A Summer of Yoga, Satsang and Spiritual Inspiration – Part 1
Summer 2026 with Param Pujya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Sri Avatar Puri Ji – Beginning in Střílky
The summer of 2026 brought a rich series of Yoga in Daily Life programmes with Param Pujya Mahamandaleshwar Sri Swami Avatar Puri Ji, connecting practitioners and families through yoga, satsang, meditation, devotion and community.
The summer journey began at Mahaprabhudeep Ashram in Strilky, Czechia, surrounded by peaceful hills and nature. The retreat welcomed children, beginners, experienced practitioners and older generations, creating an atmosphere where everyone could experience yoga and spiritual practice in their own way.
Cultivating the Inner Light
Opening the retreat, Param Pujya Mahamandaleshwar Sri Swami Avatar Puri Ji spoke about the importance of inner development in a world that often places great emphasis on external and material growth.
“We cannot only grow in the materialistic outer world.”
He reminded participants that the spiritual vibration of satsang does not come only from the physical space of the ashram. It is created by everyone who comes together in prayer, meditation, bhajan (songs) and sadhana (daily practice).
Each person is unique and carries an individual energy field. When people gather with a sincere spiritual intention, this collective energy can strengthen the atmosphere of peace and make the space more luminous.
He compared the effect of satsang, bhajans, meditation and sadhana to ghee (butter oil) when it's offered into a sacred fire – something that gives the fire greater strength and radiance.
The Influence of Satsang
MM Sri Swami Avatar Puri Ji also spoke about the importance of giving children the opportunity to experience a positive spiritual environment.
Even when children may not yet understand the meaning of a mantra or the deeper teachings of yoga, simply being present can have an influence. The vibration of peace, mantra and satsang can become part of their experience and accompany them as they grow.
“It is all in our hands, how we shape it.”
Our inner qualities can also become covered by external circumstances, experiences and habitual patterns. MM Swami Sri Avatar Puri Ji described these as layers of dust or fog that conceal the inner divinity already present within us. Through awareness, these layers can gradually be recognised and removed.
“Speak with awareness, listen with patience.”
Discovering the Strength Within
Spiritual practice is not about becoming someone else. It is about discovering and expressing the qualities that already exist within us.
MM Swami Sri Avatar Puri Ji encouraged participants to recognise their own inner strength, love, compassion and potential. When we develop awareness of our thoughts, attitudes and actions, many possibilities begin to unfold. Yet spiritual knowledge must be accompanied by practice.
The teachings of yoga give us important qualities and tools: titiksha, endurance; viveka, discrimination and discernment; determination, awareness, devotion and faith. But these qualities become meaningful when they are translated into action.
“We need to do the actions, for ourselves to develop. We need to do the actions, for the community to develop. We need to do the actions, for this whole mission of Gurudev to go forward.”
The retreat in Strilky therefore became not only a time for yoga practice, but an opportunity to reflect on how spiritual knowledge can become part of everyday life.
Continue reading: Part 2 of our summer journey takes us to the sacred celebration of Gurupurnima, celebrated in Strilky and at OM Ashram in India.