Saturday, October 22, 2011

Wwoofing at the Krishna Temple

GardentempleEvery so often we update the latest comments from Wwoofers (World Wide Opportunities for Organic Farming) who have sojourned at the Krishna Temple. If you've read these posts before, best to start at the bottom, with Yelena and Dan, the most recent, and work your way backwards up the list. Though the irrigation lines are being rolled up and stored for the winter, and the freezers and storage areas are full of produce which has been frozen or canned, we are still getting a lot of applications from interested young people for the winter. Under the leadership of Randy Gordon, the Salt Lake Temple will be home to another big gardening project of 3/4 acres next spring.

Comments

12/24/2010 9:39:26 AM by sbrooney87
Really a great experience! Awesome! I came in december when when one wouldn't expect there to be a lot of learning and work to be done outside but there was. Activities went form building a cold frame, to mulching carrots to helping pull a fountain out of ice with a person scooting in a boat.
The hospitality and community were also about as good as you can expect. Immediately I was treated like a family member. They were so receptive to teach my about their faith but were not preachy or intrusive about it in the slightest. It was also very relaxing, probably due partly to the yoga and meditation. I can just imagine what it would be like in the growing season, with the one-two punch of agriculture and mountains all around, and then religious practices and yoga. Truly a unique experience.

1/18/2011 11:20:19 AM by keithmak
Definitely a UNIQUE & different experience from the usual wwoof host. My girlfriend and I were a bit worried about finding hosts during the Christmas / New Years holiday but Caru and the Krishna Community welcomed us with open arms. We have been here for three weeks and counting.
This is a community of Hare Krishna devotees living and serving at the temple.
Everyone we met has warmly recieved us like family. The living accomodation is luxurious and the building & surroundings beautiful.
They were glad to share with us their religion, but never forced it upon us. Although we do not share the same beliefs, we were never put into any uncomfortable situations.
Although it was the winter season, we still spent time outdoors helping mainly with the llamas. Also, we spent lots of time in the kitchen helping with their daily vegetarian buffet. Indeed, you will NEVER go hungry here as the buffet is always open. The work is very flexible & reasonable with the opportunity to work on the jobs that most interest you.
We are really enjoying our time here and had our all expectations met. They are upstanding and genuinely caring wwoof hosts. You are bound to have a positive experience if you decide to visit.
Wwoofing during the growing season must be very interesting. With the opportunity to grow & cook food from the gardens + the hiking trails, mountains, and hot springs around.

Unique Opportunities:
- Daily Meditation, Chanting, Hare Krishna philosophy classes, yoga.
- Learning about Indian culture, dress, and cooking!
VanSquash



1/25/2011 4:12:22 PM by Anonymous
I stayed at the Krishna temple for a week in January 2011. I found the community so embracing and inspiring it immediately felt like I'd joined a new family. The temple offers a wonderful opportunity to experience another culture and I highly recommend immersing yourself in the lifestyle--learn to cook Indian entrées and join evening yoga, meditation and chanting groups. The mountain scenery is fantastic and I hope to visit again in the summer time when the garden is growing and the llamas are heading out with hikers.

3/3/2011 4:23:00 PM by leviduke
I would nearly go as far as saying that my life would never have been complete without a stop here. My accommodations were top-notch (especially the food), but that's secondary. A stay at this Hare Krishna temple is almost like a retreat to perfect soul body and mind. If you choose, you can learn yoga, cooking, meditation, and about the vedic texts and spirituality in general. What keeps the pulse here beating so strongly is the familial community of interesting, caring, spiritual devotees, which you will quickly find yourself a part of if you are respectful and helpful.

Sunflower4/20/2011 10:01:02 PM by Kyoko
I've been staying at Krishna temple for 2 weeks and few days. I had a wonderful experience there. I had been many kind of farm before(Canada,UK,the US),and I wanted to do something diferrent,and I chose this place. They have many kind of event. The most interesting event was Yoga Retreat for me. We went to hicking with Llamas. And the landscap is so wondeful! It likes that someone drew the picture. I had a nice company there. Everyone is kind and tought correct english for me. Oh, I forgot to say the most important thing. The food is amazing!!!!! I already miss that food. Thank you everyone!

6/3/2011 12:19:13 PM by nmangili
My boyfriend and I stayed one week at the Temple and had a great time! Everyone was very personable and welcoming. No one was to preachy or pushy about their beliefs. The buffet was available from lunch to dinner, yoga throughout the week, what else could you ask for? We'd recommend trying morning or evening Aarti and definitely the Sunday feast. Vai and Charu are wonderful people. Would absolutely make the trek back for Holic/the Festival of Colors.

6/16/2011 4:49:49 AM by antowild
i stayed almost 10 days in this temple and it was a great experience. I met nice people, ate good indian food and did good activities (yoga for example). The place is very nice with the big valley and the beautiful mountains. Thanks for all.

