This ashram acknowledges that yoga pretty much requires abstaining from violence in all parts of…read morelife, including your food. Refreshing. It is a philosophy and spiritual practice, not an exercise technique.
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We met up with a group of friends to try the new cafe, Food4All, and ended up getting an in-depth tour from the ashram's founder. An ashram (in case you don't know) is a residential facility for spiritual learning. This one recently opened in the former BCIU buildings on this land, and oh how lucky the neighborhood is to have this foundation move in. They are making the building sustainable, practice zero-waste techniques, and are surrounding the buildings with organic farms.
The ashram moved to Berks from Toms River NJ and is open to all, for dining, classes, internships, volunteering, and training, even an advanced certification in yoga therapy. YT can be applied to any workplace to help both the employees and leaders as well as the clients/patiehnts/customers. What a good idea for staff training.
The cafe is all-organic and vegetarian, gluten-free, soy-free, mostly vegan actually. We had quiche, pancakes, salad, roasted veggies, and breads in a lovely bright dining area with lots of chai tea (made with coconut milk) and light.
There are some innovative yoga classes here, for example, using swings, but they make it all sound welcoming to beginners. What a glorious use of two old school buildings which have been transformed into an open, bright, spacious retreat with many uses.