Our History
Kula Kamala Yoga & Kula Kamala Foundation took root in 2007 in Lakehurst, New Jersey, as a result of the healing vision and dedication of Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati (then Sharon Allitt).
The Kula Kamala Ashram was developed in 2015 by both Swaminiji and her late husband, Ed Ramachandra Allitt. Together, they purchased an old schoolhouse located in Reading, Pennsylvania, built in 1932, and repurposed the property into the space you see today, a sacred space where community, health, wellness, unity, and goodness can thrive.
Ramachandra left this earthly realm on November 23, 2018. Swaminiji continues to build and expand on both her and Ramachandra’s shared vision of service toward a world where simple goodness, kindness, and spiritual upliftedness have a place and a purpose for everyone.
Since 2015, Kula Kamala Ashram has hosted yoga teacher trainings, retreats, conferences, festivals, and numerous other events where the community has and continues to gather to be uplifted, to heal, and to learn more about their individual and communal paths to greater health, more profound happiness, and freedom from unnecessary suffering.
Wisdom talks, brunch, and various yoga and meditation classes are offered according to Swamini’s travel schedule. Swamini offers satsang and chanting/kirtan programs at a variety of locations and also hosts international retreats in India and Ireland.
Our Mission
Kula Kamala Foundation, a 501c3, serves the local and global community in order to uplift all beings away from unnecessary suffering and toward greater health, happiness, self-awareness, and holism. We are dedicated to walking the path of universal spirituality by means of teaching peace, unity, compassion, non-violence, and service. Our foundational principles are expressed through the wisdom and practices of Yoga.
Kula Kamala Foundation is organized specifically and exclusively for charitable, scientific and educational purposes.
Ethical Guidelines
Staff, faculty, students, and visitors are asked to humbly abide by the intentionality of the Yamas and Niyamas during their time with us. These are the ten ethics of Yoga, which are valuable guides to a happier, healthier life, no matter one’s tradition, condition, or upbringing. They include: Non-violence, non-stealing, truthfulness, economy of energy, non-grasping, cleanliness, contentment, compassionate discipline, self-study, and devotion.
The Yamas and Niyamas empower honoring truth, acting from kindness, speaking with compassion, avoiding harmful words and deeds, living simply and avoiding indulgences, practicing charity and discipline, engaging in self-study, avoiding judgmental tendencies, acknowledging the inherent beauty of the overall picture before making assessments, enhancing harmony, embracing self-reflection and self-correction, and living toward a greater spiritual freedom.