Antowild

6/24/2011 3:19:04 PM by JenCDuck
wwoofed about 3 weeks at the temple and had a wonderful experience. the workload was reasonable, the food was great and the people were very kind and generous. very interesting to learn more about the krishna beliefs, especially without anyone pushing those beliefs. yoga most days and vita classes, meditation and chanting daily. utah valley is beautiful, surrounded by mountains, rivers and lakes. hope to come back for the holi festival of colors next march.

6/29/2011 10:00:44 AM by Anonymous
I stayed here for about three weeks and had a good time. Work was pretty hard (mulching) but only for four hours a day and in good company it went quickly. Yoga on a nightly basis was lovely and lots of interesting people passing through. Thanks for having me guys.

8/7/2011 12:03:04 PM by JLlamas
I stayed at the temple for three weeks in July; helping prepare for the llama fest and working out in the gardens. My traveling companion and I had a wonderful time. The work is enjoyable, and generally not more than four hours a day. Animals of all sorts abound here, ad there are ample opportunities to observe and take note of the life at the temple. What made our stay so memorable though, was the kindness and wisdom of the people here. It was nothing short of amazing. I came much closer to my personal spirituality during my stay, largely though listening to those around me and reflecting on their thoughts. There is a balance of energies at the Krishna temple which I have not found anywhere else, and I know that I'll be back for an extended stay in due time.

9/12/2011 1:12:16 AM by klichtmannsperger
My boyfriend an d I stayed at the community for 11 days. We just had a great time! It was fantastic. We got to know lots of new experiences with a completly different religion and it was amazing! The work we had to do was a lot of fun and we got to know a lot of great people. When you join the farm to work there... it is like become a member of a new family! We really thank all the people there for the great days we spent at the farm! We hope that we can come back soon!

9/17/2011 7:04:25 AM by cosmia
My experience visiting the Krishna temple was life changing! I can say with confidence this is a special, lovely community. Not only was I able to work in a beautiful outdoor environment but I was given the opportunity to dive into my spirituality. The community provides their visitors with plenty of vegetarian food, comfortable housing, enjoyable activities/festivals, and friendship! Also there are friendly animals like llamas and cows to love on!! It was wonderful being among people who live a pure life, people who understand how to live in the spirit! I gained much knowledge through my participation. I am so thankful to the devotees for making me feel like part of the family. Love you all!!!

9/18/2011 12:18:06 PM by TooManyDonts
I had only intended on staying here for two or three weeks, but ended up staying close to six months. That should tell you as much as any of my further ramblings about the value of this place.

This is a place full of opportunities to learn. Whether you want to work with the animals, in the garden, the kitchen, or become involved in the variety of religious activities and festivals that go on. You are only required to work four hours a day normally, and are provided with extremely comfortable quarters and a buffet that is open most of the day and available whenever you are hungry. But most importantly you will meet some wonderful people here. Caru and Vai are one of a kind people, and the many other people that work and visit are all unique.

Overall this is a very special place. The more time and work you put in, the more unique jobs and experiences you are rewarded with. To put it simply, there is no reason not to visit the Temple.

10/12/2011 8:36:48 PM by DanHoffmann
I have been working on the Krishna Community Farm for a little over a month now and am reluctant to be departing soon. This was my first WWOOFing opportunity and I greatly appreciated their genuine nature and hospitality. During my time here I was a part of a strong community, learned a fair bit about gardening, and had the opportunity to experience another culture.

You are able to really make your own experience here. The atmosphere is very peaceful and is perfect for reading and reflection. You may also decide to go the adventurous route and plan trips to the nearby hot springs, national forest, or other places of interest on your days off with the other WWOOFers.

The Krishna Community was a very unique and engaging place to work and I hope to be back in the future.

10/20/2011 8:59:00 AM by yelenak
The Krishna Temple is an incredible place in all kinds of aspects; the mountain views are breathtaking, the people are awesome, the work is unique and fun, and the exposure to Krishna consciousness quickly finds a sacred space in your heart. After spending five weeks at the Krishna Temple I am walking away with a new spiritual family, some life-long friends, useful life-skills, more aware, more knowledgeable, more confident in myself and my world, and with an endless store of memories I will look back on and cherish in this lifetime.

I can't say enough great things about the community. Caru, Vai, Hanuman, and Vraja are beautiful people who have so much to share, if you allow them to. No one will push their beliefs on you, but everyone is open to sharing if you ask. I would suggest attending the Sunday services as well as the daily yoga classes. There's dancing, singing, and a whole lot of fun! Also, I would suggest connecting with the other WWOOFers and exploring the surrounding area in your time off (hot springs are an awesome place to check out).

The Krishna community has proved to be a home away from home and I look forward to coming back time and time again. Thank you for everything! See you at Thanksgiving :-)

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