ashram

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ashram

Hindu retreat

Also known as: āśrama

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June 18, 2026

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An ashram is a spiritual retreat, often associated with Hinduism, where individuals engage in practices like yoga and meditation. The term originates from a Sanskrit word meaning "religious exertion".1

In Hinduism, ashrama also refers to the four ideal stages of life: student, householder, forest dweller, and renouncer. While the term ashrama is familiar in English as ashram, it has broadened to include any religious retreat, regardless of denomination. These retreats are often led by a guru, a spiritual teacher who is revered by the residents.12

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ashrama
Ashrama, familiarly spelled ashram in English, has also come to denote a place removed from urban life, where spiritual and yogic disciplines are pursued. Ashrams are often associated with a central teaching figure, a guru, who is the object of adulation by the residents of the ashram. The…
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Ashrama, familiarly spelled ashram in English, has also come to denote a place removed from urban life, where spiritual and yogic disciplines are pursued. Ashrams are often associated with a central teaching figure, a guru, who is the object of adulation by the residents of the ashram. The…
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Mahatma Gandhi
The religious quest
…the precursors of the more-famous ashrams (religious retreats; see ashrama) in India, at Sabarmati near Ahmedabad and at Sevagram near Wardha.
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…the precursors of the more-famous ashrams (religious retreats; see ashrama) in India, at Sabarmati near Ahmedabad and at Sevagram near Wardha.
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monasticism
Quasi-eremitic
…tradition—as well as the small-scale ashrams (religious retreats) of monastic Hinduism since at least 300 bce are best called quasi-eremitic. Similar in function were the semiformal congregations of the early Buddhist monks and nuns, which preceded the establishment of the sangha (monastic order or community). Common elements of quasi-eremitic monasticism…
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…tradition—as well as the small-scale ashrams (religious retreats) of monastic Hinduism since at least 300 bce are best called quasi-eremitic. Similar in function were the semiformal congregations of the early Buddhist monks and nuns, which preceded the establishment of the sangha (monastic order or community). Common elements of quasi-eremitic monasticism…
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Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
…returning to Pune, where his ashram soon grew to 15,000 members.
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…returning to Pune, where his ashram soon grew to 15,000 members.
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