya is deeply rooted in ancient traditions and enriched by the profound insights of sages throughout history. It offers a path of inner discovery, blending timeless teachings with a direct experience of the Heart. Explore the teachings by clicking on a title below, and immerse yourself in non-dual wisdom.
France
MEXICO
2012
Vibrant oceanside setting
English and Spanish
ROMANIA
2007
Intimate, devotional environment
Romanian and English
Hridaya is a space for connecting with your innermost Self—the Heart. Our centers are authentic spiritual communities where daily life naturally flows from the awareness of the Self, providing an environment that supports and deepens the experience of Truth. We aspire to be a sanctuary for those with a sincere longing to practice, learn, and evolve alongside fellow seekers on a shared path of Self-discovery and spiritual growth.
Embracing Your Unique Aspiration, Creativity, and Spontaneity
Hridaya Yoga is open to all, regardless of age, physical condition, or prior experience with yoga and meditation. In our classes, you will be guided to connect with your inner wisdom, allowing you to directly experience the truth of the teachings. We honor the individuality of each student, ensuring that whether you’re just beginning your exploration or have been on the spiritual path for decades, you’ll find a welcoming home with us.
With experiential knowledge and profound training in the Hridaya teachings, each of our teachers brings a unique and enriching perspective to help students connect with their innermost Self.
Offering a blend of respect, compassion, and clarity, our teachers will accompany you on your path, sharing practical and spiritual tools to cultivate inner peace and transformation.
At Hridaya, yoga is a pathway to reconnect with the Heart and embrace the freedom that lies within, guided by the dedication and love of our teachers.
Love meditation, teach what you love, become what you love.
This simple affirmation is the essence of the Hridaya meditation and yoga teacher training journey. It’s an invitation to open yourself to a lifetime of spiritual exploration and accomplishment, directly experience the power of meditation, and integrate this wisdom in daily life—becoming a living embodiment of the teachings.
Over the 12 weeks of the Hridaya Teacher Training Course (HTTC), daily asana practice, meditation, and theoretical teachings will initiate you in the art of meditation, the contemplative approach to Hatha Yoga, and the non-dual vision. This intensive framework will support you in discerning the subtleties of these profound teachings. You’ll experience a blossoming of awareness and gain the skills you need to make these teachings come alive for others. And, the bonds you forge in the community will sustain and inspire you long after the program is over.
Join us for this 500-hour Yoga Alliance-registered meditation and yoga teacher training. Fall in love with meditation. Gain deep insight into the nature of the Self. Recognize love-awareness as your essence. Feel confident sharing the path of meditation as a way of life.
Practicing the Yoga of Action, Karma Yoga, at Hridaya offers a profound opportunity to deepen your spiritual practice while fully immersing yourself in our community. You’ll be invited to participate in yoga and meditation sessions, support our internal operations, and engage in our active community life while learning to act from a space of awareness, detachment, and love.
This approach turns every action into a meaningful opportunity for presence and spiritual growth. By releasing attachment to results, Karma Yoga encourages offering your efforts as a heartfelt service to others and to existence itself, creating a bridge between formal practice and everyday life—a foundation for conscious living.
Certified Hridaya teachers present a wide range of offerings around the world. Through silent meditation retreats, workshops, Hatha Yoga classes, and more, they share the depth and authenticity of the non-dual teachings.
These programs invite you to delve into Heart-centered practices and embrace profound moments of Self-discovery. Whether close to home or in distant, inspiring locations, our global events offer a pathway to a life filled with presence, love, and spiritual awakening.
We celebrate the lives and legacies of beloved members of our sangha who have transcended.
Their presence left an indelible mark on our community, reminding us of the profound connection we share as an expression of the One. Though their physical forms are no longer with us, their light and love continue to radiate in the sacred space of Hridaya.
With gratitude and reverence, we hold them in our meditations, practices, and hearts. May their journey into the Infinite be filled with peace, and may their spirit continue to inspire us to deepen into the mystery of existence.
Alix Angelelli (1990–2024)
Beloved sangha,
On September 23, 2024, a gentle soul, our dearest Alix Angelelli, took flight from this world, leaving behind the grace of her precious, unforgettable fragrance of love, beauty, and purity.
Those who had the chance to meet her know that there are no words to describe her gentleness, wisdom, joy, dedication to Truth, love, and tenderness. While her body succumbed to dengue fever and the delicate thread of life was broken, her exquisite soul is now carried on the wings of Light.
She came to touch us—a gift from the Beloved, carrying within her the divine taste of the eternal, rasa, like a gentle breeze that moves through the trees, caressing everything yet belonging to nothing. Her light, love, and boundless kindness will remain, forever sealed in our hearts.
With sorrow, reverence, stillness, and love, we acknowledge her soul’s departure. Alix, you will remain a model for us, a luminous presence so tender and wise, with great depth and humility. You loved long silent retreats in solitude, and when you came back to us you offered the radiance of your presence, ready to help and serve others. You walked the path of the Heart with quiet strength, grace, and radiant devotion.
For 49 days, we were with Alix, offering to her soul the light of our gratitude and the wings of our prayers. We feel and trust that love knows no separation. We whispered:
Alix, beloved, we are with you. Remember the perfection that you are. Ask “Who am I?” and release all that may still bind you to this world. Surrender into the arms of the Divine, for you are the Light, and the Light is your true home. Dissolve into the ocean of Love from which you came.
Our hearts were as one, in prayers and blessings for Alix.
May her soul be free! May she return into the Light, the boundless Light she devoted her life to! Let her know she was and is always loved by us!
With Love,
Sahajananda
Join our local WhatsApp groups and stay connected with members of our sangha in your area! These groups are a space to share inspiration, support each other’s practice, and stay informed about local events, workshops, and gatherings.
Whether you’re looking for meditation partners, updates on yoga classes, or simply a sense of community, these groups are here to keep the Hridaya spirit alive wherever you are.
Click the link below to join your local group and become part of the conversation:
Let’s walk the path of the Heart together!
We understand that embarking on the Hridaya path may bring many questions, and we’re here to support you. You’ll find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about our teachings, practices, retreats, and community at the link below.
Whether you’re curious about what to expect in a retreat, the essence of our philosophy, or practical details, this guide is designed to provide clarity and guidance.
If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, feel free to reach out to us directly—we’re always happy to assist you on your journey.
Our practice centers on Self-Inquiry, asking the wonderment-question “Who am I?” as a path to Awareness.
Hridaya Hatha Yoga provides a beautiful synthesis of asanas, chakra activation, pranayama, meditation, and more.
Our workshops explore inspiring spiritual topics in a practical and accessible way. They're sure to kindle your enthusiasm.
Read More Personal Reviews On:
100+ Reviews
100+ Reviews
Read More Personal Reviews On:
100+ Reviews
Whatever you call it, it’s that which calls you to look within.
Sign up for the Hridaya Newsletter to enliven your routine with exclusive, inspiring content that encourages you on the spiritual path.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
